Every day I think back to the day that my life changed and I received a different view. On December 2, 2001 I became very upset when I found out the truth about a boyfriend at the time. I couldn't control my emotions so I jumped in my '90 Ford Bronco at 2:00 A.M. and started out to my friends house hoping to confide in her and find relief. I decided that I would leave ahead of the now ex-boyfriend. I started the vehicle and looked up, my pup had walked around the corner of the house to watch me leave and I just remember thinking " no I can't take you with me tonight, I'll hurt you too." I threw it in reverse and turned around to head out the driveway. I lived on a steep hill and the drive was paved. I put the bronco in drive and gave it a good start down the hill. When I got half way down I could see both ways and nothing was coming so when I got to the bottom I stomped on the accelerator. All I wanted to do was get ahead of him so I would not see him. The tires rolled and smoked leaving a black mark. The tires caught and the bronco fishtailed sideways into a 180. I was now headed into the hillside. Not taking my foot off the floored accelerator I jerked the wheel and got it turned the right way and under control. I had a cd in the player from earlier and I just did not want to hear it at the time so I looked down for my remote control and could not find it. I glanced back up in time to see that I had turned the wheel slightly while searching and was headed off the bream. So I quickly decided to drive through the neighbors yard and go up their drive to make it back to the road. Only I had forgotten about a cement block they had sitting next to the road. I hit it. The bronco started teetering back and forth I tried to gain control but couldn't. Knowing it was going to roll I took a deep breath and relaxed as I let go of the wheel. I remember being tossed around inside like a rag doll. I didn't wear my seat belt because it was constantly scratching at my neck. The next thing I knew I was lying on the ground in front of my neighbors house. All I could see was the house in front of me along with my hips in my face. I felt no pain but was calm and collected and knew that I had been hurt bad. I screamed as loud as I could for someone to help me, until I felt a sharp pain in my chest. My uncle who lived the next house down had heard the commotion and my screams. He ran to my side and told me help was on the way. My aunt called my parents and told them I had just been in a wreck and to come down. After that all I remember is waking just enough to see the white stuffing popping up out of my coat. The emergency teams were cutting my clothes off. I never once remembered hearing sirens, voices, or even seeing all the people around me. I opened my eyes once more to see a bright light shining above to realize I was inside of an ambulance. I was carted off to the local hospital for a blood alcohol test, the officers at the scene would not believe that I had not been drinking. Once the test came back negative I was then life flighted to the states trauma one center. I had a partially collapsed right lung along with a broken back. I had landed on my neck and shoulder blades and instead of breaking my neck and being a quadriplegic or even dead, I broke at T9-T10 and was a paraplegic from the belly button down. I was in the hospital until December 11th and was sent that day to a rehabilitation center 3hrs. away. I was told that I could expect to be there for a total of 5 to 6 months. I would not have it. So I worked twice as hard to be sent home in 2months. Learn to sit myself up and to roll over were just the beginning. But to cut a long story short I came home and got into more physical therapy, had another surgery because I had pulled a couple screws loose in my rods. Got back into church and was blessed to receive my lower back and lower abdomen muscles back. I started standing myself up in parallel bars and had RGO's made for me. (Reciprocating Gate Orthosis = braces for my legs.) I can now stand and walk around the my parents house a little with the braces. I couldn't go back to my place the door ways are too small to fit a wheelchair through. I have figured out who my true friends are since the accident many have left me. They are too embarrassed to be seen with me because many people stare in curiosity. I am stuck indoors because the ramps my father made are too steep for me to go down alone, the chair wants to tip over backwards. I am waiting for a lift to be installed along with a few other modifications so that I can get outdoors on my own. I now feeling of when I need to go to the bathroom so to avoided problems I must cath. every 4 to 6 hrs. and do a manual digital stimulation every other day to keep the bowls working properly. I have always loved working with preschool children and hope to go back to college and get my degree so I can open my own
"Kat"