IT WAS A TYPICAL AFTERNOON
IN LATE SEPTEMBER
FOR DAVID CASTLEBERRY.
HE NEEDED TO MOW
THE LAWN AFTER WORK,
SO HE SENT 5-YEAR-OLD BRETT
INSIDE THE HOUSE.
DAVID WAS MOWING UNDER THE
PLASTIC PLAYHOUSE WITH
THE LAWN TRACTOR, AS HE USUSALLY DID,
WHEN HE REALIZED
SOMETHING WAS WRONG.
THE MOWER TRIED TO DIE.
I KNEW BY ME PUSHING IT,
IT SHOULDN'T BOG THE MOWER DOWN
LIKE THAT.
I LOOKED DOWN AND ALL I SEEN OUT
FROM UNDER THE MOWER WAS SPONGE
BOB CROCKS.
HIS WHOLE BODY WAS BETWEEN
THE WHEELS AND DECK.
I PICKED UP THE MOWER AN CHUNKED
IT OFF OF HIM.
I LOOKED DOWN AND NO SKIN
BETWEEN WRIST AND ELBOWS ON
EITHER ARM.
THE SKIN WAS WODED UP ON BOTH
SIDES AND I COULD SEE HIS LEFT
HAND HANGING.
IT WAS CUT, ALMOST IN HALF OR
MORE.
I PICKED HIM UP AND CARRIED HIM
ACROSS THE YARD AND A TRAIL OVER
THE SIDEWALK AND PORCH.
I THOUGHT I NEED HELP.
DAVID CALLED 911 ON HIS CELL
PHONE AND RAN TO HIS NEIGHBORS,
TIM AND JANICE HELMS FOR HELP.
WHEN I WAS RUNNING ACROSS THE
DRIVEWAY, HE STOOD UP YELLING
DADDY, IT HURTS.
TIM AND JANICE CAME
IMMEDIATELY.
THEY WEREN'T PREPARED FOR WHAT
THEY SAW.
FIRST THING I SAW WAS BRETT'S
FACE COVERED WITH DIRT AND MUD.
IT TOOK A SECOND TO COMPREHEND
WHAT IS WRONG WITH HIM.
WHEN I LOOKED DOWN I SAW HIS
ARMS.
IT LOOKED LIKE NOTHING WAS LEFT
HORRENDOUS LIKE YOU WOULD SEE IN
A HORROR MOVE VI.
HIS WRITES WAS FLOPPING.
I CARRIED HIM UP.
WE LAID ON THE PORCH AND TRIED
TO KEEP HIM CALM.
BRETT KEPT ASKING HOW IS MY DAD?
BRETT'S DAD HAS SECOND DEGREE
BURNS FROM TOUCHING THE MUFFLER
AT ONE POINT HE SAID I KILLED
MY SON.
I WAS SAYING HE IS ALIVE.
WORST CASE SCENARIO, IF HE LOSES
HIS ARMS, YOU HAVE YOUR SON
STILL.
JANICE TRYED TO KEEP DAVID
CALM.
HIS NEXT CALL WAS TO BRETT.
HE SAID I JUST RAN OVER BRETT
WITH THE MOWER.
WHILE ON THE WAY TO THE
HOSPITAL PAM SENT OUT A PRAYER.
I POSTED ON FACEBOOK PLEASE
PRAY FOR BRETT.
EVERYBODY POSTED IT ON THEIR
FACEBOOK, PLEASE PRAY FOR BRETT.
IT SPREAD LITERALLY LIKE WILD
FIRE.
AS THEY WAITED FOR THE
AMBULANCE, TIM AND JANICE
NOTICED SOMETHING UNUSUAL.
THIS IS A DEAD END ROAD NEW
YORK CITY ONE
NO ONE COMES ON THIS ROAD.
AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT
-- I NOTICED PEOPLE GATHERING
ACROSS THE STREET.
THERE WAS QUITE A FEW.
