>> Hello and welcome to It Is
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Written Canada.
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Thank you for joining us.
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As a little girl, Sarah
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McConaghy learned to ride a
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bike, swim, and enjoyed
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playing with her friends and
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her big sister, Emily.
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[MIKE] She loved drawing,
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down-hill skiing, photography,
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and riding horses
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competitively.
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Unfortunately, her life was
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tragically altered one fateful
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day in mid-winter when the
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roads were hit with the first
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major snowfall of the year.
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>> Everything Sarah once did
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without much effort became a
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near impossibility.
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However, she never gave up.
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>> Before the accident, she
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prayed for God to rescue her
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and He did, but not in a way
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that she expected or desired.
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>> Sarah wished her tragedy
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had never happened, but she's
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OK with it because this was
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her path out of a destructive
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lifestyle.
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This was the way God saved her
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and changed Sarah for life.
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>> In a moment you will meet
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this courageous young lady,
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Sarah, and her mother, Cathy.
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¤¤
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¤¤
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[horse whinnying]
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>> So, Cathy and Sarah and
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your emotional support dog,
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Charlie Brown, welcome to
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It Is Written Canada.
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We are really looking forward
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to hearing your story.
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>> Well, thank you, Mike and
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René, for having us and we're
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looking forward to telling
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our story.
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>> Thank you.
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>> So, Sarah, you love horses,
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like, they're big in your life.
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Tell us about that.
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[SARAH] Yes, very big.
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Ever since a young age my
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mother had a horse and I grew
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up around her and then she
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sold her and then I decided to
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get back into it.
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[RENÉ] And what kind of riding
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did you do, Sarah?
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[SARAH] Well, I mainly did
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English and jumpers,
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lunger jumpers and now it's
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mostly western.
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>> So, Sarah, what kind of
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activities did you like to do
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besides horseback riding?
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>> I liked to ski and I liked
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to snowboard and I loved knee
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boarding.
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>> So, Sarah, when was the car
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accident that you had?
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>> It was in the winter,
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January 29th near my birthday.
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>> And what birthday were you
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going to have?
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>> My 21st.
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[MIKE] So you were just
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about 21.
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>> Sarah, were you driving?
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[SARAH] No, I was not driving,
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but it was my car.
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[CATHY] No, Sarah was not
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driving, the young fellow that
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was driving was a very
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inexperienced driver and was
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going too fast for the
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conditions.
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He was going 83 in a 70 and
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when the police retrieved the
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black box from Sarah's car,
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that's where they actually had
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the record of that and they
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also recorded, I believe it
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was three to four inches of
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snow so he should have been
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going closer to 50, but as I
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said, he was inexperienced,
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lost control, the car left the
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road, hit a tree, stopping the
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car very suddenly and actually
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the car bent right around the
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tree and they had to use the
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Jaws of Life to get Sarah out
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and on impact, Sarah's head
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went over to the left, hitting
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the driver's shoulder and then
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back over to the window.
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And actually he got a small
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fracture on his shoulder from
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Sarah's poor head.
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And that's where most of the
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damage came from 'cause the
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head was going like this and
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the brain got all the shearing.
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There was no alcohol or drugs
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involved, just speed.
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When the driver got out, Sarah
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was immediately unconscious,
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he was not, he did not lose
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consciousness at all and his
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phone was lost in the impact
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and he was really upset, he
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thought Sarah was dead
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actually.
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He was going to try to do CPR
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and he knew-- he just panicked
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and he knew he needed to get
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help so he ran to the house
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which was by the accident and
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they called the paramedics.
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The paramedics thought Sarah
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was not breathing as well so
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that's when they used the Jaws
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of Life to get her out and
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resuscitated her, stabilized
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her as best they could and
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transported her to Bowmanville
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Hospital.
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>> How did they transport her,
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Cathy, were they able to get a
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helicopter in to take her?
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>> So initially the ambulance
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arrived at the scene,
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transported her to Bowmanville
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ten minutes away then
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Bowmanville emerg, they
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intubated her, put her on life
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support and got her stabilized.
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They wanted to use the
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helicopter, Ornge, but because
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of the weather, Ornge wouldn't
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fly so they had to transport
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her by land.
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>> So you're a nurse and you
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were working at the hospital?
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[CATHY] Yes, correct, I was an
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RN working at Bowmanville and
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so we heard the code called,
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but you're not thinking it's
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your daughter right?
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[MIKE] No.
