GREG by Margie Griffin 
Typed by her son Greg Griffin 
 
 
 
A note from Greg 
 
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I remember my Mother at home on Dogwood Ct. sitting in my room at my desk typing
this story on my typewriter for hours and hours at a time and she would be crying as
she typed this story because it was so close to her heart. I typed the words just as
she wrote them.  The few words in red is my words added. 
 
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Greg s story needs to be told, it s not only his story but it s our story too, and
the memory is still painful, that it will be difficult. 
 
Some people are strong and can take life even at its worst but I suppose I m not one
of those. 
 
I try to think I m strong but deep down I know I m not. 
 
I love to hard and when the ones that I love hurt, well then I hurt too! This is
just one of those things that I cannot handle. 
 
My husband had always shielded me from hurt and always tried to make things right
and this time he couldn t. 
 
Our beloved son was hurt and hurt bad and there wasn t a thing we could do about it. 
 
Greg had never had anything serious in his life except an occasional cold or the
usual childhood thing s. 
 
The day had started out as usual.  Greg off to school and his father off to work. 
 
It was Tuesday, April the 22nd, 1975, the next day would be my husband s birthday. 
I had already started my plans for his day, only now sitting like Zombies in the
Intensive Care unit waiting to see if Greg would live or die.   
 
God be with us, we need you. 
 
Greg had five more weeks of school left in the 6th grade and he would be 12 years
old on September 4th  
 
He was such a joy, full of life and was happy and healthy and was meeting life
head-on. 
 
Always laughing and having a good time.  I wouldn t have recognized him without his
basket ball under his arm or riding his bike. 
 
She would say to herself,  Greg, I m glad you had those happy times because things
are really going to get tough now for you. 
 
He came in from school as usual, rushing to change into his play clothes, his jeans
and his Kentucky Wildcat shirt with Griffin written across the back (easy to
identify), God you saw to it that his name was there and the people on the highway
would know him, and could come get his Moma. 
 
I had asked him to go across the road and pick up the newspaper, He didn t want to go. 
 
I was scared to death of Nicholasville Road, it was so busy!  I didn t like for him
to cross it but his friends would tease him and so I finally gave in but only with
our permission, I had always been too protective with Greg! 
 
He rushed out to do as I asked and I always stood at the window and watched him go
over and back but this time I didn t.  God spared me seeing. 
 
John, a neighbor, ran in my backdoor and told me that Greg had been hit by a car. 
 
I ran to the highway and saw my son lying there so still and I went completely
berserk. 
 
I couldn t believe it, Greg honey, open your eyes and tell Moma where you hurt.  But
Greg never moved and no one would let me touch him. 
 
He had a little blood on his mouth. 
 
There was a doctor in one of the cars being held up by the accident and he rode in
the ambulance with us along with a nurse who was visiting in that area at the time. 
 
She would say to herself, God you supplied these two people, you were with us at the
very beginning!! 
 
A neighbor from a few years back was also in the lane of traffic, Charlotte, a dear
little friend of ours, how odd, I thought that she should be there and she was
holding on to me and asking if I wanted her to call my daughter Donna so she could
meet us at the hospital and John said he would call my husband. 
 
God saw to it that I had a friend to lean on. 
 
The ride to the hospital was an eternity, I thought ambulances drove fast but he
wasn t driving fast enough for me. 
 
Oh, please drive faster, please hurry!!!  He might die, hurry and get help for him. 
 
The doctor kept his fingers on Greg s pulse.  He told me that he had a head injury,
a knot was beginning to form on his forehead. 
 
I kept my hand on Greg s leg, I wanted to touch him.  Greg, Moma is here beside you,
I m touching your leg. I m sitting hear on the floor right beside you and you are
going to be alright. 
 
Oh, God please stay close by, don t leave, you might take him with you. 
 
The ambulance as I glanced out was just passing Fayette Mall.  I thought we were at
the hospital.  We were passing close by Donna s house and I knew that she could hear
the siren and knew that it was us. 
 
Lord, be with her too, she ll need you.!! 
 
