About Us

We are Joy and Gary Hanson and welcome to our blog. We have been married for 47 years, are retired, and are blessed with two children, their spouses, two grandsons, and one grand-dog. 

Our story is obviously a long one, but one which took a dramatic and ever life changing turn on February 27th, 2024. On that Tuesday afternoon at approximately 4:30, on a sunny day in Panama City Beach, FL, we pressed the pedestrian crosswalk activation lights, looked both ways and started across the street. That’s when, seemly out of nowhere, a 21-year-old distracted driver in a pickup truck with bad brakes and no liability insurance, struck us both. While I (Gary) only sustained abrasions, hip, knee, and elbow injuries, Joy suffered immense trauma including:

• Left SDH subdural hematoma (10mm) w/ 9mm L-R shift 

• Left temporal IPH intraparenchymal hemorrhage

• Left side SAH subarachnoid hemorrhage 

• Rt orbital wall & maxillary wall fractures w/ associated sinus hemorrhage 

• Non displaced Rt temporal bone fracture 

• Rt hemotympanum (bleeding from the ear)

• Rt open elbow arthrotomy 

• Rt distal radius fracture 

• Rt thigh hematoma 

• Rt 4th rib fracture 

• Possible pulmonary contusion 

• Questionable splenic laceration

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In addition to the significant trauma noted above, within 48-72 hours of the accident Joy experienced total paralysis of the right side of her body including right facial droop. We would also come to learn that she suffered severe aphasia, apraxia, deafness in her right ear, vertical diplopia, and an upper right quadrant field of vision cut due to permanent brain damage.

This is our story and we thank you for taking the time to explore it with us. We pray with all our hearts, that it can be an encouragement and blessing to you, as much as we have been blessed by God's grace and mercy shown and the faithful prayers and support of our family, friends, and followers who have carried us over the days, weeks, and months, of this amazing journey.