Every Day Parents Say Goodbye to Youngest Daughter in a Coma after Eldest Died in a Car Crash – Story of the Day

After a tragic accident, Nicholas and Betty lost their eldest daughter, and their little girl, Linda, remained in a coma at the hospital. They started to lose hope, but their dog woke them up one night before they got a shocking phone call.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Betty sighed as she exited the door to the hospital. Her husband, Nicholas, was right behind her, and he breathed a deep sigh too.

“I know what you feel, Betty. But we have to pray and hope for the best,” he told his wife as they started walking towards their car in the parking lot. But Betty stopped.

“No. It’s just… every day when we leave, we say goodbye to her as if she isn’t going to wake up tomorrow. And the doctors have no idea why she isn’t waking up. We haven’t had time to mourn Erica yet, and here we are. It’s like a limbo, where we don’t know if our little girl is going to make it or accompany her big sister,” Betty expressed her feelings as tears fell from her eyes. “I can’t take it.”

Nicholas went up to his wife and hugged her tightly. “Yes, you can. We can because she’s our daughter. She’s the only light we have left, and the only thing we can do now is hope,” he encouraged as his own emotions took over. He went silent to stop himself from sobbing, but Betty went full out.

For the past two weeks, Betty and Nicholas had come to the hospital, the biggest in Orlando, every day to sit and accompany their daughter, Linda. She was only 11 years old and was in a coma, fighting for her life. But that was not the worst part of this. Their eldest daughter, Erica, died two weeks ago with her fiancé when they got into a car accident.

Linda was in the backseat, and that’s the only reason she survived, apparently. Erica was 25 years old and incredibly close to her little sister despite their age difference. She had been 14 when Linda was born and played with her almost every day. She loved her sister, no matter how annoying the baby could be. And little Linda grew up almost like a clone of her big sister.

Linda was a surprise to both Nicholas and Betty, and Erica decided not to move out during her college years so she could see her sister grow up. But once she got engaged, she and her fiancé decided to get their first apartment together. They were going to see a few places, and Linda had tagged along when the accident occurred.

Now, Linda’s parents had not even had time to mourn their eldest daughter because Linda was fighting for her life. Betty had no idea what she would do if the little girl didn’t make it. “God can’t take both my kids at the same time. It’s too cruel,” she said to her husband as they pulled away from each other in the parking lot.

“God will save her, honey. I know it,” Nicholas replied, and they started walking towards their car once again.

Once home, they said hello to their trusted dog, Max, who had been lethargic and sad since the accident. “It’s crazy, Betty. It’s almost as if Max can sense what’s going on,” Nicholas commented after patting their pet.

“I know. He can sense all our vibes, but he has a special connection to Linda, I believe,” Betty chimed in, and they both continued their nightly routines.

Five a.m the next day…

Betty woke up abruptly when Max started barking and jumping on their bed. “What? What’s going on? Down, boy,” Betty said, her voice full of sleep.

“Max, stop it. It’s too early. I’ll take you out later,” Nicholas scolded gently and turned in bed, rearranging the blanket over him. But Max started pulling the blankets and barked once again.

“What’s going on, boy? You’re not like this. What did you see?” Betty asked the dog, who stayed by her side with his tongue lolling as if he was smiling.

Suddenly, the phone rang, which was weird because no one would typically call them at this hour. Nicholas turned around, frowned at his wife in the dark, and picked the phone up from his bedside table.

“Hello?” he said. “What? Really? Ok, we’ll be right there! Thank you so much!”

“Who was that?”

“Get up. Get dressed now! Linda is awake. The nurse decided to call us early because she knows we’ve been so anxious. Let’s go!” Nicholas said excitedly as he jumped out of bed and started picking up whatever clothes were nearest.

Betty did the same, but she looked at Max before they left their house. “You knew, right?” she said to the pup. He only barked and seemed to smile at her.

***

“The night shift doctor ran some tests, and everything seems to be fine. But we might keep her for several more days just in case,” the nurse told them after they greeted their daughter and cried for a while.

Betty and Nicholas were relieved that Linda was talking and could lift her body. But now, they faced the challenging task of telling her about Erica.

“Listen, Linda. There’s something we have to tell you,” Betty began and looked at her daughter thoughtfully.

“Mom, I already know,” the young pre-teen said.

“What?”

“Erica is gone. I know that already,” Linda continued.

“How do you know that? Do you remember the accident?” Nicholas asked, concerned.

“No, I don’t remember anything except seeing two bright lights coming towards us. But when I was asleep, I saw Erica and her fiancé playing in a meadow. I was with them, but far away. The closer I tried to get, the farther they got. It was an endless meadow. But I remember finally getting near her, and she turned to me,” Linda explained what she had seen in her dreams.

“What happened?” Betty encouraged.

“Erica said, ‘Turn around.’ But her voice was far away. I turned and saw Max there. He was barking at me. I went to play with him but turned back to see if Erica followed. She had left. There was only Max there with me. And it seemed like the meadow was becoming smaller. I reached Max, petting his head, and woke up here,” Linda finished.

Betty was crying heavily, while Nicholas shed several tears. Neither of them knew if what Linda had seen was really a dream or something more. But it seemed like Max and Erica had guided Linda back to them. And it was the greatest gift in the world.

What can we learn from this story?

• Dogs can sense more than us. Whether we believe in the beyond or not, it’s clear that dogs have a different connection to life and death than humans.
• Never lose hope. Betty was about to lose hope that their daughter was going to wake up, but her husband was right there for her.

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