Every day is a gift: Bike crash almost ruins family

By Rosanne Bowman LIMA — On July 23, 2011, a simple bike ride to visit a friend at the hospital changed Justin and Anna Lewis's life, forever. On the way home, Anna Lewis, nine months pregnant at the time with a toddler son at home, ran into the back of her husband's bike. He turned around to see his wife lying on the ground, unconscious. She did not regain consciousness until she awoke from a coma several weeks later.The couple was still close to St. Rita's Medical Center. Within a short time, Anna Lewis was in the hospital being assessed for injuries.“When we first came in, I was thinking concussion,” said Justin Lewis. “I knew she had hit her head hard because when I felt the back of her head, there was a knot the size of my hand.”Shortly after their arrival, the baby showed signs of distress. Doctors performed both a craniotomy to remove a portion of her skull to relieve the pressure from her swelling brain, and a cesarean section to deliver the couple's daughter, Abigail Rae. The baby was put on a ventilator for 24 hours because she had absorbed the medications given to her mother, but was, otherwise, healthy. “It was so weird,” said Justin Lewis. “There was this joy of having a newborn baby, but at the same time, intense worry for my wife.”Doctors had told him that his 30-year-old wife might not live.However, she hung on for the first critical three days. If she survived that long, doctors said, she would probably live. They put her in a medically-induced coma.Five days after the accident, Justin Lewis, who was staying at the hospital with his wife and newborn, received a call at 3 a.m. saying his wife's brain was swelling. The neurosurgeon removed a golf ball-sized portion from the front lobe of her brain which had been damaged in the accident. The surgery was a success, and she was again heavily sedated. During this time, people held prayer vigils at the hospital and sent cards and emails from around the country, telling Justin Lewis that they were praying for him and his wife. Anna Lewis recovered rapidly, but encountered several complications. One was a severe sinus infection that required more surgery. Two weeks after the accident, doctors began to wean her off the sedatives, and on Aug. 8, she woke up. Much to Justin Lewis's relief, she recognized him and other family members. Over the next weeks, Anna Lewis improved much faster than doctors had originally predicted. On Aug. 18, she was moved out of the ICU and onto the rehabilitation floor to do physical, occupational and speech therapy. She continued to improve ahead of schedule, and in mid-September she was sent home where she continued her therapies three times a week. During this time, family and friends stepped in to help care for Abigail and their toddler, Elijah. “God has blessed me with amazing family and friends,” said Anna Lewis. “We still get three meals a week delivered to us, and it's been eight months.”Justin Lewis was grateful for the hospital staff, too. “I can't say enough how great they were,” he said. “I had nurses pray with me. They were wonderful.”On November 1, the neurosurgeon put Anna Lewis's front bone flap, which had been removed during the craniotomy, back into her skull. The surgery itself went well, but a few days after the surgery, a complication appeared. After doing several tests, it was discovered she had peripartum cardiomyopathy, a rare heart condition that sometimes affects post-partum women. Anna Lewis was fitted with a vest which had a portable defibrillator hooked to it. If her heart did not improve by the next check up in three months, she would be fitted with a pacemaker. “I was praying that God would shock the doctors,” she said.In mid-February, God answered her prayers. When doctors checked her heart capacity, they found it had doubled. While Anna Lewis has improved tremendously, there are still things that are difficult for her. “I hate that I'm still not able to do everything,” she said. “I can't smell, and I don't know if that will come back. I hate that I can't take care of my kids myself. My impatience is ridiculous. I get mad at little things, and I hate that.”“The frontal lobe has things like patience, impulsiveness – personality stuff,” explained Justin Lewis. “It's actually great that she is so self-aware.”Anna Lewis's long term prognosis is uncertain. She will finish her the last of her therapy on Friday. According to doctors, she will continue to show improvement up until a year after her last brain surgery on Nov. 1. After that, any improvements will be incremental at best. While the couple honestly admit they would rather the accident did not happen, they can see how God has been with them throughout.“I have a saying on my wall,” said Anna Lewis, “‘Each day is a gift,' and it really is.”If you have a story idea or an item you feel the community would like to know about for the Religion section, please contact Rosanne Bowman at bbowman3@woh.rr.com or 419-516-6149.