.
Ranger It was raining really bad, and I don’t think he saw us,” Georgia Francis said of the driver in the tractor-trailer that slammed into the vehicle she was riding in 13 years ago.
Francis, now 20, was only 7 years old at the time. She was playing in the back seat with her brother; her biological father and an uncle were also in the vehicle, which was being driven alongside the scenic Ocoee River to visit relatives in Tennessee.
While en route to their destination, the passenger side of their truck was struck by the semi. Two people were ejected, including young Francis.
“Paramedics worked on me for a long time,” she said. “They were my guardian angels.”
Francis would have to be brought back to life three times before reaching the hospital. Her uncle suffered a broken spine, requiring surgery to put a rod and screws in his back. Her brother had a broken arm, and her father suffered bruised lungs, but each survived the accident.
Francis was in a coma for three weeks and suffered damage to the right side of her brain, which controls the left side of her body. She needed a drain put in to relieve the fluid, ultimately receiving care from three different hospitals.
‘Gates of heaven’
Doctors informed Francis and her family that she would never walk again. In addition, they expected Francis would be extremely limited in movement and the ability to live a normal life.
However, after coming out of the coma, Francis went right into physical therapy. And then, “I walked out of the hospital on my own two feet like it was nothing,” she said.
“While I was unconscious and in and out, I went to heaven. I went to the gates of heaven, and saw Jesus and my relatives. I’ve never told this part to anyone, but I actually foresaw my dad in heaven behind the gates, even though he was still alive,” she added matter of factly.
After Francis came out of the coma, things felt different.
“I didn’t really know what happened or anything,” she said. “I didn’t feel like I was in my body. It felt like my brain was confused with many different thoughts all in different directions.”
As a result of the accident and the immediate care her daughter received, Francis’ mom, Mandy Taylor, decided to go into the medical field as a paramedic.
‘Pretty much everything’
It has been 12 years since the accident, and Francis has accomplished many things since then, like graduating from Hiwassee Dam High School. When she was still in school, she found different ways to use pompoms as an Eagles’ cheerleader.
Today, Francis attends Tri-County Community College in Peachtree, where she is working toward an associates in arts degree.
“I can do pretty much everything that everyone else can do,” she said.
Her faith has carried Francis through difficult times.
“I’ve always been in church since I was little, I’ve been a faithful believer in Jesus Christ our Savior,” she said. “He has proven to me in so many different ways that He is real.”
Francis has left-side weakness and difficulty using that side of her body. However, she has not allowed that to slow her down.
She paints, enjoys listening to music, watching television and doing crafts. Francis also helps out with the Ranger Volunteer Fire Department.
‘Trust in the Lord’
In the future, Francis plans on getting a degree in education so she can become an art teacher. She would also like to pursue earning a business degree so she can have her own outdoor arts and crafts studio.
In 10 years, the girl who likes the colors blue and red hopes to be married and have as many babies as the Lord will let her.
“God gave me this situation as a testimony to sit with others,” Francis said.
Her advice to folks in similar situations is, “Don’t give up, keep your eye on the Lord. Trust in the Lord, He will get you through it. He works on your story every single day.”