Seconds That Change

      What I thought would be a pleasant holiday excursion turned into my worst nightmare. I have limited memories of what actually happened.  The first memory I had was breastfeeding Ava, my eighteen month old, at the airport. Happy times I felt so blessed. The next was me waking up in restraints and not knowing why I was restrained or even where I was. Further reinforcing that it only takes seconds to change. A vivid memory I had was actually trying to steal the key that unlocks the restraints so I could get out of there. But wait I didn't even know where I was or how I got there. Then the next memory I had was being in an ambulance. I didn't know at the time but I was being transferred from the primary hospital to a rehabilitation hospital. Wait what happened?  What day is this? Now my brain was finally piecing events together.  I was in an airplane accident with my husband and two brother in laws on December 28, 2011. The seat I was in if your are standing looking at the front plane I was on the left front,  the twisted seat pictured above. My days used to be filled with my wonderful toddler and now were filled with pain, confusion and therapy.
I was blessed to have a family that dropped everything to take care of me and my family.  I didn't know at the time but my mom never left my bedside.  She would even wait to take showers until another family member got there so I would never be left alone.  My sister Sandi, a RN would go through my medical status everyday and keep a watchful eye on the hospital staff and be the communicator to the family for all of my progress or setbacks.  My sister Jeanne quit her job to care for my daughter full time.
I looked forward to the days where I was told my daughter would be visiting pushing through the pain and confusion just to get a glimpse of that beautiful face. They told me I could be in rehab for up to a year but with my hard work and dedication I was able to be released in just two short weeks. The therapists said that their fastest recovering patients are those with small children.  I definitely wanted to be home with my daughter. Then reality set in when I realized the difficulty I still had in store for me.  At this point my arm and pelvis were still healing so just walking to the corner of the street and/or picking up Ava was pretty much out of the question.  I had to use a walker, wheelchair and handicapped accessible bathroom items. Oh but I wasn't going to give up and even if I wanted to my sister wouldn't let me. We did physical therapy almost everyday so I could once again hold my daughter in my arms.
I thought planes were safe but never researched the difference between commercial planes and small personal ones like the one I would be on. In 2004 there were 2,339 plane accidents and of that only 39 were commercial. In small plane crashes 85% is pilot error vs commercial which is just under 40%. I had an angel on my shoulder or actually should I say gliding the plane to where we crashed.  It was in an ER doctor's backyard right in between trees and a barn.  The first miracle was the plane didn't veer 10 feet in either direction or I wouldn't be here today. The next miracle was truly unbelievable in that the ER doctor was home that day and saw the crash and sprinted into action to save my life.  He left his young family at the door and rushed to a burning plane just to see if he could help.  The third miracle yes I don't know why I was blessed to have a third miracle but the Careflight Crew for Miami Valley Hospital are stationed at the Warren County Airport which was the area where we crashed and I was in route and at the Hospital within nine minutes of the accident.  Due to all of these miracles is why I am here today and sharing my story with others.
      After weeks in the hospital, months in therapy and even more months with fatigue, headaches and depression  I've learned how things can change from tragedy to a beautiful life. In future posts me and my sister want to talk about the tips and tricks that can help you, not just those with a brain injury or someone that has been in an accident but also just people who want to have a meaningful positive life. Every day hold every moment, every second precious.