Reporter: IT'S HARD TO
IMAGINE THAT SIX YEARS AGO A
DRUNK DRIVER ALMOST
DESTROYED THE BARRICK
FAMILY.
EARLIER THAT DAY, THEIR SON,
JOSH, WON A BASEMENT
TOURNAMENT, AND THEIR
DAUGHTER, JEN, SANG IN HER
FIRST CHOIR CONCERT AT THEIR
CHURCH.
THE FAMILY WAS ON THEIR WAY
HOME WHEN A SPEEDING TRUCK
CROSSED OVER INTO THEIR
TRAFFIC LANE.
LESS THAN A MILE FROM OUR
HOME, WE WERE HIT BY A DRUNK
DRIVER WHO WAS GOING
80 MILES AN HOUR.
EVERYTHING WENT BLANK AND WE
WERE ALL KNOCKED OUT.
Reporter: JOSH WAS THE
FIRST ONE TO COME TO.
I REMEMBER SMELLING LIKE
BURNT RUBBER AND GAS.
IT WAS AN AWFUL SMELL.
Reporter: LINDA AND HER
HUSBAND, ANDY, WERE PINNED
IN THE FRONT SEATS.
SHE WAS THE NEXT TO REGAIN
CONSCIOUSNESS.
I JUST WANTED TO HOLD MY
KIDS AND HUG THEM, AND I
COULD NOT REACH THEM.
I COULD NOT TOUCH THEM.
JOSH AND I PRAYED, LORD
JESUS, COME TO OUR RESCUE.
Reporter: THE EMERGENCY
WORKERS LATER TOLD THEM THE
WRECK WAS CATASTROPHIC.
THE MAN WHO HIT US, HE
HIT US SO HARD HIS ENGINE
WENT OUT INTO THE MIDDLE OF
THE ROAD, AND HIS TRUCK RAN
OVER OUR VAN.
Reporter: AND THE
E.M.T.s RUSHED TO SAVE
JEN.
SHE BEGAN THE FIGHT OF HER
LIFE.
THEY GOT JEN OUT FIRST
BECAUSE THEY KNEW SHE WAS
THE MOST INJURED.
THEY WEREN'T SURE SHE WAS
ALIVE.
Reporter: JEN WAS
LIFE-FLIGHTED TO A TRAUMA
CENTER, AND HER PARENTS AND
BROTHER WERE SENT TO OTHER
HOSPITALS.
IN THE MIDST OF THE CHAOS,
WORD GOT OUT FOR PEOPLE TO
PRAY.
AT THE TIME OF THE
ACCIDENT, MY HUSBAND WAS THE
DIRECTOR AT FALWELL
UNIVERSITY.
AND THEY PUT OUT NEWS ALL
OVER THE WORD.
THEY WERE ASKING PEOPLE
TO PRAY FOR OUR FAMILY.
Reporter: STUDENTS AND
ALUMNI STARTED PRAYING
AROUND THE CLOCK.
AT FIRST DOCTORS SAID JEN
WOULDN'T LIVE THROUGH THE
NIGHT.
AND IF SHE LIVED THROUGH THE
NIGHT, SHE PROBABLY WOULD
NEVER WAKE UP AND BE IN A
VEGETATIVE STATE.
I FLEW IN MY HEART, A MOM'S
HEART, IF JEN WAS GOING TO
LIVE THAT NIGHT, IT WAS
GOING TO BE THROUGH THE
POWER OF PRAYER.
Reporter: JEN LIVED,
BUT LAY IN A COMA FOR FIVE
WEEKS.
ONE BY ONE, HER FAMILY
MEMBERS WERE RELEASED FROM
THE HOSPITAL AND GATHERED AT
HER BEDSIDE EVERY DAY TO
PRAY.
JEN FINALLY WOKE UP.
AS WE SAW HER EMERGE FROM
THE COMA, THE SPIRITUAL SIDE
WAS ALL INTACT, WHERE
EVERYTHING ELSE WAS BROKEN.
AND THIS WAS A HUGE
CONTRAST, BECAUSE YOU COULD
HEAR HER BE IN A ROOM AND
PRAYING TO GOD, AND SHE MADE
TOTAL SENSE.
Reporter: BUT WITH SUCH
AN EXTENSIVE BRAIN INJURY,
SHE HAD TO RELEARN
EVERYTHING.
