THIS IS EPISODE 18 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
Katie Lentz is currently an administrator for MLB’s Baseball Assistance Team, a charitable organization that assists members of the baseball family in need of financial, medical or psychological assistance.
But this story isn’t about baseball, it’s about survival.
In this episode of the podcast, Katie shares the incredible story of her survival after being hit, head on, by a drunk driver. She suffered multiple fractures including two broken femurs, a broken tibia and fibia, a broken left wrist, nine broken ribs, a lacerated liver, ruptured spleen and bruised lung.
It’s a miracle she is alive.
But the story doesn’t end there.
This is a story of a mysterious priest, a will to press on, and a courageous act of forgiveness.
Podcast Timeline:
3:00 – When did her love of sports begin for her?
4:10 – August 4, 2013, the day her life would change forever
7:45 – Does she remember what she was thinking at the moment of being hit by the car?
8:50 – What were the moments like while you were waiting in the car?
10:15 – When her faith journey began.
17:05 – Being 20 minutes from death
18:30 – Talking about baseball helped keep her alive and alert
19:06 – What was the extent of the injuries?
20:00 – How much pain was she in?
21:51 – The story of the mystery priest
27:30 – How did her faith in Jesus change after the accident?
29:15 – The recovery process from 15 broken bones
32:10 – Her feelings that “it’s a miracle” that she’s still alive
34:00 – Meeting the man who hit her and almost killed her
36:30 – Choosing grace and forgiveness
40:20 – Pursuing a career in sports
43:50 – What God is teaching her right now
Favorite Quotes:
“It is a miracle that I’m here today.”
“I was conscience the entire time.”
“I cried out loud — Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. It’s become my motto for life.”
“I believe prayers work. I believe God hears us in those moments.”
“That’s how close I came to death. 20 minutes.”
“I had 15 broken bones.”
“God gave me the strength to carry on.”
“I’m so thankful that I had the care that I did both at the scene and at the hospital.”
“My doctors told me that it was a miracle that I survived. I just be dead, or paralyzed.”
“I am alive and saved and have a renewed sense of purpose in God and what he wants me to do in my life.”
“What God gave us during that time is joy. God had saved me and we all knew that. I was alive and I was getting better and going to completely recover.”
“There’s a purpose for me being alive and it’s to give God the glory for that.”
“God turned my life upside down August 4, 2013. He gave me the gift of life. He gave me a second chance when all the science and all the medicine says I should be dead. I’m breathing and living because of Him.”
“I have forgiven him in my heart. It was a process. It was a decision I had to make. I wanted to forgive him from the beginning but my heart had to go through a lot of changes.”
“It was over 2 years later, December 2015, when I realized I had forgiven him, I’m not upset, I’m not angry, I felt freed from that.”
“I was available to be used by God and I didn’t even realize it. He was with me every step of the way and still is with me today.”
“God knows me so well. He knows me better than I know myself.”
“I’m the happiest I’ve been in my entire life right now.”
For more on Katie and her inspiring story, you can follow her on twitter @KatieLentz.
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