Happy 30th!

On December 21 of this year, the 30th anniversary of my car wreck occurred. I've been a little reflective this month, so I thought I would share a few thoughts.

I was six years old when I was hit by a drunk driver. I had just started first grade, just taken the training wheels off my bike, and was learning to water ski. My family was essentially hit by a one-in-a-million lightening strike. I was in the hospital during Christmas with a broken back, broken jaw, and a lovely case of pneumonia. I should have died.

My recovery felt like it took forever. I'll be perfectly honest, I was on heavy pain medication and I don't remember a lot. I know it sounds strange, but I'm so glad this happened when I was a child. Children adapt a lot easier than adults do and if I was destined to be a paraplegic, I'm grateful to have it happen as a child. I wasn't given a choice- I had to recover and get on with my life!

I was taking to my mother about this anniversary recently. I remarked that thinking about it made me feel very old. She said that it made her very sad and that she tries not to think about it. I guess I can understand that. Listen, I have my bad days, just like everyone else. Sure, what happened to me was awful and I wouldn't wish it on anyone or their children. But like I told my mom, I'm not the worse for it. I'm healthy, happy, and have a great life. I've made a good life for myself and I have nothing, absolutely nothing to complain about. I try my best to live every day with a grateful heart.

Here are a few pictures. The first is of me when the wreck happened with my occupational therapist. The next one is of me and my rehab team. (sorry for the bad quality, it was 1984-85)

 

 I am now 36 years old. Here are a few pictures of what I look like now:

What makes me smile:

Thanks for taking the time to read this! Like I said, I've been reflective lately and I wanted to take a moment to record my thoughts. Happy New Year, everyone!