A young college student… a distracted driver… and a warm Spring afternoon. Those are the ingredients to a life forever changed.
On an unseasonably hot May afternoon, I was heading home from my very first class at Morehead State University. I was a little late to the college game because I had taken a year off to attend basic training and AIT for the United States Army Reserve. Now I was ready for the next step in my life- a higher education. Little did I know that I was about to hit a major bump in the road that would take me down a detour from my carefully laid plans. As I headed east on Highway 60 in Morehead, Kentucky, I was consumed by the growl in my hollow stomach. It had been roaring at me for ten minutes, and the seven-layer burrito beside me was not helping matters at all. I think my stomach was actually protesting. Just five more minutes, and I could consume this culinary masterpiece. However, my stomach would have to wait because everything was about to change. As I glanced ahead, I noticed a silver car veering into my lane. Soon it was completely in my lane. I waited for the car to correct itself as many poor drivers did at the last minute, but I realized too late that this wasn’t going to happen. Everything went black. I vaguely remember the shattering of glass and the extreme pulling on my body as my car spun out of control. The next thing I remember I was sitting facing several mobile homes with the road nowhere in sight. “Help me!” I helplessly pleaded, but there was no one in sight. I tugged at my door, but it wouldn’t budge. After what seemed like hours, a man rushed to my door and calmly inquired, “Are you okay?” I was stunned, but I still replied, “Yes, just help me get out of this car.” He hesitated before he urged, “Hang on, I can hear the ambulance. They’ll be here in a minute.” “Please, I’m okay. I just need out of this car,” I insisted while tugging away at the stubborn door. My savior didn’t really save me. He just stood by. I could hear someone screaming, but I couldn’t bring myself to care at the moment. A short while later the ambulance did arrive. I learned that my stubborn door was actually blocked by my crushed front fender. The fire department ended up using the Jaws of Life to remove my inoperable door so that the paramedics could remove me from my totaled car. With the first tug on my body, I blacked out. I woke up later in the ambulance on my way to the St. Claire Medical Center. A short assessment of my injuries in the emergency room led to a flight to the UK medical center where I under went three surgeries to put my battered and broken body back together. It has been nearly two decades since that fateful trip home. I still remember the spinning; I still remember the kind stranger; I still remember the helpful paramedics. I still remember the wasted seven-layer burrito. Fortunately, the pain has faded. Now I am left with the scars that have become a part of me. I could complain for the time that I lost in the hospital or the daily aches from my repaired bones, but I would rather focus on the strength that I found inside myself that led to my recovery. God was watching out for me that day, and for this, I will be forever grateful.
0 Comments
|
AuthorSheina Kegley is a fifth grade language arts teacher from Kentucky. ArchivesCategories |