Greg had a bad head injury and a broken collar bone and a scratch on his leg where
his pants were ripped.  He had been thrown in the air and his pocket was ripped off
by the antenna on the car. 
 
My husband, Donna and Ken, her husband, were soon there and we all held on each
other, all of us stunned and frightened. 
 
Greg was put in the Intensive Care Unit and was unconscious.  He was loaded up of
all kinds of machines and a paciper type thing was in his mouth to help him breath
and he was getting oxygen. 
 
There was a page missing but Tim was Carol s husband at the time and Carol is my
other sister. 
 
  
 
Tim stayed for a few days and then he had to go back to Cleveland!  He was the
manager of Denny s restaurant there and he needed to get back. 
 
They had left the children with friends so Carol was free to stay there with us for
awhile longer.  She just couldn t leave not knowing how Greg was going to come out
of this. 
 
She and Donna were a blessing to us.  Poor things, they ran their legs off. 
 
They went to our house and brought clean clothes for us.  I had worn the same
clothes for days and only had little scuffs on, so they brought me a pair of
slippers.  And they packed a bag of things that we would need.  We didn t know it
then but Central Baptist would be our home for the next three months. 
 
I know it was hard for the girls to go home and see Greg s room, his toys, his bike
and his dog. 
 
I wonder what Ruff (Greg s dog) was thinking.  I know he missed us, especially his
little buddy.  He always howled as ambulances passed by our house.  I wonder if he
howled louder when the ambulance Greg was in drove by. 
 
Greg was special to us.  My husband and I had been married 21 years when he was
born.  Greg had been born right here at Central Baptist where he now was fighting
for his life. 
 
Carolyn and Donna were 18 and 12 when we had him.  He had three Momas instead of
one, we adored him. 
 
Gregory Keith Griffin was indeed special. 
 
We had all agreed we wouldn t spoil this handsome little boy but, of course, we
failed.  He was a charmer. 
 
We bought him adorable little suits and would dress him up and take him for rides in
his stroller to show him off, oh how proud we were. 
 
Greg was a good boy, the typical boy but he was kind, loving and so gentle. 
 
He tried so hard to be like his father, he wanted to walk like him and talk like him. 
 
They were very close and they were always together whenever possible. 
 
His father was studying for the Ministry at that time and was later ordained and
pastored a small church and his time was limited but he always had time for his
little boy. 
 
Lord, thank you for Greg, he s our sunshine. 
 
Why did we leave Lexington, why didn t we stay where we were?  Then maybe this
wouldn t have happened.  (the accident) 
 
We had seen this big house in Jessamine County and we would have a big yard and a
garden..  Greg could have a dog, two or three if he wanted them (he did) Lester,
Missy and Ruff. 
 
We had always wanted to live in the country but I was a city gal and didn t know
whether I d like it or not. 
 
We thought about the busy highway but our house sat back off the road and didn t
think we d have any problems. 
 
There was a flea market across the road, it would be fun to go to every weekend and
I made close friends with the people that owned it (Nell and Clarence). 
 
They let Greg swim in their private pool and he rode their pony  Tough Stuff .  They
were very fond of him. 
 
Wonderful neighbors next door, Margoret and Carneil, who stood by us daily offering
their love and help in every way.  How dear they were and Margoret s sister Edna,
their daughter Rita.  They accepted us right away and we all became very close. 
 
God you have blessed us always with good neighbors.        
 
The very first night after we had signed the contract for the house in
Nicholasville, I had bad thoughts, a funny premonition came over me.  I thought
suppose we move there and Greg gets hit by a car.  Was I just looking for something
to worry about or was it a warning?  I later found out it was a warning. 
 
I wish I had paid more attention (to the warning).  We were being warned when we saw
come off the road into our property, and I was afraid for my husband to work in the
yard and I was tied in knots when Greg was out playing. 
 
Yes, I think we made a mistake.  Only Donna says she thinks Greg was saved from a
worse fate.  God has plans for him and someday we ll know. 
 
God has the answers! 
 
Greg is in a coma, the doctor can t tell us anything yet.  His head has swollen so
big, his face is swollen, his eyes are closed and his face is so bruised.  Oh
sweetheart, you are hurt so bad. 
 
