Pastor thankful for his recovery
When the Rev. Donald Austin conducts Christmas Eve services at Chartiers Hill United Presbyterian Church tonight, it will mark seven months since he was seriously injured in a two-vehicle accident in May when his car was struck head-on by another driver.
Austin, 68, suffered broken ribs, a knee injury, a leg wound that required several staples to close and an open wrist fracture that was secured with an external fixator.
The worst injury was to his right wrist, which has left Austin with limited range of motion and swelling.
Austin, a baseball fan who organized dozens of church softball games over the years (in his younger days, he could throw a knuckle curveball), joked, “If the Cincinnati Reds were thinking of having me come in and catch (ace closer) Aroldis Chapman, it’s probably not going to happen.”
The pastor was immobilized and in considerable pain for the first four to six weeks after the accident, then gradually returned to work during his long recuperation. He completed physical therapy in November.
Austin said his decision to return to work as soon as possible was inspired by church members who had battled through their own health issues without complaint. Showing up at the at the church for at least part of the day made him feel better than staying at home and helped him from falling too far behind.
“I have to express my admiration at his indefatigability,” said church elder Jack Snodgrass, who was among the people who helped Austin throughout his recovery. “Don is a very humble person. He’s not pretentious, and he has a certain resolve that allows him to get through times of difficulty. He was upbeat throughout his debilitating accident. He soldiered through it. He went quietly through those times of difficulty in a way that reflects his faith.”
It’s the second time Austin has dealt with a serious health crisis. Five years ago, he was diagnosed with colon cancer and successfully underwent chemotherapy treatment.
For nearly 40 years, Austin, the second-longest-serving minister at Hill Church (founded in 1775 by the Rev. John McMillan), has dispensed wisdom and comfort to congregation members. His gentle wit and warmth, and his perceptiveness and knack for knowing just the right thing to say have earned him the respect and loyalty of his congregation.
After the accident, the congregation rallied around Austin, driving him to the church and to appointments, doing yard work and bringing dinners to him and his wife, Sharon.
His recovery also was aided by his 5-year-old basset hound, T.J., who was reluctant to miss his daily walks with Austin along the road and through the woods of their North Strabane neighborhood.
There was plenty of time, Austin said, for praying and pondering during his recovery.
Out of respect for the privacy of the driver who hit him, Austin is reluctant to talk about the circumstances of the accident, but he did say that he forgave the man, who apologized in person. “I’m thankful because my injuries could have been much worse, and I’m glad I’ve been able to recover to the degree that I have, but it can’t be a pure gladness because there are so many people who are going to come away from accidents like mine with more serious injuries or loss of life,” said Austin. “It reinforces the fact that those of us who survive have a greater responsibility, in one way or another, for sustaining the integrity of human life. Now, it’s time to get back to work and do what God wants me to do for the rest of my life.”
He is grateful to the church community and to the first responders, doctors and physical therapists he met throughout his recovery.
“I’ll never be able to repay everybody for all of the encouraging notes and cards that were sent to me, and for all of the gestures of concern. I think when you encounter something in your life and you survive it, and you meet caring people and experience the healing hand of God, then it makes you more sensitive to what other people are experiencing. And you hope that in some way you can be used to help others who are in a situation where there is suffering,” he said. “I think if I ever find the time to retire, I’m going to dedicate one day a week to writing notes to people. That’s a great ministry that anyone can do.”
Austin also discovered something else. There is worse suffering, he said, than physical suffering.
“As I look back on my life now, the greatest suffering is failing to accomplish what you want to do, and not suffering itself,” he said. “Now, I don’t know that I’d say this if I had brain cancer or some other form of untreatable cancer, and I had an accident where I came out with all of my limbs, so I have to put that in there as a proviso. But to me, the suffering from cancer, chemotherapy and the accident is a lot less than when you try to do something in life and don’t live up to your own expectations.”
Among the philosophers, poets and prophets that Austin weaves into his Sunday sermons are comic strip characters Calvin and Hobbes, the precocious 6-year-old boy and his imaginary tiger friend created by cartoonist Bill Watterson.
In one strip, Calvin, lamenting life’s challenges, says, “You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don’t help.”
But that’s OK. Faith, hard work and good friends, it turns out, can.