I have just witnessed a miracle. And no, that is not a melodramatic statement. Simply true. I just watched my son walk again. Unsupported. For the first time in three and a half years. Five steps.
Yes it has already made the papers. Of course he had been on the phone jubilant the first time, the other day. That alone had me in tears. But today I saw, with my own eyes, through tears I couldn’t have stopped if I’d tried, as my son took five steps away from me.
This, we have always been told, is impossible. And when the impossible occurs I think we can safely call it a miracle. Especially when it brings with it such emotion. Such beauty. Such joy.
I don’t suppose it was wise driving home with tears streaming. They are probably not doing the keyboard much good either. The dog is already quite soggy.
For those who do not know his story, my son was stabbed through the brain in an unprovoked attack in 2009. The screwdriver was rammed through his skull, creating a depressed fracture with shards of bone lodged in the brain, causing extensive brain damage, dangerously elevated intracranial pressures and massive subarachnoid haemorrhage. He was in a coma with a GCS of 4 when he was found and, through brain surgery and other traumas, remained that way for a very long time. He had been expected to die.
He woke, weeks later, paralysed down the right side, unable to speak, coordinate any movement, swallow or see. The damage was so severe we were warned to expect little of his mind, language or personality to remain. Yet I had said from the start that he had always been so stubborn that if he survived and woke at all, Nick would be back. He has proved me right.
His motto was always ‘refuse to lose’. A year after the attack he adopted a variant of that and had it tattooed on his arm ‘Possum ergo facit’, I can, therefore I do.
It has not been an easy journey, nor is it over. There is a very long way to go before Nick could be said to be recovered. His sight, clarity of speech and coordination, balance and…well, I can no longer say inability to walk… J We have employed everything from common sense to parcel tape and every shade of ingenuity and unorthodox approach that we can and he had worked relentlessly for his recovery.
His mind and his intellect are clear as a bell, though there are a few invisible issues, he handles them extraordinarily well. He has developed a wisdom far beyond his years in many things. He realised some time ago that he would not now change a thing as he has gone from a successful and ambitious young man to being a happy one who appreciates living.
After he had hugged me while I wept all over him, we stood in his garden talking today. He said that after all the biological and mathematical odds against any one of us being born, it was simply a matter of respect for life to do our best with it. He has a point. We spoke of the power of the imagination and how we create a reality in our minds that is mirrored in the world if we allow it to be and work for it. We spoke of the will and the determination to succeed, to hope and to believe in the impossible and to achieve it with all we are, against all odds and predictions. Against all logic. We spoke of having faith in the impossible being possible. His face lit with passion as he spoke of these things with great eloquence and I wished I could record it for you to hear, for it came from the heart.
Then my son spoke of his dreams, if he can now learn to walk. The places he wants to see and the things he wants to do. All the things he never thought he would be able to do since the attack. The things he could have done, perhaps, before but did not think to spare the time or the joy to do.
“You’ll get postcards from everywhere,” he said, “telling you about all the things I’ve done… not all of them sane.” The lunacy must be genetic, as my only response to that, through the mist of tears, was, “Good!”
He has refused to lose… and today I saw the most beautiful thing I have seen since the day I watched him take his first breath for the second time in his life. I saw my son walk.
Be glad with me.
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
Glad to be glad with you, dear one. 🙂
Though, I would advise against the continued use of parcel tape… duct tape provides a much better seal to muffle the hobbit jibes, and an appropriate level of “ouch factor” when he tries to remove it… 😉
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Oh I wish you could have SEEN him H! But don’t encourage him with the duct tape…. 😉
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Fantastic, ‘O happy day!’ (kind of historically Interesting, too, in that this happened on the 5th January, Twelfth Night – and Epiphany – tomorrow! , all the old rules turned upside down.
Celebrate : )
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I can see the significance of the dates 🙂 But honestly.. this makes any day of the year beautiful 🙂
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Your story brought tears of a fathers joy to my heart, bless you and he. I am SO happy for the two of you and your family.
