In the Blink of an Eye: The Reed and Rob Nixon Story

By: Sheryl Brown Nixon

Tuesday, April 4, 1995 is a day that Sheryl Nixon will never forget. At 9:20 PM, she received a phone call that four of her six children had been in a serious car accident while driving home from a church youth group. Two of her sons, 17-year-old Reed and 16-year-old Rob, were sitting in the front of the van and sustained the most severe injuries when it flipped over and the roof caved. In a numb state of shock and disbelief, Sheryl rushed to the hospital to be with her sons. After several hours of waiting, Sheryl and her husband Mark were pulled aside by a doctor who filled them in on the extent of the injuries: Reed and Rob both had collapsed lungs, bruised hearts, broken necks, and suffered spinal cord injuries. It was every parent’s worst nightmare, times two. In the blink of an eye, Reed and Rob became quadriplegic. “Faced with such unbelievable circumstances, feeling overwhelmed and incapable of making rational decisions,” Sheryl and her family began their “uncharted journey.”

One of Sheryl’s recurring themes in the book is how important it was for the Nixon’s to make a conscious decision to reject the “unhappy world of self-pity” and “choose to be happy.” The Nixon’s adopted “maximization” as their family motto. No matter what obstacles Reed and Rob faced, they realized that they “needed to focus on maximizing the positive.” With this mindset, they would keep hope, strive to improve, and make sure to be happy and thankful for whatever progress they made. They knew that if they wallowed in despair, it would consume them and prevent them from recovering to the fullest extent possible. When Reed received his new Tongue Touch Keypad to drive his wheelchair, he chose not to see it as a reflection of his lost independence. Instead, he chose to use it as a way to have fun with those around him; as Reed drove with the keypad hidden in his mouth, he would convince others that he “just thought really hard and his chair moved.”

As Sheryl takes us through the family’s journey, we see how a good sense of humor and faith helped Reed and Rob to maximize their recoveries.  When Rob received his first at home nurse, he joked, “Dad, this is a rip! Have you seen the pretty young nurse that Reed got? And I got a grandma for mine!” When an obstacle arose and no joke seemed able to assuage the pain, the Nixon’s found their strength in a trust in God and being thankful for the blessings they could count. Sheryl’s heart broke when she saw Rob struggling for over 45 minutes to put on a sock “without the use of his hands and fingers, and no stomach muscles to help.” Despite the pain, Sheryl kept her faith and believed in Rob’s ability to learn from his struggles. Now, Rob can get fully dressed on his own in less time than it used to take him for that one sock. Sheryl’s trust and positivity allowed Rob achieve maximization and regain independence.

Through In The Blink of an Eye, Sheryl shares the amazing story of her family’s triumph in the face of tragedy. An accomplished lyricist and poet, Sheryl includes songs that she wrote to clue us in on exactly what she was feeling at the time. She provides a completely open, candid, and truly inspirational window into the Nixon family’s experience. Their amazing triumph is summed up best in Sheryl’s own words: “This whole ordeal has been such a growing experience for our family. While our challenges and trials have not been easy, we have become better people as a result of them. We have grown emotionally and spiritually to levels that we never knew were possible. As a result of the accident that was so devastatingly destructive, our whole family is more deeply connected and united, and we have become stronger still.” 

Book review by Greg McGee, contact him at gmcgee@minutesformemories.org

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Also, check out the below motivational video introducing Reed and Rob...

Actions, Balance, and Caring for TBI Patients

By: Barbara Irvin

Hospitals can be tricky places to navigate, even during the least serious of times. How do you figure it out, then, when a loved one is suffering from a Traumatic Brain Injury? Barbara Irvin had to figure it out all on her own when her husband contracted such a serious brain injury that he had to have half of his skull plate removed. He wasn’t expected to make it, but luckily he did. Barbara took it upon herself to help all of those other loved ones of TBI patients by writing a book. This book, Actions, Balance, and Caring for TBI Patients, is a guide for all parts of the hospitalization and recovery process. Starting in the ER with tips from “find out when the doctors are making their rounds  [and] reviewing [your loved one’s] chart,” to “if the person is a male and usually has facial hair, make sure to let the staff know” so they don’t shave him. She goes on to give information about how to navigate the rehabilitation process, about what to do when the person gets home, and about medication. Short and concise, this book offers a helpful list of things to keep track of so that the technical things don’t add to the emotional stress of a loved one suffering from a TBI. 

Book review by Caroline Karalias

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