You Only Live Once
I was 27 living in Las Vegas a mother of two children. My daughter was seven and my son was three. I went out to the club with a friend, Krishunda. As we were waiting for our car in valet, we heard two women coming from out of the casino to the valet arguing with each other. The valet attendant gave one of them her keys and she proceeded to leave. This same woman ended up turning around and proceeded to drive her car in the direction of the woman she was arguing with and ended up hitting me instead. It caused me to hit her windshield and fly 5 feet into the cement wall, then bounce back and land on the ground hitting my head. I woke up 3 days later in the ICU. I learned I had extensive damage to my spinal cord, rendering me a quadriplegic. After 16 months of hospitalization and rehabilitation, I was allowed to go home. I fought deadly bedsores, illnesses, infections, infusions, surgeries, a tracheotomy. And learning to be a mother again. I learned who my friends were, and who I could count on the most. My children also learned to cope with my disabilities. I was only given 3 years to live, but I’m still here, surprising not just myself, but my doctors and family as well. I will continue to do what I can to survive as long as I can. Not just for my children, but for myself. I have not let this disability define who I am or allow me to wallow in self-pity. I can only thank god for my time here on earth, and what it has taught me and allowed me to be. I strive to be the best mother, friend, daughter, employee, and human I can be.
