Senior Year BYU Winter Semester 2007
(Written from Brittany's perspective)
During our senior year at Brigham Young University, Lindsay and Ashley both participated in an internship at Utah State Hospital in Provo, Utah. There they were assigned certain areas to work with those who were struggling with mental health or drug issues. It is a lock down facility to help those who needed to have a 24 hour watch.
Lindsay volunteered to help out with the at-risk youth program, to help girls from the ages of 12-17 who struggled with mental health issues. Many of the girls had struggled with self-mutilation or attempted suicides. Lindsay helped with recreational activities to help the girls connect with one another and feel more accepted.
A night in February is where our story begins.
It had snowed previously and was freezing out. Lindsay was walking her girls back from an activity they had just finished up. It was dark, cold, and the volunteers were trying to rush the girls back to their lock down facility. It was then when one of her girls decided to make a choice that still haunts Lindsay. The girl decided she was going to run away.
One of her friends shouted, "She is running away!" and Lindsay sprang into action. The young 14-year-old girl was sprinting into the darkness. Lindsay raced after her without a second thought. It was dark and there was several inches of snow on the ground, which made it hard to see and run. Lindsay sprinted across the field to try to catch up. Lindsay ran about half a mile until she caught up to the young girl at the surrounding fence. It wasn't until then that Lindsay noticed the blood.
There was blood dripping down both of the girl's arms. The young girl had taken a pair of sharp scissors from the activity and had violently slashed her wrists as she ran toward the fence. She began climbing the fence while still holding the scissors, attempting to continue both the cutting and climbing. Lindsay began shouting as loud as she could for help as she grabbed the girl's jacket and pulled down. The girl kept kicking and waving the scissors at Lindsay, so that she could free herself to climb over the rest of the fence. This was a battle for the longest five minutes of Lindsay's life. A battle of pulling down and trying to talk the girl out of cutting, while screaming for help. Finally the surrounding police had heard Lindsay's screams for help and began running to her aid.
The young girl was angry and kept shouting for Lindsay to let her go, but Lindsay held on. She refused to let go of the young girl and waited for the police to come running to help control the girl. The police grabbed the girl from Lindsay's grasp and began walking back toward the buildings. Lindsay then said they made the slow trek back to the auditorium and it was then when she noticed the blood on her own hands. She realized it wasn't just the young girl's blood, but her own blood. In the chase and process of trying to get the young girl off the fence, the girl had slashed Lindsay with the scissors. The cut was not deep by any means, but left Lindsay shaking uncontrollably. It was then my phone rang and I knew before I answered that something was wrong.
All Lindsay could say was, "Please come now." I jumped in the car with my husband, Matthew, and we quickly drove to the building. Lindsay was waiting outside in the cold by the doors and all I could see was the pure terror and panic that was all over her face. I ran up to her and hugged her and kept repeating, "You are okay...you are okay...everything is okay."
Lindsay then turned to me and said, "I have to go to the hospital." She showed me the cut on her hand. It was not deep and I did not understand why she had to go to the hospital. I wondered if being in shock had made the injury seem more like a severed hand than just a small stab wound. She then explained that the girl had been cutting herself and used the same scissors to cut Lindsay and she needed to be tested for HIV and other transferrable diseases.
What the what?!?
What do you say to calm your sister down from the idea that she may now have HIV from saving a young girl from running away?! I could see the fear written all over her face. I didn't know what to say so I took her to the bathroom and watched her scrub the wound ferociously until it bled even more. I didn't know how to help her calm down so I suggested the first thing that popped into my head. "Linds, you can cut me and we can rub our blood together, so if you have it, I will too." (I know!! What a morbid, disgusting thing to suggest...but I didn't know what else to say to calm her down.) It seemed to help her somewhat focus on the fact that I seriously felt that she would be okay if I was crazy enough to suggest such a thought.
We spent the rest of the night at the hospital where Daniel, our older brother, showed up to give more comfort. Lindsay was on edge the whole night until the doctor had delivered the good news...she had not contacted anything. We all were so relieved, but Lindsay was and is still greatly affected by what she went through that night.
Our Dad called shortly after hearing what had happened and asked Lindsay, "What were you thinking?! Running after a girl in the dark?"
Lindsay responded, "Dad...I didn't think. I just acted. I just kept running. I couldn't let her get over that fence."
Lindsay sat down with the young girl a few days later. The young girl apologized for her actions and said she was sorry if she had made Lindsay angry. Angry? Lindsay looked at the girl and said, "You think I am angry with you? Do you know why I ran after you? It wasn't because it was my job...it was because I care about you! I care so much about you." Tears streamed down both of the girls faces as they hugged.
Lindsay swears to this day that anyone would have done what she had done...take off running towards someone, keeping hold of them while they slashed out with scissors to free themselves, but we know better. Lindsay's instinct to save the girl is what makes Lindsay...well...Lindsay. She cares more for others than she does for herself. She would never admit this, but her actions speak louder than her words. She knew this young girl was better off with people there to help her and knew she couldn't let her leave.
Lindsay went out of her way to help save someone who had believed she wasn't even worth saving.
