MY STORY

On April 30, 2009 I was involved in an automobile accident that would change my life forever. I headed home from Montauk State Park where I had been fly fishing that morning. On my home, I stopped in Cuba for a snack. I bought three honey buns, a fountain soda and then got back into my '99 Nissan Frontier and started for home.  I do not remember the rest of that day or even much of that month. As I drove home, it began to rain. At 1:55 PM that afternoon I was driving northbound on Highway 47 and my truck hydroplaned, crossed the center line and into the path of a Ford F150. Our trucks collided. The other driver's truck sustained extensive damage and my truck was totaled. Thankfully, the driver of the other vehicle (no passengers) suffered a broken toe. My outcome was much different. I was ejected from my truck and sustained near fatal injuries which included the following:

fractured C2 vertebrae
three skull fractures in my right temporal lobe area
brain and lung contusions
heart arrythmia
bruised and bleeding spleen
compound/protruding fractures in my right arm
multiple fractures on left leg (tibia, fibula, and femur)
right scapula fracture
clavicle and cheek bone fractures
broken ribs, extensive bruising, and road rash

The ambulance district that responded to my accident drove me to St. John's Mercy in Washington, Missouri so that a doctor could sedate and intubate me.  I was then taken to St. John's Mercy in St. Louis, a level one trauma center.  The teams caring for me did not expect me to live.  Nearly five hours later, my very frantic wife received a phone call from St. John's Mercy in St. Louis informing her that I had been in an accident.  When she arrived at the hospital, she was taken to a private waiting room where a friend was waiting. After much pleading, the hospital liason agreed to let her go in the ER unit (with the friend) to see me for a few moments, with the condition that she would stay out of the way and leave quickly.  She asked the head trauma physician if I would live..the doctor would not look her in the eyes and replied "we're doing everything we can."  She then looked at her friend and said "Well, then we're going to pray."  She went back to the waiting room where more of her family was waiting.  The reports kept coming: "He probably won't survive." "He may lose his arm."  "He may lose his leg." "He has suffered brain damage and he may be paralyzed." There was no good news. 

The family was then moved to a larger waiting area near the OR.  My vitals had stabilized enough that they wished to do surgery to close up the wound from the protruding arm fracture, stabilize it with a brace, and stabilize my leg with a brace also.  A neighboring pastor arrived and lead a prayer of faith.  God was already working. 

I survived that first surgery.  The surgeon told my wife that I would be hospitalized for months with many surgeries to come.  God had different plans.  The day after my surgery, the trauma ICU team turned off my propofol and fentanyl for a few moments to do a neuro check.  They asked me to wiggle my foot and I was able to follow the command.  They then asked me to wiggle my other foot, and again, I was able to follow the command.  They asked me to wiggle my left hand and I was able to do that also.  The tears flowed as my family realized that I had some brain function.  Just three days after my accident, I was strong enough for the same surgeon to complete all of the major surgeries that I required for survival.  I faced some very difficult days to come, but God was with me each day.  I was able to return home to my family one month later.

Seven years later, I am able to walk, jog, ride my bike and wrestle with my boys. In 2011, on the second anniversary of my accident, I rode nearly 125 miles on the Katy Trail. I rode for Family Church - to raise funds for City Care, a community outreach ministry of Family Church. My healing has been miraculous and all the glory belongs to God!  

If you know someone who would be encouraged from hearing about what God has done in my life, please share this site with them. While all our stories are different, the truth that God is a good, good father will never change. He is concerned about every detail of our lives. Reach out to Him today. Thanks again for reading my story.

Pastor Lesh Johnson