We would take turns standing by his bed and we were helpless to help him.  We would
talk, talk, trying for him to hear us and wake up.  We would talk the entire time
but it didn t do any good, he just couldn t wake up. 
 
One of his school teachers, Frances Miles, came and talked to him.  She acted like
he was in school and she was telling him to get busy and listen to her.  She was
getting a little reaction and we all got so excited. 
 
The nurse told us that they need to keep the brain stimulated, talking to Greg was
one of the things that would do it.  So we all would talk to him until we were out
of breath. 
 
Greg s cousin, Tub, got the most reaction from him; the little beeper on one of the
machines would really go fast when Tub started talking. 
 
But Greg didn t wake up, he couldn t, only God knew whether he would or not.  It was
in His hands. 
 
We were getting so tired and weary, we were beginning to get (I can t make the word
out). 
 
As upset as we were a bout Greg, we would still find humor in things that were
happening in the waiting room. 
 
After visiting hours, they would dim the lights and we would try to rest some.  We
would take turns on the couches.  I got up and went to the rest room once and when I
came back a lady had taken my place and in the darkness, I sat right down on her
head.  And the lady that was asleep on the two chairs pulled together, and in her
sleep her wig had fallen off and was lying in the floor and someone grabbed it up
quickly thinking an animal had gotten into the waiting room.  The lady didn t
appreciate it when she saw us laughing. 
 
We stayed in that waiting room for weeks.  We had brought pillows sand quilt s from
home and would take turns sleeping on the two couches. 
 
One day, one of our quilts was lying there and one of the visitors picked it up and
replied to the lady with her  My, did you ever see such big stitches .  She didn t
know the one that had made it was sitting across from her.  It was Donna s first
quilt and she had been so proud of it.  I looked over at Donna and she was crushed. 
 
>From that day on we made sure the quilts were folded and put away. 
 
The waiting room was to be our home for a long time.  We ate and slept there for
weeks.  We changed clothes in the rest room and once I shampooed my hair in the rest
room.  We were afraid to leave. 
 
We wanted to be right there in case Greg woke up or got worse.  They had told us in
I.C.U. that if he didn t have any complications he could be put in a room soon. 
 
How happy we were, we thought it won t be long now. 
 
We asked for a private room as we wanted to stay with him.  We got Greg settled in
his room and we couldn t keep our hands off him. 
 
He had been hooked up to all those machines and we would just talk to him and kiss
him lightly. 
 
Now, he was off all of the machines and had feeding tubes, he was also getting
oxygen and in a few days he wouldn t need the oxygen. 
 
In I.C.U., we could only stay about 10 minutes every two hours and now we had him
all the time. 
 
The girls went home and piled the car high with Greg s personal belongings.  They
brought his posters and taped them on the walls.  Anything to make it look familiar.
 We all just sat waiting, waiting but nothing happened.  He just wouldn t wake up.
His eyes would open but he wasn t seeing.  Oh, it was almost unbearable. 
 
If he made a sound, we got excited thinking he was waking up, but not so. 
 
God, how much longer will it be? 
 
We rented a cot and we would take turns resting.  The days were long and the nights 
even longer. 
 
We were getting weary now and so heartsick and grieved, we could hardly stand it. 
 
Everyone was praying for Greg.  My husband and his minister friends from several
churches gathered in the chapel to pray.  
 
One Sunday morning as I was watching Imanuel Baptist church on television and
listening to Ted Sisk, the pastor, I thought, he is in with God, I need to talk to
him!  Tomorrow, I will call him and ask him to come pray for my little boy.  He
seems to be powerful and so since 
 
The next day I passed him in the hall and I stopped him and told him that I was
about to call him and I told him why, and he said, you didn t have to make that call
did you, God knew and he sent me here! 
 
I took him to Greg s room and he sat beside him, took one of his hands in his hands
and prayed.  This big man of God prayed, God s presence filled the room.  The Holy
Spirit surrounded us.  I felt God strongly, your little son I believe will be
alright. 
 
It was time for Loyce, my husband, to go back to work.  He had taken a month s leave
of absence and I was scared to be by myself with Greg. 
 
