tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-71744024499332329132024-03-08T01:38:53.113-08:00It Can HappenSuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-59396974085303123022009-10-24T05:07:00.000-07:002011-04-14T18:04:57.323-07:00Is There A Doctor In The House?<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3366FF;">I've been kinda lazy when it comes to writing on my blog. The holiday's are coming which adds lots of stress as I know it does with everyone. Christmas has become way too commercial</span><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Years ago I met Ralph Wakefield who runs our local theater group. I got involved with Pelican Playhouse and began doing plays with them. Come to find out, Ralph won an emmy years ago writing for All My Children. I've done several productions with them and have had so much fun. They're tearing down the old theater and are building a new one. The construction should be completed by Feb. and Ralph is planning on doing a new play in March called, "Is There A Doctor in the House?" I auditioned and got the part of Mrs. Cornstarch. It should pretty fun.</div><div><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-34020235914809472152009-10-13T08:16:00.000-07:002011-04-04T18:08:12.427-07:00Where Do I Go From Here?<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"> </span></span>I started writing down some thoughts I had & when I re-read them, they were pretty good, if I do say so myself. I turned these into a book which I think I'll call, 'It Can Happen' after that Yes song of the same name. The chorus goes, 'It can happen to you; it can happen to me; it can happen to everyone eventually'. I thought for sure people would read this, fall in love with it and want to publish it but I've had no offers. It's been sitting in a box for years. I kinda gave up the idea of ever becoming an author.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>About two years ago I told a friend that I'd written a book. I only had one copy left that was written years before on an old computer but she helped me update it and with her help, I got inspired to finish it. I finally completed it but didn't have a clue how to go about finding a publisher. I e-mailed my predicament to Carrie's sister-in-law, who suggested turning it into a blog. That sounded like a great idea to me but I didn't have a clue how to go about doing this.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I kinda think God's got his hand in this because things couldn't have worked out more perfectly. My neighbor's daughter just graduated college and was home for the summer before leaving to get her masters. Cristy came over and showed me how to make a blog. We deleted a big portion of the book and put a chapter a week in. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#3333FF;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I'm left with a big problem because my book only had twenty-three chapters in it and I've published 'em all so what do I talk about now? I will tell you that I just got back from Guanica, Peurto Rico on Monday. I went with my sister and her family. We had the best time. When we landed my niece and I were looking out the window and I asked her where the plane that was sitting next to us was going. The three year old looked at me so seriously and said, "Biscayne Bay". Are you cracking up? Where would a three year old come up with that??? The resort where we stayed was called Copamarina. It was a 2.5 hour drive southwest of San Juan. Am upset tho because I didn't take my camera with me; I could have posted a picture on this blog. We had so much fun. We went snorkeling, swimming, sightseeing...it was beautiful!</span></span></div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-2242514921242908482009-06-26T05:14:00.000-07:002009-08-04T18:44:45.424-07:00Introduction<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The doctor, who delivered me, said I had the worst temper of any child he had ever brought into this world.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">All I can say is thank God for that.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My name is Susan.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was born in Miami on June 6</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">, 1964.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I am the middle child of three sisters.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I enjoy having a good time and have always had a good sense of humor.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I am a supreme optimist.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I lived in Miami until I was nine years old.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We then moved to Chicago where we remained until I was eighteen.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There I made many dear life long friends.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I got into the normal amount of trouble that every average American teenager gets into: staying out past curfew, grades not good enough for the parents, ditching classes, etc..</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was never a bad kid except when I got caught.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Like the time I egged our pastor’s house.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>When I was eighteen I graduated from high school.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My parents moved back to Miami and I was more than ready to begin a new chapter of my life.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I decided that I would accomplish this by attending a University.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My aunt told me that I should come to Oklahoma and look at the college where she taught classes.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I did and found the people to be very nice.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Fortunately or unfortunately they accepted me at St. Valentine's Day University.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I became very involved in school and was in student government, Freshman Follies (a talent show) and a lip sync contest.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I have <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';">always loved being around people and always will.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I asked my college roommate, Samantha, to describe me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She said, “Everyone knew Sue.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She was a friend with everybody from bible beaters to rebellious troublemakers.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She had no enemies.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She was a dorm counselor for anyone and everyone who needed an ear but she never poured out her own problems.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Most of the time she was in an up mood and usually cracked jokes and laughed.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She loved music.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The radio was almost always turned up.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She didn’t really like to go to class and would rather be out having fun talking to friends.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She was not serious very often.”</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">None of these things mattered on September 18, 1983.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">On this day, without my consent without my knowledge and with an impact so sudden that I had no time to make any preparation, Frank N. Stein drastically and forever changed my life.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-4219417922240069832009-06-23T07:47:00.000-07:002009-07-23T08:59:31.964-07:00Chapter 1<span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I don’t have any recollection as to what happened September eighteenth but Samantha was there and remembers the incident so I will let her describe what happened on that horrible night.</span></span></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span>“Ryan and Keith picked us up at our dorm room and took us to a nightclub.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We waited there for Jim, a friend of mine to arrive.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We stayed there for approximately two hours.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Afterwards we went back to Jim’s dorm to listen to records and sit outside on the swings.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This took about half an hour.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We were supposed to be taken home by Ryan and Keith, Jim’s friends.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But Ryan’s car was out of gas.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We then had to ask Jim if he would drive us home.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Jim drove and Ryan decided to come along for the ride.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Going down the highway Sue fell asleep and the rest of were just talking and listening to the radio.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Then I saw headlights in front of us and screamed out, “OH MY…” and we were hit.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I felt the car seat crash into my legs.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span>We were in the eastbound lane and Frank N. Stein after having one too many drinks was in the eastbound lane going in the wrong direction.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We were hit head on with each car traveling at speeds over 60 MPH.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Samantha</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> later told me, “I remember screaming for help.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I saw no one else in the car.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I told the paramedics.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You have to get my friend out.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They found Sue crumpled underneath the dashboard and thought she was dead.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Then they heard her moan so they put her and me into the first ambulance.”</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family:Georgia;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span>When I awoke I was told that Samantha broke one leg crushed her other one and fractured her right arm.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Ryan broke his back but fortunately did not sever his spine.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Jim was killed instantly.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Samantha went on to say, “In the emergency room I remember being wheeled in on a stretcher and looking around.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At first I saw Sue on the bed next to me with an oxygen mask over her face.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">That’s all that I saw.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Later, I remember seeing Sue again she had nothing covering her chest and I thought, ‘Sue would be really embarrassed’.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Then they put shock things on her chest and I remember thinking, 'Sue is in really bad shape'.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I never thought she was dead or would die although everyone else did.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Later on the stretcher to my left was a guy with a blue shirt on.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He was really big and would not cooperate.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He was cursing and fighting.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I learned that it was Frank N. Stein, the guy who hit us.”</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><a href="http://www.airport-technology.com/projects/will-rogers/images/5-will-rogers-airport.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 303px" alt="" src="http://www.airport-technology.com/projects/will-rogers/images/5-will-rogers-airport.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The tiny hospital did not have the necessary equipment to treat a patient such as myself.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At 4:30 AM the Chaplin called my family in Florida.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He told my dad what had happened and that I would probably not make it to the bigger hospital.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My father calmly handed the telephone to my mother and proceeded to faint.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My mother asked the Chaplin if there were others in the car with me.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">After he responded affirmatively my mother was told how they were.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Some were better and some were worse than my present state.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My mother then told him to call my aunt because her son-n-law, Jeff was an orthopedic surgeon at the bigger hospital and would be able to get the best neurosurgeon for me.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My parents frantically packed told my sister’s about the accident and caught the earliest available flight.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They did all of this with robot-like actions making it to the airport on time to catch an early morning flight.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, fantasy;color:#000000;"> </span></span>Meanwhile, Jeff and his wife Dawn were in the hospital waiting for me.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When I arrived they wheeled me into the emergency room right in front of cousin, Dawn.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> She</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> didn’t recognize me.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was bleeding everywhere and my head was ripped open and swollen to at least three times its normal size. </span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Jeff went into the emergency room when he realized it was me they had wheeled in.