Opinion: A mother’s heart aches for injured son in Tahoe

By Terry Soule

No matter their age, our children are always our children. It is never easy to see them sick, or injured or hurting. Our mama-heart aches with each of their aches. As a mother of four grown children, I have experienced this many times over the years, but never so much as after our 38-year-old son, Adam, was hit while riding his bike in South Lake Tahoe, Aug. 21, 2012. (Read Adam Rose’s story here.)

The injuries he sustained were critical and many – almost complete traumatic amputation of his right foot and lower leg, compound fractures of his left arm, severe injury to his right arm, multiple abrasions which removed about 35 percent of the skin on his body, bruises too numerous to count.

When I first received the call about his accident, not much was known other than he had a broken leg. I thought “OK. That can be fixed fairly easily.” Later that night, after speaking with the admitting physician and learning the extent of the injuries, I made plans to go to Reno where Adam was in ICU. My prayers kept time with each breath I took as I traveled from the Bay Area to Reno. “Please keep him alive, Lord. Please heal him. Please keep him strong.”

Walking into ICU at Renown and seeing him in bed, bruised and broken, was something I will never forget.

As the days progressed, I was moved by Adam’s grace to all who helped him – his nurses and other caregivers never failed to receive a quiet “thank you” from Adam, even when what they had to do hurt him. I did not hear him complain one time, nor did I ever hear “Why me?”

Adam told me that he holds no bitterness for the person who hit him, though she had shown no remorse for her actions. He said the bitterness and anger would only hurt him, and that he felt sorry for her as she would have to live with what she did.

Adam’s life was forever changed that day, and he will carry the reminders in his body, mind and spirit for the rest of his life. No longer can he take long walks with his beloved dog, Silas, or heft 100-plus pounds of wood on his shoulder and carry it as he works as a carpenter. He faces an unknown future with no idea of how he will be able to support himself. Though he has lost strength and mobility in his body, his spirit, attitude and faith remain strong.

It has been said that adversity does not build character; rather, it reveals it. Adam’s character has been revealed through this, and this mama is so proud.