About Us:
Danny and I first met in middle school at Mt. Paran Christian School in Marietta, Georgia. Although we did not always run in the same circles, we were great friends through high school and into college. We were the kind of friends that although months pass, we would pick up where we left. Danny always made me laugh and made me feel important. I knew he was special and that I would want to marry someone like Danny. Although, I had no idea that we would eventually fall in love and I would become Dannys wife.
Because Danny and I had been friends for so long, our dating relationship progressed past the getting to know you stage quickly. We realized early on that we were meant to marry and when we decided to get engaged, it was truly a blessed union. Danny and I were married October 27, 2001 in the church we both grew up in, with the Spirit of God present. I still cannot imagine a more perfect wedding day than ours. It was so much fun!
We thoroughly enjoyed one anothers company and I believe our strong foundation as friends carried us through the first years of marriage. We bought our first home, got a dog and lived with enthusiasm.
Danny introduced me to the world of motorcycles. We bought the first Harley before we were even married. Dannys 1997 Sportster 1200 Custom became our stress relief. We rode whenever we could and had a blast. I eventually decided to take the Riders Edge course offered by Harley Davidson and fell in love with riding myself. We purchased my 2003 Dyna SuperGlide in late 2002. It was difficult for Danny to see me ride. I know he was always concerned for my safety and felt responsible for me. Danny was an excellent rider. In fact, I would tease him that I felt safer with him on his motorcycle than I did riding with him in his truck. Danny rode with skill and oneness with the bike, which makes the events of August 16, 2005 all the more baffling.
August 16th was one of the most difficult days of my life. Earlier in the year, Danny and I had chosen to move to Arizona. In June, I began my new job while Danny stayed behind to sell the house and pack up Southland Choppers to move to Phoenix. I was at work when I received a phone call that Danny had been involved in a terrible accident and it was serious. 33 weeks pregnant, I boarded a plane with a one-way ticket, to be by Dannys side. I didnt know what Id find when I got there, but there was no way to be prepared for what I found.
My longtime friend, my husband, and the father of the child I carried, lay in a coma in Neuro ICU. It was almost 3am, approximately twelve hours since the moment of impact. Danny had sustained many injuries; the worst being two skull fractures and traumatic brain injury. There was swelling and bleeding in the brain. To relieve the pressure and fluid, doctors had inserted a tube in the front of Dannys skull. Danny was on a ventilator, wore a large neck brace and had severe road rash. His left femur was broken near the hip and several ribs on his left side. There was internal bleeding of Dannys spleen and left kidney. To look at Dannys face, while swollen with tubes coming out of it, he still looked like Danny; beautiful. Yet, the unknown was more than I could bear at the moment. I was 33 weeks pregnant with our son and my husband lay in critical condition.
People rallied behind us when they heard of Dannys accident. Customers brought food and drinks to the hospital and we had so many constant visitors that we claimed the waiting room. It was amazing to see the outpouring of the Church and those that knew Danny. He touched so many peoples lives. I used to urge him to be safe; warning that if something were to ever happen to him, it would change the lives of so many people. His life was not his own, especially now that we had a child on the way. This time has been a testament to how much of an impact Danny made on all our lives.
Danny remained at North Fulton Regional Hospital for three weeks and so much happened during that time. Physically, Danny began to heal; the broken femur was repaired through surgery, the internal bleeding stopped on its own and the road rash began to fade. However, we learned that Dannys brain had sustained major damage. Specifically, doctors diagnosed it as a diffuse axonal injury; similar to Shaken Baby Syndrome. Unfortunately, because this type of injury occurs at the cellular level, even a MRI could not tell us the extent of the damage. No one could tell us what was going to happen and that was and is still extremely frustrating.
