Daniel Gray

On Friday, July 8th, Daniel and his dad, Everett, were traveling to Alabama to deliver a tractor. Near Sweetwater, his truck's front tire blew and he lost control of the heavy load. His truck traveled off the interstate, down into a heavily wooded area, and landed against a large cedar tree.

Everett was thankfully not injured and was able to get out of the truck. The motor caused a small fire and Everett, unable to get to the fire extinguisher, beat the fire out with his bare hands. Upon returning to the truck, Daniel told his dad that he couldn't breathe because the pressure of the steering wheel. Everett and a Good Samaritan Passerby (or a guardian angel) employed some MacGyver skills to pull the wheel away from his chest so he could breathe better.

Due to the remoteness of the accident, rescue teams were slow to arrive. And, getting my "Big Dan" out of the vehicle proved to be extremely difficult. He was trapped for 3 hours in the sweltering heat. 

LifeStar immediately flew him to UT Medical Center where he went straight to surgery. Daniel's colon was torn and required immediate repair. This surgery served as a bandaid until he could be stabilized. He also had multiple areas of bleeding in his pelvis that required another immediate surgery.

In a time span of 8 hours once he arrived at the hospital, Daniel received 15 units of blood and 22 other blood products. Finally at this 8 hour mark, I was able to see him for the first time since the accident. And what a pretty site he was!

He is bruised. He is battered. He is sore. But, he survived! God protected him in so many ways.

We are uncertain as to what is fractured or broken, and will work to figure all that out once he is more stable.

For now, we ask for prayers as he is going back to surgery this evening. The surgeons are going to investigate for any further signs of bleeding in his abdomen.

Please pray for the bleeding to stop, his blood pressure to stabilize, his pain to be controlled, and him to remain calm in this storm. Pray for his medical team to have wisdom and guide their healing hands.

Lastly, please pray for our family. Help us to be strong for Daniel. Help us to help him get better.

Tucker and Cooper love to sing out, "Daddy's Awesome"...and he has proved he sure is!

Daniel and I are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends. Thanks for everything during our crisis. Please continue to pray. Our God is Great!