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When he came out later all he could do was shake his head no.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>My parent’s plane was scheduled to stop in Dallas, Texas at about 10:30 AM for a short layover.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My mom had to make the hardest phone call of her life.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She called the hospital to see if I was still alive.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She got the good news that I was still hanging on to life.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At 12:30 PM my parents arrived at the hospital and found my grandfather crying and my grandmother silently shaking her head.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They were then permitted to go see me.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What they found wiped out any hope they were holding onto.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They learned that I suffered five cracked ribs, a broken left wrist, two pelvic fractures, a crushed jaw, three skull fractures, cuts everywhere and most significantly a brain stem injury.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>My head was shaved so the doctor’s could get out all of the glass.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My neurosurgeon, took my parents aside and told them on a scale from 0-10, 0 being perfectly healthy and 10 being D.O.A, she’s a good 8.5.</span></span></span></span></span></span><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-44867550777592381502009-06-22T08:15:00.000-07:002009-07-23T08:58:22.834-07:00Chapter 2<a href="http://atssportsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/oklahoma.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 416px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px" alt="" src="http://atssportsblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/oklahoma.jpg" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><h1 style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;">B</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;">y early afternoon the doctor’s didn’t think I would be alive much longer.</span></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;">They told my parents to have my sister’s come to Oklahoma as soon as possible.</span></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;">Kathy, my older sister, and Carrie the youngest, caught the next plane out.</span></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;">Carrie walked in,</span></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;">saw me and threw up.</span></span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'Lucida Grande';font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:16px;">Kathy walked in and said “Sue, you’ll do anything to get out of school”.</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></h1><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><h1 style="MARGIN-LEFT: 1in; TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></h1><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I was on a respirator, which had an orange light on it that would turn on every time I took a breath.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My mother walked in and saw no light on.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She walked over to me and screamed, “SUSAN THIS IS MOM!</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">YOU BREATHE RIGHT NOW”!</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At that instant I gasped and took a breath.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">No one can ever tell me that a person in a coma can't hear because I'm living proof they can.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The intensive care unit nurses told my<b> </b>mom that they had never extracted as much glass out of any other accident victim as they did with me.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The good Lord was still with me because I was still alive after two days.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The doctor’s decided that it was time to take me off of the respirator so they cut a hole in my throat and stuck a tube down it.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This tube was hooked up to a respirator for breath support.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The doctor’s informed my parents that we had to take it one day at a time and with each day came new problems.</span></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>A few nights later, the nurses from ICU ran into the lobby and told my mother that they were coding me.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Coding simply meant that I was dying.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I had no heart beat and my blood pressure had plunged into the basement.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My doctor was never in the hospital this late at night but he happened to walk in that night.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He placed the paddles on my heart and got my heart beating again.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My heart failed at least four other times.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">After this scare I contracted a deadly bacteria invasion of the body, which nearly killed me.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He did not have time to find out what was causing this crisis.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">So he gave me a certain number of shots in an attempt to keep me alive.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He then told my mom, “ we loaded all of the guns but we won’t know for 72 hours if we got it. “ Thank goodness one of those shots was the right one.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They later found out that the infection was “sepsis” or toxic shock syndrome.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I finally got out of ICU after 3.5 weeks and was given a private nurse .</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One day she walked in and saw that I was having a great deal of trouble breathing.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Many doctor’s and interns tried to find out what was wrong with me.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But everyone was extremely puzzled.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At the last minute my doctor happened to walk in and he took one look at me and screamed out “IT’S A BLOOD CLOT!</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ICU STAT!”</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He ran with me in my own bed to ICU while some of the nurses carrying the IV bags.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When they got to the elevator he yelled out, “IS SHE BREATHING? NURSE, TELL ME I SHE STILL BREATHING?”</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My mother was standing down the hall thinking, “Oh God nurses answer him. Is she breathing?”</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Because of the doctors quick response to yet another crisis my life was saved once again.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The doctor’s evaluated my brainwaves with an EEG, which indicated it’s functioning normally.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The big question was, “why is this girl still in a coma”?</span></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>The doctor</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">decided that fluid must have built up in my brain so he took care of this by shaving my head and making two incisions to let the fluid drain.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There was more fluid then he had expected but he was able to drain it all.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Because this pressure was relieved he told my parents I should be waking up soon.</span></span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-size:+0;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>By this time Samantha was discharged from the hospital and was allowed to come see me.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I asked her to tell me about the visit and she said, “It was November before I got a chance to see Sue after the wreck.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She did not look like the Sue I had known.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Her head was shaved and her mouth was wired and misshapen.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She could not hold her head up and could only make noises.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She got excited when she saw me but I don’t know if she really knew who I was.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When talking to her I didn’t know if she understood what I said but she did hear me.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She kept looking away.</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At one point she was crying.”</span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="COLOR: rgb(102,0,204)"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-42401191068369457392009-06-21T10:17:00.000-07:002009-07-16T08:37:13.361-07:00Chapter 3<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It was extremely difficult for my family to be confronted with such a severe crisis when their home was in Florida.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My father and Kathy had to work so they were only able to come to Oklahoma on weekends.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My younger sister, Carrie, had to attend school in Oklahoma and live with my grandparents as mom chose to remain with Jeff and Dawn so she could be near the hospital.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My father, who is a pilot, had the solution to the problem; fly up and bring me back home.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My dad brought a doctor from Miami and to Oklahoma and rented a sky bed so that he could fly me home.<a href="http://www.florida-map.org/miami-636.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 636px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 423px" alt="" src="http://www.florida-map.org/miami-636.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The plane was ready and all that was left to do was to prepare me for the trip.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Dawn </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">thought it was just terrible that I would be wheeled through the airport bald.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She decided to take care of this by putting a hat on my head.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Normally, I would have been very embarrassed at my appearance as the hat was red and it was tied onto my 83-pound body but Dawn was so proud of herself for thinking of this that she just had to show me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She sat me up and put a mirror in front of me and made me look at myself.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I did and laughed out loud.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">All of the doctor’s and nurses had to come to hear me chuckle.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This incident happened December 6</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">th </span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">and was the first positive sign that I had given since the accident.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Then it came time to get onto the plane.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I stared at my mom the whole flight to Miami.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She kept repeating, “Susie, we’re going home”.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kathy met the plane and I cracked a big smile when I saw her.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I must have known I was home although I have no memory of my arrival.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was then taken by ambulance to the hospital.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My room wasn’t ready so I camped out for a while in the adjoining room.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I wouldn’t let any of the nurses touch me but they held me down and finally put a catheter in me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It was late and everyone left me alone.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I showed my hatred for this hospital by pulling out my nose tube.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The nose tube is a feeding device that goes through the nose down into the stomach.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They had to x-ray me before another one could be put in.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was now given the title “semi-comatose” because of this little incident.</span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The nose tube was reinserted and I pulled it out again.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The doctor’s x-rayed me for the second time that evening and put the third tube down my nose.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was put back into my room and the nurses thought I was through causing havoc for the evening.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I decided that I was uncomfortable being hooked up everywhere so I took care of that; I yanked out the nose tube and I didn’t like the feeling of the thing in my throat either so I pulled it out.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My bladder was still emptying into a bag so I was going for that when a nurse walked in and foiled my plans.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They left my throat tube out, x-rayed me, put my nose tube back in and reinserted the catheter.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This time they tied my hands my hands down to the side of the bed and got Kathy to come in and watch me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was determined to get that nose tube out so I bent over and put my face down to my hands.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kathy had to slap my hands to make me stop.