Stories of Other Loss
My Nephew
by Joyce Norris, Canyon Lake, U.S.A.
It has been a week today since my mother called to tell me there was a terrible accident and my nephew Micheal was hit by a pickup truck. He had internal bleeding and head trauma. It was 5 a.m. I made phone calls and stayed by the phone turned on the TV and saw the acident on the news. I got phone calls every 30 minutes with updates. I was home recovering from emergency surgery and was not supposed to be doing anything. I talked to my sister when she finally calmed down some and I said he is going to be fine. I couldn't stand it any longer so a friend drove me to the hospital. I waited there for 12 hours; this had to be a nightmare that couldn't be real. Thurday afternoon they said he was brain dead. Organ donation machines were turned off on Friday and we buried him Monday (January 26, 2004). He would have been 19 on June 27, 2004. I have three boys of my own and my mom has two other children all in the same age group. Michael was the youngest; my oldest being 25. All the kids were close and we raised them all togeather. Micheal Troy Stapelton was a beautiful, patient, loving and caring young man. I don't know or understand why he had to leave us but I tell myself that God needs him for whatever reason he does. I see him laughing and riding his skateboard in a beautiful place. The night he went out, I was on the phone with his mother and as always, he asked how I was. He was so very sweet and always concerned about others. I don't know how our family is going to go own without him. I don't know why any parent has to bury a child. This family will never be the same. Micheal, I love you baby and I thank you for sharing your time with us. I promise to help take care of your mom and be there for your dad and stepdad and your little brother. Your cousins miss you so much; we all miss you so much. You will be in our hearts forever. And in our thoughts every second of our lives till we met again.
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