This is just an explanation of what happened to Sam the night of the accident...recent posts are below:

Before the accident Sam was a pre-med freshman at Michigan State University. He had spent the previous July-November in Boston doing research at Harvard in an effort to find a cure for his sister's rare disease (see the catagory "Sam's Research Before the Accident") and had just started at MSU in January.   On Valentines Day 2005 he  was driving home from getting a chest xray to check for pneumonia.  When he was three miles from his mom and dad's house he fell asleep and drove off the road at 40 mph.  His car finally stopped only after becoming airborne and hitting two trees.  When the paramedics arrived he was still breathing, but just barely.  This blog tells of Sam's life after the accident and the struggles and miracles that followed.

Sam has said au revoir to something that has been a pretty big part of his life for the past ...   more »

My brother has officially entered the world of people that can just pick up a bottle of Mountain Dew (his ...   more »

You know, this entry might not have a whole lot to do with how my brother is doing now, but ...   more »

You know when you have that dream?  You know the one I'm talking about.  Where you have a class (in ...   more »

 

We have discovered the joy of Jib Jab movies starring US (this is how we spent Christmas Eve).  Please enjoy our holiday show and click on the link below:

 

**Ignore the previous link--it was working sometimes but kept replacing our heads with strangers.  This makes no sense until you visit the site: www.jibjab.com  Go there and peace be with you.  It is fun.

Bec (who has nothing better to do than to turn her family of origin into elves)

Christmas has arrived and, along with it, all the bitterness and infighting that comes trailing behind this most blessed holiday.  ...   more »

Fine.  It's been so long, I don't even know what to say. 

This stinks. 

Anthony just looked over my shoulder, ...   more »

Some background on why my family should be banned from California...

Last year my wonderful parents and my brother offered to go to California with me for my doctor appointment.  Here is where I should be swearing a blue streak.  It was awful.  Like, I almost jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge awful.  Okay I didn't almost but I'm sure that would have been more pleasurable! 

Now, I have traveled with my mom and we have a lot of fun together.  I have traveled with good old Sam and we have had fun together.  Although my dad is a good fellow with good intentions, he travels like cheese.  Imagine taking a hunk of cheddar cheese, unrefrigerated, mind you, on a week long trip.  Think about how it would be effecting you by the end of the trip.  People stare with noses slightly upturned.  You have an unexplicable headache all the time.  You feel slightly ill and find yourself making excuses just to get away from the cheese, if only for a moment.  Yet at the same time, you feel guilty about leaving those you love alone with the cheese.  Don't get me wrong, I love the guy, wouldn't be here if he wasn't.  But I swear, by the grace of God, I will NEVER travel with him again. 

Let's go over some of the highlights (look back in the blog because Bec did write about this). 

Ooooh guys, let us go on a Whale Watch, that will be exciting.  You agree?  Until the ship starts pitching back and forth and Sam is rocking wildly side to side with Heather and Mom simutaneously, knuckles white, knees clenched on wheels, holding on for dear life while Jim smokes a cigarette and walks around.  Suddenly, Heather is left holding Sam solo because my mom is ever so demurly, pukin' over the side. 

Whew, on the China Town for dinner.  We followed my mom's ever standing vacation advice to go to the busiest restaurant because, it must be good.  Man was she right, the BEST place I have ever eaten!  That evening Sam proceded to have a siezure.  So, we visited the local hospital because, heck, why not!

We'll do a little poem to tell you about the rest:

My mom was popping pills

As we climbed the lovely hills.

Was she having an attack?

My dad I just might smack.

Get Sam to the shore.

In the car my dad snores.

As my mom is the one to steer.

We drank some Chineese beer.

A waft of stink came our way.

Same got some new pjs.

Thank god I am home.

I will next time travel alone!

 

The reason they are going to CA is the following:

Sam being the super, wonder, miracle boy that he is has been invited to come to California and possibly be the spokesman for this thingie he uses on his leg (I know, I shouldn't use such techincal jargon, people might get confused).  So they have invited a few candidates to come out and see who will be the chosen one.  He might be on tv and stuff.