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Just imagine a very soggy smile 🙂
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Oh dear, this is a glorious day. Quite infectious. They joy, the inspiration, the hope, the resilience. They all come through in one surge, captured and stored for eternity. So much to feel, to believe, but so little to say other than, We are thankful for life, for faith. May you all hold on strong. My regards to Nick, Sue. Tell him our prayers and goodwill go forth to him.
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Thank you Charles 🙂 I will tell him. The prayers from around the world, messages from every continent, from those of all faiths have played such a major part in his recovery and our ability to keep hoping. I could never than everyone enough.. but Nick can. By succeeding 🙂
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much strength to you and yours
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Thank you 🙂
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I am so glad with you, and now my keyboard is soggy too, what an extraordinary journey and spirit, the hope, the determination, the attitude and the renewed appreciation for life. I look forward to hearing about his not so sane adventures in the future. All the best for Nick’s continued recovery.
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Thank you. I feel about to burst with joy and pride.. a messy possibility 🙂 No doubt he will give me inspiration to write in the future 🙂
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A milestone passed, another one ahead. But the next milestone must seem so much more possible, more quickly now. Congratulations to Nick!
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A huge milestone.. 🙂 Nothing is impossible 🙂
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No, indeed!
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Wow! I don’t really even know you or your son and yet this made me weep tears of joy for you both! Go Nick Go! Congratulations hugs to you, Echo, – the mom!
Blessings ~ Wendy
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Thank you, Wendy. He makes me weep quite frequently… but this time I’ll let him off the hook 😉 I’m so proud of what he has achieved 🙂
Blessings to you also
Sue
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My oldest son was threatened with a knife by a so-called friend. ( now ex-friend) and he suffered nightmares for awhile. I can’t even imagine what you both have gone through…xo
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I went through PTSD with the whole thing, Nick has been to hell and back more than once, many surgeries for his eyes and jaw… but he sincerely would not change things. He loves life now with a passion.. before he just lived it. He is an amazing individual.. and that he is my son is just a privilege x
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Three Cheers from a Brain Tumor Survivor! Thank you for sharing my dear. Alesia
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As my son says.. nothing is impossible 🙂
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My sentiments exactly..I write this blog for people like him! Nothing is impossible is a favorite quote from the Bible for me..As long as we are on this earth, we all should pause and remember those words when all looks bleak!
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We’ve had the black moments.. but we do not give up. Life has a purpose.. and whatever comes can teach us, if we let it.
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Wonderful!!! What an inspiring story.
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🙂
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WOW! Yay for all of you. And thank you for the inspiration. Sending you and yours heartfelt, warmest wishes for comfort and joy. Blessings
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Thank you 🙂
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What an inspiration he is to others…
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🙂 He is. He is certainly mine.
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Amazing and inspirational!!
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🙂
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Hard to find words for the beautify in not only the physical, mental strength, but the true soul connecting in the garden – blessings on your head for sharing the joy of all of this 🙂
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Thank you, Marga. It is a joy to share the blessing in all of this 🙂
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❤ I'm so happy for you – and glad with you 🙂
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Thank you 🙂
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My wife, Susie, and I send all the best to you and your son…to him for his remarkable perseverance…and to you for never giving up hope…which is invaluable…may he never cease to be in awe of his “second chance” at life…be encouraged!
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Thank you Stephen and Susie 🙂
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You are welcome…be encouraged!
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Wonderful!
‘I can, therefore I do.’!
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He does too … 🙂
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Cheers! 🙂
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I would like to join you in weeping all over a dog, that’s beautiful.
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She’s sort of used to to by now 🙂 But yes, it is. The human spirit is a remarkable thing.
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I am thrilled for your son’s resilience and for your love. Blessings to you both. May he continue to harnass the energy to thrive and succeed beyond his wildest dreams.
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Thank you. My son is an amazing individual 🙂
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“His face lit with passion”
This, and a soggy dog…gave me tears of joy for you, and goosebumps to boot!