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[CATHY] So that was around
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2:20-ish that the code was
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called and around 3:00 we were
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out and I was scraping my car
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because of all the snow and I
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had my eldest daughter with me
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as well and she got a call
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from my husband and she said,
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"Well, here, talk to Mom."
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So I take the phone and he
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says, "You better get back in
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the hospital," and I said,
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"Well, what do you mean?"
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He said, "Well, Sarah's been
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in a car accident," and I
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said, "Oh, OK, is she OK?" and
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he says, "Well, just go back
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to the hospital."
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So I'm getting a little
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suspicious now, right, I just
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didn't like the way the
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conversation was going and I
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said, "Well, did she hit
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someone or did she-- you know,
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what happened?"
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He goes, "She wasn't driving
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the car."
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And as soon as he said that, I
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just got a really bad feeling.
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So Emily and I ran back into
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the hospital to the emerg
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department and trying to find
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her and we're in the hall and
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you could tell there was a lot
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of chaos, like, something was
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going on, but, again, we
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didn't know it was Sarah and
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so we waited and there was a
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paramedic in the hall with a
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patient on a stretcher because
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the emerg was so backed up
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because of Sarah and he said,
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"Was your daughter in a car
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accident?" and I said, "Yes,"
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and he says, "Oh, she's in
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here," and he said, "They just
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intubated her."
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Now when you say that to a
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nurse, like, I don't know how
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I didn't just fall to the
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ground because I'm thinking,
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"Oh my goodness," I thought,
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"Oh, an accident, maybe she's
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broken an arm, a leg, or
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something," right, and now
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they're telling me that they
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had intubated her.
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And so-- now by this point,
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some of my staff members, my
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head nurse came down and they
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were helping out and so they
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got us in to see Sarah,
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Emily and I.
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>> So Sarah first came to the
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hospital at Bowmanville where
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you were working, Cathy, and
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then they transferred her to
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Toronto to the Sunnybrook
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Hospital.
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Tell us about that.
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>> So they transferred her to
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the trauma unit which has a
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neuro unit and because Sarah
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was head injury, that's where
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they wanted her to go.
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We had to travel separately,
00:09:33.67\00:09:35.74
my husband, my older daughter,
00:09:35.74\00:09:37.77
myself.
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So we arrived there, we didn't
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know where she was, we didn't,
00:09:40.54\00:09:42.21
you know, had to find her so
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we're trying to, you know,
00:09:44.21\00:09:46.88
find out where she is and it's
00:09:46.88\00:09:49.12
so overwhelming, I just had to
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pray, I just, I found a little
00:09:51.39\00:09:55.06
cube in the emerg that was
00:09:55.06\00:09:57.83
vacant and I just got on my
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knees and I just prayed, it's
00:09:59.66\00:10:02.83
like a terrible feeling, but I
00:10:02.83\00:10:05.33
knew the Lord would hear me,
00:10:05.33\00:10:07.44
I was hoping.
00:10:07.44\00:10:08.77
>> And so what was the whole
00:10:09.60\00:10:11.47
process of, I mean, she was
00:10:11.47\00:10:14.21
unconscious so how did you
00:10:14.21\00:10:16.75
know that she was ever going
00:10:16.75\00:10:18.75
to be conscious again or did
00:10:18.75\00:10:20.45
you not know that?
00:10:20.45\00:10:21.72
[CATHY] No, you did not know
00:10:21.72\00:10:23.02
that and Sunnybrook, the
00:10:23.02\00:10:25.92
neurologist who was attending
00:10:25.92\00:10:27.92
Sarah, so she has to make it
00:10:27.92\00:10:32.19
through the night so the first
00:10:32.19\00:10:35.16
12 hours, then if she can make
00:10:35.16\00:10:37.70
it through 24 hours, then 48,
00:10:37.70\00:10:42.27
and if she can get to 72
00:10:42.27\00:10:45.34
that's what they kind of deem
00:10:45.34\00:10:47.94
that her chances increase
00:10:47.94\00:10:49.44
considerably.
00:10:49.44\00:10:51.08
So we literally just prayed
00:10:51.08\00:10:53.72
and prayed, like, constantly,
00:10:53.72\00:10:57.85
you know, so we get the first
00:10:57.85\00:10:59.69
12 in, then the 24, then the
00:10:59.69\00:11:02.99
48 and you just, you know,
00:11:02.99\00:11:05.26
it's just-- yeah...
00:11:05.26\00:11:06.90
>> So how long was she
00:11:06.90\00:11:08.56
unconscious for then, Cathy?
00:11:08.56\00:11:11.37
>> Almost three months.