I WAS THINKING WHERE DID THEY
COME FROM?
AS THE AMBULANCE TOOK BRETT
AWAY, I REMEMBER SEEING NO MORE
PEOPLE.
BRETT WAS RUSHED TO THE
HOSPITAL.
THE MEDICAL TEAM STABILIZE HIM.
THE FIRST RESPONDER TOLD US
HE HAD TWO BROKE WRISTS.
THEY DID FULL BODY X-RAYS.
HE SAID MY ARMS ARE BROKEN.
I SAID YOUR ARMS ARE BROKEN.
HE SAID I SEE SEEN THE BONES, I
AM GOING TO GET CACTUSES.
BRETT WAS TRANSFERRED TO
ARKANSAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOR
EMERGENCY SURGERY.
DOCTORS REQUESTED TO AMPUTATE
HIS ARMS.
HE SAID HE WAS DOING OKAY AND
DIDN'T HAVE TO TAKE ANYTHING.
HE SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW HOW HE
SAVED WHAT HE DID.
I SAID HE WAS GUARDED BY ANGELS.
I DON'T THINK , I DON'T THINK
UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES THEY
WOULD HAVE SAVED THAT MUCH OF
SOMEONE THAFLS CUT THAT BAD.
BRETT WAS TAKEN TO INTENSIVE
CARE AND STRUGGLED TO RECOVER
FROM THE TRAUMA.
ALL ANYONE COULD DO IS PRAY.
HE WAS SHAKING AND IT WAS
CAUSED BY HIS NERVES.
THEY BROUGHT IN A BIGGER BED AND
HE SAID DADDY GET UP.
HE SAID WHY.
HE SAID JESUS WANTS TO SIT DOWN.
BRETT STABILIZE, DOCTORS TOLD
HIM HE NEED NEED EXTENSIVE
SURGERIES, OVER A DOZEN BROKEN
BONES, SEVERED ARTERY AND
MASSIVE TISSUE LOSS.
THE THING I THINK OF THAT IS
THE MOST SIGNIFICANT WAS THE
DAMAGE THAT INVOLVED THE MUSCLES
AND TENDONS TO HIS ARMS.
HE HAD MUSCLES THAT BEND THE
FINGERS OR STRAIGHTENING THE
FINGERS COMPLETELY CUT.
SO MUCH SO THEY WERE NOT
REPARABLE.
SO MY THOUGHT LONG-TERM WAS THAT
I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO TAKE
TENDONS FROM OTHER PARTS OF HIS
BOOED DI AND MOVE THEM TO THE
ARM TO MAKE IT WORK.
PAM POSTED REGULAR UPDATES
ASKING FOR PRAYER.
BRETT'S PROGRESS EXCEEDED
EVERYONE'S EXPECTATIONS.
SHE SAID I DON'T KNOW WHAT
Y'ALL ARE DOING, KEEP IT UP.
IT IS WORKING.
TO US THAT MEANT KEEP UP THE
PRAYING, IT IS WORKING.
THEY TOLD US ON SEPTEMBER
25TH, PLAN ON SPENDING 30 DAYS,
MINIMUM.
12 DAYS LATER WE ROLLED HIM OUT
TO THE CAR.
OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS BRED
HAD RECONSTRUCTION SURGERIES AND
SKIN GRAPHS.
HOWEVER, DOCTORS WEREN'T SURE IF
HIS ARMS WOULD EVER FUNCTION.
I REMEMBER SAYING, CAN YOU
OPEN YOUR FINGERS, THINKING HE
SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
HE DID.
THEN SAYING, NOW BEND YOUR
FINGERS, AND HIM MAKING NEARLY A
FULL FIST.
I REMEMBER SHAKING MY HEAD AND
BLINKING AND SAYING DO THAT
AGAIN.
BEND YOUR FINGERS.
I KNOW THAT THE MUSCLES WERE CUT
THAT SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO
THIS.
HOW IS HE DOING THIS?
