During the two years on the farm I had said a number of times that these were the best days of our lives and we should remember them. Not knowing of course that within 2 months our lives would change forever.

My brother fell 18 ft at work into a hopper car on September 27, he was in critical condition in the hospital with a head injury. That moment our lives changed forever, he had surgury to remove the left half of his skull, his brain had swelled because of the fall.

Everything was different, my brother as far as I was concerned, died that day.

He was in a coma for 10 days, he was just not the same person, it's been seven years and he lives in a home. I mean it's still my brother and I'm glad he didn't die but he's never been the same as on the farm. They really were days to treasure. Emery and Kathy broke up not long after Christmas. Now I consider Kathy my sister-in-law, just my sister.