00:11:11.37\00:11:13.50
But at Sunnybrook, they would
00:11:15.80\00:11:18.84
ask Sarah for a sign.
00:11:18.84\00:11:22.04
So people can always hear even
00:11:22.04\00:11:24.55
though they're not responding
00:11:24.55\00:11:26.41
so they would say, "Give us a
00:11:26.41\00:11:28.18
thumbs up," or "Wiggle your
00:11:28.18\00:11:30.02
toes," and she wouldn't really
00:11:30.02\00:11:32.75
respond to that, but when my
00:11:32.75\00:11:35.02
husband and I would ask for a
00:11:35.02\00:11:36.79
thumbs up, it would-- we would
00:11:36.79\00:11:39.56
sit there and we would watch,
00:11:39.56\00:11:41.26
watch, watch and I'm guessing
00:11:41.26\00:11:44.27
around ten seconds, you would
00:11:44.27\00:11:47.00
see Sarah's thumb go up about
00:11:47.00\00:11:49.97
halfway, every so slightly,
00:11:49.97\00:11:52.81
and I felt it was the delay
00:11:52.81\00:11:57.01
because of the swelling in the
00:11:57.01\00:11:58.55
brain, the message to do that
00:11:58.55\00:12:01.28
and for her to, you know, get
00:12:01.28\00:12:03.32
the strength to actually be
00:12:03.32\00:12:04.85
able to do that, it was
00:12:04.85\00:12:06.72
delayed.
00:12:06.72\00:12:07.99
But they felt it was too
00:12:09.32\00:12:11.53
delayed and they didn't wanna
00:12:11.53\00:12:12.99
count it, but we knew in our
00:12:12.99\00:12:15.73
hearts that Sarah was in there
00:12:15.73\00:12:19.23
and she was gonna come out.
00:12:19.23\00:12:21.00
[MIKE] Somehow the parents know
00:12:21.40\00:12:22.77
more than-- they know their
00:12:22.77\00:12:24.74
daughter really well.
00:12:24.74\00:12:26.51
So what other signs did you
00:12:26.51\00:12:28.08
see that gave you hope?
00:12:28.08\00:12:29.81
>> So my daughter, my older
00:12:29.81\00:12:33.78
daughter, Emily, and I, we
00:12:33.78\00:12:35.92
stayed in Toronto, I did not
00:12:35.92\00:12:37.65
leave, I never went home until
00:12:37.65\00:12:39.29
she was transferred back.
00:12:39.29\00:12:40.99
So we got there every morning
00:12:41.66\00:12:44.36
and as soon as I would go in
00:12:44.36\00:12:46.49
and I would say, "Good
00:12:46.49\00:12:47.76
morning, Sarah," her heart
00:12:47.76\00:12:49.60
rate would automatically go up
00:12:49.60\00:12:51.83
or if she heard Emily's voice,
00:12:51.83\00:12:54.30
like, substantially you could
00:12:54.30\00:12:57.01
see it go up and then, you
00:12:57.01\00:12:58.64
know, as we talked it would
00:12:58.64\00:13:00.28
settle back down so I knew
00:13:00.28\00:13:03.11
that she knew I was there and
00:13:03.11\00:13:05.15
she was in there.
00:13:05.15\00:13:06.45
And also a friend who was
00:13:08.08\00:13:09.85
helping us with chores 'cause
00:13:09.85\00:13:12.32
we have the horse farm, she
00:13:12.32\00:13:14.36
brought a recording for Sarah
00:13:14.36\00:13:16.49
and we played it for her and
00:13:16.49\00:13:18.13
she could hear-- you could
00:13:18.13\00:13:19.73
hear the horses playing in the
00:13:19.73\00:13:21.43
snow and running and her
00:13:21.43\00:13:23.77
friend would say, [clicks
00:13:23.77\00:13:25.27
tongue] like this, Sarah's
00:13:25.27\00:13:27.30
heart rate went up again so she
00:13:27.30\00:13:30.51
knew, of course she loves the
00:13:30.51\00:13:32.24
horses, so...
00:13:32.24\00:13:33.51
>> And then, Sarah, you had to
00:13:33.91\00:13:35.48
learn how to walk again?
00:13:35.48\00:13:38.31
Can you tell us about your
00:13:38.31\00:13:39.98
experience now after the
00:13:39.98\00:13:42.12
tragedy?
00:13:42.12\00:13:43.52
>> How long do you have?
00:13:43.89\00:13:45.55
[laughs]
00:13:45.55\00:13:47.12
Well, it was really slow,
00:13:50.03\00:13:55.20
painfully slow.
