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Reeder family says 'thank you'

We want to thank everyone who has been so great to our family and the other two families who were affected by the car accident on South Mission Road December 30, when one of our friends lost her life.

Our family has now had the privilege of understanding firsthand the difference that community can make in our lives during the most difficult times.

We have reported on this love, concern and supportive response when it has happened to others in the Village News, but now we’ve experienced it firsthand.

Our daughter Jenna, who sustained a broken back and had to have surgery, is doing very well and is expected to be able to even play sports in a year. Her other internal injuries and broken ribs are also doing well.

We don’t want to speak for the other families, but we’re proud of the other girls too. Christina and Melinda have been resilient and strong and are healing from their injuries and losses with attitudes that are amazing, in spite of the circumstances.

Zion Lutheran School and Church, Calvary Chapel and North Coast Church have all been especially supportive every step of the way and we were blessed with visits from pastors from other local churches as well. Dozens of prayer chains all over the world prayed for the girls and we received donations of prepared food for our family for weeks that were immensely helpful. Jenna’s teachers, administrators and schoolmates at Zion continue to nurture and support her in a way that she’ll never forget. All of our friends have been great too.

We’ve learned how blessed we are to live in San Diego County, where we have several quality trauma centers. It is my understanding that in some cases there is only one trauma center in a whole state, which would really be tragic with an accident like this. We had excellent immediate care from our local fire department, North County Fire, the County Sheriff’s Department, CHP, Palomar Hospital and unbelievable care at Rady Children’s Hospital.

We would also like to thank our friends and staff at the Village News who handled everything in our absence. Their loyalty and dedication to our family, the paper and the community never ceases to amaze us.

Chuck and Julie Reeder

 

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