The beginning!
I was born and raised in Rochester NY by a loving and devoted family. I have always had a deep passion for life, even the little things.I was friends with everyone and anyone, cheerleader and child care counselor at the ymca! I wanted to get into the world of medical somewhat without the blood so i went to school to be a massage therapist! I moved to my dream place in March of 2004 to Ft Lauderdale, FL. Here I started my new life! Becoming a Massage therapist and meeting some amazing friends! My life was “normal” and exciting! I finally felt like i was building my bridge to my very awesome future!
On June 4th 2007 I started the day as any other. I got ready for work, the sun was shining as always in sunny south Florida. I left my home and headed to work. Someone that morning changed my entire life forever. I was going Northbound on Powerline Rd South of Cypress Creek when for some unknown reason, a man heading Southbound in a Windstar Van lost control. He jumped the median, struck a small tree, landed in the center lane where we collided. It Happened so fast that there were no break marks on the road so I must of not been able to react. I do not know what happened and I have no memory of that day and most likely will no.
I was pinned in my car between the engine and the steering wheel. The seats in my car broke loose right off the floor and my seat belt broke as well. Thank God to the quick response of Fire Rescue they were able to get me out and I was air lifted to North Broward Medical Center.
I really wasn’t given any chance at life. Wes was told that I only had a 1% chance. They let him in the trauma room before I went into emergency surgery and he told me that He really loved me and kissed me for the last time “goodbye!”. From what he told me it looked like a scene from a horror movie.
That Emergency Surgery wasn’t easy. I was losing blood faster than they could supply me with. My injuries were extremely serve that they didn’t touch any of my 20 something broken bones for 2 weeks. They couldn’t stabilize me at all. My spleen was ruptured and gushing, my liver was bleeding for all over. They removed my spleen and packed my liver. They weren’t even able to close up my stomach from all the trauma and swelling.
My main Trauma Doctor came out and spoke to Wes about how much worse things were. He wanted to make sure with him that my mom was on her way and that they would do whatever it took to keep my heart beating until she got there to say goodbye.
My injuries: Lacerated Liver, Spleen was removed, Severe blood loss, Complete Kidney failure, Open fractures of my left forearm, both ankles, tibias. My left heal was completed severed and detached, Achilles tendon also completely served off. Fractures to numerous ribs, 3 pelvic fractures, over 10 bones in my left foot and ankle, Sacrum and L5 vertebra, Black and Blue from my shoulders to my toes, cuts and deep gashes all over.
I was completely drugged up and might have been in a small comma but I was medically induced as well. That day my Lungs filled with blood and other fluids where they placed chest tubes in my lungs to pull out the fluids that was making it almost impossible for the ventilator to breath for me. My skin blistered and I blew up to over 265 lbs. which made my skin as hard as a plastic doll. The only thing that was recognizable to Wes, my Mom and friend Dan was my nose. Even the name on my bracelet had the wrong name. The great SICU staff was very grim about the outcome of my injuries. They told everyone that they have never had someone with this many injuries make it through the night. They made it clear that a miracle was needed. I was not able to move, feel, touch, smell or even breath on my own.
The next morning when my mom and my Best Friend Dan came into the room after shift change they were talking to me and were trying to get a response. Out of no where I shocked them! I nodded and was able to communicate by nodding yes and no to their questions. This was the first and only time when anyone expected me to make it.
For the next 6-10 days they keep a close eye on me and continued to change and add new medicine. I was in the O.R. every other day for a “wash-out” of my stomach, legs and arm. I moved my right arm about an inch on about day 8 and everyone was amazed that I was here!
For the next 3-4 weeks I was still not awake. I was on a constant supply of new blood products for the first 5 days and slowly came down to only a few bags of blood and plasma and platelets per day. My liver function was so poor that I became Jaundice, my skin was very yellow. This alone is a life ending illness. To everyone around me it was only one of the many things that could have ended my life. I had been getting Dialysis everyday from day 6 and it didn’t end for over 6 weeks.
When they started to wake me up I was able to open my eyes once the swelling had come down. I couldn’t move my arm up about 5-6 inches and then it would fall limp and I would fall back to sleep from all that activity. When i finally came to my senses I remember seeing Wes and he was smiling but crying and very softly telling me that i was in a bad car accident and not to touch anything…because i unconsciencly kept trying to pull out my tubes when they started to wake me up…and then he began to very carefully explain to me that I had lost my leg…..I remember shedding a couple gentle tears and mouthing to wes that it was ok…i am just thankful that im alive…and then the hard times and constant pain began…
im gonna take a brake for now and i will continue and hopefully finish tomorrow!
