From KGW-TV:PORTLAND, Ore. - Nathan Vredevelt, 16, always had an adventurous spirit.
But when this teen, who has Downs Syndrome, wandered out of an executive suite at Portland Rose Garden's Sunday night Blazers game, his caretakers knew there was trouble.
Nathan wandered outside and onto I-5 where he was hit by two cars.
Pam and John Vredevelt rushed to the hospital.
“I feel like I’m being carried right now. There’s a strength inside of me. It’s more than just adrenaline.” The two are devout Christians and prayed for his recovery.
The neurosurgeon told them he had severe head injuries and internal bleeding.
Pam became unglued, as John describes it.
“Pam said, we have a son who’s going to school out of state. He wants to say goodbye. Should we fly him in? The neurosurgeon said, get him on a plane.”
Nathan has always been a special child.
He was the subject of Pam’s book entitled, “Angel Behind the Rocking Chair.” In the book, she talks about her struggles raising a child with Downs Syndrome.
Nathan almost died during the delivery and now as a teenager, is again fighting for his life.
John wants to send a clear message to the drivers who hit him and Nathan’s caretakers. “Please don’t take blame. Don’t take any condemnation. We are praying for you.”
After hearing the grim prognosis, Pam and John made a decision to let their boy go, if it came to whether Nathan would suffer.
That is, until friends stepped in the way.
“And then we had one person and then another person say John, I believe that God wants to heal your son.”
That’s when they made the decision to hold on and believe that God will save Nathan.
Another challenge facing the Vredevelts is what’s expected to be mounting medical bills.
John lost his job a year and a half ago and his Cobra health insurance ended after 18 months. John claims 5 insurance companies turned him down because of Nathan’s Downs Syndrome condition.
“I am not here to point any fingers.”
For now, all he cares about is praying for his son and hoping that he can survive.
“I believe that God can do something.”A Bank of America account has been set up in Nathan Vredevelt’s name.