Before Marriage
Let's go back to when Clay and Acaimie were just college students. The couple met while studying at Purdue University.
Acaimie studied management and marketing, while Clay chose animal science. His passion for animals and his expertise in the field got him a job as a zookeeper at Indianapolis Zoo.
Engagement
After graduation, the couple took a big step forward and got engaged! In 2018, Acaimie made a post on Facebook to share the great news.
"Looks like I got me a gem... and the ring's pretty nice too," she wrote. Acaimie was wearing a beautiful shiny ring in the picture.
Getting Married
Clay and Acaimie got married on July 13, 2019 in Indianapolis and celebrated with family and friends.
After the party, the couple headed off to St. Kitts to enjoy some time together. It was a 2000-mile journey that the newlywed couple traveled to arrive to West Indies.
Celebration
Just by looking at their wedding photos, one can tell that they had a dreamed wedding celebration.
Clay wore a gray suit and Acaimie had a beautiful long mermaid dress. Acaimie posted hundreds of pictures of the celebration on Facebook.
Honeymoon Destination
Some couples would rather spend their honeymoon sunbathing and relaxing. But it wasn't Clay and Acaimies's case.
They spent their time hiking, sightseeing, and always getting into something. On July 18, 2019, they went to Mount Liamuiga, one of the most famous spots in the island.
St. Kitts Charm
Tourists certainly don't miss the great views that St. Kitts offers. The inactive volcano is one of the main spots since it has the highest peak on the island.
The 3,792 foot stratovolcano is worth visiting, as you can watch the oceans surrounding the island.
Testimony
Clay and Acaimie were cautious while hiking around the volcano.
"We decided we were just going to find a visitors center and find a tour guide," Clay said. Apparently, there was no such center so the couple went on their own without a tour guide.
The Adventure Begins
The couple headed off to trek up Mount Liamuiga. They took several pictures of the landscape and the stunning views.
However, Acaimie started feeling uncomfortable with heights, so she decided to stop the journey and let her husband continue into the volcano's crater without her. She had no idea what was going to happen next...
Weird Feeling
"I started getting like this feeling, this really bad feeling, that something really bad had happened. I started to call down the mountain, and I asked 'Hey, Clay, are you okay? Is everything alright?'" Acaimie explained to CBS Miami.
She was right, indeed, as she got no answer from her husband.
To The Rescue
Acaimie had no choice but to trek up and look for her husband. She got close enough to hear "Help!" from a very long distance.
Acaimie feared for the worst, but she tried not to freak out and continued searching for Clay. Something had happened to him, but at least he could ask for help.
Brave Enough
Acaimie had to put her fear of heights aside to rescue her husband. There was no other option.
She realized she was very close to Clay when she came across Clay's phone and bandana. What she found later left her in shock...
Desperate Search
Acaimie thought that something bad happened to Clay, but she didn't know what it was for sure.
As far as she could tell, leaving your personal belongings behind is certainly a sign that something bad is happening. She thought he must have fallen down, but she wasn't able to find him.
The Accident
Clay later could explain what really happened to him. He said that he was holding onto the ropes when he fell down and lost notion of his surroundings.
Just in the blink of an eye, he was laying on the ground with his shirt full of blood. He couldn't stop vomiting blood.
Unconcious
The fall left Clay unconscious, so he wasn't sure how he ended up on the ground. Apparently, the rope snapped.
He called for help but no one answered, as the place was empty. Luckily, he was later found by his wife, who was desperately looking for him.
Difficult Rescue
Acaimie found Clay in such an awful condition that she didn't know if he could survive.
She carried Clay down the mount, who stopped several times to vomit blood, but kept going. He was able to move, but he wasn't fully conscious of what was happening.
Hospital
The couple walked for three hours until they reached to paramedics. Clay was quickly taken to hospital.
Doctors later found out that he wasn't really bad injured, considering the impact of falling from such height. However, he had skull fracture. The rest of his bones were fine!
Finally Safe
Acaimie was happy that Clay's life was not in danger. The only thing that worried Doctors was the fact that the fracture let air enter the brain cavity.
Because of this, Clay couldn't fly back home, because air pressure would cause his condition to worsen.
Minor Injuries
Unfortunately, Clay wasn't the only one who got injured.
Acaimie had to carry her husband all the way down the mount, so she got her legs badly wounded. Nothing to worry about, though. All bruises left after a week.
Flight Home
The only way that the couple could fly back home was in a private medical flight.
It was a costly operation but Acaimie's sister, Sabrina, launched a campaign on GoFundMe to help the couple. The couple needed $35,000 to pay for the flight and the medical bills.
Helping The Couple
Family, friends and even people from all over the world helped the couple raise the amount of money they needed.
However, they couldn't go back to Indiana, since Clay had to recover at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Clay's Condition
Dr. Maxine Hamilton explained in detail what really happened to Clay and why it wasn't a serious injury:
> "Clay had a fracture at the base of the skull in the temporal bone. This is a very serious injury. Fortunately, the fracture was where the bones did not actually become displaced; they stayed together."
Updates
Sabrina kept on updating Clay's condition on GoFundMe, as people were really worried about him.
She wrote that Doctors dicovered a leak of spinal fluid, which required a skull drain. Clay continued with antibiotics so that he wouldn't get an infection.
Grateful
Clay and Acaimie couldn't believe how far people got involved and helped them during this awful situation.
They received loads of beautiful messages wishing them the best of luck. They got most of the support from family and friends, for which they were very grateful.
Overwhelmed
Having an accident in the middle of your honeymoon is certainly something that you couldn't possibly predict.
The truth is you never think that something like this would happen to you. Clay and Acaimie were overwhelmed, they didn't ever imagine that they would receive loads of love.
Worst Honeymoon Ever
Acaimie admits that it was the worst honeymoon ever, but she believes that the incident gave the couple an opportunity to learn about each other and about God.
A couple of weeks after the accident, Acaime took some time to thank everybody via Facebook.
Thank You All
"We have been completely overwhelmed by the prayers, generosity, and support we have received during this time. Clay and I have cried together multiple times because it has been so incredible to be the recipient of such love from family, friends and complete strangers," said Acaimie.
"We look forward to giving back generously and loving and supporting others in the future," she continued.
Tips
Clay and Acaimie's honeymoon experience caused so much attention that the newspapers were eager to interview the couple.
Clay once gave good advice to the ones who are willing to visit Mount Liamuiga, so his situation doesn't repeat again to anybody.
Good Advice
One of the pieces of advice Clay gave was that a tour guide is highly recommended.
An expert in the area is much more well-prepared to guide you towards the safe zones in the mount. He also said that he took all the necessary precautions, but it wasn't good enough.
Suggestion
"If you are going to, don't do it alone. I don't know if I would have made it out completely in one piece without my wife to carry me out. And if you are going to do anything like this, make sure you are properly secured."
Seems like an extremely reasonable piece of advice, but sadly, people still do things without thinking about the consequences.
Bright Future
Clay and Acaimie experienced the worst honeymoon, but their story goes on. They are looking forward to progress on their careers.
In fact, once Clay is fully recovered, he will probably work at United Animal Health in Frankfort, Indiana. We wish you the best!