Faith, love strengthen wife of hurt ‘Hound

By ELISE FRANCO

Bethany Baird’s husband — a Youngstown SteelHounds player — suffered burns over 60 percent of his body.

AKRON— She carries herself with grace and strength.

Looking into her eyes, you might not be able to tell that her family has experienced more trying times in the past three weeks than many do in a lifetime.

She is Bethany Baird — wife, mother, protector.

Her husband, former Youngstown SteelHounds forward, Jason, has been in the Burn Unit of Akron’s Children’s Hospital since mid-July after a lawn mower he was driving exploded, burning 60 percent to 65 percent of his body.

Bethany, who sleeps in her own bed in his room, has kept a vigil at his side.

“We’re doing wonderfully,” she said. “He’s doing wonderfully.”

Because of the nature of Jason’s injuries, each day brings something different, and Bethany’s daily routine is based on what doctors have planned for her husband.

For her, the most difficult part is not the surgeries, the hospital or the indefinite stay in Akron.

“The hardest part is our family not being together,” she said. “We’re getting everything else we need right now through support and prayers because that’s what he’s going to need.”

The couple’s three children, Isaiah, 11; Markus, 8; and Addison, who just celebrated her first birthday, are staying with Jason’s parents and come to visit mom and dad every weekend. Jason’s brother, Joey Baird, 26, of Ontario, Canada, also visits every week.

“They are doing OK,” Bethany said. “They’re kids.”

Jason, 27, is undergoing a series of skin graft operations, but when he’s not with a doctor, he is spending time with his wife, just as he would do at home. Bethany said she plays a CD by Tragically Hip, his favorite Canadian band, constantly.

“We listen to music a lot. I read books and Scriptures. I pray over him, and I just stare at him,” Bethany said. “He’s breathing and alive. You just have to be grateful that he’s alive.”

that he’s alive.”

Bethany described the afternoon of July 17, the day of the accident, as a complete blur.

“I got a call from someone, he may have been at the scene or a witness or something, but I don’t know who he was,” she said. “I don’t even think I asked his name.”

In shock, she said she gathered her personal belongings as quickly as she could, got in her car and drove to the hospital.

“It was so much to take in, calling all our family and everything,” Bethany said.

The 27-year-old has smiling eyes and a voice that never wavers, even as she spoke of the day of the accident.

Save for one moment.

When asked how Jason would react if the situation were reversed, she responded without hesitation.

“I’m only as strong as my other half, and I know he would do the same for me,” she said as tears welled in her eyes. “These aren’t tears of sadness, believe me. I love my husband. It’s questions like that, that make me realize how wonderful he is.”

Maybe that’s why she’s taken the accident in stride, choosing to be optimistic, and happy to have more moments with Jason. It’s clear that Bethany doesn’t think of what’s happened solely as a tragedy.

“It’s not a matter of coping,” Bethany said. “It’s a matter of accepting that it’s happened.”

The couple met in 2004, in Corpus Christi, Texas, where Jason played hockey with the Corpus Christi Rayz.

Bethany laughed and rolled her eyes at the mention of this, saying that they each have their own version of what really brought the two together, and she was going to tell her version — the truth.

“He’ll tell you that I chased him, but it’s really the other way around,” Bethany said. “He bought me a drink, and that was it. After that, he stayed by my side for the rest of my life. It was his persistence that I liked.”

“Liked” was probably an understatement. The two were married June 30, 2007, and relocated across the country to their current home in Austintown in late 2007.

The support and outreach the Baird family has received since the accident has at times been overwhelming, and it’s clear from Bethany’s expression that every bit is appreciated.

“Jason’s going to be amazed,” Bethany said. “It’s hard to say if he really knows what’s happening right now.”

On Aug. 24, players from the NHL, along with minor league and former SteelHounds players, will play an exhibition game to raise money for the Baird family.

Kevin Kaminski, former SteelHounds’ coach, is co-leading the fundraiser, and said he believes the roster will continue to grow in the days leading up to the event.

“All of these players will wear either a home or away jersey [from their NHL team], and at the end of the night, we will have a live auction and auction them off,” Kaminski said.

The game begins at 3 p.m., and tickets for the fundraiser are $15 for adults and $10 for children.

“This shows me what a man I’ve married,” Bethany said. “They’ve made it a point to give me support. They’re checking on him.”

Bethany keeps family, friends and even strangers from all over the world updated on Jason’s progress through her daily blog, www.caringbridge.org/visit/jasonbaird.

More than 700 messages of hope for Jason’s recovery and praise for Bethany’s strength fill the guestbook walls.

“I will start by saying how much I truly love my husband,” she wrote in a blog entry. “He is such an inspiration, such a strong person with such a fighting spirit that he makes me smile still during one of the biggest obstacle courses of life.”

An outlet for everything she’s thinking and feeling, the Web site helps Bethany relive the days, which she said is a positive thing.

“It has kept me so strong,” she said. “It has become a wonderful healing process for me, and it will heal him too when he can read it.”

In order to give Jason the rest and healing he needs to fully recover, doctors have kept him on a ventilator and at times in a medically-induced paralyzed state.

Last week, he underwent a second important surgery to reconstruct the skin on his face.

“Jason’s surgery was a six-hour procedure today and he looks wonderful,” Bethany wrote in her blog Wednesday. “They are keeping him in a sleep state so that his facial graftings can heal properly.”

Thursday doctors took him off the paralyzing medication, several days ahead of schedule, and Bethany said he is doing very well.

The next surgery will be his legs, and that is just fine with Bethany because she knows with each operation, Jason is one day closer to recovery.

Anyone wishing to make a donation may do so by sending it to the Baird Family Fund Account, Bank of America, 8612 Davis Blvd., North Richland Hills, Texas, 76180.

efranco@vindy.com