Chapter 1: The Call That Changed Everything

In March 1982, my life took an unexpected turn when I received a frantic call from my aunt.

“There’s been an accident involving your dad and Denice. You must get to the hospital immediately — it’s Emmanuel in North Portland. Hurry!”

At just twenty-two, I had already endured the loss of my brother in a car crash. Now, this news hit hard. A Chevrolet Impala collided with my father’s compact Dodge Colt. When the paramedics arrived, they found my dad slumped over the steering wheel, unconscious and severely injured. They quickly called for Life Flight.

The helicopter arrived swiftly, transporting my father to Emmanuel trauma hospital, while Denice, my dad's girlfriend, was found wedged beneath the passenger dashboard. She was taken to the less-equipped Willamette Falls Hospital. The decision not to return for her in the helicopter baffled me.

Denice’s injuries proved to be severe, even more so than my father's. He endured a crushed chest, a torn kidney, a