I don't know where to start..Since my last post, our family has suffered 2 near fatal vehicle accidents..I say fatal, because if not by the grace of God, both accidents could of turned out far worse. The beginning of June, my husband and I had picked up his motorcycle from the shop, after receiving 2 new tires..It was a gorgeous, sunny day and we were on our way home, with me following behind him in the car..We live in the country, so we were taking a nice, untraveled road back home..I saw the lady standing in the yard with her large black dog jumping around her and started saying outloud, "Lady, please get a hold of your dog" over and over again. At the exact moment, the dog bolted and ran straight for my husband. I didn't panic at that time, as most dogs just run beside a bike or car and just bark and nip..This dog however, ran straight in front of the bike, sending the bike up and over the dog, with the bike going sideways in one direction and my husband up and over the bike in the opposite direction..rolling and tumbling on the asphalt into a ditch..I was terrified as I stopped the car and ran to him, as he was not moving as he lye in the ditch, but so relieved as I got to him that he was moving..Long story short, he suffered a dislocated shoulder, deep cuts and abrasions, road rash, and a broken toe..the bike was totalled and the dog died..The lady kept telling us that she was sorry and that they could never get their dog stopped from chasing cars and motorcycles..My question, to this day, if they knew this and heard and saw us coming, why in the world didn't she just reach down and grab her dog or have it on a leash..note to homeowners, even in the country, there are laws of keeping your animals, even in the country, confined with a leash or fence..Now with all this being said, I do believe that 'everything happens for a reason'..Which will now bring me to last Friday night, July 17th..We got a call from my daughter's boyfriends mother around 9 pm..My daughter, Ashley, had flipped her SUV on an exit ramp and was ejected into the air and had landed on her back and could not feel her legs and was rushed to the trauma hospital in Indianapolis..A parents worse night mare, we rushed to the hospital with our son and daughter-in-law to find that yes she was alive, and awake, but that her back was broke and her spinal cord severly damaged..and no, she could feel nothing from her waist down..The rest of that night and several days later are such a blur of emotions and xrays and drs. reports, ect...We held on to the fact that she was alive and had not been taken from us..After 8 days of being at the hospital constantly and sleeping in our car, she has had back surgery, fought off the threats of pnuemonia, is sitting in a chair for short periods of time, and has some tingling in both legs, starting at her thighs and going down to her toes..The specialists say that could be nothing or something and that we would have to wait and see..They have said from the beginning that her odds of walking again are very slim, but we all hold out for the possibility of one day and treasure each and every little blessing we receive each day..
My daughter, Ashley, is and always has been a Strong-Willed girl..since the age of 9, she has showed us that she will get things done, one way or another, whether we like it or not..Today, I am thankful for her determination and her spirit..She has asked several times, during the accident, 'why did this have to happen now', or 'I don't want to live my life in a wheelchair', but quickly gets over that to looking to the future and looking at wheelchairs online (pink, of course, with black trim) or looking into modifying a car to be able to drive again..We all just take it one day at a time and she charges ahead to the future and the best way to get there..She has so many wonderful friends and family support that have been by herside, around the clock, to help her physically, emotionally, and spiritually..
Now, to get back to 'everything happens for a reason'..Because my husband lost his job last year, and I had to go back to work full-time, his days will be free to help with our daughter when she gets out of rehab..We have the extra money in our account due to the motorcyle being totalled, it allowed us to have the money for the long trips back and forth to the hospital every day, and for me to be able to take time off of work, and for the things she may need when she leaves rehab.
We are not at the point yet that we 'know the reason' for this to happen to our daughter, but that will come when it's suppose to..For now, we are thankful that there was a nurse following Ashley that day and was first on the scene to help her..We are thankful that the first policeman on the scene was a family friend and was there to comfort her and take control. We are thankful that she was NOT wearing her seatbelt, in this instance, because if she had been, she would of been killed..because the top of the SUV on the drivers side was totally crushed down..We are thankful for the driver's side door coming open allowing her to eject from the vehicle instead of being trapped inside..We are thankful and grateful to one of her close friends, who went back to the crash site to look for her glasses and found them setting upon some tall grass..just setting there, unharmed and unbroken....one of those little blessings..We take one day at a time and know in our hearts and our souls that everything will be fine and every day will get better..We don't try to harness Ashley from looking to the future and getting things done, because that has always been 'her way' and for her, its the best way for her to get things done and get over the herdles that come into her life...I wish that we could all have that 'gift'...Blessing to you all...