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yes, I was home and I didn’t like it one bit.</span></span></span></p>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-4176309634066831572009-06-20T06:24:00.000-07:002009-07-16T08:56:52.478-07:00Chapter 4<!--StartFragment--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I awoke very gradually.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Up until December 17</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">th,</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> I have slight memories of scattered dream-like images some of which make sense and others which are completely off the wall.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I didn’t have any questions as to what happened.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The first thing I remember thinking was, “WOW, I almost died ”.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I knew I was in a car wreck but that’s all.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I didn’t know this was because of a drunk driver. Someone died but who?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was frightened that the person who had died was my roommate,</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Samantha</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I knew she was in the car but I didn’t know who else was in the car with us or for that matter what kind of car we were in and I really didn’t care.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In fact, I didn’t care about anything at that point.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Things were very sketchy.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It felt like I had been asleep with absolutely no sense of time.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span style="mso-tab-count:1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My first form of com</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">munication was writing down any thoughts that came.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The first thing I wrote was, “Someone died, right”?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">No one ever had to tell me that someone died.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I think anyone in a coma can hear all that goes on around him or her on a subconscious level.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>While I was in Oklahoma my aunt asked my friends what my favorite song was.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They all replied, “Bonnie Tyler’s Total Eclipse of the Heart”.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> She </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">bought me the tape and played it for me on my Walkman every day.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">After I came out of the coma I looked at the names of the other songs and I only knew one of them, Total Eclipse of the Heart.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I decided to listen to the different songs that weren’t familiar to me to test myself and see if I could memorize them.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I found out that I already knew every word to every one of those songs.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I think this alone is proof enough that coma victims can hear things while they are comatose.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span style="mso-tab-count:1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The doctor’s allowed me to go home for Christmas.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This was a time for much heartache.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My parents had to put me in the tub while mom had to bathe me and shave my legs.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I couldn’t even dress myself or put on my own make-up.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>After I had been communicating through writing for about two weeks I started talking to my family.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Sara, my speech therapist,</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> would try to get me to talk to them.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My family would tell her I was talking but when she tried to get me to talk I would just turn my head and ignore her.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span style="mso-tab-count:1"><span style="mso-tab-count:1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At this time I wanted to call a good friend of mine from Chicago.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I told my mother and she said we’ve been gone for more than three years so we’ll have to look up Jane's phone number before you call her.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I told them, “Call her now. The number is XXX-XXX-XXXX”.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Jane</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> was my best buddy at the phone stuck in the ear stage.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Because of this I called her at least 2 million and five times and how could anyone forget a number that was dialed so much.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Now I understand the extent of my memory loss.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I remembered people but not events. I've lost some of the simple tasks I learned in school. In fact, I don't even remember what courses I took in college.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span style="mso-tab-count:1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Because of my refusal to speak to her, Sara got a little annoyed.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She raised her voice to me one day and said that if I didn’t say, “Hi Sara” when she returned from her vacation I would not be allowed to go to rehab.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Rehab. is the rehabilitative section of the hospital.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She said that she was the person who had to give the “ok” to let me get into rehab.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I wanted to get well and the first step to achieving this was to get moved over to the rehabilitative part of the hospital When Sara walked in a week later I said, “Hi Sara, how are you”.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Her lecture worked and later that day I was moved to rehab.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Rehab had a college dorm-like atmosphere.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It was three stories high with rooms on the second and third floors.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It had a gym with mats in it for physical therapy on the first floor, a room for occupational therapy plus many other rooms for all different kinds of therapy.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My room was on the second floor and nurses and therapists surrounded me so it was a far cry from a home like atmosphere.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> I was not alone during the day though, my radio was right there by my side</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A woman named Madonna was on every station I listened to.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I wondered who Madonna was because it seemed like she arrived on the scene in just one day.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">That forced me to wake up and truly believe that I had been asleep for three months.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-87706100710134882962009-06-19T05:00:00.000-07:002009-07-05T10:11:37.793-07:00Chapter 5<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span style="mso-tab-count:1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In rehab I was kept very busy, I had physical therapy, speech, occupational therapy and met with a psychologist twice a day.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I stayed in a private room but was surrounded many others who were gong through the same thing that I was.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I left for college in Oklahoma at the same time my parents moved to Florida so I had no friends in Miami.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This was hard for me to accept because I have always been known as “little miss social butterfly”.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For this reason my friends kept the letters and cards coming and my family taped them to the walls of the gloomy hospital room.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span style="mso-tab-count:1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shortly after my arrival to rehab I was given an IQ test.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The test showed that this poor little brunette was not yet awake that she was still living in a dream world (even though I scored 106 which is considered normal).</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One thing that I have learned through this mess is that it takes a long time for us coma victims to wake up so we require a great deal of patience.</span></span><span style="mso-tab-count:1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I couldn’t understand why everyone was making such a fuss over me because I thought I was just fine.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This was all just a bad dream and I would wake up one morning and be back in Oklahoma running, driving, dating and going to college.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I continued to ignore the reality of my severe pelvic, wrist and rib pain thinking that if I rejected the pain this nightmare would remain a dream.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Everyone agreed that I had many mental problems.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Sara </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">would test my memory by reciting three numbers to me, and asking me to repeat them back to her in the same order.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I laughed and asked her if she thought I was stupid because this was way too easy.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">As it turns out I got more wrong than right.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I now understand that even though I injured my brainstem my cerebrum and cerebellum were also effected due to the swelling in my brain.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The cerebellum and cerebrum got better very slowly.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-49329385482512976272009-06-18T10:31:00.000-07:002009-07-16T08:53:27.822-07:00Chapter 6<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I</span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">t was finally time for Frank N.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Stein’s trial.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I begged my family to attend.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They explained to me that I was much too sick to go.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I just stayed home and tried not to think about it.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My feelings were that a life sentence might be an appropriate time for Mr. Stein to spend in jail or give him the death sentence.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">However no time or death could possibly justify the fact that he got behind the wheel of his truck with an alcohol blood level at a </span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ridiculously</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> high level of .13%.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A person with a .05 to .10% blood alcohol level is considered legally drunk so Frank N. Stein had no defense.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He was nailed to the wall or so I thought.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We hired a private detective to go to the trial for us.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He typed up the transcripts and gave them to us.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I knew nothing about the accident so the testimonies from the witnesses, cops, paramedics, forensic chemists, and medical examiners totally blew my mind.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Here is a small sample of what the trial was like:</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: State your name please sir.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: John David Smith</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: “What was the first thing that you observed in relation to the accident that you can recall?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Smith</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> (who was driving car in front of Frank N. Stein): “Well, Mr. Stein passed me about a ¼ to ½ a mile before the accident occurred.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer:</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What did you next observe after the Ford pickup passed you?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Smith</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Well, after he passed me he went over a hill and when he started down I lost sight of him then and when he started to go down he was still on the wrong side of the road.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I started slowing down at that</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">time seeing two cars approaching.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The first car went off the road.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The second car they hit head on.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Which lane of traffic was it in?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Smith</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Eastbound lane of traffic</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: “The Ford pick-up was headed in which direction when it passed you as it went down the hill?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Smith</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: It was westbound</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer:</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> What did you do after the collision?