Taking Life HEAD ON

 May 22, 2014

This day will be forever etched in my mind...it was a close call. 

A reminder that life is so fragile and everyday is truly a gift.

Lord, never let me forget to cherish every day that I have breath.

 It was a Thursday afternoon and Erin and I were on our way to Amy's grandmother's funeral. We had gotten lost on Hwy 109 in Magazine and had just turned around to head back to Hwy 10. It was 1:50 and the funeral began at 2:00. We never made it.  We were travelling right at 55 MPH when a red Honda Civic, coming towards us, crossed into our lane. She was in our lane for what seemed like 20 seconds but it wasn't nearly that long. Erin was able to swerve into her lane to try to avoid a head on collision.  Just as we did, the driver of the Honda, Sheila Griffey, swerved back  into her lane, hitting us just about head on, just slightly off to the passenger side of Erin's Suburban. The airbags immediately deployed and we ran off the road on the opposite side, went down the shoulder, through a barbed wire fence, turned a 360* circle and finally stopped by hitting a tree, just to the driver's side of center.

 I remember thinking it was going to be bad but yet had a peace. I never really had the thought that we were going to die. I just thought that if we ever stopped, we would be okay. I bit my tongue upon impact with the car and it immediately started to swell. Even as we were spinning in the cow pasture, I remember telling Erin that I had bit my tongue. I know that seems so ridiculous that I was even mentioning it but my tongue was huge.  We didn't realize that airbags dispense a power that looks like smoke and kinda smells that way too. We were terrified and thought the vehicle was on fire.  We tried to get out fast but the doors wouldn't open.  We crawled to the backseat and were able to get out.  We quickly got away from the car. Erin immediately knew her arm was broken and was holding it. A huge swelling at her wrist had already formed.

 After figuring the car wasn't on fire, I crawled back in, through the deployed air bags and smoke, and got Erin's purse and phone. (That's what true friends are for! :0) ) We started to make our way through the pasture to the road. I held down the barbed wire that we had just gone through so that Erin could get through it. She was wearing a dress. Before we even hit the tree, OnStar was talking to us and asking if we needed help. They notified EMS, which was great because the cell service was very sketchy out there.

We notified our husbands. Darin wasn't answering my texts so I started calling. I sent the 911 text. He said the first thing I said was that we had been hit head on and I needed someone to go get the boys because I wasn't going to make it home in time.

 Poppy was started to head our way while Travis went to school to get their children. Mimi was on her way to work but ended up calling in and going the house to be there when our boys got home. They decided to not tell the little boys and to keep their nightly schedule of ballgames as planned. The big boys were pretty upset. The ambulance was there pretty quickly and started attending to Ms. Griffey. Evidently her leg was broken and possibly close to being severed. They had her on a stretcher for the ambulance but then decided to air lift her. Once they got her out (which took forever), they loaded us into the ambulance. It was so hot and we literally stood/sat in the middle of the road for 1.5 hours! It was 4:30 when we got to the hospital...Darin was there at 3:10. Poppy took a lot of the pictures at the scene for us.

 I felt like I had broken ribs on my left side. We knew that Erin had broken her arm and she was in so much pain. They started an IV with pain meds in the ambulance.  After we had been standing at the ambulance for about an hour, it hit us and we just started bawling. The first responder said it was completely normal. She said that your adrenaline kicks in at first and you are just in that fight or flight mode but then when it wears off, it hits you! On the ambulance ride, I would just start crying out of the blue. The EMT kept asking if it was because of the pain. I told him it was NOT, that I was just thankful. Just kept thinking about how bad the outcome could've been. I kept thinking about the 7 boys that could've been without their mamas that night.  Thankful to God.

 Erin's suburban, that she had had less than 6 weeks, ended up getting totaled.

It was a somber ride but of course, we needed a selfie for documentation purposes. :) 

 Our crew waiting at the hospital. 

 Once at the hospital, they cut my clothes off to get the monitors on more quickly.  Umm, this left nothing for me to wear home. Lonnie took the boys to the ballfield while Mimi took Daks to an orientation at UAFS. She came by the hospital and gave me her smock that she wears to work.

 My purple tongue! Ouch!

The clothes that were cut off...that was a brand new cami that I loved! 

 They took xrays and determined that nothing was broken but bruised internally. I was sore and hurting all over but thankful for no breaks. For over 4 weeks, every sneeze, hiccup or laugh made me feel like I might die.  I have a spot on my left knee that is still painful almost 6 weeks later, as does Erin. We don't remember hitting the dash, really weird! The pain is more bearable now and isn't constant but I haven't had a pain free day since the accident. I went to Dr. Scott Clark on the Monday following the accident.  I wasn't sure I was going to be able to stand an adjustment but I knew it would be the best thing for me.  He took xrays and said my spine was "towering" from the impact and my neck was out too. I am presently seeing him 3x per week for about 10-12 weeks.

 Snap chats during and following the accident. I sent the text on our group text so "our girls" new exactly what was going on.

 The next day, we all met at Erin's to "hash out" everything that had happened.  It was so good for the soul.  I love these girls with my whole heart and can't imagine doing life without them.

 Erin had surgery the Tuesday following the wreck. She had a plate and 8 pins placed in her wrist. It was her left hand and she is left handed so this made even the simplest tasks impossible. Evan helped to put her hair in a pony tail. Nonnie bathed her. She had to wear her glasses because she couldn't get her contacts in. 

 Friday, May 23~ Melissa Jones and Gracie brought us brownies and chocolate covered strawberries. So sweet and thoughtful! Lydia and Sean Whetstone brought us BBQ dinner one night. Jennifer Travis sent us Sonic gift cards.

 Amy and Sharon gave us survival kits with reading material and chocolate!

 Cherishing my cuddles with my guys tonight!

Biofreeze became my best friend.

It's been a long road and a painful one but we are so thankful. Erin got a pretty red Yukon XL that had belonged to nana. We are wading through the insurance and medical claims. Ms. Griffey produced an insurance card but she had not paid the premium since March. Erin's Uninsured Motorist coverage will kick in but it's so sad that it has to. Ms. Griffey got a ticket for driving left of center and DUI (drugs). The EMT and First Responders all knew her and mentioned that meth was likely involved. They said it was not her first wreck but it was the first one that was this bad.  My fear is that she will do it again and kill someone. Her license was suspended and she did not show up for her court date.