Start from the beginning...well, almost.

Many people have asked for updates on Lissa. I thought I would create a blog where you can get daily updates and specific prayer needs for her. This is not to eliminate emails and phone calls, but so that we can follow through with our promise to update.

So this is Lissa and Ryan on their wedding day a few years ago. They are beautiful, inside and out.

In case some of you have not heard in full, I will do my best to give a synopsis of what happened on December 1st, from what I have heard, because that is all that I have while I'm currently separated from the situation physically.

I got a call early Saturday morning (December 1, 2007) that Melissa (we call her Lissa), was in a very bad accident. She and Ryan were on their way to watch his brother (Jared) play in college football playoffs in Pella, Iowa. Most of Ryan's family (parents and many younger siblings) were in their van. There was very bad weather in the Midwest, specifically in Iowa, where they were driving. While they were driving, they hit some ice and rolled the van three times. Everyone in the van was released from the hospital, except for Melissa. We are so thankful that the rest of the family was okay, after being so shaken up, bumped and bruised. We are extremely grateful for their protection. The oldest Lyle sibling, Rachel, was on the phone when this happened with her family and had to hear this traumatic event. After the accident, there were some very scary moments when Lissa was unconscious. Even though she had her seat belt on, somehow she was partly out of the van (still in the seat belt), and her arm was pinned under it. She was unconscious, but Ryan and his father were able to miraculously lift the van from her and she came to consciousness after Ryan (frantically) repeatedly yelled her name, while Mrs. Lyle (who is a nurse) held her head.

Thankfully, there were other cars who stopped to put the Lyle children into their car and had a tarp to put over Lissa in the freezing rain while they waited for an ambulance to come. An ambulance arrived in 20 minutes and she, Ryan, and Mrs. Lyle were taken to the University of Iowa hospital, while Mr. Lyle and the children were taken to another. They were able to get the last ambulances out for the day thankfully.

Lissa is in a great hospital, and they have said that she has been their best patient. She broke 8 ribs, 4 of which have 2-3 breaks each. Her arm did not break, even though it was pinned under the van. Her arms are pretty beat up and she has some bad gashes in her head, (which have been stapled) but her skull was not fractured. She did get a pretty bad concussion though. She had a lot of internal bleeding, specifically in her lungs, and they are trying to keep the blood out of them. They are monitoring her oxygen levels very closely.

Yesterday they tried to take her off of oxygen, but she was not able to breathe well enough on her own, so they put the oxygen back in her. She has also been extremely nauseated, and they are changing pain medication to adjust.

She has been able to take a few steps after a lot of work (and getting sick), which was a miracle. Every part of her body has been severely traumatized and is very swollen, even her eyes. She's still in very rough condition, but I know that she is a trooper. She's been making the nurses laugh and cracking jokes during the few moments that she's awake. And she's still good at telling Ryan what to do, like scratch her nose when it itches. He does not leave her side. He is a saint.

I do have a strong confidence and hope that she will be taken care of. She has so many people there who love her so much.Ben and his wife, Rozz, just returned from out there for a couple days. Rob, Ann, and Karen drove out to see Lissa. Rachel was also out there to pick up her siblings. And Mr and Mrs Lyle have taken such good care of her as well.

We all know that Lissa is a tough cookie. She is showing her true self here in her positivity and humor. I have a great confidence to know that she'll be all right, but she has a long way to go.

If you can, please pray that the nausea would lessen so that Lissa can focus on the physical therapy to help her body heal and that she would be able to rely less and less on the oxygen machine. And also pray that Ryan would be blessed by moments of progress and interaction with Lissa and that he would be able to rest.

I was so thankful to speak with Lissa yesterday. She could not say much, but she did say that she could tell that people were praying.

I will update you again tomorrow, when I hear from those at the front lines...