PATRICK CO., Va. – On Dec. 16, Lauren Worley and Micah Underwood’s lives flipped upside down after getting hit head-on by a suspected drunk driver off Route 8 in Patrick County.
Micah continues his recovery at home, but Lauren is still in a medically induced coma in the hospital with severe brain injuries.
After the community heard of the teens’ crash, they banded together in support of them and their families.
“You just don’t know how loved you really are until you go through things like this,” said Jason Underwood, Micah’s father.
“Literally thousands of people are praying for her, and the power of the prayer is working,” said Chris Worley, Lauren’s father. “Our prayers have been answered up to this point and we hope they continue to be answered.”
Immediately after the crash, the community flew into action.
“We have eight kids and the first thought is ‘What are we going to do with all of our kids? And how is this going to work out so we can just be with Micah at the hospital?’” said Cheryl Underwood, Micah’s mother. “We just have had hundreds of people asking to babysit.”
“On Sunday morning, there was a prayer gathering for her, and that was just hours after the accident,” said Gracen Baliles, Lauren’s cousin.
The prayers continue to pour in. The Worleys tell 10 News someone from England reached out to them and so did someone from Guam, both offering prayers.
Baliles said she was compelled to do something.
“I was like I just want to do something for her,” Baliles said.
She organized a t-shirt drive and already has nearly 500 t-shirt orders just in the past four days.
“We’ll probably have to do a second order I assume,” Baliles said.
She has not been the only one showing her support. Lauren’s classmates showed their support by wearing teal t-shirts and ribbons — Lauren’s favorite color.
While Micah recovers at home, his mom and dad tell 10 News the community’s support is crucial.
“We don’t know how we’re going through it, how well we’re going through it, but I know I can’t even imagine going through it without that,” said Jason Underwood.
Lauren’s family said right now, all they continue to ask for are prayers.
If you would like to support either family, you can find Lauren’s GoFundMe here and Micah’s here.