00:13:55.20\00:13:57.13
It was pretty awful.
00:13:58.67\00:14:01.60
I took it day by day and I
00:14:02.67\00:14:07.08
just prayed that the Lord
00:14:07.08\00:14:11.61
would help me through this.
00:14:11.61\00:14:13.75
[CATHY] Yeah, so physio worked
00:14:14.62\00:14:16.58
with Sarah, speech 'cause
00:14:16.58\00:14:19.85
Sarah couldn't talk, she did
00:14:19.85\00:14:21.19
not talk.
00:14:21.19\00:14:22.49
>> I could only whisper.
00:14:24.26\00:14:25.89
>> Yeah, she could only
00:14:25.89\00:14:27.10
whisper.
00:14:27.10\00:14:28.30
>> Really lightly.
00:14:28.30\00:14:30.57
>> No volume and then they
00:14:30.57\00:14:33.27
were getting worried that the
00:14:33.27\00:14:34.87
volume wasn't gonna come back,
00:14:34.87\00:14:36.60
but, again, we didn't give up,
00:14:36.60\00:14:38.61
we just kept praying and
00:14:38.61\00:14:39.84
working.
00:14:39.84\00:14:41.11
But I'll never forget the
00:14:42.68\00:14:44.28
first time they-- Sarah, they
00:14:44.28\00:14:47.12
were gonna sit her at the side
00:14:47.12\00:14:48.85
of the bed and I was so
00:14:48.85\00:14:50.59
excited.
00:14:50.59\00:14:51.69
So they get her up, they swing
00:14:52.62\00:14:54.92
her over and there's two
00:14:54.92\00:14:56.93
physio, one on either side,
00:14:56.93\00:14:58.59
and I'm just off to the side
00:14:58.59\00:15:01.06
and I'm like, "Oh, this is
00:15:01.06\00:15:03.06
fantastic," and they kind of
00:15:03.06\00:15:06.57
went to let go and Sarah just
00:15:06.57\00:15:09.07
started to do one of these,
00:15:09.07\00:15:11.44
like, right over and I'm like,
00:15:11.44\00:15:13.27
"Oh my goodness, she can't
00:15:13.27\00:15:14.98
even sit," right, and you're
00:15:14.98\00:15:17.35
waiting, like the build-up for
00:15:17.35\00:15:19.28
this that they're actually
00:15:19.28\00:15:20.75
moving her now out of the bed
00:15:20.75\00:15:22.08
and then she just was a
00:15:22.08\00:15:23.89
leaning, like this, but you
00:15:23.89\00:15:26.65
know what, again, never gave
00:15:26.65\00:15:28.29
up and every day they would
00:15:28.29\00:15:30.09
come and I was there all day
00:15:30.09\00:15:32.59
with her and then we'd get a
00:15:32.59\00:15:34.83
little bit so she could
00:15:34.83\00:15:36.46
actually hold it for a few
00:15:36.46\00:15:38.33
seconds and then, you know,
00:15:38.33\00:15:40.84
then it just kept continuing
00:15:40.84\00:15:43.77
that way.
00:15:43.77\00:15:44.81
>> So, Sarah, tell us about
00:15:45.77\00:15:47.08
your rehab.
00:15:47.08\00:15:48.64
>> I basically had to relearn
00:15:49.48\00:15:52.58
how to do everything from
00:15:52.58\00:15:56.48
brushing my teeth to
00:15:56.48\00:15:59.55
swallowing food to walking
00:15:59.55\00:16:04.49
was all wiped.
00:16:04.49\00:16:06.26
>> If I might just elaborate a
00:16:07.03\00:16:09.60
little bit on the learning to
00:16:09.60\00:16:11.87
re-walk, lots of times people
00:16:11.87\00:16:15.07
have injuries to their legs,
00:16:15.07\00:16:17.27
fractures, things like this,
00:16:17.27\00:16:19.11
multiple fractures, but they
00:16:19.11\00:16:21.34
still have their neural
00:16:21.34\00:16:22.98
pathways intact so the
00:16:22.98\00:16:24.85
messages will go to the legs
00:16:24.85\00:16:27.45
where Sarah, because of her
00:16:27.45\00:16:29.02
traumatic brain injury, she
00:16:29.02\00:16:30.85
had the shearing, she had to
00:16:30.85\00:16:33.52
re-- well, make new pathways.
