[FAST News] Update on Kaitlyn Wade

[Fort Worth Area Swim Team Mailing List]

FAST Parents and Swimmers:

I'm forwarding an email sent by Dawn Serman, the PTA President of the 
Kaitlyn's Jr. High School and a close family friend of the Wade's.

-- FAST's President, Steve Plamondon

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>From Dawn Serman:

If you haven't heard Kaitlyn Wade, Bethany Blair and Bruce Blair (Bethany's 
dad) were hit by a drunk driver last night at the intersection of Green Oaks 
and Collins. Bethany had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital and 
Kaitlyn had to have Careflight take her by helicopter to Cook's. Bethany has 
since been released and has a broken clavicle and cuts on her face - along 
with being very sore. (I hope I am getting all of their injuries correct; I 
apologize if I miss something or get it mixed up.)

Kaitlyn currently has a brain injury that is the most pressing matter for 
her. They put in a "bolt" this morning to relieve the pressure and it seems 
to have done that. The next 48 hours are crucial so please pray for no more 
pressure to build up in her brain. Once that is taken care of she has the 
following injuries to deal with: fractured neck vertebrate, broken ribs, 
punctured lung, lacerated liver, ruptured spleen, damage to one kidney, 
broken sternum, broken pelvis/hip and broken lower right leg. You can see 
this is going to be a lengthy process for her to get well.

So many of us are "do'ers", not "waiters", that we want to do something 
right now. There will be plenty of time and plenty of needs in the coming 
days, weeks and months. Right now both girls and Bruce need you prayers. 
Kaitlyn needs the pressure to quit building in her brain, Bethany just needs 
healing and Bruce needs healing as well. He did absolutely nothing wrong but 
at the time of this accident he was responsible for someone else's child and 
he feels very bad that this happened. We've all been responsible for other 
people's kids and know that you never want anything to happen to them while 
they are under our care. It's also easy to look from the outside and know 
there was nothing he could do - but we all know it would be hard to look at 
ourselves without feeling guilty. Please pray that God will give him the 
peace that he needs right now.

I will update you all as I can and please pass this on to anyone I may have 
missed. I know that there are Butler and Nichols families that I have missed 
or don't have email addresses for so please let them know. Again just please 
pray for these teenagers and families and also for the friends of these 
girls. Junior High is hard already and this is a very close group of kids so 
they are understandably very upset.

We are trying to work out a website that you can register for that will give 
you updates. Once that is up and going we will get that information to you.

Thanks to you all,

Dawn Serman
Shackelford Jr. High PTA President