October 3, 2004, is a day that the Loukas family will never forget! That Sunday morning, Alek and Elaine were enjoying the weekend at their ranch in Quail, Texas, with their son, Trent, daughter-in-law, Liz, and granddaughters, Aspen, 10, and Cayman, 5. They wanted to ?nd some nice large ?at rocks to enclose a ?re pit on their back lawn, so they set out on two 4-wheeler ATV’s–Alek, Elaine, and Aspen on one; and Trent, Liz, and Cayman on the other.

With all of the needed rocks gathered, it was time to head back, but not before they made their way up to a high mesa to look out and appreciate the beautiful view of their property and the surrounding area. As they prepared to leave, Alek, Elaine, and Aspen were the closest to the edge and realized that space was limited, making it necessary for Alek to manually turn the 4-wheeler around. The wheel was turned on the 4-wheeler and it is assumed that Alek’s pant leg caught on the throttle extension, revving the motor to very high rpm’s. This propelled the 4-wheeler and all three riders backward over the cliff with a 30-foot drop, as Trent, Liz and Cayman watched in horror.

Time was of the essence as Trent, Liz, and Cayman rushed to where Alek, Elaine, and Aspen lay. Trent ?rst checked on Aspen, who was injured but seemed to be okay. He instructed her sister, Cayman to “stay with Sissy, and keep the ants off of her.” He next went to his dad and realized his injuries were severe, so he had his wife, Liz, stay with him. “Slap him…do whatever it takes, but don’t let Dad go to sleep.” Trent then checked on his mom, who was laying on a rock. She said that she would be ?ne if she could just get her arm from behind her. Upon looking at the six inches of bone sticking out of her arm, he knew his mom was seriously injured, and to move her would put her at great risk of bleeding to death. He got the cushion from the 4-wheeler and placed it under his mom’s head. Then, Trent went for help. The owners of the property that the Loukas families were on had just returned home. Trent borrowed their phone to call 911. Help was on the way. In the meantime, Liz had administered mouth-to-mouth on two occasions to keep Alek alive until help could arrive. Elaine lay on the rock in severe pain, her arm still behind her and she was crying out to God to please send someone to give her something for the excruciating pain. The property owner next to the location of the accident was a doctor. He came to their aid and was able to give Elaine an injection for the pain until the Wellington ambulance and the LifeStar helicopter from Northwest Texas Healthcare System (NWTHS) could arrive.

Once at the hospital, the staff at NWTHS worked frantically to assess the injuries. Alek was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), where he was immediately given twenty-two units of blood (he received an additional four thereafter). He had thirteen broken ribs, a ruptured spleen and a hole in his side four inches wide by ten inches long by two inches deep. They weren’t sure if he was going to make it.

Aspen was also admitted to ICU with an injury to her spleen. Elaine had suffered multiple fractures to her arm, her ribs, and her pelvis. Her lung had collapsed and she had lost a lot of blood. She was transferred by LifeStar to a hospital in Lubbock due to the severity of the arm fracture. She was also given multiple units of blood and had the ?rst of many surgeries to repair her arm. This was just the beginning of a very, very long journey.

Two days after the accident, Aspen was released. Alek and Elaine, married for forty years, still fought for their lives separately. Elaine was transferred to many facilities and sustained several surgeries to repair her arm – her fractured ribs and pelvis would heal on their own. The treatment Alek received to sustain his life is far too extensive to mention. Let’s just say he’s a miracle – even the doctors said so. From October 3, to December 6, they gracefully fought their battle to live, to heal and to return home to their family. On December 7, Alek and Elaine went home! Alek, Elaine, and Aspen each have a story to tell of how they went off a 30-foot cliff and lived to tell about it. They meet and greet every day with new hope and expectation, and they let their lights shine brightly as they tell about the services they received, the blood that was available, their caregivers, their friends and family, and their faith in God which saw them through this tragic accident. Yes, Alek, Elaine and Aspen are all walking miracles. The blood they needed was there…Because of You!

 You can read the Loukas’ entire story in the book “Walking Miracles” by Trish Knight. Available through Tate Publishing’s website.