Brian's skiing accident

We got home late this evening from a road trip that was unexpectedly full and rich but which ended on an extremely sad note. Yesterday we and Rachel drove to the Stomp Games at Schweitzer Ski Resort in Idaho, to watch Cam and his friends race today. For you friends of Rachel who know Cameron's very close skiing buddy, Brian Connelly, I wanted to post a quick telling of his situation. (Hopefully you'll remember him from being in Rach and Cam's wedding party - he lives in Colorado, is married to Sarah, and they have an 11 month old girl. Tall, dark curlyish hair. Very sweet and sociable.)

Toward the end of the races, about quarter to 3, in either the semi-final or final heat, Brian crashed at a jump and landed very hard. Long story short, he was totally unresponsive at impact and has remained so ever since, was taken to Coeur d' Alene hospital, had brain surgery, and has a 50/50 chance of surviving. His wife should be arriving there about now, having flown in from Colorado.

We would be grateful for anyone who pauses to say a prayer for Brian and his family.

The album in our cd player as we drove away was Don Chaffer's What You Don't Know. The song "Long on Diagnosis, Short on Cure" has these lyrics:

Now you been close dying
In fact you’ve crossed the line
You done sailed right past the turning point,
thinking everything’s fine
But when the gas runs out
and you're sitting there stone cold
You think, “I was young when all this started and now I’m old.”

But when the doctor pushes the triage crew aside
he says, “You’re all long on diagnosis, short on cure.”
And he turns to you and says,“Come on, Darlin’ we can make this.
Yes, I’m sure.”

I hope to tell of our trip soon and show lots of pictures, because it was monumental in so many ways. It may be a bit before I feel okay doing that though, particularly while Brian still clings precariously to life. We are very heartsick, a bit disoriented, and reminded again of the fragility of all we know.