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The Accident

That Saved Her Life

By Kristi O'NeillPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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The first thing I remembered seeing was her own reflection; a bruised and weary face from the car accident I had been in days ago. The bruises were deep and dark the pain seemed to be endless but the doctors were confident that she would recover in time. I had been in a coma for five days and was ready to go home now so only time would tell but time was all I had now. Why wasn’t my husband there to take her home? Why had he not been to the hospital? My mom couldn’t answer my questions but was very angry because he’d already used my bank account without permission.

My parents tried to be supportive and thought I would get better care at home with them but that meant moving an hour away from my current home and job; my main concern was unrooting my daughter in the middle of a school year. Maybe they were right after what my husband has done and the way he has treated me. I didn’t know what to do anymore.

Why did I live? There had to be a reason. Not just because I had a young child to take care of but a bigger reason a purpose. I was determined to figure it out but first I had to completely recover which the doctors were concerned might not happen. The neurologist told me I might never walk without assistance again but I knew down deep in my soul that would not be my fate. I had a small child to raise and walking behind a walker wasn’t the way to get it done.

I kept thinking about everything that took place the week before the accident and knew that there had to be a higher power that saved me that night. My relationship with my husband had been failing for a while and the entire week before I had been preparing to leave him. The true wake up call for me was that I had just made to change to my life insurance the day of the accident but I lived. My husband proved to be a huge disappointment; he refused to take care of me, so we separated and eventually divorced. Which left me with one option and that was to move in with my parents.

After the move I finally got settled into a routine and was able to work more on my recovery. I was determined to build up my strength and learn to walk without the walker. I walked everyday on a treadmill for an hour building my speed and stamina and when I went for my next check up the doctor was completely surprised and said the walker was no longer needed. As far as the skull fracture and other damage caused by the head trauma, I would have to learn to live with some of the effects for the rest of my life but others would go away in time. I tried to stay positive and did daily exercises to keep her brain working and strong as well as the walking.

Sixteen years later, I, am doing well and am living a productive life as a part time photographer. I enjoy spending time with my family and doing crafts. I still have some issues from the accident like chronic vertigo, migraines and neck pain; all of these things are manageable for now as long as I pay attention to my body and get enough rest. I still think about that night and try to put the pieces together but the only answer I can come to is that God was watching over me. I am truly lucky to be alive and try to live everyday to the fullest.

humanity
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About the Creator

Kristi O'Neill

I'm a wife, daughter and mother of three beautiful ladies. I live just outside of Atlanta and work as a photographer while taking care of my mom.

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