00:16:33.52\00:16:37.13
So all her pathways were gone
00:16:37.13\00:16:39.89
that she was born with so now
00:16:39.89\00:16:41.83
she had to make all new
00:16:41.83\00:16:43.53
pathways and because of her
00:16:43.53\00:16:45.07
age, that was a good thing,
00:16:45.07\00:16:47.40
that helped a lot.
00:16:47.40\00:16:49.47
>> So were the doctors
00:16:50.57\00:16:53.58
surprised that she was even
00:16:53.58\00:16:57.11
walking or talking because of
00:16:57.11\00:17:00.78
the severe head injury that
00:17:00.78\00:17:02.85
she had?
00:17:02.85\00:17:04.39
>> Well, we never did see the
00:17:04.39\00:17:06.76
neuro surgeon again at
00:17:06.76\00:17:08.62
Sunnybrook so he doesn't know,
00:17:08.62\00:17:10.76
you just move on to the next
00:17:10.76\00:17:12.39
hospital, but Sarah truly is a
00:17:12.39\00:17:14.83
miracle, like, there's no
00:17:14.83\00:17:16.56
other way of saying it, she
00:17:16.56\00:17:19.03
truly is.
00:17:19.03\00:17:20.44
She's God's miracle.
00:17:20.44\00:17:22.14
>> So, Sarah, when you look
00:17:23.81\00:17:25.04
back, do you wish that this
00:17:25.04\00:17:26.54
had never happened to you,
00:17:26.54\00:17:27.88
that you never had the
00:17:27.88\00:17:29.04
accident?
00:17:29.04\00:17:30.38
>> Of course I wish it never
00:17:30.38\00:17:33.75
happened, but I was on a very
00:17:33.75\00:17:37.22
dark path.
00:17:37.22\00:17:38.75
I wasn't headed in the right
00:17:40.19\00:17:41.96
direction with my life.
00:17:41.96\00:17:45.23
There were drugs, boys,
00:17:45.93\00:17:49.70
alcohol, all mixed in a really
00:17:49.70\00:17:55.30
bad concoction.
00:17:55.30\00:17:58.31
>> So you were-- this was
00:17:58.31\00:18:00.24
before the accident.
00:18:00.24\00:18:01.71
[SARAH] Yes.
00:18:01.71\00:18:03.48
>> Did you feel like you knew
00:18:03.48\00:18:06.01
something was wrong?
00:18:06.01\00:18:07.72
>> Yes, I actually got on my
00:18:07.72\00:18:12.99
knees and prayed for God to
00:18:12.99\00:18:16.73
help me and to save me from
00:18:16.73\00:18:19.19
this life.
00:18:19.19\00:18:20.83
And He did.
00:18:22.46\00:18:24.10
>> So do you see the accident
00:18:24.63\00:18:26.84
as a way in which He
00:18:26.84\00:18:28.34
helped you?
00:18:28.34\00:18:29.67
>> Yes, a little drastic, but
00:18:29.67\00:18:34.28
that's OK.
00:18:34.28\00:18:35.94
>> So are you saying you're OK
00:18:37.35\00:18:39.28
with it now?
00:18:39.28\00:18:41.05
[SARAH] Yeah, I'm OK.
00:18:41.05\00:18:43.85
[CATHY] Sarah truly is my hero.
00:18:46.86\00:18:49.59
To have to witness and watch
00:18:49.59\00:18:51.63
what she went through, there's
00:18:51.63\00:18:55.33
nobody, you know, that I would
00:18:55.33\00:18:57.57
respect more just to watch how
00:18:57.57\00:18:59.60
hard she worked day after day
00:18:59.60\00:19:01.80
after day and struggling to
00:19:01.80\00:19:05.37
brush her teeth and swallow,
00:19:05.37\00:19:08.58
she couldn't eat for the
00:19:08.58\00:19:10.18
longest time and learning to
00:19:10.18\00:19:13.58
walk, I mean, it took-- it was
00:19:13.58\00:19:16.42
a long journey, but look at
00:19:16.42\00:19:18.45
her, I mean, you know?
00:19:18.45\00:19:21.09
>> So, Sarah, how do you see
00:19:21.59\00:19:23.12
the accident now?
00:19:23.12\00:19:24.63
>> I see it as a saving grace
00:19:26.36\00:19:31.30
and kind of a disappointment
00:19:31.30\00:19:35.80
almost 'cause I can't really
00:19:35.80\00:19:40.08
walk now and everything's much
00:19:40.08\00:19:44.55
harder than it really should
00:19:44.55\00:19:48.42
be, but I'm OK with it.
