Twins survive car accident, fight for lives

May is Trauma Awareness Month. The traumatic accident Megan and Michael Fauley experienced turned their lives upside down in a matter of seconds.

View picture gallery

Megan Fauley knows what it's like to fight through pain to achieve a personal goal. As a cross country runner, the teen trains hard, and her body is able to endure all kinds of conditions. But last winter Megan and her twin brother, Michael, never expected to be faced with a fight for their lives.

As the nation recognizes May as Trauma Awareness Month, the Fauley twins were only two of the more than 1,500 children admitted to the Trauma floor at Children's in 2008.

'A day we'll never forget'

Nov. 23, 2008 started out as an ordinary day for the Fauley family from San Angelo, Texas. Angie and Doug and their 18-year-old daughter, Jessika, headed to church as their 12-year-olds, Megan and Michael, were on their way home with their grandparents. As Angie and Jessika sang at church, Doug was called out to take a phone call.

Sandy Knebel, a social worker at Children's, was the voice on the other line filling Doug in on the details. A serious head-on collision had killed his mother, while his step-father, nephew and children were in critical condition. Megan had been airlifted and Michael was in an ambulance, both on their way to Children's Medical Center, a Level I Trauma Center.

Calls roll in

As Doug, Angie and Jessika made the 300 mile trek to the hospital, phone calls came in one after the other. Linda Vitale, a nurse practitioner at Children's, called to explain the extent of Megan's injuries — a forehead laceration, broken arm, ruptured aorta and intestinal injuries. One moment ingrained in Angie's mind is when she learned Megan could lose her legs because of the ruptured aorta.

"I prayed, 'Lord you can't take Megan's legs,'" Angie said. That's her life — being outside and running. Megan is a strong athlete and cross country runner. I couldn't even verbalize Megan's condition to my husband."

With each ring of the phone came tears, mainly from Jessika in the backseat. On the next call they learned that Michael's condition was deteriorating and he needed surgery. Once both kids were in surgery, the calls slowed down.

Meeting the lifesavers

Upon arrival at Children's, the trio headed to the waiting room, now filled with their family members, and waited on an update from the operating rooms.

"Family poured in and I was amazed at how the staff embraced them," Angie said. "Our extended family is very close and we had about 100 people visit us the first day."

Dr. David Schindel, a pediatric surgeon at Children's and assistant professor of Surgery at UT Southwestern, emerged from the OR and quickly drew Angie a picture of Megan's injuries.

"Dr. Schindel is our Godsend," Angie said. "He was straightforward with his updates, which is exactly what we needed. I would not have wanted anyone else to have touched her. When I first saw a glimpse of hope in his eyes, that's when I knew she was going to be OK and she would run again."

Michael's surgery was a success and he was taken to the Trauma floor. After 8 ½ hours, Megan was out of surgery and in the Trauma intensive care unit. Angie credits the staff with making their stay as easy as possible.

"Even though we were living a parent's worst nightmare, we felt like it was right, and everything was going to be OK," Angie said. "We never had to retell our story. It was the same, familiar faces every day. And everyone who touched my kids was an expert in a specialized area.

"The quality of care and education of the staff was incredible. I truly believe that's what made the difference in my kids' outcomes."

The seconds that changed their life

As details of the accident unfolded, the family learned that another car had crossed the yellow line and caused the head-on collision. The driver of that car, a 33-year-old single mother, was intoxicated twice the legal limit and died at the scene.

The family also learned that Michael had wandered away from the car and when paramedics arrived, they assessed the situation as a clean-up mission and asked Michael to go home, thinking he was a bystander. Michael pointed to the car and said his family was still inside and the mission quickly changed to a rescue effort.

"Michael is our hero," Angie said.

Miraculous healing

Megan progressed quickly, and to everyone's surprise, left the ICU in five days. She was discharged a week later. Michael was released after a six-day stay and soon began easing back into a normal routine. Their cousin also recovered and will graduate from high school in May. The family continues to rely on their faith to get through each day as Doug's step-father died in January from his injuries.

The family celebrated Megan and Michael's 13th birthdays, Christmas and New Year's Eve together at home. Megan's track meets now take on a whole new meaning. She has run in three meets since the accident. With every step she takes, her family cheers her on, remembering the place that changed their lives forever.

"We give God the ultimate glory, but He has vessels here on earth to accomplish things and they have to be willing vessels," Angie said. "I can honestly say that Children's is filled with willing vessels."

Tags: Trauma , Trauma Awareness Month , Fauley