Kim Lariscy

Our story begins on Saturday, May 11, 2002. It was a beautiful spring day which we were all enjoying. At that time I had 2 girls at home, my best friend and her family (2 girls and 1 boy) lived next door, and I was newly married (9/22/01). Around 2pm my two girls and my best friends youngest daughter began campaigning to go to the river. As this is an outing we have all loved for many, many years, and we only live a few miles away, my husband and I said yes. As has happened hundreds of times, my husband and I took the truck with the boat, and since there were three kids with us that day, my oldest daughter (1 month shy of being 17) drove my 12 year old (Cristan) and my best friend's 11 year old (Kayla) to the landing. We were joined by another family with an 11 yr old and 5 yr daughters. Around 6pm we decided to return to my home for a "cook out". The girls asked to go ahead while we loaded the boat, so all but the 5 yr old left in the car. Approximately 45 mins later when we approached the 1st intersection on our way home, we came upon a horrible auto accident. Unknown to us it was my "girls".

The outcome of this: 16 yr old (Brittany) is scratched and bruised, 11 yr old (Amber) is scratched and bruised, 12 yr old (Cristan) is critical, and 11 yr (Kayla) old is dead. At this point adrenalin set in and "need to do" took over. Cristan was air lifted to Savannah on that day and taken to Memorial Hospital. When I arrived there I was told that she may not make it thru the night but even if she did, she had received a severe TBI. At that point I had not a clue what lay ahead, only thanked God for sparing her. We then spent 3 wks in PICU, followed by a week on the 3rd floor. On June 1, we transferred to Children's Healthcare of Atlanta for their in-patient rehab program. We stayed there for 4 weeks, then proceeded to live at the Ronald McDonald house while she attended Day Rehab for 12 weeks. There is soooo much to tell, but in essence we were given a different child to bring home. I still thank God for sparing her and continue to pray He will give her a full life. You other parents know just what I mean by that. We are now approaching the 1 yr mark, which falls on Mother's Day. We have lost, in all, 3 precious girls in our lives, Kayla is now in Heaven, Cristan is "becoming", and Brittany moved away. I do not believe Mother's Day will be a happy occasion this year.

We are healing, all of us in different ways. It is just so hard emotionally a lot of time: I miss my girls (all 3), I grieve for my friend and her family, I anguish over that fact that my 16 yr old was found at fault (probably one of the hardest facts to accept), I still ask "Why" every day.

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