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Smith</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“I stopped and went to the car.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There were four people in the car.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I took the pulse of the driver.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I grabbed his hand and tried to get a pulse for about ten seconds.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I </span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">didn</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">’t feel anything.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was kind of in shock.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Then I helped the male passenger out of the back seat and he was able to walk which kind of surprised me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He was extremely scared.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He </span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">wasn</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">’t real sure of what was going on.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He just seemed to be in a state of shock to me.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What did he say?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Smith</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: Well I looked at him and said “are you </span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ok</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">”? He looked at me and he </span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">didn</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">’t say anything.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He just looked at me like he looked right through me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Like he </span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">didn</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">’t even see me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What was the condition of the lady in the front seat of the car?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Smith:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The only thing I could see of her was the back of her head.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">But to me it looked like she was pushed up against the dash quite a bit.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The space between the dash to the front seat was a foot to a foot in a half and there were two people between it.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Smashed up?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Smith</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The motor was smashed through the firewall and the seat was smashed up against the dash.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">State your name please?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Witness</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: Sergeant Ryan Green</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What was the condition of the defendant, Mr. Stein, on the night in question?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Green</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In handling him he was pretty unruly and somewhat combative.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Moving around not wanting to stay still.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Pretty belligerent.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: And you regard his behavior as a result of </span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">intoxication</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Green</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yes sir.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He used slurred speech, was slow in his movements and very, at times, aggressive.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Have you seen anyone out of their mind with pain?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Green</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Well as a matter of fact we had another patient at the scene that I considered if there was ever anyone out of their mind in pain it was the girl in the back seat.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I should’</span></span><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">ve</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> quit with these testimonies but I got up my nerve and read on.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "></span></span></span></i></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: Will you state your name please?</span></span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Witness</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: Lawrence Steven</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What is your occupation? </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I teach driver’s education and social studies in school</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What happened on 09/18</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was driving home and I saw a car in my lane threatening me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I moved onto the shoulder and waited until he was fixing to actually hit me and I jerked the wheel to the right into the ditch to avoid hitting him head-on.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: Did you remain until some authorities arrived on the scene Mr. Steven?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yes sir.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In the course of teaching driver’s ed I also teach first aide.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I thought that perhaps there was something I could do to help.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I ran to the car. There was a girl in the back whose name was Samantha.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She was hurt and in shock.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I put a blanket over her.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What did you hear when you pulled into the ditch?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I heard a sound similar to a door slam.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I found that actually to be the impact of the car behind me with the pickup that had run me off the road.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I looked in the rear view mirror and saw steam coming from the radiator of the crashed car.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When you went to the car that had the deceased in it was there a lady in the front seat?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yes there was.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What was her condition?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: I thought she was dead.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She was definitely very hurt.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What was the condition of the woman in the back seat?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: She had crushed legs</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Did you know that at the time?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: Yes the thigh portion of her legs were bowed</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Did Mr. Stein say anything while you were trying to help him?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yes</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: What did he say?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">: Son of bitches! Shit things like that.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You say that when you went to he car the driver was in awfully bad condition?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yes he was I assumed dead at that time.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He had no eyeballs.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">No eyes?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">That was the impression I got.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Perhaps the eyeballs were covered in blood.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They were sunken and it looked the eyeballs were gone.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Lawyer</span></span></i></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">You say he looked like jelly?</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Steven</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">:</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He was very limp.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">His wrists and everything were just…he was just very very limp.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I felt sick after reading this but Jim’s mother went to court and listened to these testimonies.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Apparently Frank N. Stein hadn’t caused enough heartache so he threw horrible looks at Jim’s mother as if to say, “Jim got in my way”. I heard this and puked my guts up.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The accident was worse than I thought so I assumed Frank N. Stein would get a fairly harsh sentence with an unbelievably high .13% blood alcohol level.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There would be no problem giving him a fair harsh sentence.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I know our judicial system can be unfair at times but a .13% blood alcohol level and a dead boy speaks for itself.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My parents told me that he got a stiff sentence in the state of Oklahoma for driving while intoxicated.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Good but what did he exactly get?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was told one year in jail and a $500 fine.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“What great justice we have in this wonderful country of ours" I said as I rolled out of the room.</span></span></span></p><span style="Times New Roman Bold";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-USfont-family:";font-size:14.0pt;"> <!--EndFragment--> </span>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-66328690645903239842009-06-17T10:00:00.000-07:002009-07-23T09:02:57.102-07:00Chapter 7<p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I went through the same routine day in and day out.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Each time that I was ready to throw in the towel, the recreational therapist came and took me away from it all.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">They had outings each week.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I looked forward to spending time anywhere away from the hospital.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Many patients and therapists went on these outings.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> <a href="http://www.trutv.com/graphics/photos/criminal_mind/psychology/movies_made_me_kill/Scream-mask200.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 184px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 227px" alt="" src="http://www.trutv.com/graphics/photos/criminal_mind/psychology/movies_made_me_kill/Scream-mask200.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><span style="font-size:0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Eric and I went on one outing and some man began walking toward us and asked me how I was.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I did not have a clue as to who this man was but I said, “Fine”.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">He then said to Eric, “Hello, I’m Carroll,</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Susan’s father.”</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I hadn’t seen the man in nine years so was a little bit shocked to say the least. </span></span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><span style="font-size:0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I always thought that my bad temper was a very negative attribute but it turned out to be just the opposite.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Because of this temper, physical therapy got one hundred and ten percent.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Many thought that I would spend the rest of my days in a wheelchair and would never be self-sufficient.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This brain stem injury made me very spastic. Spasticity results when one muscle tries to work but the opposite muscle kicks in and prevents it from working properly.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This caused my right hand to be shaky while my left one didn’t work at all and to top it off,</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I could not walk and my speech was extremely slow and slurry.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The main problem was the fact that I always laughed and could not cry but my physical problems were so enormous that I couldn't waste time worrying about mental problems.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I was still living in a dream world.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Waking up and facing reality would be one of longest and hardest battles of my life.</span></span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:0;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> It was April 17 and everyone decided that it was time for me to go home.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I hated the hospital setting but it was necessary because all of the therapists needed were right there.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I expected to be able to walk out of the hospital.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The possibility of never walking again was staring me square in the face.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">If it were possible to cry,</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I would have.</span></span></span></span></span></p>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-42351024890610004552009-06-16T09:45:00.000-07:002009-07-16T08:45:21.913-07:00Chapter 8<p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I went home in April as planned but still had to use that stupid shower chair.