As a young Brookhaven mother battles for her life at UniversityMedical Center a week after flipping her vehicle on Beltline Road,her family clings to the support of friends and their faith inGod.

Rachele Farr, 29, remains in a coma in critical condition at UMCafter being thrown from her car last Sunday around 11:30 a.m.Family members said she was traveling with her two children,4-year-old John Paul and 7-month-old Carly, both of whom wereunhurt.

Mary Campbell, Farr’s husband’s aunt, said while Farr hassuffered head trauma, a lacerated spleen and multiple pelvicfractures, she has been responding to stimuli in recent days.

“She has opened her eyes a couple of times and has followedmovement,” Campbell said. “The doctors at this point are waitingfor her to wake up so they can assess the extent of herdamage.”

And Farr’s husband, Joe, an emergency room nurse, said Rachelehas responded to him as well.

“She is much more responsive, and she’s been following commands,and she intermittently opens her eyes and squeezes my hand,” hesaid. “She’s slowly improving.”

Joe Farr said this experience has been an understandably hardone for his family, but that he has taken solace in two things: Thecare of family and friends, and his faith that God is incontrol.

“I can’t imagine facing this time without God,” he said. “I’vegot a peace about things and feel like they’ll be just fine. I’mconfident in the fact that she’s in His hands.”

And as an ER nurse, Joe said he’s seen the situation he’s in somany times – but from the other side. It’s rather surreal when theshoe is on the other foot, he said.

“It’s a unique experience for me, because I’ve been an ER nursefor several years,” he said. “In this case the tables were turnedas my family was the patients and my co-workers were taking care ofthem. It throws everything in a different light.”

The fact that he knows his wife is not only in God’s hands butalso in capable earthly hands has been a comfort, Joe said, as hasbeen the support of his family and friends.

“I’m so tremendously grateful for the overwhelming support we’vegotten from our work family and our church family,” he said. “Myco-workers have cared so much for us, and I’m so grateful for that.It makes things so much easier than they could have been.”

There’s only one more thing he asks of those he loves, Joesaid.

“It’s unbelievable the support from so many different people inour lives, I’m so humbled by that,” he said. “Everyone’s takingsuch good care of any physical needs we could possibly have, andI’d just ask that anyone interested just keep us in yourprayers.”