“I’m thinking a lot about my future,” 18-year-old Eli Hairston told me, his voice steady and strong. It’s the voice that carries the weight of resilience and triumph, five years after his life changed forever. “I’m thinking about going into the ministry,” he said, a bold dream for a young man from Chelsea, Alabama, whose journey has been nothing short of a miracle. “I threw a lot at Him with the accident, and he stood by me.”

Eli’s life was ordinary until Nov. 16, 2019. At 13, he was vibrant and full of life — an athletic, happy kid with an infectious smile. That day, he was riding on the back of a golf cart with kids from school, heading toward the elementary school in Chelsea Park. But in a split second, everything changed.