Angels Among Us

I don't even know how to begin this post! So much has "gone down" in the last two weeks! I really want to post, however, about the big event that happened last week. It all started (for me) on Thursday morning when I got an email from a friend. It said something to effect that the "missing hiker" (that I knew nothing about) was a gal named "Marina Hinkle". After taking in the fact that there was a missing hiker...I was then processing the fact that this "Marina Hinkle" was/is one of my best friends!!! Oh my word...I can't even begin to tell you how I felt in that moment. I immediately called her husband and hoped beyond hope that there was some kind of mistake. I am REALLY glad I didn't read the paper that morning b/c it was a really grim assessment of the situation. Anyway, Brett, Marina's hubby, began to tell me (with great horror) that Marina had gone out for a little hike alone on Wednesday and never returned. Not only that...but as of that moment on Thursday they STILL hadn't found her!! I just could NOT accept that this was happening...this just could not be for real. I instantly went into "don't panic" mode...and "is there anything I can do" mode..."they WILL find her" mode. Oh...did I mention she was injured and had called 9-1-1 after falling off a cliff??????? Yeah...this story just gets better and better!

So, I told my co-workers what was going on after having a lengthy conversation with Brett. He was beyond worried...she'd been out there ALL NIGHT and who knows how injured she was! Her 9-1-1 call was kind of vague...she had given a description of about where she was and that she needed help. She ended up passing out and then the cell phone died. You can imagine how everyone was feeling when they didn't find her that night. I am really relieved I didn't know this was going on at the time...I would have been SICK with worry. Anyway, after talking to my co-workers I decided I could not stay at the office. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that IF the news was bad that day, I needed to be at the house with Brett. I knew he would absolutely crumble if they didn't find her alive. So, I jumped in the car and just as I turned the key, I got a call from Brett. She was found and alive!!!!! What we didn't know at the time was that she was BARELY alive. They had a hard time finding a pulse. Nonetheless...we were so relieved they found her. They took her to the hospital via helicopter. It was quite an ordeal.

I ended up staying at the office knowing that she might be medivaced south. Brett was expecting them to ship her out depending on how bad her injuries were. She was terribly dehydrated and hypothermic...her body temp was 91...well below normal. She probably had, at the very least, a head injury. She had told the 9-1-1 dispatcher that she hit her head. We worried about spinal injuries as well. At any rate...I didn't last long at the office before deciding to check in at the hospital to see what was up. Thank goodness she was still in the E.R. when I got there. She had not been medivaced like we expected. She was completely unconscious and heavily drugged b/c she had been shivering so badly when they brought her in. We were all just mesmerized (and relieved) by the fact that she was alive.

After work that night I went to the ICU to see her. She was still completely out and it was going to be hours before she "came to". They were still considering sending her south depending on how she responded when she came off the Valium they gave her. I went ahead and went home knowing that her good friend, Gillian, who happens to be a nursing supervisor would be there all night. She promised to call me if anything happened. She even talked Brett into going home to get some rest...he'd been up all night the previous evening while they were still searching. Sooo....we all eventually left so Marina could "rest". We were pretty certain she could still hear all the commotion in the room.

I ended up sleeping really hard that night after taking some Advil PM. I knew if I didn't take something...I would have worried all night. The next morning I got online and saw a few postings (updates) on Facebook by Gillian. Marina had woken up and was talking!! It was a miracle!! Now...when I say "woke up" and "talking"....I don't mean just sat up and started yakking. She was extremely weak, in a LOT of pain, and barely coherent. I will say, tho, the first thing out of her mouth was "I was not alone. Who was that lady out there with me all night?" Y'all...I could NOT believe what I was reading/hearing. I couldn't wait to get back to the hospital to find out more from Gillian what was being said. Was it possible that Marina had her own bonified Guardian Angel out in the forest with her that night??? OF COURSE IT'S POSSIBLE!!!!!!!!! Not only THAT...but this "lady" coaxed Marina out of the spot she was in to get to an area where the searchers could see her. She kept telling Marina that they weren't going to see her and she would die. She keeps telling us now that "The lady was right." Can you believe it???? I am still getting choked up over this story as I tell it now.

There is so much more to tell but I can't get into all of it here on this blog. What I have found out in the last few days, tho, is this: the searchers went back out to the area where Marina was spotted and they think they've located the spot where she landed. She had fallen backwards after the earth gave way under her. They are saying she fell about 40 feet...not the 15 feet she initially reported to 9-1-1. This would explain why she is in very rough shape. She has a major concussion and a severly bruised back. It hurts to even breathe right now. She has a hard time opening her eyes b/c she is seeing "double" and is sensitive to light. It's going to be a long road to recovery. But, her spirits are GOOD and she is determined to get better. She's a fighter!!! Not only that but she is anxious to tell her story about the "lady" in the woods. You have NO idea how full my heart is over this!!

For those of you that don't know, Marina is an emergency room nurse. She is married and has two boys...one of the boys is the same age as Jake. We've been friends about 10 years now. Please pray she will make a full recovery...she means the world to a LOT of people in this community!!!

More later everyone. I am still basking in God's goodness and the PROOF that there really ARE angels among us!!!

Love and Hugs~ Nan XOX