May 3 was a Friday. Twelve-year-old Avery Morrow of Clarkson had finished her school week and gone home from school with a friend from Maben. She was a passenger in a utility vehicle that overturned.
Her mother, Miranda, was finishing up her day at Regions Bank in Eupora when the phone rang.
Avery had been in an accident and had injured her arm. She was being taken to North Mississippi Medical Center-Eupora’s emergency room. Miranda immediately finalized her work and headed to the car.
Her phone rang again and she heard her child’s voice. Relief flooding over her, Miranda assured her daughter that she would meet her at the ER. She called her husband, Bill, and then headed to the hospital; she was there when Avery arrived.
One look at Avery and Miranda knew she needed trauma care. Avery was airlifted to Memphis, Tenn. En route to LeBonheur Children’s Hospital, Miranda immediately began praying. Avery recognized this and asked her mom to pray out loud so she could hear.
Throughout the crisis, Avery assured her parents that “God’s got this.” She’s been proven right.
Her CT scans revealed numerous injuries: The humerus bone was broken almost to the point of amputation; she had a crushed pelvis, concussion, multiple lacerations, a fractured vertebra, massive soft tissue damage, a burst eardrum and broken ankle; and her bladder was no longer connected to the urethra. The doctors told her parents she was a child with adult injuries.
That night Avery underwent the first of 15 surgeries to date resulting from the accident. There will be more. The initial surgery was to stop the internal bleeding. She spent 10 days in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at LeBonheur. After four more surgeries, she was transferred to a room.
From Memphis, the child was transferred to Atlanta for more surgery and intense therapy. Avery was determined to walk on her own again but the crushed pelvis prevented her from even standing.
On May 21 Avery had surgery to insert a catheter. By June 3 she was coming home.
That’s not to say she was healed. The catheter had been problematic and required additional surgeries. On July 23 doctors removed the fixation device from her pelvis. And the following day she stood for the first time since the accident.
Determined to meet her goal of walking again, Avery surpassed every barrier set for her by the physical therapists. She’s now back in school and has regular physical therapy twice a week. Doctors anticipate a healing period of about two years.
The East Webster High School journalism class prepared a You Tube video promoting an Oct. 5 fundraiser for Avery at First Baptist Church in Mathiston.
The event featured a 5K run, a 1-mile color run, breakfast and lunch plates, entertainment, dessert auction, silent auction, inflatables, face painting, popcorn and cotton candy as well as a live auction. The turnout was overwhelming.
But it was no surprise to Avery, as she knows “God’s got this.”
