By this point Easton was breathing and obviously in a lot of pain. A big concern of mine during all of this was the struggles we’ve faced in the past with Easton’s breathing and waking up, he has had a history of abstractive sleep apnea. He had since overcome all of those past struggles, but when your son isn’t breathing, those fears and past struggles are very scary! I repeated them over and over again to each person who talked to me about his medical history, in that moment. This isn’t the first time Easton has scared us, he had a history that was very important for everyone working with us to know, as they helped save our son’s life. Keeping him awake as best we could was definitely a top priority.
I remember the EMT calling for a helicopter with his radio and the person on the other side asking him to repeat what he had said. I don’t know if it’s standard protocol to have it repeated when asking for an emergency airlift, if they were shocked he was alive or if they really didn’t hear him, but I remember clearly the EMT having this conversation. He repeated and added that Easton had suffered serious facial trauma. Chad and I were told only one of us could go with E to the hospital and the other had to drive. I looked at Chad and said “Please let me go I can’t drive.” Of course Chad understood and so he would drive with Laila & Aspen in our SUV. They loaded Easton & I into the medic van for IV’s and vitals, and Chad had to say goodbye to us. He handed me his phone because mine was still on the fold up chair where I was sitting. I knew the fear that rose in me, as I ran to Chad and Easton, not knowing what had happened, but I couldn’t possibly imagine the pain Chad felt walking away from us, especially after holding Easton’s lifeless body for so long! Seconds feel like hours and the world stops as you come face to face with death.
After the medics placed a few IV’s, checked vitals and ask lots of questions, E was transferred immediately into the sheriff’s helicopter. I was stopped a few times by sheriff’s and medics. One sheriff gave me the name and number to the family that had been by our side as we worked on Easton’s body on the track floor. It was the family of the young boy who accidentally crashed into E. I held onto that tiny piece of paper so tightly! I wanted them to know E was going to be ok, I wanted them to see him again on better terms. I wanted to hug that scared young boy, who went out on the track for a good time, just as my boy did, and I wanted him to know it was a complete accident, and he would be ok!
One of the tactical team medics walked me to the helicopter and I felt my legs go numb. He showed me how to get in and where to sit, at this point I’m bawling! As he buckled and reassured me, I shook my head, “no, you don’t understand, I just lost my step brother in a military training accident! In a helicopter!” Tears where flowing from my face, I remember his kindness and apology for my loss, but fear and an overwhelming sense of pain, flooded my body! Before this point I was holding myself together as best I could, I had to! Holding E’s body & yelling his name, answering questions, trying to figure out what the heck was going on, what did we need to do to keep him here with us on earth, where we’re his injuries & how bad were they.. But it was the helicopter that broke me! The pain of seeing people I love grieving the loss of my step brother Stg. Tyler Shelton and hurting myself the last year for all the time we missed out on together, it was as fresh and raw of a wound, as if it happened yesterday. And here I am staring at my son being worked on in a helicopter. This hurts more than I can explain and tears are flooding my face. I can’t even begin to tell you the heartache I experienced in that moment.
I remember thinking, or maybe it’s just engraved in us from a young age. but I knew I needed to call my mom. I started saying her number in my head, getting the numbers all mixed up, I typed T for Tami hoping her name would pop up in Chad’s phone. (Did he have her saved as Tami or Mother in law, I don’t know) I text her letting her know Easton was being airlifted. Of course she called, but I couldn’t hear anything and so I’d say something about E being ok and me not being able to hear. Chad, his brother Chance- who was with us at the track, and my sister all called while we were in the air. I repeated the same words to each of them, “E’s ok, but I can’t hear you, he’s going to be ok! I love you.” Scare out of my mind, hurting more than I ever thought was possible, and praying through broken sentences as fear overwhelmed me- I looked out the window and told myself, he would be ok and would want to see a photo of the helicopter ride, we’d later tell him about. I busted up enough courage to snap a photo and then sat there shaking, holding Chads phone.
