Many of you know that about a year and a half ago the lives of my family members changed in an instant. On her way home from church at the beginning of her college Christmas break, my niece, Emily, was in a tragic car accident. A few more details are available at her Facebook page, so I won’t repeat them all here. But the bottom line is that Emily’s major injury was a severe traumatic brain injury. Her life, and ours for that matter, will never be the same.

A shirt designed with Emily’s input by www.niceshirt.org!

This shirt will be available for a limited time at their website: www.niceshirt.org Sales of the shirt will help pay for some of Emily’s expenses.

Since Emily’s accident family, friends, and total strangers have given us support on many different levels. A number of people have prayed for her, sent cards, visited, helped work with her, helped with fund raisers, etc. Many of the same people who have been helping us have needs of their own and the fact that they are willing to sacrifice to help Emily is nothing short of amazing to me.

At this time Emily is continuing to beat the odds and make progress. She is currently at the Shepherd Center in Atlanta where we hope she will continue to improve. Emily was a true music lover before the accident and she remains one today. In fact, nothing lifts her spirits quite as much as music and so the shirt design is perfect for her. If you purchase one, I hope every time it is worn you will be reminded of the power of perseverance, prayer, and community.

This experience with Emily has also made me aware of the frequency of head injuries. We have met many people in person and on-line who have also experienced the devastating effects of a traumatic brain injury. If you know of a family in your area who has experienced this, please continue to give them support and encouragement. This is the type of injury that can effect a person forever so offering encouragement even years after the initial accident will be a tremendous blessing to the family.