LAKE COUNTY >> Kellen Smith suits up for the Upper Lake Cougars, but he is also a member of Lake County’s high school football family, which is a rather large one.
And when someone in your family is hurting, family members come together and lend support. Such is the case with Kellen, the son of Upper Lake Middle School principal and Upper Lake High School football and basketball coach Mike Smith. Kellen sustained a serious head injury Aug. 15 as the driver in a vehicle accident. Though wearing his seatbelt, Smith’s head impacted the driver’s side window.
Kellen underwent one operation immediately after arriving Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center and he will undergo a second surgical procedure Thursday at the same facility, which is where he was sent to by air ambulance following the accident.
Smith, 16, is a junior at Upper Lake High School and was busy preparing for the upcoming season along with his Cougar teammates when he was injured. Since then, his family — dad Mike, mom Shannon Walker Smith and sister Annalise Smith — have been by his bedside pretty much around the clock during what figures to be a long recovery process. Kellen also has been visited by scores of relatives, teammates and other friends.
Kellen’s extended family includes not only his teammates at Upper Lake, but players at Clear Lake, Kelseyville, Lower Lake and Middletown high schools, many of whom are his good friends. They are also thinking of Kellen and praying for his speedy recovery. Recently the county’s varsity football players and coaches took time out of their practice schedules to sign a giant get well card for Smith, adding their names, numbers and, in most cases, a short message. The card was delivered to Kellen and his family on Saturday. It’s one of many cards and gifts the family has received so far, including a medicine pouch from the Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake.
“The love, prayers and support for our family from every corner of Lake County, including our childhood friends all over the country, our current Upper Lake family, work family, football family and Vacaville Trauma Center doctors and nurses, has been beyond measure,” Mike Smith said. “We feel the immense support for our son every day and it is a huge source of strength for us. Thank you all so much.”
Smith also wanted to thank all those who were responsible for his son receiving the quickest medical response and best medical treatment in the minutes following the accident right up to and including his flight to Vacaville.
“I want to thank the paramedics, the life flight crew and his friends who called 911 quickly,” Smith said.
Upper Lake’s players are wearing a No. 5 decal on the right side of their helmets this season in honor of their teammate.
You can follow Kellen’s progress on Facebook at KellenStrong5. Simply like the page to join.
