It was late August. The smell of autumn was in the evening air despite it technically still being very much summertime. The kids were back in school and this small town was gearing up for football season. The Boys of Fall were meeting Friday Night Lights . . . tailgating . . . bonfires . . . My favorite time of year!
Lukah and her boyfriend Cristian attended the first football game of the season, just as many high schoolers do.
Unbeknownst to us, on their way home from the game, something terrible happened.
Lukah wanted to stop to use the restroom at a gas station and local teen hang out (yes that’s what teens do in Smalltown, Central, IL. They hang out at the local Shell station.). Cristian stayed in his truck while she ran into Shell.
He thought she was taking a long time, so he went in to check on her.
It was then that we got a call I will never forget.
It was Cristian.
“Lukah had a seizure in the bathroom at Shell and hit her head. I can’t get her up.”
The words were barely out of his mouth when we practically dropped the phone and raced to my van.
Shell is only about 3/4 mile from my house, but of course, it seemed like it took an hour to get there.
While I have seen Lukah have seizures DOZENS of times, I was still not prepared for what I would see.
The first thing I saw were two young girls about the age of 12 sitting on the floor crying. They were propping the bathroom door open with their backs. I said to them, “Is she in here?” They nodded — tears streaming down their beautiful young faces.
I went to Lukah. She was awake, but lying still on the floor, in pain with her eyes fixed on the ceiling. She was disoriented, but she said her head was throbbing and she was extremely sensitive to light, despite having the lights off in the bathroom.
I asked Lukah what happened. She did not remember.
I asked Cristian what happened. Of course he didn’t know, because he had been in the truck.
I asked the young girls what happened. .
“We just walked in and found her. She was laying there on the floor and was shaking with her eyes rolled back in her head, and the water in the sink was still running,” said the young blond girl.
“I think she was having a seizure,” said the young brunette.
I told them she probably was — that she is prone to them.
“I have seizures too,” said the blond. “So does my mom.”
I wanted to cry. I think I welled up but, as usual, didn’t let the tears fall.
All I could think about were those young girls, walking into that horrific sight of Lukah seizing on the floor. I have walked into it many times at my house, and it still rattles me to my core. I can’t imagine seeing that at the age of 12. I’m quite sure it is a vision that won’t ever leave them.
While the vision may haunt them like the devil, those girls are true angels. Guardian Angels at that. And those Angels acted fast.
When they entered the bathroom, one of them went to comfort Lukah and the other went to get her bottle of water, because she remembered her mom is always thirsty after a seizure.
Lukah “came to” soon after they found her, and Cristian came in soon after she was awake. When she wouldn’t get up, he called us.
When we got there, we stayed with Lukah while she rested on the floor for about 5 minutes. We finally encouraged her to get up, thanked the girls, and guided her to my van.
She didn’t think she needed to go to the hospital. We debated it for a bit but decided to take her home and watch her. I remember sitting in candlelight because the lights hurt her head so badly.
She continued to have a bad headache through the night and the next day, but showed no other signs of a concussion until the next evening, when she began having ringing in her ears and nausea. Off to the ER we went and the concussion was confirmed.
Lukah’s concussion got better in about a week, but I remained fearful. How times is she going to get hurt falling to the ground? We had been lucky so far but our luck was running out. And, this time, she was away from home . . . all alone!
While I can’t stop her from falling, I can do something to help the Angels who find her in that awful position next time.
Lukah now wears a stylish medical id bracelet. On the back, it indicates her condition and has my phone numbers on it. It helps me rest easier knowing that if she falls again while alone, the Guardian Angels who come to her rescue have an easier time knowing what is going on and who to call. Here is a picture of it:
I see those young Guardian Angels around town sometimes. I don’t think they remember me, but when I see them, I smile from afar and say a little prayer to God for putting them there to rescue Lukah in her time of need.
To those battling conditions causing sudden unconsciousness, just remember that Angels are everywhere . . . sometimes they even come in the form of Junior High girls.
God Bless!
Looking for Lukah 