Hank Delvin reaps bounty of friendship
By Carole Robinson, staff writer
crobinson@williamsonherald.com
Last Thanksgiving Cindy and Hank Delvin of Delvin Farms in College Grove were enjoying time with their son, Eric in Seattle, hiking in the woods and giving thanks for their many blessings. One year later, Cindy and Hank are not yet sure where they will be celebrating Thanksgiving with their College Grove family but, according to Cindy, this Thanksgiving the Delvin family has so much more for which to be thankful.
In the early morning hours of July 25, while on his way to the Franklin Farmers Market in a pickup truck filled with produce, Hank was hit head on by a young man driving an SUV. The young man lost control of the vehicle, went airborne and hit Hank’s truck. Pinned in the truck for almost an hour as the Williamson County Rescue Squad worked to extricate him, no one knew the extent of his injuries, said Cindy, who was holding him up so he could breathe easier during the extrication.
“He was so calm. He didn’t show anguish. He was even talking to the rescuers,” she said.
But when he tried to lift his right leg to get out, Cindy realized just how bad her husband was injured and just how much his guardian angel must have interceded to protect him. With a broken neck – specifically the C-2 vertebra — several broken ribs and his right hip and leg “destroyed,” Hank survived a wreck he shouldn’t have survived.
“After it was all over, we realized how extremely lucky we were because of everything that didn’t happen,” Cindy said.
What didn’t happen was that their son Hank Jr., who was just seconds ahead of his dad driving a smaller truck, wasn’t the one hit. The smaller truck he was driving wouldn’t have protected him as well as the truck Hank was in and he would have missed the birth of his baby girl two months later.
What didn’t happen was that the C-2 vertebra that was broken in his neck didn’t paralyze him.
What didn’t happen was, since the young man hit Hank, he was not injured, but if Hank wasn’t there, “This boy could have been killed,” Cindy said. “Who knows what he would have hit.”
After an initial 12 days in the trauma unit at Vanderbilt Medical Center, Hank has been traveling back and forth from NHC Place in Cool Springs where he continues his rehabilitation and healing to Vanderbilt, where he is still undergoing surgeries to rebuild his hip, knee and leg, including the recent hip surgery two weeks ago.
“There’s been a lot of complications – it’s been a long road,” Hank said from his room at Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital.
His latest complication was a four-inch blood clot in his groin just prior to the hip surgery, but as bad as it has been, Hank still considers himself lucky compared to others he met in the hospital.
Since his most recent surgery, the 62-year-old farmer who is accustomed to an active life in the fields, said it’s like learning to walk all over again. Although his knee still doesn’t bend real well, he can hobble around with a walker and has now been able put weight on his leg.
“I didn’t realize how bad my injuries were until one day my doctor said he put me into the 1 percent of injuries he ever sees,” Hank said with a little chuckle. “We naively thought – it happened in July so I’d be back on the farm in October, but we’re getting there.”
Since the accident Hank continues to receive hundreds of cards and notes – he especially enjoys the notes from children – and family, friends and customers have pitched in to keep the farm running smoothly.
In fact, Hank said proudly, “My son and daughter took over the farm. Nothing stopped – it just kept going. Actually, the farm expanded to another Farmer’s Market and never missed a beat. We had a good year this year.”
Friends and Community Supported Agriculture customers who have become friends still take care of meals for the family and the more than 800 CSA deliveries are made each month.
“I never realized how many friends we have,” he said. “We still get 200, 300, 400 calls a month at NHC and people coming to see me. They took me by surprise, the people who came out and supported me. They say you can measure a man’s wealth by his friends – I sure realize that.
“I feel really fortunate to be here – to have my faculties. I am looking forward to really enjoying the rest of my life. Life is great. I really appreciate it more since I came so close to not being here.”
Hank is looking forward to getting back to work on the farm – he hopes be to home before Christmas and he can’t wait to get his hands dirty. Spring planting begins the first of the year.
“When we look back – it was a miracle,” Cindy said. “The fact that he lived – sure he’s got a year of getting back to normal, but he looks good, his attitude is so positive – that has a lot to do with healing – and he has strong faith.”
Carole Robinson can be contacted at crobinson@williamsonherald.com
Posted on: 11/26/2009
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