It was also time for Carol to go home; she needed to get back to her children.  She
didn t want to go but she had no choice.  There was nothing more any of us could do,
only wait.. 
 
But I felt like I couldn t make it alone, I was afraid.  I needed my husband and my
daughters with me! 
 
The day that Carol left, I thought my heart would break.  She leaned over and took
her little brother in her arms and cried her heart out. 
 
Pumkin, I have to go now, but I will be back as soon as I can and I will bring the
children with me.  I will be thinking of you and I ll be praying for you, you are
going to wake up and you are going to be alright.  I don t care what the doctors
say, God is on our side. 
 
With her face wet with tears, she gathered me in her arms and said, Moma, I ll be
back soon, just hang on a little longer! 
 
She went into her daddy s arms and he held her and comforted her like he did when
she was a little girl. 
 
It s dark again, the sun goes down when Carolynn leaves. 
 
Lord, be with her, she needs you, too! 
 
When Loyce went back to work, he stayed at the hospital at night and I stayed there
during the day. 
 
I know it was hard on him because he didn t get much rest.  He would be up a lot
with Greg, and the nurses coming in and out.  I still don t see how he made it.  
 
Donna and her family lived near the hospital.  I stayed there at night.  She and I
would get up at five and fix my husband a breakfast on a plate and take it to the
hospital, he would eat and be at work in Versailes, Ky., about 20 miles away by
seven.  He had it rough; you could see it on his face.  He was losing weight, and
you could see the pain in his eyes. 
 
I would stay with Greg all day and Loyce would be back at the hosp
ital after he had his evening meal at Donna s. This went on for another month. 
 
By this time Greg was beginning to have problems, he was still deep in a coma. 
 
He was being fed through a tube in his nose. 
 
One day the nurse kept putting his liquefied food, gator aide through the tube and I
saw Greg heaving and I told her not to give him anymore, he was too full and he was
about to vomit, and sure enough here it came. 
 
It is frightening to see someone in a coma vomiting, I was afraid he would choke 
 
I grabbed his head and held it to one side and he got through it alright. 
 
Greg never ate a lot; he was a nibbler, milk and juice drinker.  So we never had
that problem again. 
 
Then he had problems with his bowels and he had a bladder infection. 
 
He had a catheter and there are problems with that if it is long term and it was
already in the second month. 
 
I was scared that he would catch a cold.  I would tell visitors not to get close. 
Then I could be sure he couldn t get any germs.  By this time Greg had been in the
coma longer than the doctor anticipated. 
 
So it was decided that they would run the dye through and see if he had a blood clot. 
 
He didn t have and he had some problems after they ran the dye test.  His neck was
swollen as wide as his head. 
 
Donna was there with him that day and she doesn t remember too much about it, only
that he had had reactions from it. 
 
By now a nurse would tell us to be prepared that maybe Greg wouldn t know us when he
came out of the coma. 
 
It would throw us into despair to hear these things.  Then we d get our hopes up
again and another nurse would tell us that he may not remember anything prior to the
accident. 
 
I said, no, he will remember and he will know us.  I just couldn t accept it, never. 
 
Then someone said that he may never walk and maybe not able to talk. 
 
Oh, this was too much, I couldn t stand the thought. 
 
Loyce and I would sit in silence, so grieved and so confused that we could hardly
bear it.   
 
They were trying to prepare us for what might happen.  They have no way of knowing
just how much a person will recover. 
 
The younger you are the better chance you have.  The longer you are in a coma, the
less chance you have of making a full recovery and Greg had been in a coma for a
long time and he was seriously injured. 
 
But all of this was coming too fast and we were not prepared, not for any of it. 
 
Of course he would know us.  No one was going to make me believe any different. 
 
He was our little sweetheart and he adored his Moma and Daddy, his sisters and he
would know us. 
 
I know he would, only believe, all things are possible. 
 
Only believe, pray and receive, pray and receive, all things are possible, pray and
receive. 
 
Lord, we are praying our hearts are heavy, our spirits low, let us receive.  Let us
have our boy back!       
 
Loyce was at the hospital alone with Greg when he had two convulsions for the first
time. 
 