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My family had to lift me onto it but at least I could shave my own legs.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">With my spasticity I hacked myself up quite a bit but what’s a little blood?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This meant that I could do something without anyone’s help.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Yes, it astounded me to see the magnificent progress I had made in a full four months!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"></span></span></span></span></span></p><a href="http://www.gotoflorida.net/img/beaches/daytona-beach-hotels.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 580px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 393px" alt="" src="http://www.gotoflorida.net/img/beaches/daytona-beach-hotels.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The first thing on my agenda was to visit my dear friends from Chicago.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> Jane</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">, Sally and Sharon went to Daytona Beach for Spring Break and I was planning on meeting them.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The thought of therapy did not enter my mind for two days.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I had a wonderful time with my friends but was thinking a lot about the future and it looked awfully bleak.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The reason for these negative feelings was the fact that reality suddenly slapped me in the face.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">I couldn’t even do things as simple as tying my own shoelaces or cutting my food.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The difference between my friends and me was painfully obvious.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">My thoughts for the long drive home were only on what I was going to do now.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Getting out of the wheelchair seemed almost impossible.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">The thing that had to be done was to get well and I couldn’t do this by myself.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Panic was starting to set in.</span></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">S<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">ara</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">’s main emphasis at this time was on my mind; I asked her about this and she said, “When I first met Susan I was excited about the obvious potential for recovery in this young woman. Although, there were significant deficits, she was still functioning at an extremely high level given her recent problems. At this time Susan was aware of her environment but her judgment of things she heard and saw was very impaired. She had significant problems with her memory for both things she saw and heard and for events that occurred in the not so distant past (yesterday, two weeks ago, three hours ago, fifteen minutes ago). Susan's vocabulary was also something that we worked on. We spent a great deal of time identifying appropriate emotions because at that time Susan was very unstable and spent much time laughing inappropriately. She had difficulty identifying and relating to her own emotional responses. Susan was quite dysarthric and unintelligible when I first met her. Her speech was very slurry and the rate was slow. She could only speak about six syllables and then had to stop and re-coordinate her breathing for speech. Susan’s face and oral structures were quite asymmetrical; pulling to one side of her. Further her voice lacked any inflection, and her voice range was two notes in relation to the norm, which is sixteen. Susan was also having a lot of trouble managing liquids. As her gag reflex was functioning hypotonically or slowly and delayed with insufficient movement.”</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="WHITE-SPACE: pre"></span>I knew I was sick but did not realize the full extend of my illness because I was still living in a dream world. Eric told me that getting well would seem like putting quarters into a barrel.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He said that if I watched the quarters being dropped in one at a time it would seem like it was taking forever. However, if you don’t pay any attention to the barrel, one day you’ll discover that it’s full.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I just laughed and thought</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">the barrel would be overflowing in just two months time; I never dreamed it would take years.</span></span></span></p>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-42998223390454468302009-06-15T09:30:00.000-07:002009-07-13T11:57:46.907-07:00Chapter 9<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://comps.fotosearch.com/comp/UNC/UNC265/cutie-icon-icons_~u12495643.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 320px;" src="http://comps.fotosearch.com/comp/UNC/UNC265/cutie-icon-icons_~u12495643.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Eric later told me he hated taking me on as his new patient because my physical problems were so severe that there was very little hope for me to ever walk again. These problems became magnified because I thought it would be very simple to just get up and start running. I quickly learned that I had another thing coming. Eric first taught me to crawl.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He had to stabilize my left arm and leg so they would be able to accept the weight necessary to move my right limbs forward. The first day it took me twenty minutes to crawl across our living room floor.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I couldn't even master simple physical tasks so it became clear that much work had to be done.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Home had many things in common with the hospital. I continued to have therapy all day long and began to realize that although it was essential for me to do as much exercise as possible everyday, I could never do enough.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My birthday was quickly approaching and it stands out because this was the time that I took my first steps. I had to use a cane but all my hard work finally paid off. Everyone agreed that I wasn't ready to be up and walking yet but Eric said if I wanted to risk falling it was okay because I bounced well.</span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At this time someone had to walk next to me and be prepared if I started to tumble. My balance was worse than horrible so Eric gave me certain exercises to help me start walking normally. The brain stem injury I suffered made me very ballistic.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Being ballistic meant that if I started falling to the left my reaction was to attempt to regain my balance but instead would overcompensate and go to the right. This was so frustrating but it made me work harder than I'd ever worked in my life.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Luckily we had a swimming pool. Thanks to this and my life preserver I had a chance to swim everyday. Swimming was great exercise for me. On top of this I rode my stationary bike several miles every day, walked around as many blocks as possible, blew bubbles for breath control and did many other muscle strengthening exercises.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I played the piano for fine motor coordination and occupational therapy, and did any other exercises that could possibly be done. I realized that the only way to overcome my physical problems was through much repetition and hard work.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">September, which was the one year anniversary of my accident, arrived. I wondered where the time had gone. I wanted to go back to Okalahoma and meet all of the people that were responsible for my being alive. I went to the hospital and met all of the doctors, nurses, therapists, x ray technicians, transporters, and pastors that were there for me. It was very strange meeting these people for what seemed to be the first time but they all acted like they knew me well. While there they allowed me to go into the intensive care unit of the hospital to see where I was kept for three and a half weeks. Intensive care was for really sick people and in no way was I that sick, or so I thought.</span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-47488017107831982832009-06-14T09:00:00.000-07:002009-07-23T08:48:36.056-07:00Chapter 10<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;margin-left: 2in; text-indent: 0.5in; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Between Kathy and my mother I was kept very busy shopping, going out to eat and/or to the movies, etc.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">My father was kept busy with work during the week but on the weekends he took me anywhere he could just to get me out of the house. Carrie, who was only eleven, couldn’t drive me anywhere but at home she would do all she could to help.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">My hand shook too much to put on makeup so my mother, </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';">Kathy and Carrie kept me looking good. My mom said that she would rejoice when I got well enough to put out on my own earrings and get on mascara without smearing it all over my face.</span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><span style="font-size:0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">About this time, Sara approached me with the idea of going back to college for one course only. This was an enormous step and I was scared to take it. I was scared I would embarrass myself; by falling, by talking and having no one understand me, or by writing so slowly that I wouldn’t be able to take notes or complete a test. I was also scared to death about meeting “normal” people my own age and being accepted because I knew that I was different. These fears caused me to feel that I could not do this alone. Therefore I asked Kathy to take a course with me so she could be my crutch. <a href="http://www.acadiau.ca/advancement/assets/images/5%20music%20students%20in%20row%20side%20view%20spring%2005.jpg.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 492px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 327px" alt="" src="http://www.acadiau.ca/advancement/assets/images/5%20music%20students%20in%20row%20side%20view%20spring%2005.jpg.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><span style="font-size:0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At St. Valentine's Day University I had maintained a b average, well okay c average. I hated school, and then to top it all off I wasn’t like other people. I was shaking in my shoes.</span></span></span></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"></p><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="TEXT-INDENT: 0.5in"><span style="font-size:0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The fall semester was starting. Kathy drove us and we signed up for a psychology class together. We had our first test and I studied (yes, Susan studied), so much that I knew the material both backwards and forward.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Because I wasn’t able to write fast enough I failed the first exam, a test I should have aced.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Learning this, Sara put her fist down and made me speak to the professor about my physical problems. I had previously refused to do this because others would see me try to walk and talk.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The professor was most receptive to giving me the additional time needed to take the test. I passed the course with a b, (yes a b).</span></span></span></p>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-79452405288334820712009-06-13T09:42:00.000-07:002009-07-26T11:38:01.428-07:00Chapter 11<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span>Christmas was quickly approaching when Samantha called. She told me that she was getting married on May 3 and asked if I would come be in her wedding. Not knowing how well I’d be I said I’d have to call her back. The next day I asked Eric when I'd be jogging. I begged him to take a stab at it. After much instance he threw his hands up in the air and said, “ I don’t know maybe three to four months after your walking”.</span></span><span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span>A few days later I kept after him until he told me when I would be walking without the cane. He said that might be as soon as January. The conclusion was easy for me to figure out so I called Samantha and told her told her that I should be jogging by March or April and wouldn’t miss her wedding for anything.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span>Christmas and New Year’s have come and gone. It was 1985 and I started walking without my cane as planned. Again I fell so many times but it didn't matter because my mind had not yet fully awakened. February was upon me and I was still kissing the ground quite often.</span></span><span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span>It seemed hopeless that I’d be jogging in a month or even two. I set myself up and asked Eric, “Won’t I be jogging in April?” He laughed and</span></span><span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span>said, “ No”.</span></span><span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span>I replied, “but you said I’d be jogging three to forth months after walking”. He said, “When you were walking… perfectly”.</span></span><span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span>Need I say that I cried myself to sleep that night? Eric saw how this made me feel so he refused to answer another “When will I” question again.`</span></span><span style="white-space: pre;"><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span>I felt trapped at home and Kathy came to my rescue again. She took me to see all of my old friends in Chicago. It felt so good to get away from some of the headaches for weekend. I stayed with Lori.