00:19:48.42\00:19:52.59
>> So, Sarah, can you tell us
00:19:53.62\00:19:55.76
how your faith has developed?
00:19:55.76\00:19:58.33
>> It has gotten a lot
00:19:59.13\00:20:01.46
stronger.
00:20:01.46\00:20:02.96
[CATHY] We would do daily
00:20:03.77\00:20:05.47
devotions every morning at
00:20:05.47\00:20:07.50
breakfast and we also go on
00:20:07.50\00:20:11.31
the computer and get scripts,
00:20:11.31\00:20:14.04
like meaningful scripts and we
00:20:14.04\00:20:17.05
would jot them down on pieces
00:20:17.05\00:20:18.75
of paper and then we had a
00:20:18.75\00:20:20.65
jar and we would pick them out
00:20:20.65\00:20:22.55
every once in a while and read
00:20:22.55\00:20:24.45
it just if we needed a boost
00:20:24.45\00:20:26.15
or something like that.
00:20:26.15\00:20:28.52
[MIKE] So those were scriptures
00:20:28.52\00:20:30.06
like Bible texts, verses from
00:20:30.06\00:20:31.43
the Bible?
00:20:31.43\00:20:32.26
[CATHY] Yes.
00:20:32.26\00:20:33.06
>> OK.
00:20:33.06\00:20:34.20
>> And, Sarah, you like
00:20:34.20\00:20:36.26
painting.
00:20:36.26\00:20:37.83
[SARAH] Yes.
00:20:37.83\00:20:39.27
>> And so how has that
00:20:39.27\00:20:40.97
developed your faith and
00:20:40.97\00:20:42.47
brought you closer to God?
00:20:42.47\00:20:44.57
>> Well, at first I tried to
00:20:44.57\00:20:49.71
paint God and me down at His
00:20:49.71\00:20:55.72
feet, but it wasn't going very
00:20:55.72\00:20:59.59
good so I had to scrap that
00:20:59.59\00:21:04.29
and I think God sent me to
00:21:04.29\00:21:12.17
acrylic pouring.
00:21:12.17\00:21:14.50
>> So acrylic pouring is a
00:21:15.77\00:21:17.44
type of painting that you can
00:21:17.44\00:21:20.28
do and it requires less
00:21:20.28\00:21:23.28
dexterity and fine motor skills.
00:21:23.28\00:21:26.48
Because of Sarah's head
00:21:26.48\00:21:28.15
injury, her control, she can't
00:21:28.15\00:21:30.85
always control, I guess.
00:21:30.85\00:21:33.19
With the acrylic pours, it
00:21:33.19\00:21:34.92
allows her to still be very
00:21:34.92\00:21:36.76
creative, but not have to
00:21:36.76\00:21:39.29
worry so much about, you know,
00:21:39.29\00:21:41.23
all the ink where she's...
00:21:41.23\00:21:43.77
>> Being perfect.
00:21:43.77\00:21:46.00
>> But you do have an
00:21:46.00\00:21:47.27
understanding of colours.
00:21:47.27\00:21:48.40
[SARAH] Yes.
00:21:48.40\00:21:49.67
>> So it'd be interesting
00:21:49.67\00:21:51.17
looking at some of those
00:21:51.17\00:21:52.54
paintings, they'd be quite
00:21:52.54\00:21:53.94
beautiful.
00:21:53.94\00:21:54.81
[CATHY] Recently Sarah took
00:21:54.81\00:21:56.85
some of her paintings to a
00:21:56.85\00:21:59.01
little local establishment
00:21:59.01\00:22:00.72
close to our house and people
00:22:00.72\00:22:02.62
have been purchasing them so
00:22:02.62\00:22:04.52
that is very nice.
00:22:04.52\00:22:06.55
>> So, Sarah, horses have
00:22:07.96\00:22:09.72
always been a big part of your
00:22:09.72\00:22:11.73
life and I can't believe that
00:22:11.73\00:22:17.20
you even would dare to do
00:22:17.20\00:22:20.14
something like this and so
00:22:20.14\00:22:22.40
when you decided to start
00:22:22.40\00:22:25.21
riding again, were you scared
00:22:25.21\00:22:27.94
to do that?
00:22:27.94\00:22:29.11
>> No.
00:22:29.11\00:22:30.31
>> Not in the least.
00:22:31.45\00:22:33.62
>> So can you tell us about
00:22:33.62\00:22:35.48
that experience of you riding
00:22:35.48\00:22:37.55
for the first time?
