'Faith will pull us through'

Lillie January says one week before Thanksgiving she is counting her blessings, despite devastating injuries her husband received when a truck crashed into a meat market where he was a customer. 

She says "faith will pull them through."

Doctors in Houston had to remove Russell January's right eye and he underwent hours of surgery for fractures to his skull and jaw.

The couple's faith, and support from family and the community, is helping her carry on.

Lillie January doesn't want to think about what it would be like to sit alone, at her home, without her husband in her life.

“I don't know what to do, and to be honest, I'm afraid, afraid for me and afraid for him,” said Lillie January.

Lillie and her husband Russell have been married for 35 years.  He was her first boyfriend and now he's in the Neuro ICU at a Houston hospital fighting to recover from massive injuries.

“He didn't come home, and my grandson kept saying 'something’s wrong, something’s wrong' and it was kinda strange and eerie he would say that,” said January.

It wasn't until Sunday that Lillie learned her husband was standing in line at a meat market in Port Arthur Saturday when a driver crashed into the business. 

“I started calling all the hospitals, and with HIPPA they wouldn't tell me anything. I was begging them to please tell me something,” said January.

She later found out the impact of the crash caused a meat grinder to strike her husband's face and head.  Doctors operated for hours Wednesday, repairing his fractured skull, fractured jaw and damage to the bones around his eye. Tuesday night they had to remove his right eye.

“He may not make it. I may not be able to see him and talk to him and fuss at him and do all the things we've done all these years,” said January.

35 years of love and laughter. Something to be thankful for. Nothing she's ready to give up.

"Having someone to watch TV with, someone you love and care for. To me it's priceless.  So I think everyone should appreciate the things that we have, the things that make us happy,” said January.

Lillie says Russell has limited response to stimulation, but doctors say they have not found any major damage to his brain and the prognosis is promising.

Lillie is a psychotherapist who treats soldiers for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

She's taking a leave from her job to remain with her husband at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston.

Russell has worked at Dupont in Orange for more than 30 years. He's a competitive racquetball player and Lillie says his good health and stamina will help him during his recovery and rehabilitation.