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DEL.ICIO.USSmiths finding joy in each small step
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
RICK BADIE / AJC
Chris Smith has made tremendous strides since suffering a massive heart attack in March 2005, according to his wife, Kathy (right). Daughter Caitlin, 15, says she's also in a better place, mentally.
Last year, when I first saw Chris Smith, he was sensitive to sound and touch only.
Now he can smile, hold his head up and lift his arms and legs.
He’s still in a persistent vegetative state, but the occasional signs of mobility are giant steps.
Kathy Smith, his wife, sure thinks so.
“He’s come a long way since the Peachtree Road Race last year,” she wrote in an e-mail. “I’d love for you to see the progress Chris has made, or at least the progress the nurses and I believe he’s made.”
So I did.
On Friday, I visited the Lawrenceville family to see what nearly a year’s passing had done for a man who suffered a major heart attack on March 25, 2005.
On that day, the Secret Service agent was in the office elevator at work, headed to the 30th floor to shower after a 3-mile run.
Witnesses told Kathy Smith that he moved to the rear of the elevator, then squatted. He didn’t move when the elevator reached his floor. A colleague tapped him on the shoulder. He fell over.
Even though his chances for survival were slim, Smith chose to bring her man home. Their bedroom and other portions of the house had to be retrofitted. Special equipment, like a table that helps stand and stretch, had to be installed.
Before benefits kicked in, Smith had to foot the bill for some necessities — nursing assistants, for one. Sometimes they showed as scheduled. Other times, they didn’t.
“In the beginning, it was horrible,” Smith told me, noting that she now has dependable 24-hour nursing care. “But Chris’ condition is so much better now that he’s easy to take care of. His trach is out, and the hole has been surgically closed. He’s [back] up to 173 pounds. He looks awesome.”
I first met the family in July 2006, days before the Peachtree. Caitlin had chosen to honor her father by running in the race, as she’d done the previous year.
These days, she’s focused on ice hockey. Last school year, she played goalie for a team culled together from schools in Middle Georgia that had been unable to field enough kids. She’s currently on the house team of the Atlanta Ice Forum in Duluth. Her father even got the chance to see her play a game since his heart attack.
When I visited Friday, Caitlin told me she was in a better place, mentally, than a year ago.
“I’ve gotten used to [the situation],” she said. “Hockey, my family and friends have helped me deal with it.
“He’s still Dad.”
Last month, the family celebrated his 44th birthday with ice cream and cake. And this Father’s Day, the family plans to attend services at St. Lawrence Catholic Church.
“God is good every day,” Smith said. “Chris is so much more alert. He smiles. He doesn’t laugh, but he feels the tickle. All those things tell me that God is good every day.”
Smith asks that readers pray for Chris. She also told me to not let a day go by that I don’t kiss my wife and kids.
“When you love somebody,” she said, “you love them until they die.”
— Rick Badie’s column appears on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Contact him at 770-263-3875 or e-mail rbadie@ajc.com.
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Comments
By Michael H. Smith
June 17, 2007 7:53 AM | Link to this
You love them until they die
And you will love them long after then
You will love them until you die
Then you will love them forever again
In death there is passing and parting
In love can you truly ever find an end?
Best wishes Smith family.
By James
June 18, 2007 1:43 PM | Link to this
Please never give on your son. That’s is what Michael Schiavo did to Terri.
God Bless you for doing the right thing!
By Kathy Smith
June 18, 2007 2:54 PM | Link to this
I will never give up hope that my husband, Chris, will recover to any degree. My prayer is for a full and complete recovery but I feel blessed to still have him in my life at all. I am the luckiest woman in the world to have been able to share my life with the most wonderful man in the world for almost 17 years. He is the kindest, sweetest, and most decent and honorable husband and father a wife and daughter could ever have. Taking care of Chris is a true blessing—it is not a burden as many people think. My heart still skips a beat every time I look at him and I fall in love all over again. He’s still a father and husband and we are still a family. That will change only when God takes his last breath. I spoke a vow to honor and cherish until death and I fully intend to keep it. It’s not hard to do if you love someone. There have been difficult times emotionally and financially, esp. for our daughter, but God in his infinite mercy is always there with a handout. All you have to do is ask Him. Please pray for our family. Kathy Smith
By Mell
June 18, 2007 7:14 PM | Link to this
I am proud to say Kathy Smith is my sister-in-law.(my husbands sis) She continues every day to do the right thing!!! Chris was one of the best fathers and husbands I have ever known. Kathy is devoted to him completely!! And Caitlin is making her dad proud!! Being around this family is a blessing!!! XOXOX
By Shelly
June 18, 2007 7:42 PM | Link to this
Kathy, Chris & Caitlin - We are neighbors and I wanted you to know that we are praying for you. I’ve only met you, Kathy, through my daughters selling Girl Scout cookies, but you are always kind to my girls and even in those brief encounters I can tell you are a very special person. God has given you great strength and great love, and a great example for us all. Take care of yourself.
By Goob
June 18, 2007 9:51 PM | Link to this
I am Kathy’s brother. I just wanted to tell you what a fine man Chris is, and how much I miss his company during Nascar races.. Especially Bristol! Kathy, I love you, even if I don’t tell you that often enough. I know life is not easy for you. God Bless You.. and Caitlin (we miss you!)
By James
June 18, 2007 10:38 PM | Link to this
God Bless you so much. I was a big supporter in Terri’s God given right to cared by her loving parents until her natural death. That case was so tragic.
Like Near Death experiences have had profound effect on people lives and the way they live, I see too that in many cases, situations as bad as having loved one profoundly disabled has had same same affect for the better.
Never give up. Medical science is always evolving. What cannot be cured today might be cured in a year.
By James
June 18, 2007 11:19 PM | Link to this
If you needs help, these foundations may be able to help you:
www.terrisfight.org
www.lauralaughlinl6.org
For help in your emotional struggles in your situation, talking with other familes can be helpful to:
http://pray4tori.com - This family has been trying Stem Cell therapy in China.
http://www.prayforcandice.com/index.htm- This family live fairly close to you in Rome, GA.
By Rose Smith
June 19, 2007 6:05 PM | Link to this
I’m Chris’s mother. I haven’t seen Chris since his fathers death. I want all to know that my family is really blessed with Kathy’s devotion to my son. I wish life could be normal for all of us again. God bless Kathy, Caitlin and especially Chris. Mom
By Your Hoosiers
June 20, 2007 11:49 PM | Link to this
Best wishes to all of the Smiths as you continue to accomplish amazing things, with God’s grace!