On Monday, November 20, I got the call that everyone is a little afraid they'll get one day. David had been hit by a motorcycle as he was crossing a service road near the U.S. Embassy in Metro Manila.
It was near the end of the work day, and he'd gone to the local Starbucks during a break after a stressful meeting. Motorcycles weave around parked or waiting cars here, and they drive in the wrong lanes. Crossing the street isn't easy, and it is often dangerous.
He had to be taken to a hospital near the Embassy because he wasn't stable enough to be moved all the way to where we live. I was driven there to be with him, and when I got there, I found out that he'd had a seizure in the waiting room in the E.R., so I was so thankful they hadn't tried to transport him farther. He had lost quite a bit of his memory, including everything that had happened in the last week. He repeated himself often.
That first night in the ICU, I really wasn't sure if he'd wake up in the morning. Every time they woke him up, I woke up. I think I mostly dozed on a bench beside his bed all night long.
24 hours made a huge difference in all our outlooks. He was remembering more, though still repeating himself a lot. I went home and got a shower and talked to the kids on the advice of the Embassy doctor.
Our Embassy community rallied to be the local family we don't have here, and I'm so grateful. Friends arranged to stay with the boys. Our wonderful ate, Maryann, worked extra, spending the night with the boys several nights. Groceries were delivered. I was able to stay with David in the hospital for the entire week that he was there.
I got a firsthand look at why Filipinos are known as amazing carers. The nursing staff was warm, friendly, and attentive. The doctors at Manila Doctor's Hospital checked on us regularly, and our local Embassy doctor helped me understand all the information coming at me from all sides.
A wonderful Embassy nurse came often and called to check in. The Ambassador made a visit, and I even got a call from an assistant Attorney General in D.C., since it appears that being hit by a motorcycle in a foreign country while working for DOJ is a big deal. :)
David came out of the encounter with a serious concussion, a thin fracture in a bone in his upper spine, and fluid on his lungs from the impact. By the time he was released from the hospital, his memory had mostly returned, and the regular repeating of questions had ended, but he may never remember the accident.
I know that God was upholding me that week. I feel like I was just existing in "get it done" mode, making sure that a U.S. judge in town was taken care of, communicating with relatives and work contacts, making sure that he had what he needed when he was groggy and couldn't hit his call button.
It wasn't until we got home that I think we all fell apart. It took me a full week and a half to cry over all that we'd been through. We'll be dealing with the effects of this on his health for months to come, but I'm so grateful that it wasn't worse. He's alive, and he's with us. Watching him read to the boys the week after he got home to the hospital felt like a miracle of grace.
So, if you're interested in tips on staying in the hospital in Manila, I guess I'm your girl. ;)
