Shine
crawling into his bed, cuddling with him.
He began physical therapy, and all of his tests
continued to improve. Because he had not stood for 14
days, he was unable to walk or sit up without assistance.
“There were a million ‘tiny firsts’ we had to do all over
again, just like when he was a baby,” Elizabeth said.
Doctors were no longer worried about his condition as
they began to see his little body improve day by day. They,
too, had seen a miracle right before their eyes.
He was released from the hospital on Dec. 7 just two
and a half short weeks after his accident. When the
teachers at J.D. Dickerson learned he was coming home,
they organized a “welcome home” for the kindergarten
student. Classmates and other students filled the sidewalk
with homemade signs welcoming him home. As the
Harvills drove by, the students jumped and waved, excited
to see their fellow classmate.
The experience forever changed the Harvill family’s life.
“We’re going to do things differently,” Jason proclaimed.
“We’re going to change things.”
Elizabeth agreed, reminding herself of an incident
that occurred a few days before Landon’s accident. “I was
waiting to be called on a conference call and was hurrying
to get supper cooked when Landon asked me to play cars
with him.” She told him she couldn’t right
then but would play with him later. But
later never came. That incident came back
to haunt her as she sat by his hospital bed,
wondering if she would have the chance to
play with him again or not.
From now on, “we won’t let things get in
the way of family,” Jason explained.
And if that means staying up past
bedtime on a school night because you’ve
got a good game of “Go fish” going on, so
be it. TCM
The Harvills are eager to share their
experience with area churches and other
groups that would have them. To schedule
a time for them to share their testimony,
contact Elizabeth at 912.245.1186 or
Jason at 912.245.1187.
One of the Harvill’s greatest “gifts” from this experience has been learning to
appreciate and embrace time with family. Each moment counts.
44 Toombs County Magazine