March 30, 2013; the day before the accident. Life was exciting and going well. I had just moved to the Pacific Northwest a few months before and was starting to feel settled. I was lucky enough to have known a few people, including my sister which whom I lived with, to welcome and show me around the city of Seattle. From there I was able to establish a church community and acquire a job as a registered nurse.
Charissa, my sister, and I were in the middle of training for a marathon in attempt to get my younger brother, Bobby, to quit smoking. Plans were brewing for memorial weekend. Church retreat was two weeks away. Life was moving along just as it would for any typical 24 year old girl. I had planned everything out for my life at that point and wasn't going to change anything. Little did I know, one short phone call Easter morning would change everything.
I was in my normal routine getting ready for church when I saw my brothers name light up on my phone. It was way too early for him to be calling me on a Sunday morning, I thought. I knew something was wrong. When I answered he had that tone of voice you never want to hear from any of your closest family members. "Bob just called me and told me mom got into a wreck". Naturally, my mind flooded with questions: How? Where? What hospital? Bobby didn't know any details, only which hospital she was taken to. My first thought was that it couldn't have been that bad if she was being treated in a small hospital. I immediately hung up the phone and called the hospital for details. The nurse at the end of the receiver seemed to be expecting a phone call. She told me my mother had already given the ok to give out information and starting filling me in. "We are flying your mother to Wichita immediately. She's unable to feel her legs." Panic. I knew this wasn't good. "We are unsure how the wreck happened at this time. We have medicated her for the flight. I will call you when we get word that she has arrived safely." I put the phone down, took a few deep breaths, and thought to myself. Just wait and see what the doctors say in Wichita. It's probably not as bad as I think. How can this be happening? What should I do next? I'm over a thousand miles away. At first it felt wrong resuming my life but there was nothing more I could do then to get ready for church and wait for this phone call. And to be honest, church was the only place I wanted to be after learning the news about my mother.
I decided I should be the one to call Charissa who was in Ohio at the time for work. I knew she wouldn't take it well so I took a step back and chose my words carefully. As predicted, she was rightfully distraught. She booked a flight for Wichita the next day and advised me to do the same. A part of me was still in denial though and I didn't feel the need to be in Kansas. Maybe it was the distance . Or maybe it's because I didn't want to believe it. I can remember thinking a lot about myself at this time, unfortunately.
Going into church was relieving yet stressful at the same time. Relieving because I felt closer to God and prayer felt more powerful. Stressful because of the unknown regarding mom. Luckily, I received a phone call from my aunt living in Wichita with an update on my mom near the end of church. My aunt informed me my mother had fractured thoracic lumbar vertebrae 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 to lumbar vertebrae 1 and 2 aka a badly broken back. This fracture caused increased pressure to the spinal cord, resulting in decreased sensation and mobility to her lower extremities. She was taken to surgery immediately to stabilize the fracture as well as relieve pressure off the spinal cord. She was in surgery as we were speaking. This was not just your typical appendectomy! More stress poured in as I thought of all possible complications. I was in denial all morning up until now. This was really happening. There was no question; I was going back to Kansas. My loving relatives from Wichita booked me a flight and I was back in Kansas less than 24 hours later.
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Writing this blog has been in the back of my mind since the beginning of the summer. Why now? Why five months later? The truth is I was and am still afraid. I'm afraid to open myself up to others and become vulnerable. Not only that, I was afraid sharing my experiences would only burden others. Regardless of my insecurities, I believe there is a purpose for this blog otherwise I would not feel so compelled to write it.
The motive of this blog is not for self recognition or pity. I am asked numerous times a week how my mom is doing (spoiler alert) and figured this would be a great way to keep everyone informed. Also, I have always found writing to be therapeutic as some of you may already know from my previous blog, A Lady In Haiti. But most importantly, my goal is to reach people, if not just one person, out there going through a similar situation. I hope this blog comforts and gives them hope.
So, with that being said thank you in advance for tuning in and enjoy my crazy, dynamic, yet beautiful family.
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