by Kevin Lilly
After 16 days in the hospital, 17-year-old Derrick McQuiston recently returned to his home in Logansport with the promise of a full recovery.
Derrick was on the brink of death at times after the Nov. 15 car accident on U.S. 231 in Tippecanoe County. His lower jaw was broken in two places, he suffered broken ribs and cuts to his spleen and a kidney. His chest swelled to double its normal size. There were many days when Derrick lay unconscious in bed with his parents, Terry and Lori, taking vigil and praying.
“I definitely think it helped,” Terry said of the power of prayer. “God is the one who saved him. God sent the right people at the right time, worked through them to get him going and get him breathing again.”
“We stand firmly on that,” echoed Lori, adding of her son, “He’s just a walking miracle.”
Derrick spent 16 days at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. While there, hundreds of people called or visited to help him and his parents through a difficult time.
“People that came and visited us, they kept us strong,” Lori said.
Family, coaches, students and their parents and the pastor of their church brought food, cards and prayers. In all, Derrick received more than 150 cards from throughout Indiana and several states around the country. He has read them all.
Derrick’s German class made him a card his parents could not read.
“He’s going to have to wake up,” Lori recalled. “We have no idea what these say.”
When Derrick learned of the outpouring from friends and strangers alike, he had a greater appreciation for the town he lives in.
“We got a real good community,” he said. “They really helped my parents out.”
Donations streamed in from a student benefit concert, from the the Rotary and Noon Kiwanis clubs and from businesses and individuals.
Terry said, “We appreciate all the thoughts and the prayers through the community and the churches and businesses.”
The McQuiston family attends Vineyard Community Church in Logansport. Pastor Bruce Vernon said he was not surprised by the support the family received from its own church.
“It is something that you might expect from a church family,” he said, “but the community support and response to their family crisis was moving. It was a real tribute to the character and quality of our community. Individuals, students, school teachers and administrators, local service clubs and retail stores opened up their pocketbooks to this family. But way beyond the donations, they opened up their hearts to Derrick and his parents and expressed their love, compassion and prayers.”
For the next couple of months, Derrick will have speech and physical therapy. At the moment, his mouth is wired closed, and because of a broken jaw, he’ll be eating through a straw for a few weeks.
He said he was glad to be home. Friends come over to play video games and hang out in the finished basement. He intends to go back to school after Christmas break.
Derrick is a member of the school’s football, baseball and wrestling teams. He plans to be back in playing shape for baseball season in the spring.
While in the hospital, Derrick asked to see photos of the wreck.
“I don’t remember anything,” he said of the return trip from a Wabash-Depaul football game in Lafayette.
“We didn’t tell him anything, what went wrong, what happened because we wanted him healing, but when he asked to see pictures of the wreck, it was time to tell him,” Lori said.
According to Indiana State Police, 17-year-old Derek Rowe was driving north on U.S. 231 when his vehicle went off the east side of the road and struck a pole before rolling over onto Ind. 25, where it struck another vehicle.
Derrick was taken to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Lafayette before being flown to Methodist Hospital. Rowe was taken to Home Hospital and treated for minor injuries.
The McQuiston family spent a wedding anniversary, Derrick’s birthday and Thanksgiving in the hospital.
“Everything came up on us,” Lori said.
Thanksgiving was the best day, she said, because her son woke up, asked for chocolate milk and talked.
“We had a wonderful Thanksgiving,” Lori said. “It had nothing to do with food. We were rejoicing that he was up and drinking milk!”
So, what’s next for the family?
“Just move forward,” Terry said.
“Watch him grow and become what he wants to be,” Lori said.
Lori became emotional talking about having her son home safely.
“At like 3 in the morning, I go into his room just to see his chest move up and down,” she said.
She touches him lightly on the forehead to feel for a fever.
“I can’t help it,” she said tearfully.
Family members gathered around Derrick recently to talk about his recovery. His uncle, Mike Gerlach, joked with him as he sat amongst Indianapolis Colts memorabilia and coach Tony Dungy’s book, “Quiet Strength.”
“Hey Derrick, remember before all this happened, you were a Bears fan?” he asked.
Everyone burst into laughter. Derrick smiled.
Kevin Lilly can be reached at (574) 732-5117, or via e-mail at kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com
