08/Jul/2009
By Madeline Casey
Editor’s Note: Highlighting this Special Medical Issue of Zachary Neighbors is the story of three members of the Zachary community who experienced very serious medical emergencies and miraculously survived. At a point their survival seemed problematic, but recovery came thanks to the excellent medical care they received in Zachary and the prayers and full support of family, friends and neighbors.
T.C. Bailey: A Bike Accident Could Not Break Her Spirit About one year ago, T.C. Bailey and her family were in the process of being approved to be Christian missionaries in Australia. The emergency room nurse, her husband Reverend Richard Bailey and their youngest of three sons planned to move “down under” and live in a community with other established missionary families.
In preparation for having only one vehicle in Australia, T.C. began to train for what would be her main mode of transportation: a bicycle. One hot June afternoon, she was riding her bike back from Vacation Bible School at Plains Presbyterian Church where she was the character Volly the Vulture. That day, she decided to take an alternate route.
“For some reason I crossed at 38th street, which I never do. I usually ride down to the stoplight,” T.C. said.
After patiently waiting for traffic to pass, she looked left one last time and started to cross the street. Immediately, she was struck by a car and thrown to the ground.
First
Reactions
“The first thing I remember when I was on the ground is ‘Where did that car
come from? It wasn’t there a few seconds ago,’” T.C. said with a laugh.
The ambulance arrived within three
minutes and rushed her to
Post-Accident
As her injuries were
assessed, it became clear that her pelvis fractured in three places, her left
elbow was dislocated and shattered, suffered a puncture wound in the left arm
and had a deep cut to of her left ankle.
“When we heard
the extent of her injuries, I realized our life had just changed,” husband and
associate pastor at Plains Presbyterian Church Rev. Richard Bailey said.
T.C. Bailey
spent a total of seven days in the hospital and 10 days in rehabilitation
before she went home.
“It was total
care as far as she couldn’t get up and walk anywhere. She had to be assisted to
do anything,” Rev. Richard Bailey said.
Rehabilitation
During the four months after the
accident, T.C. endured therapy in a wheelchair, walker and cane before she
started walking with her own strength. Miraculously, walking turned into
running.
But T.C didn’t stop there. She recently
completed the “Get Out of My Way” 5k benefit for the Women of Zachary
Charities. She ran the race without even stopping to walk.
Her elbow proved to be a more difficult
recovery. After nine months of therapy, she is still working to gain full
function in her left arm.
Michel Beard, Certified Hand Therapist at
Kleinpeter Physical Therapy, worked with T.C. on her elbow, wrist and hand
doing aggressive stretching exercises.
After a second surgery, her arm is now functional.
Staying Positive
Even amid the injuries
and lengthy rehabilitation, T.C. Bailey remained optimistic about her situation
thanks to her positive attitude and support from friends and family.
“These are just broken bones and they will heal,” she said. “In fact, the woman
driving the car was probably suffering more than I was at that time. Emotional
pain is so much more difficult to bear than physical pain.”
Rev. Bailey said he and his family continue to provide total support for
her needs.
“We just reinforced her positive attitude
and watched God work,” Rev. Bailey said.
During the most challenging times of her
recovery, friends also gave T.C. hope and encouragement. The members of Plains
Presbyterian Church made sure the family wouldn’t go hungry and supplied meals
for more than two months. Others sent cards or provided house-cleaning
services.
“Any time I felt I was getting
discouraged, something positive would happen. The children from the church even
sent get-well cards,” T.C. remembered.
What
the future holds
Though these trials have presented
obstacles for T.C. and her family, she said it has made her a stronger person.
“It was clear to me that this experience
was supposed to make me more dependent on God,” she said. “I am not somebody
who likes to ask for help. That was probably the most difficult part about my
recovery because I couldn’t do anything for myself.”
T.C. Bailey never lost sight of their
goal to be missionaries even amidst this setback. The family still plans to
relocate to
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