Even if you don’t have kids of your own, you’ve got to feel for 16-year-old Austin Hatch.
The standout high school basketball player from Indiana is not only fighting for his life right now, but he’s doing so without knowing that he is an orphan.
The teen was critically injured in a plane crash last Friday, which killed his father and his stepmother.
As tragic as that may be, there is much more to this horrific story.
In 2003, Austin, his parents and his brother and sister were involved in another plane crash. During that accident, Austin and his dad were the lone survivors. The teen’s mom and two siblings died, but somehow the star athlete managed to rebound from his injuries, and score a full scholarship to the University of Michigan to play basketball for the mighty Wolverines.
According to news reports, Austin, his dad and stepmom were on their way to visit the Big Ten University when the unthinkable became reality.
“They’re all gone,” Dan Kline, Hatch’s basketball coach at Canterbury High School told news reporters. “He’s the only one left. What’s the chance of that happening? A million to one, if that. It’s just unbelievable.”
Now, Austin, who fought back from the brink of death once, is doing it again, but without the aid of his parents.
The 6-foot-6 powerhouse is the sole survivor of his immediate family.
I can’t get Austin’s story out of my mind. It is so profound on so many levels.
On one hand the kid could recover and justifiably be a depressed hermit for the rest of his life. Or, he could react completely opposite. After all, there aren’t many people who can say they cheated death twice in eight years. Obviously, the kid survived–twice–for a reason. Perhaps he will be inspired by this fact and forge an incredible path for himself in the future.
I couldn’t find much information on Austin’s extended family, but I’m sure every person who hears his story will want to embrace him as though he were a part of their clan.
Currently, the teen is in critical condition at a hospital in Michigan. Reports say Austin is in a medically induced coma to help with the bruising he sustained on his brain. Close friends have reportedly been keeping a bedside vigil.
Can you image what life will be like for Austin when he is released from the hospital?
What’s more, can you imagine this type of tragedy befalling your child?
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