Angels Among Us
By SONJA BARISIC ``When it came on, she started crying, which we always did when we heard
that song,'' Penny Harcum, 30, said in an interview. ``That clued me in that she
knew what was going on. ``I crawled in bed with her, told her `I love you,' and
asked her to tell me `I love you' back. She did. I asked her to say it again
because her voice was muffled, and she did.''
Mrs. Harcum was driving home from Christmas shopping Nov. 30 when she got
into an accident with two other cars. She and her 6-year-old daughter, Holly,
were uninjured, while the crash caused some bruising or swelling and
hemorrhaging on Heather's brain, leaving the girl in a coma.
Because it's believed that people in a coma can hear things around them,
doctors suggested the family read books to her and play music that she liked.
Mrs. Harcum thought Heather would like to hear the song, which always made
Heather, Holly and Mrs. Harcum cry because it reminded them of deceased
relatives. She went home and fetched the tape, which had been tucked in
Heather's Christmas stocking.
``When Mommy played the song, I woke up and started crying,'' Heather
said. ``I think it's a pretty song.''
The song tells about angels coming down to Earth ``in our darkest hours to
teach us how to live.''
Heather's doctors said she had been making slow and steady gains, but a
major step had been accomplished when Mrs. Harcum played the song.
``The first time the little girl said a whole sentence that made sense was
when she listened to the little song,'' said Dr. Jean Shelton, director of
rehabilitation services at Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters in
Norfolk.
Heather awoke on Dec. 12, but remained in the hospital until Dec. 20 while
doctors performed additional tests. She has some short-term memory loss and
coordination problems, and tires easily. Heather will undergo outpatient therapy
and stay home from school about a month.
On Feb. 2, the Harcum family, including father Jim, will go to Myrtle
Beach, S.C., to see their first Alabama concert.
Band member Teddy Gentry said he had not heard of Heather's case but
added, ``We receive many letters and phone calls from people who the song has
helped.''
The Associated Press
SUFFOLK, Va. - For 12 days, 9-year-old Heather
Harcum lay in a coma. Then her mother played Heather's favorite song, ``Angels
Among Us,'' by the country group Alabama. And Heather came out of it.
This story appeared in Newspapers and magazines all over the United States like:
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The Story of how Becky got to write "Angels Among Us" is also in the book:
Click on the book to read Becky's story
