Chris and Denise Arthey have taken triumph from extreme adversity.,,,
The 80-mph truck swerving at them on the wrong side of the road is burnt into Chris and Denise Arthey’s memories – and now it’s helped spread hope to thousands.
The couple had been enjoying their ride to the Mexico coast along Highway 35 in south Texas on a Harley-Davidson Road King.
But their lives were about to change forever.
“A truck approached us from behind,” Chris told Sorted. “He passed us on the other side of the road, blocking my view.
“The truck saw another truck, later discovered to be a drink-driver, coming directly at him on the wrong side of the road. The truck that was passing us drove off the road to avoid collision.
“By the time we saw the drink-driver, it was too late. He crashed into us at 80 miles per hour, so a connection speed of 135 miles per hour.”
At that speed, on a motorcycle, the outcome’s usually certain.
“The police were getting ready for a fatal accident investigation,” said Chris.
“Denise and I both lost our left legs above the knee and had badly broken left arms and hands. I lost my spleen, had broken ribs and a punctured lung, severe concussion, and by all accounts came closer to death than Denise.”
Being quickly airlifted to the nearest trauma unit helped save their lives. A long, painful recovery followed, helped by their Christianity.
“Our faith helped us both enormously,” said Denise. “I don’t ever remember feeling sorry for myself.
“I remember that, when I did come round after the accident, I was comforted by the presence of God in the room. I hung on to scriptures and I had faith we would get through.”
More than “get through”, as God would help them use the accident for new openings.
Using prosthetic legs, Chris ran several marathons, competed in the British Paratriathlon Championships, climbed Kilimanjaro and trekked to Everest Base Camp.
The couple were asked to talk about their experiences, and businesses, churches and schools began to book them for talks.
Now they have told dozens of audiences about their experiences and what can be learned from them – overcoming adversity, staying safe and the critical importance of intervention, being positive and thankful for every day.
They also wrote a book – Highway 35: Meeting disaster head on with hope – to spread their message even further.
“We wrote the book because we know that life doesn’t always go to plan,” said Chris.
“Our goal in life now is to give people that spark of hope, no matter what they are going through. Life may be horrible sometimes, but it’s not over.
“We want people to gain the hope we were able to find that carried us through.”
Denise added: “We wanted to describe our story as openly and as vulnerably as possible because we want people to walk through the valley with us.
“We’ve had so many people who have come up to us and thanked us for helping them through their own valleys.”
