A New Jersey family is mourning the tragic loss of their 6-year-old daughter, Lucy Morgan, who died in a freak accident while on vacation.
The incident occurred while Lucy was watching her family play badminton
During the game, a racquet suddenly broke during a downward swing, and a piece of metal from the handle snapped off, striking Lucy in the skull and causing a catastrophic brain injury.
Lucy’s father, Pastor Jesse Morgan, shared the heartbreaking details on his blog, New Creation Living. He recounted how June 1 started like any other day during their family vacation in Limerick, Maine. However, the day took a fateful turn, and now he believes his little girl is with Jesus.
The family quickly realized the severity of Lucy’s injury. Jesse explained on his blog that after the metal piece struck Lucy, she was immediately unresponsive but was still breathing on her own. His wife, Bethany Morgan, accompanied Lucy in the ambulance to a small hospital before she was airlifted to Maine Medical Center in Portland. They knew Lucy’s life was in grave danger.
“Upon arrival she went right to the operating room where they removed part of her skull to relieve pressure and deal with her injury. She coded, they got her back, and they completed the surgery,” Jesse wrote on his blog. “In the PICU we are being told that there is a very slim chance she recovers.”
Jesse Morgan shared that his daughter had recently expressed a desire to be with God. Just a month before the accident, Lucy told her parents she wanted to be saved and live with God. Jesse wrote that Lucy asked her mother about being saved, and after a brief conversation, she went to her room to pray.
“She went to her room and prayed to God to forgive her and that she believed in Jesus’ death and resurrection. What a gift,” he wrote.
Despite the medical efforts, Lucy never recovered from her injury. Jesse explained that the metal piece had caused devastating damage due to where it pierced her skull. Doctors informed the family that she would likely not survive.
The day before her death, he wrote, “The significant lack of brain function over the past 48 hours demonstrates this reality that we are utterly devastated by. If there is any good news in this, it’s that she hasn’t felt any pain over the past few days.
“We will keep waiting on the Lord, getting second opinions, and exhausting every possible avenue while crying out to God for a miracle,” he added. “However, as of now, our beloved daughter has been showing all the signs of brain death for the past few days. There is a very good chance that she passes away and meets Jesus within 24 hours.”
In the wake of this tragedy, the family has been surrounded by love and support. Many people took to social media to share kind words about Lucy and her family. Dan Cruver, a former professor of Jesse Morgan, spoke highly of Jesse’s character in a Facebook post.
“Jesse Morgan was a student of mine when I taught Bible and theology at Clarks Summit University 18 years ago. I remember quite a lot of students, but there are a few that you remember because they frequently engaged you after class and asked thoughtful, insightful questions,” he wrote. “Jesse was one of those students.”
To support the family, loved ones created a GoFundMe account which has surpassed its original goal of $100,000 and is nearing a new goal of $130,000, with more than $125,000 in donations so far.
Organizer Jill Anthony wrote, “This page serves as a place to provide them extravagant financial support – to help pay for meals while they are away from home, lodging for family, medical costs … whatever they need.”
Anthony added an update: “June 5, Lucy went to be with the Lord. Please keep praying for the Morgans as they walk through these next days, weeks, months, and years without their sweet Lucy here with them.”
Dealing with Cedar-Apple Rust in Your Backyard
Taking good care of the plants in your backyard can bring you great satisfaction.On the other hand, it also offers a good deal of challenges. Occasionally, you could come upon strange things that leave you scratching your head. Recently, a Reddit user from Oklahoma found something unusual in their trees: a significant quantity of yellow jelly and what they referred to as a “jelly alien nut.” Confused and curious, they turned to the online community for answers.
This mysterious phenomenon was determined to be caused by cedar-apple rust. To complete its life cycle, it requires two hosts; apples and crabapples are the most common hosts. Although the name implies cedars are involved, juniper trees can also be affected.
How to Identify Apple-Cedar Rust
The symptoms of cedar-apple rust vary depending on the type of tree it infects. On the twigs of juniper bushes, brown, persistent galls may develop. When spring weather turns damp, these galls grow orange gelatinous horns. The juniper host is unaffected, however the twig farther away from the gall may die.
The leaves of apple or crabapple trees get circular yellow blemishes shortly after they bloom. As summer progresses, these lesions turn into brownish tufts of threads or cylindrical tubes. They are hidden beneath the blotches on leaves, twigs, and fruits.
Understanding Life Cycle
Now, you might be wondering how long this ailment lasts. Well, galls start to form seven months after the initial disease. After eighteen months, they turn into gelatinous lumps. The galls produce golf-ball-shaped depressions from which telial horns emerge the following spring. When it rains in the spring, the brownish telial horns spread out and become a vivid orange color. When they release their spores, the horns eventually droop, dry out, and fall off. After they die, the galls remain attached to the tree for as least a year. The infection is most noticeable in the spring when the galls are covered in gelatinous masses.
Managing Cedar-Apple Rust
Fortunately, there isn’t much of a treatment for this infection. Cut off the afflicted areas to prevent the illness from spreading. It’s crucial to keep in mind that cedar-apple rust won’t kill your trees—it will only damage the plants’ aesthetics. If you would rather be proactive, you can use fungicides or select apple cultivars that are resistant to this disease.
To sum up
In conclusion, even though you might not often see cedar-apple rust in your backyard, your trees are not in grave danger. It’s essential to comprehend this infection so that, in the event that it materializes, you can respond appropriately. Tell people about this information so they too can recognize and understand cedar-apple rust. I’m toasting to your productive gardening!
Leave a Reply