Unexpected Event

Unexpected Event

It feels as if it was yesterday. My boyfriend, at the time, and I went to lunch. He took me to meet his grandmother. We approached an intersection. My boyfriend thought it was a 4-way stop, but it was only a 2-way stop. I remember seeing a glare.

Another car hit the passenger door, where I was sitting. My boyfriend and I knocked heads. He was knocked out for a few minutes. The first responders that responded to the accident, tried to rip the door off, to get it off my foot . When that didn't work, they went to plan B. They removed the roof. They laid me on the stretcher. The sun was in my eyes.

I heard the EMT say, “Kelly. Keep your eyes open.” This was very hard to do. I had seat belt marks on my face. They called my parents and told them I pretty banged up. Nothing could prepare them for what happened next.

As I arrived at the hospital, I told my mom, “My arm hurts.” As time went they told my mom I was going to be airlifted. My mom asked, “Could I go with her?” They said,”We usually don't allow that, but in this case, we will because she may not make it.”I had broken my hip, pelvis, arm, clavicle and had a ruptured bladder.

Since I have a big family, my brother and sister came home. They thought I was going to die. They called my dad. I was hurt so bad, my dad had to pull over when they explained I was hurt very badly. He couldn't talk without crying. They put me on a breathing machine. They tried to take me off the breathing machine my first night. Then, when nobody was looking, I pulled it out myself.

I wanted to know were my mom was. I had been in surgery for nine hours . After two weeks of being in the hospital, they were letting me go home. They told my parents I wouldn’t walk again.I went home in a wheelchair. I had to use a commode to go to the bathroom. I, then, went to a walker after some therapy. Boy, were they wrong! I am walking and running normally. This happened 18 yrs ago and I am walking.

After some time passed, I developed adhesions from scar tissue. I had a piece of my bowel and appendix removed. The adhesions were like leather around my bowel and never opened. They removed the adhesions. This caused me to miss my brother's wedding. My parents had gone out of town, but came home later the same night, to see me. This changed my plans and my life.

I have metal in my hip and arm. I have 36 screws, and two plates in my hip, and 13 screws ,and one plate in my arm, a bone graft, and a new ulna from the bone bank. I have no limitations but I see the hip doctor every year to check and follow up. It's always a good appointment. I’m not

as strong as I could be . I watch my weight so I don't overpower the metal. I live and own a farm. It makes me feel alive.

I feed the chickens and collect eggs, feed the bunnies, cows, and goats. One of our cows had a baby so we are not getting milk. So we don't have much to sell. Just eggs. I work the stand. I'm happy around people and sell eggs and possibly some vegetables and fruit. Healthy for the community. I get reminded of that day because of the stories of how swollen. I heard I was really funny. Played jeopardy with the medicine button. As bad as things and life was, that's how good it has become now.

By Kelly Vedder