A few days after the accident: (Nathan Hanson) David Hanson is my older brother. We did everything together growing up. I didn't hesitate to pick him as best man when my wife and I were married on June 11, 2011. The night of our wedding he left for work in California to start a new job on the power lines in working towards finishing his apprenticeship. A few months later, he surprised us all when he talked about a young lady named Rachel who he had met out there. Things didn't take long. I didn't have a clue when my wife and I were married last summer, that we would be celebrating our 1st anniversary in California where my brother returned the favor asking me to be best man in his own wedding! The wedding was beautiful. It was described by Rachel's parents as "the greatest day of their lives." As David's family, we never saw him as happy as he was at his wedding in the summer of 2012. Then about 7 weeks later, on Tuesday August 7th, news came which shocked us all. The report was that David fell from a power line pole on the job when it was time to come down for lunch. One of his co-workers described the scene as an olympic diver that goes off the platform backwards. Another said he fell about eight feet to an energized circuit below that was covered with insulating rubbers. He hung on as long as he could but the jostling caused the wires to cross phase. The arc caused him to let go. He fell again and landed on the communication wires below and bounced off them and fell to the ground. About 55 feet altogether. Another co-worker who was on another pole not far away said he saw a replay of the event 100 times the same night. Injuries were serious and included fractures in many places all over his body that required surgery including a broken wrist, punctured femoral artery, fractured pelvis, hip and skull. Most of the fractures are in multiple places, but the greatest concern is his brain injuries. The guys he works with performed first aid, stabilized him and he was flown to the John Muir hospital in Walnut Creek. They said it was one of the best, but the medical experts did not expect him to pull through. We also knew David would not make it with mere human intervention, so we were reminded to look to the great Physician. We prayed with knowledge that no man had control over David's situation as his cranial pressure increased closer and closer to his blood pressure which would have been fatal. God gave David life and so far has miraculously sustained it. This has been a long difficult journey for the family, especially David and Rachel. But we can vividly see God's hand in it as he has revealed, softened, and changed the hearts of so many people! David's story is far from over. There's only one person who knows what chapters are coming, and to Him we continue to pray: "Oh God, please bring David back to us." However, as we trust God and see Him working through this situation we stand back in awe and add "...Your will be done, God" to our prayers, just as Jesus did in the garden(Luke 22:42) at a time even much harder than this.

8/8/12 (Rachel Hanson) David will be going into surgery for fixing his femur (and possibly pelvis if the surgeon has time) at about 4:45pm. God has given me peace at this time.

8/8/12 (Abbie Sutherland) David is out of surgery, it was successful. There were several fractures to the hip and femoral head, which the surgeon worked on. He was not able to close the wound so there is a wound vac in place to sponge out the seepage and keep it clean. There was too much risk of bleeding too much to work on any if the pelvic fractures at this time. He will have another surgery in a few days to fix the pelvic fractures and close the thigh wounds. He is outof traction now so will be able to have the MRI soon to further evaluate the brain swelling on a scale from 0-15 his swelling is at a 10.They have pinned his femur so his leg will no longer need to be in traction. This means they will hopefully be able to get him an MRI in the near future. The family appreciates all of the prayers and support. Valerie Kreins and I ask that you please keep direct contact to Rachel Hanson at a minimum during this difficult time, and if you need to contact the family or want more information, feel free to contact one of the two of us. Thank you all again.

8/9/12 (Nathan Hanson) Please pray hard for David. His situation is serious and beyond the control of medical experts so we are praying for what would be a supernatural miracle.

8/9/12 (Valerie Kreins) Statement: Dear Loved ones, First of all thank you SO much for your incredible show of love, support and prayers the past few days. It means so much to know David is being lifted up to his Father continuously. Now that his condition is stable and we will have few updates, so we are asking for some privacy for the immediate family so they can begin to absorb what has happened, stay rested, and come together to make whatever decisions will need to be made in the coming days/weeks with clear minds. David is in the best hands possible and the doctors continue to communicate very well with us. We would appreciate tact, forethought, and compassion before contacting or speaking to the family about David's prognosis and what may lay ahead. We would like to take this time and place David's future in God's hands and not live in a spirit of worry and fear. We are not in denial, but we do believe in miracles and that whatever lies outside of human intervention is entirely possible with God, if he so chooses. The best way you can continue to support Rachel, David, and their families is to be on your knees in prayer. If we need something, we know our resources and will not hesitate to ask for help. With love and a thankful heart, Val

8/10/12 (Jena Webber) Blog entry: Expect the Unexpected

8/10/12 (Nathan Hanson) Thank you SO much, to those who are praying. Hearts are being revealed and though this is extremely difficult, we can sense the Lord's presence. We continue to hope against hope(Romans 4:18 - "In hope, Abraham believed against hope...") and it is not a false hope because we hope in God (Ps. 42 - "Why are you cast down oh my soul? Why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God! For I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance") and look to the giver of life ("Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of life!"). The MRI results have confirmed that David's situation is very very serious and the doctors do not hold out much hope but want to wait. Only the One who gave David life can know the exact moment when He wants to take him home(Psalm 139:16 - "Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them"). We know our God's ability (Eph. 3:20 - "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think") and can clearly see how the Lord has already glorified Himself through this situation, whatever the outcome is.

