Lying in a strange hospital bed, in a strange town, (at the age of 10), wondering if I would ever see my parents and siblings again had to be a very frightful thing when it happened, although now, I don't remember ever being frightened at the time.
My whole family had once again packed up and moved clear to Texas or Okla. without any advance warning. Only this time I was left behind to wonder where they were or if they would ever come back to get me.

I had been visiting on an Aunt and Uncle's farm for a few weeks. We, children had been warned repeatedly never to climb up the sides of the silo. It was very high and a dangerous thing to do. Besides that it had an open top that any one could just fall into if they did climb up there and lean forward enough.

Well, the aunt and uncle and their two sons were in the barn doing the evening milking and a younger cousin and I got bored and we decided to climb the silo anyway. It was fun going up and we went way to the top. I don’t remember coming down as I fell. I must have blacked out for just a short while as I don't remember falling or even the landing, for that matter. I was told years later at a family reunion that the family where I was visiting had gone up the silo to measure the distance that I fell. They said it was 32 ft. They knew as there was cow manure on the metal rings around the silo and they knew a cow sure didn't climb up there to deposit it's manure. They decided I must have had it on my shoes and that is the reason I fell.

When I landed my back was against the silo and I had a huge rock underneath the right upper leg. The landing gave me a compound fracture of that leg. I praise and thank God that I am even alive. Everyone said it was a miracle I didn't land on my head or in any other position, as I turned as I was falling. I have always felt that God sent his angels to catch me and set me back down gently.
I cried for help after awhile, and I remember when they picked me up, I said, "Oh, my leg fell off." It felt like it wasn't there anymore.

Now lying in the hospital, they proceed to cut off the jeans I was wearing. they put a pin in my heel, straight through, and hooked a chain on each side to hang down at the end of the bed. Then weights were attached to each of the chains to eventually pull my leg enough that they could get the bone to go back inside of my leg and realign itself. In those days they were not doing surgery to do all this stuff. Then I remember a brace like apparatus that came all the way up to my hip on that right leg to keep it straight, and so I could be pulled up in bed every few hours to stretch out that leg. There was a huge basket type thing at the end of bed to keep the sheets off my toes so the sheets couldn't rub on them and make them sore.

The morning after I was admitted I remember a nice nurse coming in to tell me my parents had moved away and I don't remember having any particular reaction about the news. I was used to my parents moving, and I knew I was there to get my leg fixed so maybe the length of time they would be gone had just not sank in. There was a wonderful young priest that would stop by daily to check on me and ask me to spell words for him and he never failed to tell me how much Jesus loved me.
My stay at the hospital was a lengthy one. I was there for approx. three months when a nurse came in and said I was getting a cast. They put a cast on from my waist, all the way down to the beginning of my toes on my right leg. Then they called my grandparents who lived in a town nearby and asked them to come take me home. I am sure this all must have been prearranged between my parents and my grandparents but then I have always wondered why my grandparents never once came to visit me in my lengthy hospital stay. I often thought as an adult, they may have felt, if they did come to see me they had to be prepared to explain about my parents leaving town without me, and maybe they just weren't prepared for this.

Some time in July they came to pick me up from the hospital and I remember grandpa carving me a top for a crutch out of a piece of wood, then fitting it on a broom stick. Then grandma carefully wrapped the top with rags so it would not hurt under my arm.
Grandpa & Grandma were good to me and I made friends with the children next door, so time passed fairly well.
School started and I wondered why I was not enrolled in school. But no one ever to inquire as to why I was not in school, at least not that I knew of.

Halloween rolled around and the neighbor children were going to the school yard to participate in a Halloween party and invited me along. We had only been there a short while and I was right in the middle of a large group of children. I kept hearing what I thought was my name being called. I kept looking around and all of a sudden here is my daddy hugging me.
I couldn't wait to get to the car to see mama and the rest of the kids.

While I was living with grandpa and grandma, there was a plaque on their wall with John 3:16 on it and I memorized it and had grandma explain it to me. I had given my heart to Jesus at the age of 8 so I knew He was taking care of me. I just didn't realize how much He was capable of and all that He had done for me already in my young life.
He kept me from dying when I fell off the silo, He kept me from extreme loneliness all the time my parents were gone, (6 months). I learned at a very young age that Jesus is and always be my very Best Friend. There is nothing I can't tell Him. He is a forgiving and understanding Father.

This extraordinary experience has taught me many things. I found out I can always count on Jesus when I can't count on anyone else. He will always be there no matter what I am going through, even in times when all others may walk away. This is not Jesus' style. He never turns away from us.... we are the ones who turn away from Him.

He sees the sparrow fall, and He saw me when I fell from the silo and He either sent an angel to catch me or He caught me Himself.
Dear Jesus, I love you with all my heart and soul!
Thank You for being number one in my life!
I know I can always count on You and You will never abandon me.

Author: Delilah M. (Dede) Haas
Copyright: 9-15-03

Please click on HOLY SPIRIT above for my index page....... Dede