He pushed the button for the nurse and she came and helped Greg. 
 
She told him there was an emergency button in the rest room and for him to push that
and they would be there without asking any questions. 
 
She had just left when Greg started into another convulsion. 
 
My husband rang the emergency bell and they came running.  They knew it was serious
and that Greg was in trouble. 
 
He called at Donna s and told me what had happened.  I went all to-pieces.  I just
knew he was worse. 
 
I went down on my knees and was afraid to get up.  I was afraid to stop praying. 
 
My son-in-law, Ken, forced me to my feet and put me to bed and said that maybe Greg
was waking up.  He said that he had heard someone say that when you are coming out
of a coma, you might have convulsions, so it might be a good sign. 
 
The aides and nurses would lift Greg out of bed and put him in a chair.  He had lain
in the bed for so long, he needed the stimulation.  
 
They would tie a towel around his middle to his chair and then tie one around his
head and tie it to the chair. 
 
He looked so little and helpless.  I could hardly bear to look at him, it hurt so
much. 
 
He would drool and we would stand beside him and wipe his mouth and keep him from
sliding out. 
 
We had to watch his feeding tube and the catheter.  It was a hassle.  But it was
something that had to be done so we had to bear it. 
 
Greg, open your eyes and wake up.  Don t sit there seeing nothing.  We miss you! We
are sitting here beside you, but we miss you.  I want to hear your laugh; I want to
talk to you.  Greg please wake up. 
 
After two months we were all so weary.  Everyone was now showing up a night or two a
week to stay with Greg so we could get out of the hospital for a while to rest. 
 
But we couldn t wait to get back and I don t suppose we really rested.  We wanted to
be there beside him in case he woke up or got worse. 
 
Loyce s sister, Irene and his aunt Liz and his niece and nephew, Tommy and  Judy,
they were so faithful to us.  They would take turns staying all night with Greg and
they all had jobs to go to the next day.  We were so grateful for their help and
their love. 
 
Libby and Marylynn, my niece, came to stay with Greg so we could get some rest. 
Everyone was so kind. 
 
All of our friends from Nicholasville, were sending food, flowers and cards, calling
us and stopping by. 
 
We leaned on everyone heavily. 
 
He (God) knows every tear, every sign, yes, there is strength for tomorrow. 
 
Never fear, for He will provide. 
 
God be with us all, help us, keep your hand on Greg. 
 
I was sitting in the waiting room, the therapist was with Greg.  A nurse came in and
asked me why I was crying. 
 
I told her they were putting Greg back in the I.C.U. 
 
She said that he had a bladder infection and was running some fever and they wanted
to keep a close watch on him. 
 
These things happen, she said, in long term coma patients.  But don t worry, we ll
take care of it! 
 
He had been in I.C.U. three or four times and had many rooms, and always a different
one.  We didn t like to change rooms but we couldn t keep the room because  we would
be paying for it and sometimes it was needed for another patient. 
 
Greg was on the 5th floor and we would stand by the window all through the night and
look out at the rain and we would be at our lowest. 
 
I pass there now and look up at that window and remember.  The shadows deepen and my
heart bleeds. We ll talk it over and He ll (God) tell me why.  I am feeling so sick;
I don t remember when I ve eaten.  I had been living on coffee and juice. 
 
One of the daytime nurses asked me if I was eating, I said no, I wasn t hungry!  She
brought me a tray with oatmeal, toast, juice and coffee. 
 
I flushed the oatmeal and toast down the commode and drank my juice and coffee. 
 
My doctor has sent me medicine.  Later, I found out it was valium. It made me feel
numb and my legs would t hold me up.  My stomach felt funny. 
 
I fainted at the hospital tonight and Loyce said that I had to leave until I felt
better. 
 
They were having trouble getting Greg back in the bed, I wished they would leave him
alone. Why do they get him up anyway? 
 
I am smothering.  I can t breathe thinking of Greg asleep for so long.  I m going to
talk to him some more, maybe he ll finally hear me.  I took him in my arms, gently
rocking him and singing a lullaby.  Oh, my God I must be losing my mind.  I wish the
world would end and Jesus would take us all home. 
 
