New Site

We have created a new site to keep you updated on Bekah's condition.

Please visit:

https://www.caringbridge.org/visit/bekahholcombe

We will no longer post on this site, all updates will be posted at the new site listed above.

Also, please call 678-346-0976 if you'd like to leave Bekah an encouraging message. She is still unconscious, but we feel like hearing familiar voices from people who love her will be a positive thing. Thanks.

News Articles

Here are some news articles on Bekah's accident:

Wreck closes Highway 365 onramp

By ROB MOORE (North Georgian Front)
Friday, May 8, 2009 3:44 PM EDT

Emergency personnel are completing cleanup of a single-vehicle wreck on the ramp from Business Highway 441 to Highway 365 southbound near Cornelia.

A sport utility vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree, trapping the female driver and injuring a small child.

The driver was being airlifted to an Atlanta hospital. The child was taken to Habersham Medical Center.

Further details were not immediately available.

Teen critically injured in Habersham Co. wreck

By Matt Lampert Staff (access north georgia)

CORNELIA – Weather may have been a factor when a teenager lost control of her Jeep on Highway 365 in Habersham County on Friday.

Investigators with the Patrol believe 18-year-old Rebekah Gwen Holcombe of Lawrenceville hydroplaned and slammed into a tree. She was airlifted to Grady Memorial Hospital in critical condition. A 3-year-old passenger was transported via ambulance to the Habersham County Medical Center with minor injuries.

Authorities say the wreck happened around 2:30 p.m.

The Storm

Sorry it has taken us so long to update you on Bekah's condition. We got information from the head neurologist over her care. He said that she had a really rough night. Her ICP skyrocketed up to 40. This is an extremely dangerous level. He described what is going on in her brain as a "storm"... a crazy storm that has to calm down before we can really move forward with treatment and assess the damage done in there. This (storm) appears to be pretty normal after trauma to the brain, but they like to see it subside before 72 hours, hers has not. They are doing several things to try to decrease the pressure, but our BIG PRAYER is that it would decrease QUICKLY and stay down. This is crucial!

"And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up." Matthew 5:15

We know that all things are possible through God, our Father. Bekah is fighting for her life and we need to fight right along with her! Pray like you've never prayed before. God is listening and we really need a miracle. They can only medically decrease the pressure for so long... her brain needs to do it on it's own. We have to have HOPE... we have to pray to the God of the Universe to heal Bekah and make her whole again. Thank you in advance for your continued hope.

"Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble,
and he brought them out of their distress.

He stilled the storm to a whisper;
the waves of the sea were hushed." Psalm 107:29

- The Holcombe Family -

Post Surgery

Bekah came out of surgery around 9 pm this evening. There was a lot to do in there, but all that needed to be done was accomplished successfully. Praise God... Her vitals remained normal during and after surgery. Her ICP is stable and has not increased since this morning. That is all we know at this point, not much new to report. Thank you for your continued support.

Please leave comments for Bekah to read when she wakes up. She will LOVE to read them and see how many people love and care for her.

"...with God, ALL things are possible!" Matthew 19:26"

Surgery

Thank you all for your encouraging & uplifting words. Bekah is hanging in there and she is going to be so overwhelmed by the love and support of everyone WHEN she wakes up. We all know that positivity, optimism & prayer are proven to heal!

The latest update: As of this morning, blood pressure is down and the intercranial pressure (ICP) is in normal range. The doctors are pleased as this is a great improvement from the last several days. The doctors have no choice but to go "in" today to clean the laceration in her shoulder and close it up. The hole is very large and they will have to put her under in order to clean it so that it doesn't become infected. They are going to perform several procedures at once to minimize the trauma to her body. The doctors have decided to remove the feeding tube from her nose and place a peg directly into her stomach. They have also decided it would be best to do a tracheostomy. A tracheostomy is a surgically created opening in the neck leading directly to the trachea (the breathing tube). It is maintained open with a hollow tube called a tracheostomy tube.

Please pray specifically that these procedures go smoothly without complications. The hope would be that Bekah will be able to tolerate breathing on her own without the tube and the surgical site can be closed. The swelling in her brain needs to continue to decrease so that they can assess damage, if any, to her brain. From the appearance of the latest, there doesn't seem to be major brain trauma. It is still however inconclusive. The surgery is planned for sometime later this afternoon when the OR becomes available. She is also getting another catscan to monitor any new changes. We will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Praying For A Miracle

REBEKAH HOLCOMBE

For those of you who don't know, Bekah Holcombe was in a serious car accident on Friday afternoon around 2:45 p.m. She lost control of her vehicle and hit a tree. We don't know all the details about the accident, but we do know the blow was to the drivers side and she was critically injured. Her nephew Christian was a passenger and he is perfectly fine and was spared! Thank you God! It was a miracle.

They sent her via life flight to a trauma hospital in Atlanta. She was unconscious. They incubated her and highly sedated her immediately to be able to assess the extent of her injuries.

After many tests (catscans, mris) They discovered that she broke several external bones in her neck, broke her jaw on both sides, broke her collar bone and shattered the large bone in her arm. She has a major laceration (hole) in her shoulder and one collapsed lung.

All of the cuts and breaks are of least priority at this point. The major concern right now is the swelling and fluid in her brain. They surgically inserted a probe into her skull (brain) Friday night to monitor the intercranial pressure. ICP (pressure in the brain). As of last night, it was an 8 - 10. They really worry when the number reaches 20.

She had a pretty rough night. They tried to work on re-inflating her lung last night, but to do that, they had to bring her out of her sedative state a little. That did not go well. She began convulsing and her stats went crazy. Her blood pressure sky rocketed BP over 215! They tried this twice and failed both times.

She began running a moderately high fever (102.5) during the night and her ICP rose to over 30 (very dangerous) , so they upped her pain meds and let her rest after that. This morning, her temp. was down to 101.2 and her ICP was down to 25 (still fairly high).

This morning, they also discovered that she has a blown pupil. This is also indicative of pressure in the brain (possible brain damage). They diagnosed her with a condition called DAI (diffuse axonal injury). We don't know much at this point about how much, if any brain damage has occured, but they definitely have her stats stable at this point. She is still on a respirator and they are giving her body a chance to shut down and rest. Every minute is crucial and we will not know for sure what if any damage has been done for days, maybe weeks.

We are devastated by this unexpected tragedy and ask for your constant prayers and thoughts. We are confident that the God who created Bekah is in control and we have specific things we would like you to pray for:

1. That her ICP will decrease rapidly and her brain will incur minimal, if any, damage.

2. Wisdom for her doctors, surgeons, and hospital staff.

3. Quick healing for her entire broken body.

4. Peace and strength for her friends and family.

5. Overall, that God is glorified in this tragic situation and His will be done.

We believe in the power of prayer. Thank you in advance for your continued love and support. She has been moved to ICU but they are VERY strict with visitors. At this point, it is only immediate family. They are even limiting us because her body needs to rest. We will let you know if and when this changes and will be updated this blog as we know more.

*Please leave Bekah a comment she can read WHEN she wakes up. She has a long road to recovery ahead of her, but we ALL know Bekah is TOUGH!*

*Fight Bekah Fight!*

We love you!

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:17

The Holcombe Family