Daniel Badillo

This November 26 will be 4 years since that horrible day. It started off as a beautiful day. Two days after thanksgiving. I cleaned the house, cooked an extra turkey we had left over from thanksgiving so we could eat again with family. My husband was at work. My son at my brothers with my nephew Daniel. I was going to have my nephew come over that night. I laid down to take a nap with my 2 and 4 year old babies. The phone rang. It was my 12 year old sister. She was crying. She said that my nephew Daniel had an accident and had hit a tree. My mind went fuzzy. "How could Daniel hit a tree he doesn't even drive." Then she explained that he was riding an ATV and crashed into a tree. She said there was so much blood and everyone was crying. I told her to hold on, I would be there as soon as I could. I immediately fell to my knees and begged GOD to save my nephew. I regained composure, threw my kids in the truck and flew to the seen.

I don't even remember how I got there. When I arrived airlife had just landed and my nephew was in the ambulance. My brother was at the steps of the door, soaked with blood, crying, begging his son to hold on. I kept seeing the firemen look in and shut the door and shake their heads. I expected any minute to hear them say he was gone but they didn't but I held out hope. Airlife took him and we all rushed over there. It took forever. We stood in groups of ten or more in the hall. His friends one by one filled the hall. One of his friends father was a pastor and we prayed. And we prayed. And we prayed some more. Then the horrible moment when my brother was escorted out to find us. He couldn't even stand up. They led us to a private room where my brother told us he wasn't going to make it. His injuries were too massive and there was no brain activity. I begged the doctor not to give up. Miracles happen I cried over and over again. But she kindly took me in her arms and explained that there nothing else they could do. Our sweet Daniel would be taken from us. We all cried and screamed and held each other.

My poor nephew didn't die immediately though. He died about 12 hours later. We all got to go in to say our goodbyes. I walked over to him and put my head on his chest. I could still hear his heart beating. He was still bleeding from his nose and ears. My brother and ex sister n law sat on each side wiping the blood away. I sang softly to him. You are my sunshine, please don't take my sunshine away, a song I used to sing to him when he was a baby and I took care of him. Daniel was truly an angel here on earth. He took his last breath after his grandparents drove in from out of town. knowing him, he would not have left this earth without letting them say goodbye. At his funeral so many kids stood up to talk about him, each one saying, " I was his best friend" because that's how he truly treated them. I knew first hand our lives have forever been changed. Our hearts forever broken. It's a daily struggle. When I see people letting their kids ride these things I want to scream, please don't, you don't know what these things can do!!!! Every day I think of him.

Every day I miss him. I don't know how my brother does it. Thank you for this site and for allowing me to tell my story.

Daniel Badillo 03-16-93/11-26-06

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