Miraculous Megan . . .

"I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it .... to every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."

Ecclesiastes

ON HER WAY
On the sunny, summer afternoon of July 27, 2004 Megan Ballou, 17, was on her way to her new job at Taco Bell in Pryor. She was excited about getting on with her life. She had enthusiastically been preparing for her senior year at Locust Grove High School where she was on the basketball and softball teams and a cheerleader. Unfortunately, she was also on her way to a head-on collision with a semi-trailer truck. Her lungs collapsed and ribs were broken. Her liver was torn and her spleen ruptured. Arm, leg and face bones were fractured. Large cuts lay open to the bone on her left elbow and right leg. Her nose was broken, a tooth chipped ... her left leg severed.

Someone called for help and help came quickly. The front to the middle of the driver's side of the car was completely gone. The Air Evac ambulance arrived. Discovering that Megan had lost so much blood that she had stopped bleeding, they feared she would soon be gone as well.

ON HER WAY, AGAIN
But through ordinary people, miraculous things happened. First responders acted immediately. Medical professionals applied their emergency skills, then others their great care. Because 18 people had recently made the choice to be blood donors, the 18 units of blood needed to save Megan's life were on the St. John Medical Center shelf when Air Evac landed in Tulsa. And Megan had "want to". In less than three weeks, extraordinary Megan Ballou - undiminished - was out of the hospital, optimistically and enthusiastically on her way again!

"Megan is just an honest, open girl, spiritually motivated," says Norma Brown, Locust Grove High School attendance secretary. "She came back to school in a wheelchair. From the wheelchair to crutches was okay, but it just didn't allow her to go fast enough. Then she was fitted for her leg and that was it. She was mobile and she's not looked back. She certainly doesn't think she's handicapped, doesn't dwell on her leg, and says that's nothing compared to what other people suffer." Norma added, "I remind Megan that there are many people she affects that she's not even aware of just because of her character and who she is and what she does. Long after she's left here she'll be remembered and used as an example."

GOALS AND DETERMINATION
Michele Ellison, cheerleading coach says Megan "was always inspiring. After her accident she never missed a ball game, she came in the wheelchair until she could walk. She went with us to everything and she just pushed the girls from the sideline yelling at them to do better, to do their best. It was her senior year and she stepped up as a leader." Michele reflects, "I remember at Christmas she said, I'm going to learn how to run over Christmas break and I'm going to surprise everyone. And she did. My husband (head basketball coach) shares a view that there are some kids this would just destroy, but he knew that there was no way that she'd let it get her down. She's amazing and if everyone had that determination I think we would be unstoppable."

Colleen Mills, assistant girl's basketball coach and slow pitch softball coach says, "before Megan had her wreck she was a bright spot in everybody's day. Then after her wreck, there hasn't been a day that she didn't brighten for being here. She's really been an inspiration to me. She was at every practice walking or trying to run every sprint that everybody ran, shooting and pushing and setting new goals for herself. She made me look at myself and say, as a teacher, what kind of goals have I set? At first I didn't really believe how quick and determined she was to be back with us. But like she'll tell you and like we all believe, it's a God thing. She wouldn't be here if God hadn't stepped in and had all the things just fall exactly in place."

A NEW PLAN "Before my wreck, I wanted to go into graphic design or interior design," Megan explains. "Then after my wreck I went through physical therapy and on my downtime I would just go in there to talk to people. From watching the physical therapists and occupational therapists I picked-up on what I really, really want to do. I want to go into physical therapy and help other people. It will be beneficial to people to see and talk with someone who has been through the experience of physical therapy." Megan will get her basics at RSU in Pryor but then she plans to attend OU to go into the physical therapy department. "I'm told that's the hardest part to get into, well, if they don't accept me they're just going to have a hard time getting me out of there," Megan laughs. "I'll just show up in their class every single day and say I'm an observer."

Sue Rupe, Megan's mother says, "get up and get moving has been our outlook the whole time. We haven't questioned God why did you do this to her? We never thought that. It's just been, this is what happened let's go forward. We don't know how else to look at it. She's done remarkably well and the support from the community, our church group, friends, and school is just humbling. She didn't dwell on it. She had prepared the whole summer for her senior year. She had been to every camp known to man, cheer camp, three basketball camps and she had just gotten back from church camp. She had won some kind of first place basketball contest there and I knew it was going to be hard on her as her main goal was to play basketball." But Megan says, "At church camp I learned this verse from Ecclesiastes that says that what God does nobody can add to it or take from it." After the wreck she says a friend reminded her how fitting the verse had come to be in her life.

A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Megan's brother Nathaniel, 22, has been going to blood drives every time OBI is in the area. "Yeah, I know," she grins. "He brings me the shirts." But now Megan gets her own OBI T-shirts. Now that she is eligible, she has chosen to donate blood and did so on July 30, 2005 for the first time. And she did it boldly and bravely in front of the camera's of KOTV News Channel 6.

Megan's mother relates a conversation she had with her daughter soon after she came out of surgery. Sue had hoped to delay the discussion, she knew it would be hard for her, but Megan didn't want to wait. "Mom, I can't feel my leg," she said. "Well, Megan, it's not there," Sue said. "But, the first thing she asked was 'Well, can I play basketball?' and I said 'Yeah. You can do anything you want Megan.' " And prophetically, Megan can and does. She runs, plays basketball, donates blood and helps others tremendously as she eagerly continues on life's way.