AND THEN THE THERAPIST
WOULD COME IN AND SAY RAISE
YOUR RIGHT ARM AND SHE COULD
NOT EVEN FOLLOW A VERBAL
COMMAND.
Reporter: AS THEY
PRAYED FOR THEIR DAUGHTER,
THEY BEGAN TO SEE
IMPROVEMENTS EVERY DAY.
AT EACH STAGE WITH PRAYED
AND BEGGED GOD DO DO MORE.
WE WERE BEGGING GOD SHE
WOULD BE ABLE TO TALK
CLEARLY.
WE WERE BEGGING GOD SHE
WOULD BE ABLE TO WALK.
Reporter: WHILE LINDA
WAS IN THE HOSPITAL, LINDA
REMEMBERS FINDING JEN'S
PRAYER JOURNALS IN THE
LORD.
SHE WAS BEGGING GOD FOR
BOLDNESS.
Reporter: FOR YEARS,
JEN FOUGHT HARD TO REGAIN
HER MOBILITY AND
COMMUNICATION SKILLS.
NOW, SIX YEARS AFTER THE
ACCIDENT, JEN CAN TELL US
HERSELF WHAT GOD HAS DONE
WITH HER LIFE.
AFTER THE ACCIDENT, I HAD
TO RELEARN HOW TO DO SO MANY
DIFFERENT THINGS.
HOW TO READ, HOW TO WRITE,
HOW TO GET DRESSED, HOW TO
BRUSH MY TEETH, HOW TO
SWALLOW.
EVERYTHING THAT WE DO ON A
DAILY BASIS, I HAD FORGOTTEN
HOW TO DO ALL OF IT.
BUT IT WAS JUST SO NEAT
BECAUSE DURING THIS TIME,
HOW THE LORD REALLY
OUTPOURED HIS SPIRIT ON MY
LIFE.
Reporter: HER
PEDIATRICIAN, DR. STEPHANIE
SULLIVAN SAYS JEN'S PROGRESS
WAS UNPRECEDENTED.
AND SHE STILL CONTINUES
TO IMPROVE, WHICH IS
EXTREMELY UNUSUAL IN THIS
KIND OF SITUATION.
SO I SEE THIS AS A MIRACLE.
I SEE IT AS A TESTIMONY OF
GOD'S FAITH AND HIS ABILITY
TO DO THINGS THAT ARE
REMARKABLE.
Reporter: EVEN THOUGH
JEN STILL HAS SOME
SHORT-TERM MEMORY
CHALLENGES, SHE IS A
SOUGHT-AFTER SPEAKER,
TELLING HER STORY IN FRONT
OF THOUSANDS.
I'M AMAZED HOW GOD CAN
USE A GIRL WITH A BRAIN
INJURY.
THE MOMENT SHE GETS IN FRONT
OF THE CAMERAS ON TV, OR THE
MOMENT SHE GETS ON STAGE IN
FRONT OF AN AUDIENCE, GOD
JUST SPEAKS THROUGH HER AND
IT IMPACTS PEOPLE.
ANYBODY WHO HAS GONE
THROUGH A HARD TIME OR WHO
HAS BEEN THROUGH AN
ACCIDENT, I WOULD TELL THEM
IF THEY WANT TOTAL AND
COMPLETE HEALING, AS WELL AS
STRENGTH, THAT THAT CAN ONLY
BE FOUND IN THE LORD.
HE PROMISES TO MEET YOU AT
THE POINT OF YOUR NEED AND
TO HELP CARRY YOU EVERY
DAY.
YOU KNOW, JEN HAS A JOY
THAT JUST IS UNEXPLAINABLE.
SHE LOVES PEOPLE.
SHE REACHES OUT TO HURTING
INDIVIDUALS.
GOD HAS BEEN SO MANY
DIFFERENT THINGS TO MY
FAMILY THROUGH THIS
ACCIDENT, BUT I THINK FOR
ME, HE HAS JUST REALLY BEEN
MY STRONGHOLD.
I THINK THE BIGGEST
BLESSING IS JUST HOW GOD IS
USING OUR FAMILY TO MAKE A
DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD, AND
HOW WHAT SATAN INTENDED FOR
EVIL, GOD IS USING FOR
GOOD.