So, God help California and God help the Howells because the Grizwalds have NOTHING on us!

Heath

The time has come (like I knew it would). I have officially been stripped of my title as "The person in the immediate family that writes things pretty good and stuff"...   more »

It has been so long since I have written even an inkling of a coherent post that I am a ...   more »

I was sitting next to a woman  in a hairsalon yesterday and overheard (or maybe eavesdropped) on the conversation she ...   more »

Sam went to camp a few weeks back and following his experience I decided to post a list titled 3 ...   more »

Okay...now my brother has truly hit the pinnacle...he is now officially VERY HARD TO LIVE WITH.  The reason?  He is ...   more »

There is another article (and video, too) about my brother.  You know how my ego feels about this (Ego and I have been arguing about this very topic--I say, "Ego, Sam deserves the attention, he is a mega-cool guy, he has been through a lot."  Ego rolls his eyes and responds with a hissing "whatever"). 

So...regardless of how Ego feels, here is the link:

http://www.weyi.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=35618

*If you go to the bottom of this story and click on the link about reading more/learning more (or something like that) you can watch the video. 

Bec

A little girl, Madison, was involved in a near drowning accident just over a year ago.  She is still semi-comatose but continues to make progress.  Her friends are trying to get her family on Extreme Home Makeover (to help with renovations for Madison) and have a petition they would like people to sign.  Please just take a second and follow this link:

http://www.gopetition.com/signatures.php?petid=12112

It only takes a minute and it could make a big difference in the life of this family.

Bec

P.S. You can view Madison's website at the following address:

www.princessmadison.org

 

I'm really just posting for the pure pleasure of banging on the keyboard.  I really don't know what I have ...   more »

This might seem like a desperate, really tacky move on my part but, well, I am a tacky and desperate ...   more »

Mental note to self (Sam).  When angry about your mother leaving her chair at your computer, think before you react.  Mull ...   more »

Okay. My mother wants me to stop with the embellishments. So here is the (boring) revised version of God Love the Little Washing Machine...   more »

Picture this.  It is dinner time on a cold and snowy night.  My mom, Sam and I are sitting around the ...   more »

A friend of the family Erin (Jayne's daughter Katie's friend) from Freeland is going through a rough patch right now.  She has been recently sent to Ann Arbor and they are not sure what is going on.  I have heard some serious things dropped like possibilities of encephelitis and menangitis but they truly do not know what is causing her illness right now.  She is in a medically induced coma right now and is in very critical condition.  I know that Sam's survival was hinged on the prayers on his behalf.  So please join us and pray for Erin and her family.  Send up your healing thoughts like you did for our miracle.

Forever indebted to you,

Heather Boyes and family

Sam is being dangerous sometimes and it is really freaking me out.  Now, it is true that it really doesn't ...   more »

I have now entered the world of "person with a bad neck/back".  This was a situation that I really had ...   more »

Haven't heard a word from my wayward family.  Not a sound.  I guess they are much too busy being fabulous and important.  Whatever. 

Bec

Left behind.  That's me.  Remember all the scary movies where there is only one person left.  Where everyone else has ...   more »

Okay, I will admit that I have not, as of yet, seen the Sam's 10 minutes of fame.  But I ...   more »

Ever have that "bang your head into a wall" kind of feeling?  Yeah?  Know what I'm talking about?  I'm having ...   more »

Oh, fun and games and lots of chuckles at the Howell House.  My dad (who, very soon, might just become ...   more »

I just received word that Laura Laughlin (who was also in a terrible car accident the summer after Sam's) just ...   more »

Fine.  No one cares about the struggles that I face.  Just because he crashed his car and came back facing ...   more »

Email Sam and say a quick hello. I know you want to so don't put it off. Come on. Everyone's doing it. All the popular kids are writing...   more »