NEWS

Family finds comfort in support after crash

Spencer Remoquillo
Reporter

LANCASTER – There is still good in the world.

Jodi Nesbitt, of Lancaster, came to that realization during the worst time of her life, which was prompted by a single phone call.

Nesbitt’s 29-year-old daughter had just been in a life-threatening crash at Ohio 188 and Mill Park Drive in which she was ejected from the passenger side window of her car. Daisy Marcus had just learned the day before that she was expecting a baby.

“(Daisy) was in a good place,” Nesbitt said. “She was happy, and the next morning, I got a call from the state highway patrol. I can’t tell you how horrible it was.”

Nesbitt and Daisy’s husband of nearly two years, Jeremy, have remained by her side ever since she was flown to Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center after the July 9 crash. Jeremy now leaves the hospital for work, but Nesbitt stays with her daughter, having left the hospital only twice since Daisy was admitted more than seven weeks ago.

Daisy failed to yield at a stop sign while traveling south on Mill Park Drive and was hit by an oncoming vehicle traveling east on Ohio 188 just before 6 a.m., according to crash reports. Daisy, who Nesbitt said always wears her seat belt, was not wearing one that morning. If she had been wearing one, Nesbitt said, the crash would have been minor.

“I can’t for the life of me figure out why she was not wearing it,” Nesbitt said, going through different possibilities out loud.

Daisy suffered a traumatic brain injury as a result. She can open her eyes, make some movement and hear what is going on around her, but not much beyond that.

“She doesn’t respond to commands,” Nesbitt said. “(Doctors) said it’s going to be a long process. They said this could be as good as it gets or she could make a full recovery. A lot of people are praying for her, so hopefully, she makes a full recovery.”

Marcus has been in critical condition for the majority of her stay but was moved to the progressive care unit for a short time last weekend. However, there were some complications, so she returned to the surgical intensive care unit.

Nesbitt and Jeremy are waiting for a doctor to tell them what Daisy’s quality of life will be or whether her unborn baby is healthy despite the crash.

“There is a heartbeat,” Nesbitt said. “The baby is the right size. They’ve done ultrasounds and the baby was moving.”

A day prior, Nesbitt recalls joking with Daisy about potential baby names. Daisy also was working toward her registered nursing degree, which she would have received last week at her graduation.

Nesbitt said the outpouring of support from the community and people who have never met Daisy is overwhelming.

“There’s a lot of good people, a lot of good people who have supported us,” Nesbitt said, recalling interactions with dozens of people, some of whom are family members of other patients on Daisy’s floor. “It’s amazing to me.”

One woman who was a relative of a patient on Daisy’s floor gave Nesbitt a pink cross necklace that she wore while her loved one was recovering.

“She passed this on to me,” Nesbitt said, holding up the cross. “There’s a lot of sadness on that floor. You are sharing something and have something in common with these people.”

Nesbitt created a Facebook page called “Prayers for Daisy Marcus,” where she writes daily updates on Daisy’s condition.

“Thousands of people read that every night,” she said, adding that fundraisers, including T-shirts with the word’s “Daisy Strong” and wristbands covered in daisies, are promoted and sold for Daisy’s benefit on the Facebook page.

“Everybody loves Daisy,” Nesbitt said. “She’s very kind, she’s outgoing, she’s funny. ... I wasn’t so sure about naming her Daisy. It’s unusual, but it fits her.

“It’s comforting to know that she has so many people that care about her.”

sroush@lancastereaglegazette.com

740-681-4342

Twitter: @SpencerRoushLEG

How to help

For more… information on upcoming fundraisers to benefit Daisy Marcus, visit her Facebook page, “Prayers for Daisy Marcus.”

Donations also can be made via GoFundMe.com through an account called “Support and Prayers for Daisy.”