Oh, Happy Day! Happy Life!
Blessings 😀
~Lyann
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🙂 He has that effect on me quite frequently, Lyann. Thank you for the reblog.. my son’s courage and achievement deserve all the recognition in the world. And it means a lot to me. x
In Light,
Sue
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Reblogged this on Starfish Way and commented:
Just…Beautiful!
“He said that after all the biological and mathematical odds against any one of us being born, it was simply a matter of respect for life to do our best with it….to hope and to believe in the impossible and to achieve it with all we are, against all odds and predictions. Against all logic. We spoke of having faith in the impossible being possible.”
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Very glad with you!
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Thank you 🙂
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What can I say….You have both been to hell and returned triumphantly. May you both be blesses with many more “miracles” in the days ahead.
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Every day holds them… 🙂 Big, ones, small ones, ones shared in laughter..Both my sons are remarkable young men and that, in itself is a beautiful thing to be able to know.
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Your beautiful story brought tears to my eyes – a tender mother`s tale written with such joy – he sounds a wonderful boy.
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He is a remarkable young man… suppose all mothers think that about their sons, but I truly think he is something rather special. 🙂
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He surely is. Thank you for following my blog.
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🙂
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How totally wonderful. Heart-warming to say the least x
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And the progress continues, Kev. 🙂
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I checked out your blog because you left me a “like”, never expecting to read such a wonderful wise and loving story. Thank you for introducingme to your world, it is beyond inspirational!
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Thank you Ann.. I stopped by a few times.. the dogs get me every time. You may notice my Ani likes to write the odd post or two herself 😉 Thank you for getting in touch. It’s no good getting words out there unless they connect us with real people, is it? 🙂
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I am so amazed and happy for you and your son! There is one thing few understand truly and while living it can not ever be taken away and that is the mind. Other’s can harm our bodies, censor our acts, but they can never still the powers of our creativity, of our will, and of our desire to live. Your son, what a gift to you and to all of us to learn personal strength and resilience! I hope he enjoys his explorations of his life’s story!
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He has every intention of Living with a capital ‘L’.. and that fills me with joy and pride. Both my sons share something pretty special with their rather random take on life sometimes.. and I could not have asked for a better pair.
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hehe and they are blessed to have you as a mum, who stays just an active spectator of their random takes on life, it has allowed them to grow in their own sun. 🙂
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They need no help from me… they have sufficient randomness to go round 🙂
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which always makes the world a random crazy beautiful place! 😀
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That’s the way it was designed to be, i think 🙂
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amazing post, extraordinary experiences, beautifully written. Very, very happy for you.
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Thank you. It has been an extraordinary journey.
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First of all I love your story…well written… Inspiring…Your son showed the power of the mind as he “REFUSE TO LOSE”
There is a great lesson in your story for all o us!
BELIEVE!
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We’ve never stopped believing, why should we? Just because someone tells us it is ‘probably’ a waste of time and ‘unrealistic’? My son proves that it not so.
The mind is capable of so much more than we give it credit for.. and backed with determined effort then the sky is the limit. 🙂
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I am so touched by your story. I believe in a limitless sky too. Thanks for sharing your special news.
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Thank you. There are no words really, no matter how I try, for what my son has achieved And he hasn’t finished yet. Not by a long way :-).
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Such a fantastic story, Sue…The human body is amazing!
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It is, we live in a miracle… x
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So. Effing. Wonderful! Reading your posts, I think about my own son, and it’s terrifying to imagine how something like this would affect our lives. I pray it never happens to us or anyone else…And you are a gift to your son, and you are both gifts to all of us. Thank you so much for blogging!
I just want to know, did they catch the sonofabitch who did this, and is he in jail for the rest of his life???
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Thanks Laura. Yes, they did… Immediately. He will however be released soon.
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Good grief, how can that be, after that heinous crime???
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It was the longest term possible as the young man was only 17 at the time of the attack.
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Ohhhh….not a good prognosis. For the rest of society, that is.
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No, sadly it isn’t.
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