00:22:37.55\00:22:39.32
>> Well, I got to the
00:22:39.85\00:22:43.16
establishment and the lady
00:22:43.16\00:22:47.96
wanted me to sit on the saddle
00:22:47.96\00:22:53.60
sideways and then swing my one
00:22:53.60\00:22:59.94
leg over horse's neck and I
00:22:59.94\00:23:04.45
was not having any part
00:23:04.45\00:23:06.92
of that.
00:23:06.92\00:23:08.18
>> 'Cause that's not the right
00:23:09.85\00:23:11.12
way to mount a horse, right?
00:23:11.12\00:23:13.15
So what did you do?
00:23:13.15\00:23:15.02
>> I just swung my leg over
00:23:15.02\00:23:16.86
the horse.
00:23:16.86\00:23:18.03
[RENÉ] The correct way.
00:23:18.03\00:23:19.03
>> Yes.
00:23:19.03\00:23:20.56
>> Did you see this, Cathy?
00:23:20.56\00:23:22.00
[CATHY] Oh yeah, I was there
00:23:22.00\00:23:23.50
and it was a-- it's a
00:23:23.50\00:23:25.03
therapeutic riding
00:23:25.03\00:23:26.70
establishment, right, and this
00:23:26.70\00:23:28.17
is the very first day and so
00:23:28.17\00:23:31.01
we get there and the coach is
00:23:31.01\00:23:34.08
saying, you know, "You're
00:23:34.08\00:23:35.38
gonna sit on, swing your legs
00:23:35.38\00:23:37.31
over," and I see Sarah going
00:23:37.31\00:23:39.21
like this and I'm thinking,
00:23:39.21\00:23:41.58
"Oh my goodness, it's the
00:23:41.58\00:23:43.22
first day," and so I look at
00:23:43.22\00:23:46.02
the coach, she looks back at
00:23:46.02\00:23:47.69
me, she says, "OK, this is
00:23:47.69\00:23:49.49
what we're gonna do, you get
00:23:49.49\00:23:51.76
one try to get on your way, if
00:23:51.76\00:23:54.23
it doesn't work, you have to
00:23:54.23\00:23:55.70
get on my way."
00:23:55.70\00:23:57.03
She got it first try.
00:23:57.40\00:23:59.23
She impressed everybody
00:23:59.93\00:24:01.27
that day.
00:24:01.27\00:24:02.40
>> So tell us about your
00:24:03.84\00:24:05.44
riding now, are you you riding
00:24:05.44\00:24:07.44
now, do you still ride now?
00:24:07.44\00:24:09.04
[SARAH] Yes.
00:24:09.04\00:24:10.78
[RENÉ] And you're not afraid,
00:24:10.78\00:24:12.21
you're not scared?
00:24:12.21\00:24:13.18
[SARAH] No.
00:24:13.18\00:24:14.45
[RENÉ] You don't fall off?
00:24:14.45\00:24:16.22
Like, how's your balance?
00:24:16.22\00:24:19.15
[SARAH] It's pretty good, I
00:24:19.15\00:24:22.29
did have one fall, but that
00:24:22.29\00:24:24.49
was a while ago.
00:24:24.49\00:24:26.19
>> So who's more scared, you
00:24:27.10\00:24:28.43
or your mom?
00:24:28.43\00:24:29.43
>> My mom.
00:24:29.43\00:24:31.07
>> Yes, that's true.
00:24:31.07\00:24:33.03
>> So final question: do you
00:24:33.03\00:24:35.30
have any closing thoughts,
00:24:35.30\00:24:36.74
maybe there's a Bible verse
00:24:36.74\00:24:38.01
that you have and I know that
00:24:38.01\00:24:40.48
you had talked about praying,
00:24:40.48\00:24:42.84
that was a big part of the
00:24:42.84\00:24:45.51
whole process of seeing God's
00:24:45.51\00:24:48.12
miracle in her life, maybe you
00:24:48.12\00:24:49.58
can talk about that.
00:24:49.58\00:24:51.05
>> Yes, my older daughter and
00:24:51.05\00:24:53.22
myself, we had a path, I'm
00:24:53.22\00:24:56.49
sure, wore out to the chapel
00:24:56.49\00:24:58.63
at the two different
00:24:58.63\00:25:00.30
hospitals, just praying to God
00:25:00.30\00:25:02.96
to hear us and to to be with
00:25:02.96\00:25:05.63
Sarah and restore her.
