09/01/2024
A story a little different:
This young man (and those who love him) wanted others to know the dangers of speeding!!!! Please hear his message, please share ...and care! Davyn, you are NOT FORGOTTEN💜
(Please visit comments for a touching video made by mom)
💜💜💜Davyn Aaron Lee Willet, a name as special as the young man who wore it so proudly.💜💜💜
👉When you think of the all American, boy next-door, the charismatic southern teen was it! He had a smile that could be seen in the sparkle of his eyes…no matter his mood. Like most his age he had an absolute love for cars.🚗Davyn was always comfortable behind the wheel, feeling he was born to drive. A vehicle was not only a work of art in his eyes but also a machine that should be respected.
At the age of 21 Davyn was on top of the world. He was loved by so many, had a family that adored him, a girlfriend who just knew he was the one, and a beautiful red sports car as the cherry on top!!!
👉Davyn had driven his car on so many occasions. Growing up loving cars so much he knew that speed would always appeal to him as well. Having what he considered "experience" under his belt, Davyn became comfortable driving at higher rates of speed than some would. Though it was NOT common for him to blatantly break the law, it was not uncommon for him to test the boundaries of his own driving capabilities…which did mean breaking the rules of the road. It would be hindsight that made him realize that speed and respect for a vehicle do not go hand in hand.
For those who knew and loved Davyn, his speed was not a constant topic of conversation, although there was always the concern…as he was so young…that accidents Do happen. Being his main copilot, even Davyn's normally anxious girlfriend, felt completely safe when he was behind the wheel.
👉Davyn knew he wasn't a professional driver..
but he also knew he did have a talent for driving 👉👉at the posted road speeds in normal conditions 👈👈!
💜At 21 it is also very easy to feel invincible💜
👉Perhaps for Davyn it was a little of several things;
⭐knowing he was a skilled driver,
⭐knowing he'd grown up around and with a passion for cars,
⭐knowing he had pushed a vehicles limitations without harm in the past,
⭐having confidence in his own abilities,
⭐and for a brief moment forgetting that accidents can not be foreseen.
🖤All of that changed on a dreary Monday evening in August of 2021🖤.
Davyn was on Old Baileyton in Greenville, TN, a road that appears fairly straight from an arial view but locals know to have disappearing bends in the road. It is a long country stretch with more agriculture and hand driven fence post than civilization..but Davyn had driven this road so many evenings before and had every intention of driving it countless times to come...as family was on one side and the love of his life was on the other.
👉The weather had been bad so there is no doubt that Davyn was initially being cautious and that he had not intentionally been out driving reckless.
But something changed 👉👉👉👉Perhaps in that moment he simply did not realize his speed had reached the point it had or maybe he had been aware of his speed but based on the fact he'd handled similar conditions with no consequences, or maybe he was convinced he would be ok....he was only going a few miles on a familiar road. He would have never been driving so fast if he believed for a moment that he wasn't in control of his car, the car he'd driven a million times, Davyn had too many wonderful things going for him in life....but again, hindsight soon told him that though he "believed" he was in control, he simply was not being safe.
⭐⭐⭐It is said that Davyn was going around a top speed pushing 90 on the straightaway. ⭐⭐⭐
👉No one will ever know exactly why he was going that fast, it's possible even he had no explanation, but it was probably at this point he understood that all of the skill in the world can not compete with slick roads and speed. It was then that hindsight began telling him to slow down.👈 Davyn was approaching a bend in the road at just under 90, in an attempt to reduce his speed it's believed he'd gotten down to 70 but at this point it was too late.
🖤At a speed of 70mph, Davyn hit a fence head on🖤.
The impact sent Davyn head first, seemingly mere inches from death from the fence post that impelled his windshield, the hand driven fence post on this otherwise quiet stretch of country road.
💜💜Miraculously Davyn survived the accident, although at a local hospital it was doubted he would make it through the night. When doctors spoke with Davyn's mother they had little hope... little hope that he would make it much longer... and sheer amazement he had made it that far.
⭐Although Davyn was in a coma, he was alive ⭐. With the news being discouraging, his mother prayed and encouraged her son to fight. She knew he still had so much more to give this world. 👉It was at this point that a miracle began to happen… Davyn began showing signs that he was Not giving up, that he was improving. 👈
Both his mother and his girlfriend could see the fight he had within and so they amped up their prayers and support, his mother even documenting his struggles and triumphs. After being in a coma he woke to a version of Davyn that he was not familiar with. The accident had caused such severe damage to his eye that it could not be saved. The surgeons felt it best at one point to even remove portions of his skull and “save them” for possible reconstruction later... because he simply had too extensive of brain damage for repair at that point. Davyn required multiple emergency surgeries, blood transfusions, he developed pneumonia, and was even unable to perform basic tasks, a feeding tube was used for a period of time to ensure he would not become malnutritioned, it was an uphill battle. Even with all of this, Davyn remained determined and began to defeat the odds. ⭐The fact that he had survived at all was a true miracle but at every obstacle he proved his wonderful medical team wrong.⭐ He was thriving... and soon Davyn began doing things that other 21 year olds take for Granted.... he began slowly sitting up🧘♂️, feeding himself a little at a time🥣, taking a baby step here and there🚶♂️, and eventually becoming his plastic surgeons pride and joy…he was healing, he was talking, and eventually the day came when davyn was Walking🏃♂️!
👉👉To understand that it only took seconds for this young man to go from driving with precision, to unable to even open his eyes…and with little expectations from his medical team originally, he was seen as no less than Superman the first time he walked without assistance!!!!!
Even with the surgeries, Davyn's altered sight, the difference in his appearance, physical therapy, more appointments and complications, Davyn began to adjust to his new normal, even beginning to drive again. He was proud of himself and how far he had come, he knew there was a message in his story.
💜His mother shared the photos she had taken throughout his journey(posted in comments )in the hopes to highlight the true miracle of davyn's journey, the impact is felt with every photo, every word, every moment as you watch Davyn progress 💜. 💜He was a true inspiration💜
🖤On September 4, 2023, 2 years nearly to the day of his accident, Davyn Aaron Lee Willet experienced a medical emergency at his mamaws home.
🖤He was pronounced dead 2years after his accident,
🖤2 years after the traumatic head injury that would change his world forever,
🖤2years after the doctors said there was no hope.
💜In that 2 years Davyn simply wanted to be happy, he wanted to learn new things, but most importantly he wanted others to learn from him.
💜Davyn had learned something in that moment that rainy August night back in 2021, he had learned that we are never in complete control.
💜I believe that he then taught the doctors something similar, as his healing was beyond their control.
💜In the tragedy of Davyn's passing, remember the lesson he hoped to share with us all, the lesson his loved ones know all too well… in an instant anything can happen, slowing down can mean the difference between life and death, and when it comes to speeding...you are never in control. 💜
