Saturday May 30
As some of you may know, my family, Grandma and Grandpa left for Lake Powell Thursday night. Around noon today I got a phone call from my dad telling me that there had been an accident and Nathan was being life flighted out of Lake Powell. Nathan had been waterskiing down a canyon and tried to jump the wake. He lost control and hit the canyon wall. For an extremely agonizing hour, Stacie and I waited for my mom to call and tell us where he was so that we could go be with him. When that call finally came we rushed to Salt Lake and the Primary Children's Hospital. After waiting for about a half an hour in our own personal waiting room, Stacie and I were able to see him. They had not yet cleaned all the blood off. He looked like something out of your worst nightmares. The right side of his face was covered in scrapes and swollen. He was able to recognize both Stacie and me. That was a good sign. Being extremely squeamish, I couldn't stay with him while they cleaned and stitched him up. I went back into the waiting room where my boyfriend, who came with me for moral support, sat and laughed while I passed out on the couch. A long while later, they moved Nathan to a room and hooked him up to a bunch of machines. He fractured his wrist and very slightly fractured his cheek. We sat with him for many hours. We thought it was pretty funny that the doctor asked me if I was okay more often than he asked Nathan because I was still feeling like I was going to pass out. Nathan was talking, slowly, but talking. Stacie, Mike and I were discussing the accident. Nathan apparently was listening. He said, "I hit a canyon wall?" We said, "Yep." He said, "That hurt." He says that he doesn't remember going skiing at all. He remembers deciding to go, but nothing after that. During the next few hours Nathan slept off and on. I felt bad for the poor guy because one machine kept testing his blood pressure and it woke him up every ten minutes or so. We also tried for a long time to get a hold of our parents. We knew that they had to drive up from Lake Powell, so we were expecting five or six hours depending on how far away from the marina they camped and how long it would take them to pack everything back up. Around eight, they called to tell us that they had just barely left the harbor. This meant, for us, that it would be at least another six hours more before they would get to the hospital. We left Nathan sleeping around midnight. Hopefully, we'll have an update on his condition and more details about the accident tomorrow.
Please keep Nathan in your prayers
Sunday May 31
The last we heard, Nathan was in more pain today. Yesterday, while Stacie, Mike and I were there, the doctors said they might let him go home tonight. Today, however, we know that's not going to happen. He does not remember Stacie, Mike and me being there yesterday even though we spent about ten hours at the hospital. My Mom is still up there with him. My dad, last time we heard, was resting at my grandparent's house so that he will have energy to drive home. All of the kids are being taken care of by our relatives in Payson. We are so grateful for such a loving family and so many caring friends.
Today, Cynthia told me her version of the accident. She said that everyone was in the boat, except for Joshua who had stayed back at camp. She said that she had been watching as Nathan hit the wall. They were in a narrow canyon, so it was difficult for them to turn around. As soon as they could, both Mom and Dad jumped into the water where Nathan was floating face down, and dragged him onto the swim deck. He was not breathing, so they gave him some rescue breaths. This got his breathing again, and he was given a blessing. Naturally, after the blessing, they sped toward help. For some reason, the boat decided to die. Only because God was watching out for Nathan, a boat passed and was flagged down. This boat happened to have a radio and they were able to get help quickly. After that, Dad was able to fix the boat. Then the family had to endure an excruciatingly long drive home. They did not arrive in Payson until two in the morning. After which Mom and Dad rested for a little while, and drove to Salt Lake to be with Nathan.
We love you all and are grateful for your support and comfort.
Heather Peck
Saturday May 30
As some of you may know, my family, Grandma and Grandpa left for Lake Powell Thursday night. Around noon today I got a phone call from my dad telling me that there had been an accident and Nathan was being life flighted out of Lake Powell. Nathan had been waterskiing down a canyon and tried to jump the wake. He lost control and hit the canyon wall. For an extremely agonizing hour, Stacie and I waited for my mom to call and tell us where he was so that we could go be with him. When that call finally came we rushed to Salt Lake and the Primary Children's Hospital. After waiting for about a half an hour in our own personal waiting room, Stacie and I were able to see him. They had not yet cleaned all the blood off. He looked like something out of your worst nightmares. The right side of his face was covered in scrapes and swollen. He was able to recognize both Stacie and me. That was a good sign. Being extremely squeamish, I couldn't stay with him while they cleaned and stitched him up. I went back into the waiting room where my boyfriend, who came with me for moral support, sat and laughed while I passed out on the couch. A long while later, they moved Nathan to a room and hooked him up to a bunch of machines. He fractured his wrist and very slightly fractured his cheek. We sat with him for many hours. We thought it was pretty funny that the doctor asked me if I was okay more often than he asked Nathan because I was still feeling like I was going to pass out. Nathan was talking, slowly, but talking. Stacie, Mike and I were discussing the accident. Nathan apparently was listening. He said, "I hit a canyon wall?" We said, "Yep." He said, "That hurt." He says that he doesn't remember going skiing at all. He remembers deciding to go, but nothing after that. During the next few hours Nathan slept off and on. I felt bad for the poor guy because one machine kept testing his blood pressure and it woke him up every ten minutes or so. We also tried for a long time to get a hold of our parents. We knew that they had to drive up from Lake Powell, so we were expecting five or six hours depending on how far away from the marina they camped and how long it would take them to pack everything back up. Around eight, they called to tell us that they had just barely left the harbor. This meant, for us, that it would be at least another six hours more before they would get to the hospital. We left Nathan sleeping around midnight. Hopefully, we'll have an update on his condition and more details about the accident tomorrow.
Please keep Nathan in your prayers
Sunday May 31
The last we heard, Nathan was in more pain today. Yesterday, while Stacie, Mike and I were there, the doctors said they might let him go home tonight. Today, however, we know that's not going to happen. He does not remember Stacie, Mike and me being there yesterday even though we spent about ten hours at the hospital. My Mom is still up there with him. My dad, last time we heard, was resting at my grandparent's house so that he will have energy to drive home. All of the kids are being taken care of by our relatives in Payson. We are so grateful for such a loving family and so many caring friends.
Today, Cynthia told me her version of the accident. She said that everyone was in the boat, except for Joshua who had stayed back at camp. She said that she had been watching as Nathan hit the wall. They were in a narrow canyon, so it was difficult for them to turn around. As soon as they could, both Mom and Dad jumped into the water where Nathan was floating face down, and dragged him onto the swim deck. He was not breathing, so they gave him some rescue breaths. This got his breathing again, and he was given a blessing. Naturally, after the blessing, they sped toward help. For some reason, the boat decided to die. Only because God was watching out for Nathan, a boat passed and was flagged down. This boat happened to have a radio and they were able to get help quickly. After that, Dad was able to fix the boat. Then the family had to endure an excruciatingly long drive home. They did not arrive in Payson until two in the morning. After which Mom and Dad rested for a little while, and drove to Salt Lake to be with Nathan.
We love you all and are grateful for your support and comfort.
Heather Peck
