Tomorrow, we’re hosting Small Success Thursday at CatholicMom.com and I need that. But tomorrow’s also an important day for a young couple who many of us know and love: Thomas and Natalie Peters.

So I’m jumping the gun here on the blog and sharing about it early, in the hope that you can plan to participate.

Just about four months ago, Thom was involved in an accident that left him in critical condition. He’s still recovering. He writes:

On a Friday in July I awoke in the early morning hours to someone beating on my back with their fists. I was lying on a bed in a place I did not recognize and I was in excruciating pain. It was a kind of pain I had never experienced before and did not understand. There was a tube down my throat and my body felt incomplete, as if much of it was missing. I came to realize in the hours that followed, the man beating on my back with his fists was a nurse, and he was trying to dislodge some of the fluid that was filling up my lungs as the result of the diving accident I had sustained three days previously, an accident that had fractured my fifth vertebrae and had given me a severe spinal cord injury, an injury that has changed the course of my life forever.

Thomas has always been a vocal advocate for life, marriage, and the faith. Throughout this whole journey, Thomas and Natalie have remained steadfast, and have been a shining example of marriage, love, and the faith. We are watching miracles happen every day, in Thomas and Natalie’s lives, but also in the lives of the people who have been touched by their story.

Speak-lord

I’ve been praying along, just like many of you. And reading Thomas’s reflections recently, I was moved:

A major accident is an invitation to both physical and spiritual recovery. I have never felt God’s presence as much as I do since the accident. People will say that accidents like mine should call into question God’s mercy or even His existence. But for me, the fact that I survived my injury is the greatest evidence I have ever experienced of God’s mercy and providence. I believe God allowed my accident to happen and that He chose to help me survive that accident and every day gives me the opportunity to be blessed through it.

The accident has taught me the essential value defended by the principle of subsidiarity: the value of family and friends as the first line of defense when things go badly. My family and friends have come forward to help my wife and I in ways that have taken our breadth away. They brought us meals, helped pack and move our home, loaned us their cars, contributed their professional advice like how to plan our financial future and cover medical expenses, they have organized prayer groups for us, designed wristbands to help remind people to pray for us and offered us gifts so generous I have had to firmly say no because they are simply too much. The man is never poor or alone who has good friends. My wife and I simply could not gave survived this were it not for our dear family and friends.

 There’s more. (Go read it. Seriously. We all stand to learn from this powerful witness.) But before you go…

Help share their story and join us on November 14th for #IStandwithThomasPeters day!

IStandwithThomasPeters

Here’s the information I’ve lifted from the great site Thom’s friends and family have put together:

On #IStandwithThomasPeters day, we also hope to raise funds to help Thomas and Natalie during this new transition and Thomas’ continued recovery.

This is a crucial time. According to Thom’s doctors, the major mobility/independence the patient will regain will happen within the first 6 months following the injury. The best way to achieve this is with as much therapy as the patient can handle (and can be afforded). Thomas has two more months in that window. The medical bills, the transition home, and Thomas’ continued recovery are extremely expensive, and we would like to help.

The goal → $25,000!

Breakdown of all of the costs/needs:

  • Health Insurance
  • Manual Wheelchair co-payment
  • Renting a motorized wheelchair – transitional
  • Hospital bed
  • Prescriptions and medical supplies
  • Home health aide 3x a week
  • Handicapped accessible apartment
  • Expenses and miscellaneous bills

Most of all, we need to raise money for his extended time in rehab. His insurance only covers a small portion of his needed time in rehab.

How to get involved online for #IStandwithThomasPeters day on November 14th:

  • First: please say a prayer for Thomas and Natalie, and for all those suffering from similar injuries!
  • Second: please consider making a donation.
  • Third: spread the word about Thomas using the hashtag #IStandwithThomasPeters and using the images below!