Take A Walk With Me

Take A Walk With Me

My diagnosis with paraplegia

On January, Friday 13^th at approx. 6:00 pm, my life changed forever.  I had actually taken off my full time job early, and I was off that night from my part time job.  I was speaking to my boss at my part time job and she asked me to come by so we could chat.  She and I are really good friend outside of the work place as well, so this was nothing strange.  When I get there, I talk to her and walk around speaking to my other co-workers, and giving the others my special one-fingered salute *that may sound bad, but it’s true and we were truly a tight knit group.* Even though I was off that night, she asked did I want to work anyway, I told her that I had made plans with some friends from my other job.  As I headed towards the exit, another co-worker asks me to stay so we could talk and joke around more, I give her the same lines and proceed to leave.  I jump into my mother’s car, because mine needed a transmission, and she graciously let me use hers anytime I wanted.  So traffic is a nightmare and everybody is at a stand-still, I take a phone call while still waiting to inch up another half a centimeter.  Then all of a sudden two things pop in my mind: 1) This is the Second Coming of Christ 2) Mississippi just had an earthquake. At that point in my life, neither one of those options were going to be in my favor.  I look out the window to try and determine just what might be going on, and then whatever happened the first time happens again, only this time I realize that I’ve been struck by a huge Ford Excursion, w/bars on the front, going at full speed.  For some reason, while sitting in the car, I say aloud, “Please God, don’t let me be paralyzed.” I’m not quite sure what made this come to my mind first, but hey.  I check to see if I can move my toes and I can, I try to move my leg only to find out that it’s in the windshield on the right side of the car, unbroken and undamaged.  I feel no pain at all, but I smell gas and realize that the car is still running, which makes me panic! Let’s just be frank here, I’m a big girl, aka fat, fine, and fabulous- how you doin’? If anybody told you that I wasn’t a world class gymnast in that car, then there has never been one!  Thankfully there was a nurse in traffic. She and her husband call for an ambulance and she asks me all the important info and proceeds to use the emergency contact numbers, in short, she was amazing and I don’t even know her name…When the paramedics arrive, the first one just comes over and covers me up because she thinks I’m dead!  I’m thinking, what the??? The angel nurse that has stayed with me all this time is yelling she’s not dead! So when everyone finally gets on board with the idea of me actually being alive, they say they’re going to need the jaws- of- life to get me out. I start trying to tell them, it’s not that bad, that I can get out on my own, that I’m not hurt.  Suddenly everyone screams STOP! Don’t move at all until we can see where you’re hurt.  So I’m chilling out thinking that tomorrow at work, was going to be a long day.  When I’m finally out of the car I look around and see the carnage that was the wreck.  It turns out that five cars were involved and because I was the one in the rear, or at the point of impact, I was the only one seriously hurt.  Despite how things looked, I was still feeling pretty good by most standards and was then carted off to the nearest hospital.  I went expecting to be there a couple of hours *silently moping to myself about my one free night being ruined* but due to the possibilities of what could later come I had to stay for observation.  Little did I know that I wouldn’t go home for the next four months. The next morning I was diagnosed with paraplegia (being paralyzed from the waist down).  I had an amazing neurosurgeon, who didn’t think that I should have surgery because it was a clean break and not a complete spinal cord injury, meaning that I may have a chance to walk again, but after approx. 18-24 whatever level you were at, at that point, is pretty much how you’re going to be for the remainder.  The doctor really, truly hated to deliver the news, but I smiled at him and said thank you.  He asked me if I understood everything he explained to me and did I need any type of counselor to come in and speak to me about it. I still smiled and told him no.  His parting words were “God Bless You,” my response was “He already has.” It has been 3 ½ years since my wreck and some of the things that have happened to me have been disheartening and devastating at times, but I can proudly say NEVER, EVER, EVER have I given up hope. Do you know why? Because everything they said wasn’t possible has already happened. I can walk again! I may not be going as fast as I was before the wreck, but if I want a glass of water, I can fix it myself.  That may seem small to a lot of you, but you don’t know what it means to have to rely on someone else for EVERYTHING you get and are able to do.  To go from never thinking about the steps you take, to counting each and every one.  I had said I wasn’t going to share this story because I didn’t want people looking at this as something is wrong with me.  Then I thought, something is wrong with me if I don’t share the blessings, hope, and renewed faith that I have found since this journey started.  Whether a million people read this or not, if but ONE person, who truly needs to hear a story of hope and redemption, then this blog has been a success.  If you know somebody that is or has dealt with a similar situation, share this with them.  Because one thing I know for sure is, kindness and compassion can not only heal the heart but the body as well and I have been blessed to have an abundance of each. 

As I come to a close, I want to thank you for taking time out of your day to read this blog.  I would say “my blog” but I feel like it’s “our” blog.  I want you to feel like you’ve just come home every time you stop by.  So by all means, come in, take your shoes off, and let’s talk for a while…

P.S.

If you have some topics that you would like to see discussed, then drop us a line on facebook, a tweet on Twitter, a letter by email, or note tied to a carrier pigeon’s foot…however you reach us, we’ll just be glad you did. Email Me: southernkiss@thecottondiaries.com