</span></span><span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span><span>On Friday Kathy turned me loose. This was the first time since the accident that I was allowed to go somewhere without being constantly watched. Kathy only agreed to this to shut me up. </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span><span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Jane, Lori, and I decided to go to the comedy show. Jane and Lori treated me as if I were completely normal. The evening went very well we laughed hysterically and then it was time to go home. I got up and an extremely drunk obnoxious young man yelled out “I see I’m not the only one whos</span>e had one too many.” I was in shock for a minute, and then the tears flowed freely. I grabbed Lori and then went out to the car as quickly as possible.</span></span><span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span> </span></span></span><span style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span>I cried for two days over this and thought that these people who were out partying and having a good time have given me more pain than the law should allow.</span></span></div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-8469294649050672742009-06-12T08:00:00.000-07:002009-07-26T11:37:29.444-07:00Chapter 12<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Depression was closing in on me. With this depression I felt much anger. It was the middle of April and Samantha would be getting married in less than a month. I ignored my pride and called her. I told her that I wasn’t walking well enough to fly to Oklahoma and attend her wedding. My ego was shot and this caused me to hate Samantha. I thought it was so unfair that she was the one dating, that she was the one wearing high heels, and that she was the one getting married. If she had been sitting in the front of the car I might have been the one walking down that aisle instead of her. I hated myself for letting those thoughts enter my mind yet I felt so angry that I couldn't walk and talk at the same time with out falling down and I was taking out some of my heartache on Samantha. It was difficult for me to accept the fact that other peoples’ lives didn’t shut down just because mine had.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">‘How dare Frank N. Stein take what was supposed to be the best years out of my life without so much as an apology’.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sara decided to leave and have a little baby. As a result of my brain injury I felt she was abandoning me because my case was hopeless so I called and told her not to come to my home anymore. I did not mind having Eric come to my house because he worked on my limbs, not my mind. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">During this time, severe depression set in. What constantly entered my mind was the old ‘”why did this have to happen to me’” question. I turned 21 and my family saw how severely depressed I was. They tried to make this a happy day for me and God love them for trying, but it didn’t help. Instead of thanking God for being alive to turn 21, I dwelt on the fact that I walked funny, talked funny, wrote horribly, could not play the piano, etc. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Now more than ever I needed some friends in Florida. I decided to meet some nice people at church. I went every week to Sunday school with Kathy, and no one talked to us.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I justified this by thinking, ‘it was me who didn’t want to talk to these stupid people’ not the other way around.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It bothered me that none of them came to see me in the hospital or even called to see how I was doing.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Betty</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> was the only one who spoke to me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She called me occasionally and we would go out.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One Sunday morning Kathy had to work but I decided to go to Sunday school alone. I was sure that Betty would be there but she wasn’t: she went to the other class. No one spoke to me but that was to be expected. Then the teacher got up and wanted the class to act out a little skit. The teacher never spoke to me but I know he saw me. What was he trying to prove by having us each get up and walk and talk in front of the class?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I couldn’t believe it so tears began to well up and my brown eyes became extremely blue. I just sat there and cried because I couldn’t walk out.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Even as I write this it brings tears to my eyes because of the humiliation I felt.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> People still can’t understand why I won’t set foot in a church.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sara had helped me so much with my speech that I wasn’t ready to quit.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My goal was to come back as far as possible and this would not be accomplished by quitting speech so I called her and asked if she would come back. Luckily for me she said that she would be glad to. </span></span></span></p>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-7981922850504090542009-06-11T07:30:00.000-07:002009-07-28T11:33:30.048-07:00Chapter 13<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It had been almost a year and a half since the wreck and I was still in very bad shape. My balance was off and I fell quite often. My speech was still very slow and slurry and my left arm was awfully uncoordinated and slow while my right was very shaky and my eyes were still out of focus. I took the semester off of school to give my all towards getting well. Even though a commitment to my therapies was renewed I still felt like something was missing. For the first time in my life I had to deal with my loneliness and I didn’t know quite how to do this. My friends were wonderful to me through their letters and the few times I got to visit them, but I wanted to call someone on the spur of the moment and go see a movie. It became hopeless the minute I opened my mouth though. People thought that I was missing something upstairs. Need I say that I have not had a date since the accident? I felt so alone and I refused to wear a sign on my back saying, “My name is Susan and I’m not retarded.” I wanted to be myself and have people like me for me not because or how I walked or talked. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It was obvious that my talking had improved because fewer people asked what it was that I wanted. My speech was still very slow but my main worry now was that it was extremely monotonous. Sara decided that it was time to minimize that problem. I sat down at the piano and worked on scales and sang along with different songs on the radio to give me some much needed inflection. All I can say to that is; when I learn to keep up with the songs; Barbra Streisand, look out!</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 262px; height: 400px;" src="http://z.about.com/d/swimming/1/5/g/9/2000_misty_hyman_72497423.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sara told me of a man who gave therapy in the swimming pool. Since I was swimming every day I decided to give Jay a call. He came to our home and asked me to float on my stomach without a life jacket. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. I refused and he asked me why. I said, “Because I’ll die.” After much persuasion I finally took off my life vest and floated with my head down in the water. I took a gasp of air and instead of nice dry air it was extremely wet. When I could talk I asked Jay why in the world I did something that stupid, He said it was because of a reflexive startle response. Any time that a person becomes scared they take a big gasp of air. Being in the pool I gasped water instead of air. My choking went on for several weeks but I finally got over this fright. I swam the width of the pool. Jay taught me to take a breath of air so that I could swim the whole length. I’m getting ready to compete in the Olympics as soon as I learn to do a flip turn.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I</span></span></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">t was time for Lori to become 21 and I wasn’t about to miss that for the world. After many hours of nagging, my parents finally gave in and said that I could go to Chicago alone. This was the first time since the accident that I was allowed to go anywhere alone and I was scared to death. I made it to Chicago without falling once. Lori, Jane, Sally, and Sharon met me at the airport, it was so good to see them and not have to worry about speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, biofeedback, yoga, neuromuscular massage therapy, myofuntional therapy, aqua therapy, psychology...for a few days. I began my carefree wonderful vacation.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My plane was late getting in so the first night was very short; the second day and night was filled with shopping and speaking to old friends. The third day we prepared for the big night. It was upon us and the people began arriving for Lori’s Hawaiian birthday party, there was much food to be eaten and games to be played. One of the games required a person to tie a balloon to his or her waist and grab a partner to do the bump with and pop it.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I wanted to play so I grabbed a balloon and a partner.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Steve</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> and I started to do the bump and I got very cocky and hit him too hard and was sent sprawling. Everyone ran over and picked me up and asked if I was okay.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“Yes” I lied. Physically I was fine but my ego had been terribly bruised.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Here was a 21-year-old lady falling down like a two-year-old little girl.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I decided to sit the rest of the games out. I grabbed a chair and began talking to Laura, a girl I hadn’t seen since high school. She said that I was doing well and looking good. She then asked me about the accident. I knew that people were curious and it didn’t bother me at all. We started talking about it and she asked me if I felt guilty about the boy who died. For the first time I realized that because I survived I deal with a lot of guilt. Jim was being a gentleman when he offered to drive Samantha and I back to our dorm room. I think that if I hadn’t gone out that evening Samantha wouldn’t have gone and Jim wouldn’t have been on the highway on September 18th, but no one knew what was waiting for us on that godforsaken road. I understand now that one can never live ones life of ifs. By all medical facts I never should have lived. So I imagined my parents’ in Jim’s parents’ shoes and it breaks my heart.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I only met him two weeks before the accident and as is common with most brain damaged individuals I've lost a lot of my memory including the accident, because of this memory loss, I don’t even remember Jim. This increases my feelings of guilt. All of this would have been prevented if a person knew that if he or she killed someone due to their stupidity they would pay dearly for their dumb move.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Don’t get me wrong though, I love this country.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">America is the land of the free; after all Frank N. Stein is out driving again while I hope to walk one day without a limp.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">If this never happens, all that can be said is c’est la vie.</span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-55101637742315793552009-06-10T07:00:00.000-07:002009-07-29T12:06:19.481-07:00Chapter 14<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It was time to have my mind tested again so I made an appointment with a neurophysiologist in Miami. The test showed that I was, you guessed it, hard headed, and impatient. Everyone agreed that I needed to talk to a psychologist.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I began seeing one for an hour each week and he told me that my cells were irritated which caused me to be short tempered and angry. That wasn't news to me but I continued talking to him. He noticed that I talked around him and not too him. I was not totally honest with my feelings even though I had come face to face with what happened to me, I still could not accept it.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I wondered how long I would be in that dreaded denial stage. </span></span></span></p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 97px; height: 135px;" src="http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:pYLHKSuRcX05RM:http://www.fws.gov/southeast/images/camera-tv.gif" border="0" alt="" /> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The biofeedback doctor called me and said that Paul Brady, who he met at the hospital, was making a television special about drunk driving and would I like to be in it. How could he ask me such a ridiculous question? Of course I wanted to be on TV! I met Paul shortly after that and he said he had been in an accident after being up all night and he had about 4 or 5 drinks in his system. The accident left one man dead and put Paul in the hospital. Paul was the saddest man I have ever met. We spent over 6 hours together and he never smiled. I won’t even try to justify what he did. He killed a man who was on his way to his wife’s baby shower. His wife had a baby girl one month after the wreck. Look what drinking did for Paul Brady. As sorry as he is and as hard as he tries he can never give that little baby girl her father back.</span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-35250347483485926072009-06-09T06:30:00.000-07:002009-08-04T09:43:43.887-07:00Chapter 15<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I never saw a light or even a slight flicker at the end of my never-ending tunnel. <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, fantasy;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At this time in my life, I desperately needed some independence.