MECHANICALLY IT SHOULDN'T WORK.
THE WAY YOUR FINGERS BEND YOU
HAVE A MUSCLE IN YOUR FOREARM
AND ATTACHED BY A TENDON AND
ROPE ATTACHED TO THE BONE IN THE
FINGER.
THE MUSCLE FIRES, PULLS ON THE
ROPE WHICH IS ATTACHED TO THE
FINGER.
YOU CAN IMAGINE IF THAT MUSCLE
ISN'T ATTACHED TO THE ROPE IT
SHOULDN'T WORK.
BUT IT DID.
IT WORKED.
I DON'T KNOW HOW.
IT WAS AMAZING.
BASED ON MY MEDICAL EXPERIENCE
AND KNOWING THAT BRETT CAN DO
THINGS HE SHOULDN'T BE ABLE TO
DO, I WOULD CONSIDER THAT
MIRACULOUS RECOVER RI.
DAVID AND PAM CONTINUE TO
MARVEL AT HOW HE CONTINUED TO
SURVIVE.
THEY FOUND CHUNKS OF BONE IN THE
YARD.
ON THE X-RAYS, THERE IS NO
MISSING BONE.
IT WAS A CLEAN BREAK THAT WENT
TOGETHER.
HIS FINGERS WOULD NEVER GROW ON
THE RIGHT HAND BECAUSE OF THE
GROWTH PLATE.
ONCE I POSTED THAT, PEOPLE
STARTED PRAYING, HIS FINGERS,
INDEX FINGER HAS GROWN A QUARTER
OF AN INCH.
HIS NERVE SEVERED IN THE LEFT
ARM AND WE WENT BACK FOR CHECK
UPS.
SHE STARTED NOTICING HE HAD
NERVE SENSATION BUILDING IN HIS
ARM.
EVERY TIME WE GO BACK, WE LOOK
FORWARD TO HOW MUCH MORE NERVE
SENSATION HAS HE GAINED.
BRETT WAS MATTER A FACT ABOUT
THE PROCESS, PERHAPS BECAUSE GOD
TOLD HIM A FEW THINGS.
THAT HE IS GOING TO PUT NEW
SKIN.
THAT HE FEELS GOING TO PROTECT
ME AND MAKE ME LIKE I WAS
SOMEONE THAT WAS ALWAYS WORKING.
BRETT TAUGHT US A LOT ABOUT
HOW TO GET OVER IT.
HE REFUSED TO HIDE THEM.
BRETT'S RECOVERY INCLUDED
CONFRONTATION TO THE MOWER.
HE HAD HIS MIND UP HE WAS
GOING TO RECOVER AND EVERYTHING
HE COULD TO MAKE LIFE AS IT WAS
BEFORE THE ACCIDENT.
TODAY BRETT IS A NORMAL ENER
ENERGETIC THING TO DO IS PLAY
WITH HIS DAD.
I PLAY
FOOTBALL,
LIKE TO RIDE
MY BIKE AND PLAY WITH HIM.
ME AND MY DAD LIKE TO PLAY
BASEBALL.
I CAN CATCH A BALL ON THE
GROUND.
I CAN TRY TO CATCH ONE IN THE
AIR.
THE CATTLEBERRIES HAVE
LEARNED A LOT ABOUT GOD THROUGH
THEIR EXPERIENCE AND TRUST GOD
WILL BRING YOU THROUGH.
HE MAY NOT KEEP SOMETHING
FROM HAPPENING, HE CAN BRING YOU
THROUGH WHATEVER HAPPENS.
IT HAS REALLY BUILT FAITH,
THE CHILD-LIKE FAITH.
I SEE THAT NOW.
A LOT OF TIMES I CAN GO TO
BRETT AND SAY MOM IS HAVING
A HARD DAY.
HE SAYS YOU NEED TO PRAY ABOUT IT.
THAT IS ALL YOU NEED THAT
CHILD-LIKE FAITH.