00:25:05.63\00:25:07.67
Like I say, she's this living
00:25:08.64\00:25:10.77
miracle right here and this is
00:25:10.77\00:25:14.24
one verse that sustained me
00:25:14.24\00:25:16.68
through.
00:25:16.68\00:25:18.18
So it's Psalms 34, verse 17.
00:25:18.18\00:25:24.32
>> Cathy, those are beautiful
00:25:45.44\00:25:46.68
promises.
00:25:46.68\00:25:47.94
The Lord was really speaking
00:25:47.94\00:25:49.51
to you and you saw the miracle
00:25:49.51\00:25:53.08
of Sarah's life unfold right
00:25:53.08\00:25:55.48
in front of you.
00:25:55.48\00:25:57.29
So, Sarah, I wonder if I could
00:25:57.29\00:25:59.62
ask you to pray for our
00:25:59.62\00:26:01.36
viewers.
00:26:01.36\00:26:02.62
There might be someone that is
00:26:02.62\00:26:04.06
struggling and if you could
00:26:04.06\00:26:06.19
pray that they will receive
00:26:06.19\00:26:07.96
hope through listening to your
00:26:07.96\00:26:10.30
story.
00:26:10.30\00:26:11.57
[SARAH] Yes.
00:26:11.57\00:26:12.67
Dear Lord, please help anyone
00:26:13.44\00:26:17.61
that is struggling with
00:26:17.61\00:26:21.21
anything that may be going
00:26:21.21\00:26:24.78
wrong in their life right now
00:26:24.78\00:26:28.52
and help them get through it,
00:26:28.52\00:26:32.65
in the Lord's name, amen.
00:26:32.65\00:26:35.59
[MIKE & RENÉ] Amen.
00:26:35.59\00:26:37.06
>> Thank you so very much,
00:26:37.06\00:26:39.03
Sarah, for sharing your story
00:26:39.03\00:26:41.23
and, Cathy, for coming here to
00:26:41.23\00:26:42.90
It Is Written Canada and also
00:26:42.90\00:26:44.77
for Charlie Brown, your
00:26:44.77\00:26:46.40
emotional support dog.
00:26:46.40\00:26:47.97
>> Well, thank you, René and
00:26:47.97\00:26:49.77
Mike, for allowing us to tell
00:26:49.77\00:26:51.54
our story.
00:26:51.54\00:26:52.57
[SARAH] Thank you very much.
00:26:55.21\00:26:57.85
>> As Sarah and Cathy's story
00:27:00.95\00:27:02.92
reminds us, life is too often
00:27:02.92\00:27:05.99
so unfair, yet some people,
00:27:05.99\00:27:08.49
like Sarah, find their life
00:27:08.49\00:27:10.89
saved through tragedy.
00:27:10.89\00:27:13.06
You might be wondering how
00:27:13.06\00:27:14.20
does that work?
00:27:14.20\00:27:15.83
>> Our free offer, Changed For
00:27:15.83\00:27:17.30
Life, will show you how.
00:27:17.30\00:27:19.70
The incredible stories of
00:27:19.70\00:27:21.44
eight people who faced
00:27:21.44\00:27:23.14
unbelievable challenges will
00:27:23.14\00:27:25.57
give you hope.
00:27:25.57\00:27:27.01
>> Changed For Life will
00:27:27.01\00:27:29.14
remind you that no matter who
00:27:29.14\00:27:30.68
you are, where you are from,
00:27:30.68\00:27:32.95
or what kind of mess you find
00:27:32.95\00:27:35.15
yourself in today, God has a
00:27:35.15\00:27:37.72
special purpose for your life.
00:27:37.72\00:27:39.99
>> Changed For Life is about
00:27:39.99\00:27:41.66
you and how God desires to
00:27:41.66\00:27:44.03
change you today and for
00:27:44.03\00:27:46.90
eternity.
00:27:46.90\00:27:48.10
[RENÉ] You, too, can
00:27:50.13\00:27:51.27
experience the fullness of
00:27:51.27\00:27:52.63
life found in the words of
00:27:52.63\00:27:54.30
Jesus when He said...
00:27:54.30\00:27:56.04
¤¤
00:28:07.25\00:28:20.33
>> You're a movie star!
00:28:20.33\00:28:21.73
You're a movie star!
00:28:23.90\00:28:25.60
[giggles]
00:28:25.60\00:28:27.10
[smooch]
00:28:27.24\00:28:28.30
>> Charlie, don't get Mom
00:28:28.50\00:28:31.17
in trouble.
00:28:31.17\00:28:32.44
¤¤
00:28:32.91\00:28:50.59