A community outpouring of love was shown for Suzanne Williams Monday evening as friends and family gathered outside the courthouse to pray for her healing.
The long time Director of the Smithville-DeKalb County Chamber of Commerce was seriously injured in a fall last Wednesday and remains hospitalized at the LeConte Medical Center in Sevierville. The injury has left Suzanne unable to breathe on her own. She has been on a ventilator but underwent a tracheotomy Monday.
“She has come through surgery well,” said Suzanne’s daughter Shan Burklow. “ They have put in the tracheotomy and the next three days will tell how quickly she can heal from that and then we have to look at some long term care for her recovery. We need all the prayers we can get,” Burklow told WJLE.
Among those taking part in leading the prayer service Monday were County Mayor Tim Stribling, General Sessions/Juvenile Court Judge Bratten Cook, II, Circuit Court Clerk Katherine Pack, local ministers Isaac Gray and Don Rigsby, and community leaders and friends Josh Isaac, Jen Sherwood, Norene Puckett, and Kathy Hendrixson.
At the conclusion of the service, everyone gathered in a large circle hand in hand to recite the Lord’s prayer
Burklow told WJLE she was overwhelmed by the concern that has been shown for her mother and her entire family appreciates it.
“It’s overwhelming and that’s the term my sister used on the phone. She said please let everyone know how overcome we are with gratitude for the outpouring of our community coming together to pray for our mom. I know she’s the Chamber of Commerce Director and she is an outgoing person and does a lot in the community but she is our mom and just to see people come out pray for her and say such nice things about her means so much to us. When she recovers she is going to have a really big head. Her ego is going to be out of control. We are so grateful and we just want everyone to know that,” said Burklow.
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