Newspaper Page Text
Page 2 - Wednesday, July 5, 2023
The Millen News
themillennews.com
Karen Farthing
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
June 2, 2020 is a day Karen
Farthing will never forget. It is
the day she was thrown from
her newly acquired horse, Lo
retta, incurring life-threatening
head injuries.
Her story, however, begins
several months prior to the
accident.
“I couldn’t put my finger on
it, but I just started feeling that
something bad was going to
happen to me,” Karen recalls.
Karen began contemplating
what that “bad” thing could
possibly be and confessed her
fears to her husband, Josh, who
is pastor of the Millen Church
of God on Hwy. 25. The feel
ing, she said, seemed to come
to her at various times.
“ I just felt like God was tell
ing me that something bad was
going to happen to me, but that
I would be o.k.,” Karen said.
It was an ordinary day, and
Karen was riding horses with
her daughter, Kaylee, in the
area of a concrete slab. Josh
and her dad, B.L. Kent, were
sitting on the tailgate of her
dad’s truck watching them.
Suddenly, something spooked
Loretta, and Karen’s foot came
out of the stirrup. That’s the last
thing she remembers.
What she doesn’t recall is
falling off the horse and hitting
her head on the concrete slab.
What happened next was told
to her later when she woke
up in the Intensive Care Unit
(ICU) at Augusta University
Health.
“My cell phone was in the
truck, but they didn’t know
it. And my dad didn’t have
a cell phone back then. So,
Kaylee had to go to the house
and get my husband’s phone.
They called 9-1-1, and the
ambulance came and took me
straight to AUH. They didn’t
even stop in Millen,” Karen
said.
The prognosis was not good.
Doctors determined that the
fall had crushed all the bones
in her ears, and she had lost
her hearing. She had a brain
contusion, laceration, bleeding
in the brain, severe vertigo, and
had incurred multiple skull
fractures.
“The whole situation was a
shock to my family, and they
were just stunned. I hate that
they remember all of that and
had to go through it,” Karen
said. “The doctors said I should
not be alive, that I was lucky to
be here. I told them it wasn’t
luck. That I would not be here
without help from the Lord,”
From that point on, Karen
was determined that she would
make a full recovery, with
divine help, the prayers of
numerous people, and her
stubborn determination. Three
days later she was moved to a
regular room where she imme
diately began therapy for her
injuries. A few days later she
was released from the hospital,
using a walker to get around.
“Despite all those injuries,
I never needed any surgeries
of any kind or therapy. They
just gave me some exercises
to do on my own. My hearing
returned as well,” Karen said.
Karen believes her work
experience with handicapped
children helped her overcome
the obstacles created by the
accident.
“I always told the children to
focus on what they could do,
not on what they couldn’t do.
And, that is what I did during
my recovery. I believe God
already had a plan in place for
me,” she said.
The experience has deepened
JCFEC provides help for the
hungry in Jenkins County
Elaine Williams, JCFEC Executive Director, is shown with just
a few of the food items distributed by the organization every
Wednesday to those in need of food.
DEBORAH BENNETT
Millen News Editor
Food is a necessity of life,
but for many, it is also the most
expensive household budget
item.
According to Feed America
statistics for 2021, the food in
secure rate for Jenkins County
was 14.8%. The estimated
program eligibility rate among
food insecure people in the
county was 67%. The average
food budget shortfall in 2021
for Jenkins County was listed
at $709,000.
Fortunately, Jenkins County
residents who qualify can find
help at the Jenkins County
Family Enrichment Center
(JCFEC). The organization
established a food bank pro
gram nearly 10 years ago
that distributes approximately
1,000 lbs. of food items every
Wednesday from 10-11:30
a.m. at the center’s office on
Winthrope Avenue. Those de
siring food boxes are required
to fill out an application upon
arrival. The boxes are distrib
uted on a first-come, first serve
basis.
“We have 12 boxes of food
items, approximately 40 lbs.
each that are donated through
the Georgia Nutritional Assis
tance Program (GNAP) .These
boxes are only for families with
children. Then, we, also, dis
tribute boxes of food that come
from donations and items we
purchased at the Golden Har
vest Food Bank,” said Elaine
Williams, JCFEC Executive
Director.
The GNAP food boxes are
filled with items that are fa
vorites of children: cereal,
juice, peanut but
ter, canned goods,
chips and other
items. The addi-
SEE
JCFEC,
5
Office: 478-401-0495
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Karen’s faith, and she offers
advice to anyone struggling
to overcome adversity of any
kind.
“Always be grateful. Don’t
take your life, family, or re
lationships for granted. And,
trust the Lord!” she said.
Today Karen is active in the
church and supportive of her
husband’s ministry. The couple
celebrated their 18th wedding
anniversary June 15th. She is
also a caregiver for her mom,
Becky Kent.
Karen hasn’t let the experi
ence deter her from riding. She
still saddles up Loretta and
rides often, thankful for the
second chance at life she has
been given.
Karen Farthing and Loretta
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