'A Bad Dream I Couldn't Wake Up From'

Friday, January 4, 2008, started out as a typical day for Rachael Hunt. A junior guard for Marshall High School's basketball team, Rachael competed against the Lady Bobcats' conference rivals, Cave City, that night. After a devastating loss, Rachael jumped in a car with her friends for a drive around town, in typical small-town teen fashion. At about 10:30 p.m., she called home for an extension on her curfew, and her mom said to be home by 11:00. Not long afterward, Rachael got behind the wheel of her car with her best friend in the passenger seat. The two decided to set out and follow another friend out toward Snowball. Unfortunately for the pair, that normal Friday night had come to an end. "I remember passing Westin right before the two-lane ended. Then I was driving way too fast," Rachael recalls, "I saw a sharp curve and I freaked out, causing me to jerk the wheel and the car began to fishtail." For Rachael, everything after this point was a blur. The small car then hit a rock wall, throwing her friend out into the street unharmed, and then flipped three times. Rachael landed about 60 feet away from the car in a nearby field. "It was like a bad dream I couldn't wake up from. I only made out a few things the people around me were saying ... The first thing was 'Her back is crushed' and the other thing was 'I don't know if she is going to make it.' "But through it all, all the pain, I felt peace," Rachael said. The Recovery The intense pain Rachael experienced was the result of a broken back (L2 and crushed L5 vertebrae), a broken neck (C3, which usually causes people to die instantly or be paralyzed), a collapsed lung, and a severe concussion. The doctors at Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock worked quickly to stabilize the lung with a tube that drained off fluid. Rachael also underwent several Computed tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging scans. However, the nurses told Rachael's parents, Greg and Gretchen Hunt, that every once in a while they get a patient like Rachael, "One that the angels have wrapped their bodies around and taken all the bruises for." The following days were spent with many family and friends, and were full of prayer. "My first thoughts were that I wanted to go home," says Rachael, "I just wanted my mom and dad. I also wanted a full recovery, so my parents and I prayed about it a lot." After a week of treatment, it was decided that Rachael would have to wear a neck brace for four months and a back brace for seven months. There was only a 50 percent chance that her L2 would heal, and a 97 percent chance that she would have to have surgery on her lower back. Miraculously, seven months later Rachael had made a full recovery and her neck and back bones had healed perfectly. The Game After the wreck, Rachael continued to support the Marshall Lady Bobcats in post-season play. No longer able to contribute with her intense defense, excellent passing and long-range shooting, Rachael instead gave devoted encouragement. She cheered her team on all the way to the coveted State Championship. However, her views on basketball were not exactly the same. "I had always wanted to play college basketball, but after my wreck I changed my mind. I just realized there's more to life than basketball." For her senior year, Rachael and her family moved back into the Danville School District. Recently relieved of her pesky back brace and released by the doctor for physical activity, Rachael decided to play basketball again. "After seven months of mom time and home-bound education, I decided I wanted to live again. That included playing basketball," Rachael says. Physically, it has been a challenge, and her back hurts a great deal of the time. However, it is an amazing feat considering her condition merely seven months before. Rachael now plays an important role on the Danville Lady Little John basketball team. She has used her passing, penetrating, and defensive abilities to help the Lady Little Johns to Conference, District Tournament and Regional Titles. She's also one a few players to be members of two different teams that played for state titles. All in all, Rachael Hunt views January 4, 2008 as a learning experience. "I have had to learn to grow up and growing up isn't easy or fun. It's hard, and the trials and tests that you are put through can either totally destroy you or make you into the person that God wants you to be. I have chosen to be that person God wants me to be...real, not perfect, but a work in progress. "My mom tells me often that I am her hero and inspiration. I believe that through Christ all things are possible, and He alone makes everything worth while."