new year, new me
At 9:15am on January 31st, 2022 I was in a head on collision. I never thought in a million years I would say something like that. I was heading back to college after being home for my older sisters birthday. I stayed home until that Monday morning because I didn’t want to miss the Bengals AFC championship win, can you blame me? I was about an hour out from my house when I hit black ice which caused me to cross the double yellow into another car. You would never be grateful for another car being there but, if that car wasn’t there I would’ve ended up in the White Water river or worse it could’ve been a semi truck on the windy country road. I came to with the sight of shattered glass, blood on the airbag, iced coffee everywhere, and a crushed feeling. I reached across my destroyed dashboard to grab my phone to call the one person I wanted, my mom. My legs were shoved to my chest and a stranger appeared to check on me. All I wanted was to get out of my car and talk to my mom. It felt like forever until the fire department showed up, I grew up around firefighters and paramedics, but nothing could prepare me for what happened when they showed up. I was extracted from my car with the jaws of life, it took them two tries and finally I was free, or so I thought. I had to be flown to UC Medical hospital where I laid still, broken, and exposed. I had one open wound and later found out I broke 23 bones including: my right femur, right tifib at the ankle joint, right heel bone, left tibfib, 4 of my toes on my left foot, 13 ribs, a fractured clavicle and occipital skull, and a L5 fracture that thankfully was partial and non-displaced. I spent 2 and a half weeks in the hospital and 4 1/2 weeks in an assisted living place where I received physical and occupational therapy 6 days a week. I have been living at my grandparents’ house since March 17th and will continue to be until I am able to walk up stairs to get into my house. There are so many things that I am grateful for like the second chance at life I got but, sometimes I can’t help compare my accident or injuries to others. I could have lost my life but because I didn’t, its like I shouldn’t dwell on what happened or I shouldn’t want others to still check on me. I am at a cross where I am still very dependent on my family especially my mom but, I am also about to start outpatient PT where I will begin to learn how to walk again and gain back my independence. I am so young and so lucky to be alive but, I cannot hep but wonder why me over and over, why me?
