Doctors Credit God for Young Man's Miraculous Recovery After He Was Hit by Drunk Driver
One moment, Cole Burton was examining some rocks on the side of the road with his geology class in May 2018. The next, he was struck by a car.
He doesn’t remember anything between when the car hit him and waking up in the Shepherd Center. His family remembers it all and started a Facebook page called “PRAY for COLE” to keep friends and family updated.
“Many are asking what has happened!” a post from May 25, 2018, read. “Cole and his geology class were on the side of the road studying rock formations.”
“A driver lost control, ran off the road, and hit Cole and another student. Cole, and the other student, Nick, were both medflighted to UAB.”
“Once Cole got here, they decided to take him to surgery right away to repair the damage done to his abdomen. He has holes in his intestines and a tear in his colon. He also has a brain bleed. He is currently in a coma. Throughout the next few days it’s just a waiting game.”
“They said he probably won’t make a meaningful recovery and will likely be a vegetable the rest of his life,” Cole’s mother, Tina, told WAGA-TV. “They said we can withdraw services if we choose.”
“We decided if God wants to take him, God will take him, but that wasn’t our decision to make.”
Thankfully, his parents opted to keep Cole going, and he eventually woke up.
“My doctors have told me medical science can’t explain my recovery,” Cole said. “They told me God has something to do with it.”
Cole had to relearn everything. How to walk, how to talk and how to do all the little daily things we take for granted.
He has advice for other patients in similar situations: “Just focus on the day. They go slow, but the weeks fly by so treat every moment as an opportunity to get better.”
He has made amazing progress, and on March 23 his mother posted an update to his Facebook page.
“We have had an amazing weekend,” she wrote. “We started off our weekend celebrating Libba. Her birthday is this week. On Saturday, Cole ran a 5k. We all ran/walked with him and cheered him on.”
“Today, Cole spoke at Shepherd Church and shared his story and verses of inspiration he used during his recovery to other patients and their families. We are so thankful for everyone who came to support Cole this weekend and today at church.
“Cole continues to show strength and perseverance. He knows that God saved him for many reasons (he will correct you if you tell him God saved him for a single reason) and he wakes up each day asking God to show him his purpose for that day.
“Cole continues to work on his running. He is making progress. Pray that his left side continues to get stronger. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.”
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