Who is Nicole Perez?
I'm Nicole Perez, and I am 24 years old, currently studying Music Education as an opera singer. I love going to the beach, taking road trips, and spending time with my friends. I also love cooking, eating, art, animals, reading, and writing.
My dad is from Puerto Rico and my mom is from Chile. I was born in PR, lived there for 10 years, and then moved to Chile for another 9 years. We returned to PR in 2012.
The Accident That Changed My Life Forever
When I was 14 years old living in Chile, I had an accident that changed my life forever. I was on my way home from school waiting at an intersection for the light to turn green when two cars collided. One of them came up onto the sidewalk running me over. I flew into the sky, lost my leg, and landed in the grass.
I never lost consciousness. I watched myself hopelessly as I rapidly lost blood. Losing so much blood left me very cold. I told the people surrounding me to call my parents and to grab my leg so the doctors could sew it back on. I lost so much blood that I almost died. I arrived at the hospital at vital risk. The Doctor said to me "If you lost blood for 5 more minutes then this would've been a different scenario."
Making New Memories, Living Fully and Happy.
The doctors opted for skin grafts in order to save my knee. After 13 surgeries they achieved it! They gave me a 9-month recovery period. Since I was a stubborn teenager, I managed to reduce it to 3.5 months with the support from all my family and friends. I am so blessed to have them in my life. They hold me accountable so I do not fall. And when I do fall, they help pick me up.
There have been many ups and downs in my life since the accident. Life has not been easy, but it's not impossible because I live life to the fullest. I'm always making new memories. I was given an opportunity to live a new life, a different kind of life. I had to adapt my lifestyle, but I'm resilient. My message to anyone going through a rough time is to be strong because fighting for your life is always worth it.
