Helpless

I was in class Monday morning when I got a call from my new brother-in-law. He and my sister were at Lake Tahoe on vacation and had been in a terrible, freakish boating accident the day before. My sister was 8 weeks pregnant.

They had been rafting down a very gentle part of the river when something bumped their boat into a suicidal fork of the river where it capsized. They were both thrown into the water, my sister was hit in the head with an oar and the boat landed on top of them.

They somehow managed to get out and it is a miracle they are both alive.

My sister went to an emergency care clinic right away and everything seemed okay, but the next day started bleeding, which was when I got the call from my brother-in-law. He put her on the phone and she was beside herself crying. I tried to calm her down and reassure her that there most likely wasn't a problem, and that she needed to go back to the clinic and get an ultrasound to make sure.

Things weren't okay though, and she had a miscarriage later that day.

I am devastated for their loss. It is so horribly unfair. They are two of the nicest, funniest people and they were so happy to be having a baby. And on top of that loss, they are dealing with the guilt of having gone rafting in the first place.

What was at worst a mildly imprudent decision (one that I might have very easily made myself when I was pregnant, if I'd had the opportunity) is now going to haunt them and they don't deserve that at all.

If you are so inclined, I'd appreciate any prayers for them, specifically that they will find strength in each other and that any guilt they have will be eased. I would give anything if I could take this hurt from them, but I can't and all I can do is ask God to give them the strength to get through this and thank Him that their lives were spared.