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13
Cara was met as she entered the ER by Ed Delaney, one of her father's co-workers at the Ford plant who was also the president of UAW Local 1250. He was also Cara's godfather and her father's best friend.
Ed was a hulking figure of a man, which definitely didn't hurt him at the negotiation table as he represented one of the biggest labor unions in the country. He typically dominated every room he entered, both with his stature and personality. He was well-liked by everyone, including the executives at Ford that he often went to battle with, mainly because he was able to separate business relationships from personal ones. He could play 18 holes on a Sunday with three guys that he'd be putting the screws to over a labor issue on Monday and then leave it in the room.
"Carebear, I'm so glad you made it. Your family is in the waiting area just over there," Ed said as he wrapped Cara up in his enormous frame. Cara loved Ed's hugs second only to those given by her father.
Every emotion Cara had kept at bay during her trip from Wooster to the hospital erupted out of her as Ed pulled her tight to his chest. As she wept she felt her legs going numb and nearly collapsed, but Ed was easily able to support her petite frame.
"It's okay Carebear, your dad's a tough cookie. He's going to pull through," Ed reassured his goddaughter.
Cara was as close as Ed, who was 52 years old at the time, would ever get to being a father. He prayed that he wasn't lying to her with those words.
Ed and his ex-wife, Linda, were never able to conceive prior to their split in 1999 after 27 years of marriage. Ed's job as president of Local 1250 had become his "mistress", as Linda put it, and she left him for a guy she met in an AOL online chat room during one of her many lonely nights at home.
"What the hell happened?" Cara was able to muster to Ed.
"It was an accident, Carebear. Your dad was doing a routine inspection over in Plant 1, and one of the tow motor operators backed into a steel rack, knocking it over...and, well, Charlie got the brunt of it. That's about all I know…" Ed replied, hoping that Cara would believe his lie.
He knew more, but he didn't want to make an awful situation worse. He knew that his best friend, if he made it, would be in bad shape. The steel rack that typically held engines had landed across Charlie's lower back and legs weighed thousands of pounds, even when empty.
As Charlie fought for his life, Ed led Cara over to where her mother and two of her brothers were sitting. Joanne's eyes painted a picture of frantic worry and grief as she looked up and saw her only daughter.
"Oh, Cara…" Joanne mustered as she stood up and embraced her crying daughter. The two of them remained in a tearful embrace as Cara's older brothers joined in.
Jason, now 32 years old, was the first to attempt comforting his baby sister. However, as he put his arms around her he failed to find any words, let alone the right ones. Instead, he just squeezed tighter.
Johnny, a senior at Berea High, mirrored his big brother's embrace. He had just returned home from football practice when Ed showed up at the house to break the news and take them to the hospital.
Absent was Christopher, now 23, who was overseas in Yokosuka, Japan. He had joined the Navy right out of high school and served at the Naval Computer and Telecommunications Station. Word had already reached him, and he was due to arrive back in the states in a couple days.
Also present was Jason's family. His wife, Erica, and their nine-month-old baby daughter, Gabriella, who was sound asleep in her baby carrier. Cara loved being an aunt and promised her big brother that she would be as amazing to Gabby as he was to her.
Seven of Charlie's coworkers at the Ford plant were there, as well. Cara knew most of them by name, and they took turns making sure that there was plenty of coffee and food on hand for the family.
Coach Paul had also joined the group after parking the van and would remain there until later the next day.
Over the next 5 hours, Charlie's family and friends nervously sat in the waiting room as they were given periodic updates by the hospital staff. Charlie had been in surgery since his arrival, as the doctors knew that time was of the essence if they were going to have any chance of saving his legs, let alone his life.
Cara would never forget the extreme range of emotions that she felt when the surgeon who had performed the operation came out to update the family.
"While he's not out of the woods, yet, I am confident that Charlie will survive and begin the recovery process. Unfortunately, he sustained numerous broken bones in his spine and legs. That, along with severe nerve damage, will make the likelihood of him having the use of his legs very unlikely going forward," Dr. Belal Hamadi said as compassionately and directly as possible.
"But, he's going to make it, right?" Cara's mom asked, pleadingly.
"As of right now, I would say the chances are very high that he will survive, but the next few days and weeks will be crucial, especially since he will have to undergo more operations, and with that comes the risk of infections," replied the surgeon, who at the young age of 36 was already regarded as one of the best trauma surgeons in the country.
"But, he's never going to walk again?" Jason said, in a mixture of statement and questioning.
"Is he going to be in a wheelchair?" Johnny piggybacked.
"It's too early to tell at this point, and I have seen far too many miraculous recoveries in my time as a surgeon to ever rule out the possibility of a full recovery. However, at this time, I would say it's highly unlikely that he will be able to walk again. I know that is hard to hear, and trust me it's hard to say, as well, but right now we all need to focus on the fact that Charlie is very lucky to be alive. He is going to need all the support he can get over the next days, weeks, months, even years…" Dr. Hamadi replied.
His words, especially the last sentence, would be prophetic. Charlie was lucky to survive the accident, and he would be a patient at Metro for the months to come, enduring 11 surgeries in all. None of which were able to restore the use of the lower half of his body, essentially leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
While Charlie had round-the-clock care and support from his wife, children, and friends during his recovery, there was another injury that could not be fixed. Some would say that the worst injury Charlie Knox sustained wasn't physical, at all, because it's impossible to repair a broken spirit, especially if the patient has given up on trying.
Over the next few years, Charlie improved physically, but he would never walk again. He came to think of his motorized wheelchair as a prison, and he often referred to himself as "half a man".
He received a disability check each month, and also a sizeable settlement from Ford and the UAW. Ed made sure of that. Unfortunately, for a man that always equated his value as a man to what he was physically capable of providing, there was no amount of money that would restore that feeling.
While the money helped, it definitely did not do much more for the family after all of the medical expenses and modifications to the house were made. Which is why Cara's job at Stucky's became a necessity for her two years later when she enrolled at Cleveland State.
