Bride’s dad recalls the accident that nearly took her until he placed hand on her heart. His final line left everyone in tears
Eric Lane stayed with his daughter, Audra, the entire time she was in the hospital just to help her sleep better
No matter how old a daughter becomes, she never stops being her father's little girl. Michelle Shannon (@byronbaycelebrant), a marriage celebrant, shared a video of a heartwarming toast made by a father at his daughter's wedding. During the speech, he recalled a difficult time after his daughter got into an accident in 2008. She was kept in the ICU for eight days and had multiple injuries. Eric Lane stayed with his daughter, Audra, during the entire time she was in the hospital just to help her sleep better.
Eric Lane shared how he comforted his baby girl with the wedding guests. He said, "She had a litany of injuries. I'm not going to read them all off, but one of them was a broken collarbone. There was also a chest tube that was sticking in her lungs at that time, and what we found out is that if old dad would just sit there and put his hand on her heart, it relieved enough pressure that she could be comfortable and could rest."
Eric sat next to his daughter for several hours doing what he just described so the tube won't press against her collarbone. The camera panned to Audra, whose eyes welled with tears as she interlinked her arm with her husband's, burying her face in his shoulder.
The reason why Lane shared the story is because of what he was going to say next. He looked at his daughter's husband and said, "Chad, it's your turn now. You get to put your hand on her heart. You're not going to out-love her, and she can't out-love you. The two of you can only love each other." In a story shared by Riley Children's Health, Audra said, "I absolutely remember him placing his hand there, and I would wake up immediately if he took it off."
Audra was 13 years old when the accident happened. It was in August 2008 when she decided to try to drive a big four-wheeler down the country road. Just about three-quarters of a mile from her house, she fell into a ditch and passed out upon impact. She revealed that she was in immense pain when she woke up and thought that she was going to die. But a doctor saw her and gave her a ride home. They advised her parents to take her to a hospital. A few minutes later, her condition worsened, and she was taken to Riley Hospital by an air ambulance.
Driving a huge four-wheeler at 13 years old was not a good idea. Audra Lane-Parrett narrowly escaped the clutches of death after the accident. Unfortunately, the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Teen Driver Fact Sheet revealed that "motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teens."
Another study (McCartt et al. 2009 and Curry et al. 2015) states that "15–30% of teen drivers experience a crash" during their first year of driving. Some measures to reduce the risk of accidents in teens include using a seatbelt at all times, no usage of cell phones while driving, avoiding driving when drunk or sleepy, and getting a full license through the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) system.
The comments on Michelle Shannon's post praised Lane for being a wonderful dad and giving his daughter all the love and strength she needed while recovering from her accident. @chrissie4201 wrote, "What beautiful words from a very proud Dad. May you all have lots and lots of love and happiness, lots of love now and always, all of you as a family. Just wait till your Babies arrive. Have a wonderful life together." @gracefulcathy added, "Love creates atmosphere for miracles."
You can follow Michelle Shannon (@byronbaycelebrant) for more wedding content.
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