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I couldn’t stand having every move I made watched; I wanted to have my own apartment. Everyone said that I couldn’t so I put another ad in the paper for a driver. </span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><!--StartFragment--> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">A girl named Beth called me for an interview.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She later revealed that she was afraid I was going to be some boring old lady, but as soon as she met me, we hit it off.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Beth</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> was great; we would have so much fun together.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We took trips and she gave me back so much of the independence I had lost.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She gave me such a boost of self-esteem that was missing from my life.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I felt confident with her by my side: it didn’t matter how I walked or talked.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Since I had a driver I signed up for a couple of college courses. I knew one of the girls taking the class who took notes for me, and I met several other people so I had a nice time, (yes, a nice time) in school. I became very involved with the handicapped student meetings. Everyone who came to these meetings wanted to make school life a little easier on themselves (note taking, ramps, etc).</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We also wanted to bring awareness to our classmates and get involved with their activities. At one of these meetings I met a young lady that I became instant friends with. Her name is Mary and we both got injured at the same time and were going through much of the same shit. Her then fiancé was drunk and drove her home even though she begged him to let her drive. Two blocks from her house he hit a lamppost and she flew out of the car and broke her back. She is now a quadriplegic. </span></span></span></p> <span style="Times New Roman Bold";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>We felt like two normal college girls and went out for a night on the town. We went out and had dinner and I wasn’t driving so I figured I’d order a long island tea. We started laughing and joking, I had another long island tea, and then another, and another, and another…. We were having so much fun but it was time for us to head home. I was bubbly and talkative all night but once I got in to Mary’s new van I went deadly silent.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mary said something to me and I responded by throwing up all over her van. Mary started screaming “out the window, Sue, out the window!” </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><br /><p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-64116773673170634052009-06-08T12:58:00.000-07:002009-08-11T17:11:56.247-07:00Chapter 16<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>It has been almost four years since the accident and I am writing this from a mental hospital. I’ll explain how things are going a little later but first I’d like to share what brought me here. I signed up for classes again. I watched other people and they had no trouble walking and talking or interacting with friends so I did the mature thing and dropped out. I’m not nineteen anymore but I still act like I am.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I call Samantha like we are still roommates, but does she ever call me?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">No.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><!--StartFragment--></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Since I was just at home and not going to school,</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I decided to get another driver. My new driver, Ann, was ridiculously expensive but I was stupid and paid her anyway. She would teach me to drive while charging me, on top of this she borrowed three hundred dollars and wasn't paying me back. I was extremely angry at Ann but held it in and said nothing. Whenever we went out to eat, which was quite often, who do you think paid? It certainly wasn't Ann and not one time did I get a thank you. If this wasn’t bad enough she even charged me for going out to eat. She was wearing me very thin when she took me to see my psychologist. Afterwards we went shopping and out to eat and yes I paid. On the way home I turned on the radio and Ann yelled at me and said I had no respect for her and that I should find a new driver. We got home and I paid her. It was then that she realized what she’d be loosing so she tried to hug me. She said you are just shaking. I shake all the time I replied. That was the last time I ever saw or heard from that wonderful, giving human being.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I described my situation as being trapped in a big black hole that has many locked doors inside with no key to open them and escape. With this reality came much anger, I watched people run and would get angry because it reminded me of what I had lost. I yelled at everyone around me until there was no one left to yell at so I turned my anger inward. At this time I started to wonder why in the world my life had been spared. Feeling that I was suicidal, my psychologist asked me to check into the hospital.</span></span></span></p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 534px; height: 534px;" src="http://www.spacetoday.org/images/Hubble/HubbleBeauty/CircinusGalaxyBlackHole.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> <!--EndFragment--> <p></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-10135422915094562192009-06-07T05:30:00.000-07:002009-08-20T09:05:48.372-07:00Chapter 17<!--StartFragment--> <!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"></p><div style="text-indent: 0px;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In March a young man named Joe was admitted to the hospital. I talked to him for many hours, but he seemed normal. Joe had been diagnosed a paranoid schizophrenic but showed no signs of the illness. I later learned that he lived in hospitals because home was not a very warm place. Joe made sure to always look good. He wore nice clothes and there was never a hair out of place on his head. Joe cared so much about others that he never elaborated on his own mess. After two months Joes’ medication had evened out and he was sent home.</span></span><br /></div><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 116px; height: 116px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:9Mk440x-X9_eiM:http://www.fotosearch.com/comp/dgv/dgv069/birthday-cake-with-candles-burning-~-200135647-001.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My birthday was quickly approaching and with it came much depression. My mind was healthy, but I was celebrating my 23</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">rd</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> year on earth in a mental hospital. Birthdays are supposed to get better as you get older but since the age of nineteen each year gradually went downhill. I made up my mind not to celebrate or even see my birthday. The hospital made it very hard to kill ones self but I was determined to be dearly departed for my happy birthday. I calmly walked over to the night nurse and asked her for a razor to “shave my legs with.” She didn't think twice about giving me, the “happy, smiling,” patient a razor. I took it to the bathroom and started cutting my wrist. I was in the room for over fifteen minutes when the nurse decided to check on me. She came too soon; my wrists had bled a great deal but not nearly enough. My psychologist called my mom and dad and told them of my weak suicide attempt. My parents greeted me on June 6</span></span><sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">th</span></span></sup><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> with disgusted looks on their faces. I felt badly enough but this caused me to hate myself even more. This load of hatred was getting awfully heavy because of the fact that I lived and was able to blow out 23 birthday candles. The psychiatrist told me to get used to living in a hospital because I should plan on setting up residency there. </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shortly after that Joe was readmitted to the hospital because he had stopped taking his medication. I was awfully glad to see a familiar face. Joes’ stay at the hospital was much shorter this time. We spent many hours talking but he did most of the listening. I hated to see Joe go when he was discharged, but at the same time I was glad to see him begin to live again.</span></span></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold"font-family:";font-size:26.0pt;"><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-9912040383575927052009-06-06T05:00:00.000-07:002009-08-25T19:21:30.470-07:00Chapter 18<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The months came and the months went and I was still a fixture at the hospital.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The psychiatrist and the other staff members, felt that Susan needed to get rid of the anger that was holding her back by herself instead of relying on her family to just kiss it and make it all better. They were not allowed to visit me. Knowing few Miamians I got no visitors and the old saying; when you laugh everyone laughs with you, cry and you cry alone, became very true for me. </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I saw patients come and patients go while I was stagnate in the hospital. On top of having to live there I had made no progress physically with Eric in over two years. One morning I confronted him with this and he said, “No you haven’t gotten any better, in fact you’ve gotten worse.” I realized then that we could no longer work together which brought on a great amount of fear. Walking meant everything to me and I felt that I couldn’t walk properly without Eric's’s help. I was scared to death that there were no other therapists in Miami that were as good as him but I went looking anyway. I interviewed several physical therapists while I was in the hospital. I finally found one who was very self-confident and had what Eric lacked; a wonderful personality. I was forced to do many sit-ups and she said that when she was through with me I would have a tight little ass and an extremely firm stomach.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I still lived with the fear my new therapist would not get me as well as quick as Eric. I asked my new therapist about this and she asked me to give her three weeks. It didn’t take three weeks; I was walking better in only two. I now had a light at the end of my tunnel and it was at full power. Seeing this change not only helped me physically but also forced me to view life and living in a much more positive light.</span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was given therapeutic passes at this time so I found someone to drive me. This person was a “nice girl,” who my mother found from the church. We went shopping and when we walked out of the store she held up her wrist and asked me if I liked her new bracelet. I looked and noticed that the tag was still attached to it. I laughed my nervous little giggle and we headed toward the car. When we shut the doors she proceeded to pull out a joint, and I thought, “Oh my God what am I going to do.” I laughed nervously because I thought she could hear my heart pound. She smoked half of it and took me back to the hospital; I thanked her and walked away. This presented a real quandary, which I discussed with my psychiatrist and we both felt that I had to let her go, which I did. A woman who heard of my predicament said her roommate was looking for a job. I called her and told her I needed a driver. At this time I was still in my black hole but I did find a hairpin and I was trying to pick that dirty little lock.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> One morning my psychiatrist wanted to see me so I went with him and we got a cup of coffee. We sat for a minute then he said I’ve got some bad news to tell you. ‘Oh no what have I done wrong now,’ I thought. “Joe killed himself yesterday,” he said. I sat there in shock for a few minutes and I asked how. “He hung himself”. I walked back to my room crawled up in my bed and cried. </span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-43386297965170532642009-06-05T04:30:00.000-07:002009-09-08T19:51:15.311-07:00Chapter 19<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, fantasy;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> was still a fixture in the hospital so things were not peachy. I resented the fact that my door had to remain cracked open at night. I did not want to kill myself anymore so it was time for me to do the cruise. My psychiatrist set up a meeting with my family and doctors. They also asked the team leader to join us.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I asked him to leave.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He had no business hearing or even giving any input where it pertained to me. The man stayed which shows, once again, the lack of control in my life. The meeting ended with everyone agreeing that it was time for me to go home. I went home very angry because I had to stay in the hospital a full eight months. What a complete waste of time that was.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I went home expecting a big change; no change was present though in my life.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande', -webkit-fantasy;"> </span></span>I looked in the phone book and saw an ad for people who teach handicapped and/or nervous drivers. This was just what I was looking for so I gave them a call and started immediately. It took fourth months of slow repetitious practice before I was ready to get my license. I practiced parallel parking over and over again until I could do it perfectly. Then it came time to do it in front of a woman who held my fate in her hands. She told me to parallel park for her. I was petrified but I knew if I wanted my license I had to parallel park. I started going and stopped the car perfectly between the two polls, phew, that was a load off my mind. I was then told to go to the corner and make a right, I stepped on the gas and the car started to move, but it started to move backwards. The car I was driving was still in reverse and hit the poll and knocked it over. Need I say that it was not in the cards for me to become a licensed driver on that day? </span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>A short time later, I went to the driver’s license bureau to try again.