Haley Thanks Extends Far Beyond Immediate Family

When it comes to counting blessings this Thanksgiving, the Haley family of Dalton feels they have plenty.

Since a football injury resulted in the loss of a leg for one family member, the Haley's have seen positive after positive in not only his recovery, but within their immediate and community family. As they talk about Drew's injury and the beginning of his healing process, the family finds a lot to be thankful for.

"There's a lot of good that's come out of this one bad thing," father Matt Haley has said on multiple occasions.

Drew Haley was injured August 30 when he went up for a pass in Leyton's home football opener. When he came down, he injured his knee. But it wasn't until the next day that the family began to realize the injury might be more severe, when Drew said he couldn't feel his lower leg. Doctors confirmed he had crushed the artery that feeds blood to the lower leg and he was flown to Denver, where his lower leg was amputated as a life-saving measure.

But even in the amputation, Drew and the Haleys found solace. For despite having to have the amputation, the type of amputation, to his lower leg rather than at the knee, made the prognosis for healing better.

In his most recent checkup, at the beginning of last week, the surgeon looking at his knee said Drew's healing is such that most likely he won't have to have major reconstructive surgery to his knee. That's significant because the news came on the exact day high school basketball practices started. Important because the doctor said it takes a year to recover from such a surgery, and Drew plans to play basketball with his teammates during his senior year – and the time he could have spent healing from knee surgery can be invested in working on other aspects of his recovery.

As Drew counts the things he's thankful for – the type of amputation, the work of the doctors and nurses and other health professionals, his family, community, and everyone's kindness – the last two things, everyone's prayers and the fact he'll be able to walk again, were high on his list.

When it comes to what he wants to accomplish, Drew said that really hasn't changed much.

"I'm still going to do the things I want to do," Drew said. Whether it's playing basketball or rock climbing, "what's changed is how I do it.

"Playing basketball won't be the same. It will be more methodical," he said, explaining that he knows his body will react differently, it's just figuring out how to make the adjustments to those changes.

"The tiniest things make a world of difference," he said. "But it hasn't changed what I want to do."

Community is one of the things that comes up again and again as the Haleys talk about their situation. They've found themselves on the receiving end of a lot of outreach, not only from their immediate Dalton community, but from across the Panhandle and the region, as fund raisers , visits and prayers have come their way.

"We have more family now," Matt said. "We haven't met them all, but we have more family."

And from that extended family, Matt said they are awed and by the power and personal attention sent their way from across the nation and even the world as they receive prayers.

"When we think about the number of people who have said his (Drew's) name and our family name in prayers, it takes intimacy to a whole new level."

The Haleys believe those thoughts and prayers are the latest in a long line of events that have made their situation more bearable.

"We feel like a lot of things that have happened in life have prepared us for what we've gone through," Drew's mother Allison said.

And, Matt adds, "It's changed all of us."

One of those changes comes in the mind of the family's youngest member, Ella, who says she looks at people differently now.

"When I see other people with disabilities now I don't feel uncomfortable," she said, a thought that brought nods of agreement from other family members.

Matt said the family has not only come closer to each other, but also see others differently as well.

"Drew isn't the only one who has had a hard time the last eight weeks," he said. He added that while the family has been service oriented in the past, the situation has broadened their understanding of others' needs.

"This has brought us to a whole new level," Matt said of the family's outlook toward other people, focusing not on what their needs are, but choosing to see how they can help others.