Kristi Reed was going to be a major part of what we were planning to do with the Barrow Journal.
For months Kristi had been helping us get things established as we prepared to launch our print edition of this paper last fall. She was the driving force behind our paper when it was a website only and she was set to make the move with us from our sister publication, The Braselton News, to the Barrow Journal once the new print edition began.
However, less than a week before our first issue was to be on the newsstands, Kristi’s life and her priorities had to drastically change. Her son Alex, a high school junior, was seriously injured in an automobile accident while driving home from football practice one afternoon last October.
The hours immediately after the accident were unlike any I can imagine for the Reed family. It was a miracle Alex had survived although he was left paralyzed from the waist down. I still vividly remember sitting at home in stunned silence after receiving the news and waiting for updates from the hospital.
Life can change in an instant. We all know it. We all agree with that statement, but until it strikes where you live, until it becomes involved with a life of someone you know, you don’t think about it really. You should, but you don’t. It’s human nature to take things for granted.
One of Kristi’s greatest attributes in the time I knew her was her organizational skills. As we prepared to launch our print edition, Kristi has calenders mapped out, beat lists compiled and had done so in less time it takes me to drive to and from the office. I consider myself somewhat organized but I don’t hold a candle to her.
Last October, all of Kristi’s organizational skills were put to the ultimate test as her No. 1 priority changed to taking care of her son’s new needs. It takes a special person like her to continue to keep a family of four going during circumstances such as these.
I had the opportunity to see Kristi, Alex and Craig (Kristi’s husband and Alex’s dad) last Thursday at the state track meet. In just a few months, the young man had worked himself into contention in three wheelchair events.
As I watched him compete last week, it seemed to me Alex didn’t really care one way or another about all the attention he received. He seemed to enjoy being at the meet and laughed as we all tried to keep dry when a sudden rain storm moved through the area.
Still I couldn’t help but see the young man as a hero to me. He won because he was competing.
And for his mom and my one-time newspaper colleague, I couldn’t help but admire her strength and her courage as well. She’s only a year older than me, but she seemed light years ahead of me in so many ways.
Chris Bridges is sports editor of the Barrow Journal. E-mail comments about this column to cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
