Within a blink of an eye, our worlds changed. On Oct. 23 we were on our way to go shopping when an F-250 hit our car. Right before the accident, it was like any other day. We were talking about food and drama, but it wasn’t until the truck ran the light and T-boned us, that everything changed. With airbags out and ears ringing, Lindsay and Kenadee were in shock. Adrenaline was rushing through their bodies as they ensured everyone was okay. When they looked into the backseat, there I was unconscious and bleeding, with no seatbelt on.
Five days later I awoke to the sound of beeping and a nurse standing beside me. I was confused and didn’t know where I was or what had happened. When my parents walked in, it didn’t look like them. I saw them as fake people, trying to act like my parents. The room was dark and my eyes weren’t focusing right, making it seem like a dream. It wasn’t until later that day when my boyfriend came in, that I realized this was real. I was trying to ask people why I was there and what had happened, but all that came out were incomprehensible words that couldn’t even form a sentence.
For the first full day that I was awake, I was checked on by doctors every hour, and I laid in bed doing nothing. Multiple doctors came in, some checking my nerves and feelings, others checking my eyes and head, and later, they took me down for an X-ray to get more scans. I wasn’t able to eat or drink because they had just taken out my breathing tube, but I spent most of the time sleeping because believe it or not, I was tired after sleeping for days.
On day two I was moved out of the PICU after being in there for six days. I had a view of Kinnick Stadium, and the room was much larger. They had me trying soft food to see how I could swallow, and they let me eat only soft food for a couple of days. They later brought a speech therapist in to see if my speech would be impaired long-term. I could make sentences at this point, but they were quiet, and I still struggled with words. My checkups switched to every four hours, and I was able to get my eyes checked to see if my vision was still good. They were worried about my eyesight having been affected by the brain injury, but they were 20/20. When it was time for me to practice walking, they assisted me in trying to get to the bathroom which was close and located in my room. It seems small, but in my world at that time, it was huge. I got my first look at myself in the mirror and was in disbelief when I saw my hair shaved and my eyebrow purple, with a nice bruise surrounding my left eye. At this moment, I realized that I wasn’t just in an accident, I was affected by it. More and more doctors came in and more check-ups on my nerves and feelings took place, and another doctor removed the stitches on my head. When the time came for me to attempt walking again, a physical therapist had me walk a lap around the floor hallways and walk up a set of stairs, which was funny for others to watch because I looked like I was drunk. I had more freedom to move to different spots around my room and got my first glimpse at technology when my dad let me watch a show on his tablet.
On the third day, they did more of the same stuff. I did even more physical therapy and practiced my walking, and they finally let me try solid food and meet with an occupational therapist to fine-tune my movements. My best friend came in to see me again, and it was one of the best moments. She’d come to see me a couple of times before, but being fully conscious and awake for it this time was the best feeling ever. She and her mom gave me balloons and a bouquet of flowers from the night I missed walking for senior night. They talked to me for hours and even helped me take my first full shower. My neurologist came in to ask questions, and he was speechless when he saw me sitting in the recliner by the window. He asked his questions, and when he heard me answering, he was even more surprised. A different doctor came in and her reaction was the same. After multiple evaluations, I was sent home under careful observation after eight days of being at the hospital. I had a couple of follow-up appointments to watch my recovery and see how I’m doing. Before I was released, I finally asked my mom what happened and why I was there.
We were t-boned by a truck, and our car slid. The windshield was shattered and the front of the vehicle was demolished. The airbags had gone off, and Lindsay and Kenadee’s first instinct was to make sure everyone was okay. They saw me bleeding in the back, and both rushed to help. Lindsay climbed into the backseat to hold my head, as Kenadee shouted at the witnesses to help us. When a bystander took over holding my head, Lindsay called everyone she could, and my phone sent my emergency contacts a crash warning. When the emergency vehicles arrived, I was rushed to St. Luke’s to receive treatment. The others rode in an ambulance together to the hospital, with minor injuries. At the ER, I had multiple scans and was air-lifted to the University of Iowa Hospital to get better help. They discovered I had two lacerations on my head and face, a C1 Jefferson fracture, an occipital condyle fracture, a sphenoid sinus fracture, and two brain bleeds. They drilled into my skull and inserted a bolt to monitor my brain pressure which caused a third hemorrhage, and they had to put a breathing tube in all while keeping me medically sedated for five days. Although I was sedated, I was aggressive during this time and attempted to rip out some of the many IVs in my body. I was successful with one in my foot, but it had to get stitched up because of how bad it was. They ended up having to restrain me and put me in hand mitts to calm me down. My parents were told the best and worst-case scenarios of me waking up. The best was me being partially paralyzed with brain damage and speech issues. The worst was being dead. Despite this, I exceeded their expectations.
After being sent home, I was able to see Kenadee and Lindsay and walk around some stores to get some exposure. After two weeks, I returned to school, and life started to feel normal. I had to stay in my neck collar 24/7 and had physical therapy twice a week to help strengthen my arms and legs. After two months, I got the collar off and was able to start working on my neck strength and drive myself places again. I later found out that my wrist had been fractured in the accident, with possible ligament damage, but we won’t know until the fracture is healed.
This accident has helped me learn the value of life and the people around me. I also learned not to take anything for granted and to be kind to others because you never know what could happen. I missed so much, but I gained so much more.
