Trauma Patient to Trauma Nurse
So 10 years ago I was working as a firefighter and being an entrepreneur. I was engaged at the time to my best friend Janette, who was a ER RN. She loved her job so much that she worked at 2 different ERs. Life was great we just bought a big house and we were planning our wedding. One day we were watching the SD Charger Vs Raider NFL game in San Diego. After the game we walked across the street and were hit by a car traveling approximately 50 mph. We both became trauma patients. I don’t remember too much but long story short I survived and she passed away on scene from her injuries. I personally suffered TBI, Lacerated Liver, lots of internal bleeding, PTSD, Anxiety, Depression and a lifetime of chronic pain. After the accident I couldn’t work and I was in the process of losing everything. My house was getting foreclosed on, our cars were getting repossessed and most of all I was depressed because I just lost my best friend. Nothing mattered anymore. A close friend who was a social worker came up to me and told me, if I was to survive and over come the effects of depression, I should do something that she would be proud of and at the same time she would forever be remembered. So I wanted to pay my respects to her by getting her bachelors degree in nursing for her. She only had an associates degree in nursing and always wanted to go back to school. I applied to one school with the odds against me were slim of getting in because of the wait lists to get into a nursing program. I got in and was failing because I didn’t know I had problems reading because of my TBI. People really didn’t think I should have gone back to school. Instructors were telling me to quit and reapply to the program saying I have a disability so I can have more time taking tests. I was stubborn and did not listen to anyone. I continued with the program and eventually passed the program and obtained my degree for her. I sacrificed the risk of losing my home by not paying a mortgage for six years just to make sure I was focused on getting my BSN, I was homeless for a year living out of my car while working at 2 different hospitals to save enough money to negotiate a term with the banks to save our house. Today I work as a trauma nurse in the emergency department in 2 different hospitals. I saved my house and obtained our goals in receiving Janette’s degree and my goal in getting her degree for her. My RN license number randomly was chosen and it was the last day of my nursing program and her birth date. I could never forget my or should I say our license number. Becoming a nurse saved my life and I continue to save others everyday I work in return for the opportunity to have a second chance in life. Almost 10 years ago I had no future and nearly gave up on life. My last goal was to write a book about my trauma. Which I was able to do and is on Amazon. The book was hard and took a long time to write. It was a way of closing the chapter in my life and start a new. I will never forget what happened but sharing my story in a book has influences others to continue on living despite the handicaps we have. Thanks for reading and letting me share my story.