8/10/12 (Rachel Hanson) I got to be David's personal therapist today and he was able to tolerate a bit of stretching and ROM plus got to put some rolls of gauze in his hands. :) His swelling is going down and he finally got the roll of gauze out from his nose so he looks a bit more like my husband. :) I'm taking pleasure in small victories.

8/11/12 (Rachel Hanson) I had a rather rough day not feeling so strong or full of faith and almost angry at times but tonight was encouraged that David has "angels" ministering to him. There have been 3 nurses that have taken care of David that have "Angel" in their name. :) Rachel Hanson

8/12/12 (Nathan Wagner) All six of David's siblings, plus two spouses and a fiancee are flying out to California, so his whole immediate family will be there together with him - the tickets, as I understand, paid by David's co workers. This is an answer to prayer. Anna, Cory, Nathan, Ashley, Grace, Ben, Beth, Jonny, Joey - the Lord be with you all.

8/13/12 (Joel Hanson) There are some reports that are inaccurate regarding David's surgery today. The initial report on pelvic surgery and wrist surgery is true. Initial report is good..but we have to watch. Doctors will know more tomorrow! The brain stem situation has not changed. Please continue with us in prayer

8/13/12 (Valerie Kreins) Dear Everyone :) Thank you all SO much for your continuous prayers and generous offers to help, we are all so grateful and humbled by this tremendous response from those we know and many we don't. I know you are all so anxious to hear how David is doing and we appreciate your loving concern. David continues to be in stable, but critical condition with no change in his responsiveness to date. On the positive side he has tolerated his surgeries and other procedures remarkably well with no complications. The doctors and nurses are taking measures to keep him as comfortable as possible since we are unable to receive communication from him on pain level etc. Please keep joining us in prayer for David, Rachel and the Hanson family for wisdom on any upcoming decisions that need to be made.... We can praise God for not only the "small" miracles we have witnessed with David in bringing him this far, but also in how He is provididing incredible strength and spiritual blessings to all involved, also financially we have not lacked for ANYthing due to great generosity by David's employer /company and his union. Please do not be discouraged by lack of updates, it is only because we want to protect this family and give them the time and space they need in order to do what is best for David. Your prayers are absolutely invaluable and we are trusting The Almighty to give them all they need to get through this extremely trying time. Lovingly, Val

8/14/12 (Rachel Hanson) I am very excited to give a good update today! David was initially not breathing on his own at all and needed the vent to sustain life. Two days ago, I thought I saw David take a deep breath on his own but thought, "That can't be possible." and dismissed it. Yesterday, I noticed his respiratory rate was changing a lot and thought that was funny because the vent should be giving a constant rate of respiration so I asked the nurse and she said David was breathing some on his own but not enough to sustain life because he would breathe fast, a little or none at all. Today, he has been breathing consistently on his own and they plan to wean him off the vent, Lord willing, in a couple days!! He is still in a coma but we're praising the Lord for the great things he is doing. Rachel Hanson

8/16/12 (Nathan Hanson) Seeing David was very sobering on a whole new level to say the least. We praise the Lord for some amazing things that have happened, but still have many times wondered what God has in store. We don't quit hoping and praying for the Lord's will in this and do our best to trust Him. We often wonder, what would David say if he were conscious right now? I know David better than most, and have recently spoken with his co-workers, many family members and friends. I don't think anyone who knows him would disagree. He has already said it. The words of Rachel (David's wife as of June 16th 2012) sum it up well: "We are reminded of our human frailty and how our lives are held in a fragile balance. If David could have one wish out of this whole things, I believe with all my heart that it would be that souls would bow their hearts before the Creator and Saviour of the World and accept his propitiative work on the cross for their sin and make Him Lord of their lives." This recording is one example which seems to fit the circumstances well. It has become very popular among the guys David works with and many others. There are many copies of this being distributed every day by all those who know David. It was recorded only a few years ago by David himself. Will You Be Ready When Your Time Comes? -David Hanson

8/16/12 (Valerie Kreins) David was weaned off the ventilator as of today and he's breathing regularly on his own.