</span></span></span></p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 82px;" src="http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:KkXQBd6LMxQW3M:http://www.productioncars.com/send_file.php/chevy_camaro_z28_red_1998.jpg" border="0" alt="" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">This time the scared little girl put the automobile in D after I parked it perfectly. Everything else went off without a hitch. I then had the privilege of sitting down and having my cute little photograph taken. I believe that nothing is impossible as I now hold my drivers license.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Kathy brought Tom, her boyfriend, to our house for dinner.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We sat down and they told us that they had eloped.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mom flipped out; she walked away and started yelling, “how could she do this to me!” when she found out.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Mom loves Tom today; she couldn't have asked for a better son-in-law and next week, they celebrate their twenty-first wedding anniversary.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span style="mso-tab-count:1"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-37371155933846350552009-06-04T04:00:00.000-07:002009-09-13T07:19:56.763-07:00Chapter 20<div><p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Carrie was in high school now and joined the softball and basketball team. I began going with my mom to the games. I re-evaluated our sisterhood. Growing up I had never been the greatest sister to Carrie. The reason for this meanness was the underlying resentment. I was just nine when she entered this world, she was my stepfather's daughter and she got all of the attention, but Carrie wasn't a baby anymore. We started having mature conversations; if I had a problem she might be able to help me and vice versa.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It just so happened that as Carrie and I grew closer I realized how alike we really were.</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></p><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, fantasy;"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></span></span>I was chomping at the bit to live on my own.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I now had a car but that was not enough independence for me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">My insides were still jumbled & I was a mess.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There was no peace in my life and I was attempting to do anything I could to find some.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I thought my own place would be a start so I moved into the dorms at school.</span></span></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I took a drama class and met a woman at the film lab.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We became friends and began talking about some ideas we had for a public service announcement.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She got the crew together while I got Mary to agree to do it with me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The P.S.A. showed</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Mary on the phone asking the person on the other end to meet her at the mall in an hour.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The next shot shows me in my red Camero be-bopping along to a song that was on the radio.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The next shot was in the mall,</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">a young woman who resembled Mary walked by and then the camera pulls back and shows me high-stepping toward Mary in her wheelchair and the vice over says, “Sue and Mary didn’t plan to meet this way until a drunk driver met them”.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Babaam, we had struck gold, or so I thought.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:+0;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, fantasy;font-size:-webkit-xxx-large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>I went to the local playhouse to see if they had any work for a handicapped actress.</span></span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They did not have any but they gave me the name of a theater that provided work for handicapped actors.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I sent them my pictures and resume`.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> The</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> theater, which is in Santa Barbra, Ca. was touring with their play and would be coming to the playhouse.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Before they came, I called them and asked if they had gotten my pictures and resume`.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We had a nice chat and when they came to the playhouse I met with the company manager.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Shortly after that, the director called me.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He said they were putting on a new play and would I like to fly out there and audition.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">What a question, of course I’ll be there.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I flew to LA and auditioned for the role of Sheila in, ‘The Boys Next Door’.</span></span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The audition could not have gone any smoother and I landed the part.</span></span></span></span></span></span></p><span style="font-family:';font-size:14;"><a href="http://www.broadwaysd.com/shadowbox-2.0/gallery/green/green09.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 467px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 700px" alt="" src="http://www.broadwaysd.com/shadowbox-2.0/gallery/green/green09.jpg" border="0" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p><!--EndFragment--></span></div>Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-53874760357773828332009-06-03T03:30:00.000-07:002009-09-21T12:42:00.859-07:00Chapter 21<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Things were really going to take off now; I just knew it.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I went to Santa Barbra and worked so hard.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The guys put me up in an apartment for two months.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> There were some big named actors in this production.</span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We did thirteen shows and sold out every performance.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The play was a major success and I won a Drama-Log award for my performance.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Things are going to change, I know they are.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">While I was gone, The local paper ran a full page story on me with pictures and everything.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I sat by my phone and waited for it to ring.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It finally did; the director called me and told me that the top casting director of a major network wanted me to come to LA and audition for a movie of the week.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I flew out there and they sent a car to pick me up.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> We</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> went to the cafeteria for a sandwich then we walked across the lawn to where the audition was.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I fell on the way there and completely forgot my lines in the audition.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I got home and waited for my phone to ring but it</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> never did. </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I decided to take the bull by the horns and call the casting director.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I called her so many times that she had to call my mother and tell her to put a muzzle on me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I was completely humiliated over that so I threw in the towel.</span></span></span></p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 121px;" src="http://tbn3.google.com/images?q=tbn:rDdPhm6XCcSF4M:http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/blog/HurricaneAndrew1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">One day, Tom called and told me that there was a huge hurricane headed our way.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">“Oh there’s not” I said (like I would know?</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Tom’s an Air Traffic Controller for chrissake!)</span></span></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We drove three hours north and got out of the way of Hurricane Andrew.</span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The hurricane destroyed my apartment but my lease was up so I headed north.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I moved in near Kathy and Tom’s home which was great because they were so much help to me.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I met a man at the airport and we became good friends.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He had his pilot’s license and rented small planes and flew all over Miami.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I went with him quite often and had so much fun.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It was beautiful; we would fly along the beach or down to Key West, we’d take night trips. etcetera.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">He then got transferred to California.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I felt like a caged bird that need to spread it’s wings so I moved out and got my own place.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I joined a local gym.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Something was missing in my life though.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I felt so alone even though I was surrounded by people so my solution was to buy a dog.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I loved my little dog, Max, but he was a lot of work for me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I kept him seven years and then gave him to my neighbor.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">That was just another thing I couldn’t do so my drinking became heavier.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">At the gym I met a news anchor for a local station.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I gave her a tape of the play and my book and she wanted to do a story on me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> She did the story</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> then invited me to come watch her do a news broadcast.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I imagined us becoming the best of friends after that: going shopping, out to eat, or to the movies.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">None of these things happened though.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">She never called me and the bottle became my only friend.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I sank deeper and deeper into my depression and along with this, I drank more and more.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Drinking was no longer fun.</span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7174402449933232913.post-64734594765745172952009-06-02T03:00:00.000-07:002009-09-29T07:44:07.398-07:00Chapter 22<!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We then found out that Carrie and her childhood sweetheart were getting married and they were getting hitched in South Miami.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> His</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> sister, Bay was throwing her a bridal shower.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We flew to Boston where she lives. Bay and I immediately struck up a friendship.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The wedding day was quickly approaching and I was having so much fun.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We went to many shops and she picked out the most beautiful dress.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">There was so much to do.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Although I was busy which I enjoy because it keeps my mind off my own shit, I continually compared myself to other people and just saw the negative in my life.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I invited Shawn, a man I had met at the gym, to go with me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The day was perfect except the weather.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">The skies opened up and it poured for hours. They opened the bar and every one had a great time.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It’s a good thing the bridal party wasn’t allowed to drink because there is no way I could have walked down that aisle drunk.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent:.5in"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> Every one was out dancing and having fun while I was left with a bunch of elderly women sitting by themselves and it made me feel old. I should have just gotten out on the dance floor.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">No one was stopping me.</span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Again, I was only looking at the negative and focusing on my fear; the main one of becoming a grouchy old woman all alone.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman Bold""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:'lucida grande';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Carrie had her new life and I went back to the same old dull routine.</span></span></span></p> <!--EndFragment-->Suehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10086860572956531291noreply@blogger.com0