Today I spoke with a man by the name of Kevin Swenson who is one of the people that was kind enough to stop and help. I will try to relay the story as he did to me so that it carries more meaning:
Kevin Swenson and his family were traveling with some friends, the Mike Perry family, to Idaho State University for a tennis event in which each family had a daughter involved. On the way home to Utah, Kevin felt like his care was hydroplaning. He let off the gas pedal and the slid off the road, off the shoulder into about 1 ½ feet of snow and was able to make it back to the highway. At that point, he stopped his vehicle to ensure the safety of all the passengers of his car. While they were stopped, four cars passed them and all four also slid off the road, including the Perry family and a young gentleman named Troy Kressman and his father and a person who we don’t know the name. No one in any of these cars was hurt and all but one was able to get their cars back on the road.
Somewhere in the middle of all this is when Jenny, like many others that night, lost control and went off the road.
I believe Kevin told me that the Kressmans were the first to arrive. Troy Kressman is a young man of 18 years of age and his father, whose name I don’t know, is a professor at BYU. He has received his mission call to Milan Italy. When they got on scene, one of them asked if our family members were LDS and if the would like a blessing. Kevin said that Troy told his father that he wasn’t 100% sure how to give a blessing but he would like to give this woman a blessing. That woman was our mom who was critically injured. I don’t know exactly what was relayed in the blessing but I do know that Eja’s injuries were such that nothing short of a miracle kept her alive while she was transported to McKay-Dee Hospital. Above all that, she was coherent and breathing on her own—not small things when considering her injuries.
Kevin worked on an ambulance for six years and so he knew exactly what needed to be done. He quickly found out how many people were in the car and that they were all accounted for. Troy, bless his heart, held Eja in his brave arms until help arrived. Comforting her and talking to her all the while. Mr. Kressman kept busy finding warmth and security for the others while more help arrived. Mike Perry was the first one call 911. On that call, he accidentally gave the dispatch wrong information indicating that they were on the other side of Perry, UT. Kevin heard him and indicated that he would call back because his phone has Emergency GPS and that would give the police their exact location. He did so and then his phone lost power and or signal for no apparent reason and he was not able to place any more calls until much later that evening.
There was another man whose name I have not found yet, neither have I given up. This man was a truck driver who was able to stop his rig and help out. He either found or was guided to Tricia who was still trapped inside the Yukon. There he lay on top of snow, ice, glass and metal to comfort Tricia. He left only one time for a very brief moment to grab what jacket he had and then returned to her side not to leave again until she was in the ambulance. What an example.
I share this story for a few reasons. The first of which so that you all can mention them in your prayers, to strengthen them, help them in any trials they may have, to bless them with what they need and whatever else you may feel inspired to include in your earnest prayers. Also, to inspire us all to do a little bit more in our everyday lives, to lift another, share our beliefs through our actions and to emulate all the teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ in all we do. And lastly, I relay this to you to help us all realize the touch of the Master’s hand in all things. If these people would not have slid off the road due to the treacherous conditions, just as our family did, who would have stopped? Would anyone have had stopped? Would it have been someone with the faith of a Strippling warrior? Would it have been someone whose faith could shake the very powers of Hell forever? Would it have been someone who was courteous and respectful of the sacred, special nature of womanhood? Would the next passers-by been physically able to help? We will never know the answer to these questions but we do know this: that the lives and health of our most beloved have been preserved for a time due to their courageous, unselfish acts of kindness.
Please keep these people and their families in your prayers. God Bless them.
First Time Back in the Kitchen