Paul, one of the male nurses on the floor, came in and was caring for Greg.  I told
him that I was afraid to be by myself with Greg. 
 
Could he (Paul) get us some private duty nurses to come in?  We wanted them around
the clock. 
 
No one even thought how much this was going to cost.  We had houses we could sell;
we could sell our car and truck, tractor, even our furniture if we had to.  I didn t
want anything anyway if I lost Greg.  We were prepared to lose it all and we didn t
mind.  Greg was to have the best no matter what the cost. 
 
I asked Paul if the floor nurses would feel badly if we got private nurses.  He said
yes, sometimes they feel like the family think they re not competent.  
 
I told him we would feel better if one was in the room with him at all times. She
was to never leave his side under any circumstances. If she needed to leave the
room, we had to be there or another nurse. 
 
All of Greg s nurses adored him.  One of his 11 to 7 nurses, Christine, got so
attached to him.  She said she hadn t been on a case that long with a patient.  She
said she found herself thinking of him all the time and anxious to be back with him.
 She was a precious person and we were so very grateful for her. 
 
We needed those nurses badly.  We were worn out, our family was worn out, everyone
was taking turns and nearly everyone had a job.  Oh, we re all tired, our minds were
willing but our bodies were betraying us.  We were weary. 
 
We weren t talking too much to each other anymore.  We had said it all, what else
was there to say!  We did talk with God, we would plead with him.  He understood our
babbling, our confusion, our fear, our weakness. We tried not to question why this
happened.  We were weak though and we didn t understand it.  Were we lacking faith? 
 
Is Loyce sitting there thinking bad thoughts about me?  Blaming me, I wish he would
say it.  I know it was my fault. 
 
As I sat the looking at my little son, I thought if he was saved. He had been
brought up in a Christian home.  His father was an ordained minister in the Baptist
church.  His sisters were saved, and I was a Christian. 
 
How much did he talk to Greg about his feelings?  How did he feel about Christ! 
 
He was taught well. He was a good boy.  But you have to believe and profess Christ
publicly. He had never gone before the church. 
 
I knew he could have been saved in our own home, at school, riding in a car or
anywhere, but had he? 
 
He knew right from wrong.  He had been in church and Sunday school all his life.  He
was accountable. 
 
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There is another page missing that I m copying the story from. 
 
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of Greg.  He came to the house but didn t go see Greg yet, he said that he just
couldn t. 
 
Loyce said he  was homesick. He wanted to go home.  I told him I couldn t, not
without Greg.  We didn t argue but he was upset 
 
We had been staying at Donna s and I know they needed to get back to as normal
living as possible. 
 
They had been so good, I tried to help out when I was there.  Put a load of clothes
in the washer or dryer, dust or maybe do a few dishes.  
 
But I felt so bad. I had to do a little at a time.  But if I could help her a
little, she was running back and forth to the hospital and staying with Greg. 
 
She had cancelled all her duties at church and was taking care of our affairs. 
 
Jason, Donna s son, was a comfort to me.  He was only three years old and I would
hold him close.  I wonder what he thought was wrong with his granny. 
 
  
 
That was all that my Mother had written so I ll try to finish it by memory.  I was
about to wake up out of the coma and I will tell you how that happened!  My
brother-in-law was telling a knock knock joke, he said knock-knock and my sister
said  Who s there ?  My brother-in-law said  My dam , my sister said  My dam who ? 
My brother-in-law said  My dam foot s stuck in the door .  Then I started laughing
out load and my brother-in-law and my sister just looked at each other and my mom
and dad did the same.  My dad fell on his knees shouting and crying!!! 
 
So then the doctor said I had to leave and they took me to Cardinal Hill Hospital
and I stayed there for two months.  So I was in a coma for three months and in the
two hospitals for five months. 
 
When I woke up from the coma, all I could do was blink my eye s and that s how me
and my Dad communicated. He would say blink once for yes and twice for no.  It was a
long time before I could say anything, even after I came home.  They did get me to
move my arms but it was with great effort.  I did mumble but you could hardly
understand me until after I came home.
  
 
Email Greg or Margie Griffin