8/19/12 (Rachel Hanson) There hasn't been a lot of new things with David lately. He has been having trouble tolerating the tube feeding. He has had a bronchoscopy and chest x-ray which are both clear...so no pneumonia, which is good. He is completely breathing on his own with some supplemental oxygen! But his breathing has been a little labored and congested. The last two days, he has been opening his eyes some (mostly slitted) but not really focusing on anything. He will squeeze my hand occasionally but not with commands but it is still really awesome. :) He seems to calm down when his parents sing softly to him. He must find some comfort in hearing their familiar voices and the sweet words of hymns. Please continue in prayer. This battle is far from over.

8/20/12 (Rachel Hanson) I just called David's nurse on my lunch break to get an update. It was very encouraging today! His neurologist reported that for the first time, his pupils are reacting to light a little bit and he withdrew from pain rather than the decerebrate posturing that he has been doing!! His fever is down and there is no infectious process going on in his body. We do have a great God, do we not? Now I can't wait to drive back to the hospital and see him tonight!

8/22/12 (Rachel Hanson) Kids are just the best! I was praying with a friend this morning and we both started to cry a little and her little boy comes up to me and said, "Are you sad? Jesus loves you!! Yes, Jesus loves you." Sometimes it's the little things that just make a day better. :) Update: David is back on the ventilator for some support breathing because he has been laboring breathing a bit. He is still not tolerating the tube feeding and has been vomiting several times a day. They are wondering if he has a bacteria in his digestive tract. Last night, they did a CT scan of his chest to check for a blood clot in his lungs. We should get results this morning but last night, nothing serious was brought up, so I think he should be clear of that. Last night, when I saw him, he looked peaceful and was breathing evenly. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away...may we still remember that He is faithful, merciful and good even though every day seems to take us on a roller coaster.

8/22/12 (Rachel Hanson) David's chest CT scan was negative for a clot in his lungs but as he is waking up more, he is coughing a lot because he is more aware of the tube in his throat. They are getting him ready to be transferred to a rehab center very soon. No more laying around and sleeping for David! :P ...and this is when he is going to not like the fact that I have a job in physical therapy.

8/24/12 (Joel Hanson) I just talked to Dr. Yasbeck who said David is more responsive the last few days and his eyes open spontaneously now. I asked if he is merging from his coma and he said it is difficult to know that. He said he would not be surprised if David responds more, to voices and singing. He also stated that there is slight improvement in David's right arm movement. --Things to pray for: David has been battling a fever, Dr. thinks it may be bronchitis or an infection in his digestive area. --Good news: today David was transferred to Santa Clara Rehab facility at 10:45PT. With the Dr. sharing a more optimistic report this time, it was encouraging to hear a confirmation of what we have observed as David's parents. We thank God for His mercies.

8/24/12 (Rachel Hanson) David is settling in at his new "home" at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. They are going to take it easy on him this weekend and not progress things much, but next week they will start bumping up his Physical Therapy, working on getting him more independent with his breathing, and starting him on some drugs that should make him more alert and stimulate neurological recovery. I am very pleased with the competency of the staff there and look forward to working with them to help my husband come home! :) I have a LOT of driving ahead of me in the next few months because he is 2 hours away from home and 2 hours away from my work so pray that my trusty Honda gets me the places I need to be and I have to endurance to keep this marathon up. Thanks again for all your prayers so far! It really is a miracle that David is at Santa Clara and I feel bouyed up on God's strength.

8/25/12 (Joel Hanson) "Bless the Lord oh my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy name." Annette and I believe in God. God is beyond reproach and as Psalm 103:1 states, "holy is His name." His compassions do not fail; we know this as His Spirit bears witness to our spirits. It may seem contradictory, but God gives great comfort and joy through the pain. I talked with Clem (a friend and co-worker of David's); we talked about some of the recent observations of the doctor relating to positive responses from David. Clem shared a another observation.... a few days ago Clem asked David to open his eyes before leaving. Immediately, David responded as Clem had requested and kept his eyes open for a few minutes. What a wonderful God we serve!

8/28/12 (Rachel Hanson) I wasn't able to see David yesterday because I had a very long day at work but called the nurse today to see how he was doing. She said she had several good things to report. His heart rate was good, no fever, no digestive tract bacteria anymore and he was very calm and seemed to enjoy sitting on the edge of the bed today(with support). :) He has a fairly normal sleep/wake cycle and has his eyes open most of the day now. He will slowly look at you if you sit on his right side. They are little steps, but at least positive steps in the right direction. He's a trooper and we have an amazing God.

To contact David Hanson's family, please use the e-mail familyofdavidhanson@gmail.com