A young teenaged girl copes with a devastating spinal injury that has left her paralyzed from the waist on down and relying on a wheelchair or crutches in order to get around.
I have had to put up with a lot since that life-changing automobile accident last summer, and it is a life I'd rather not live; but unfortunately, I have to learn to accept what has happened and try to go on despite what has happened to me.
My name is Corrie. Corrie Michelle Winston is my full name, and I am seventeen years old. I live in the Pacific Northwest in the state of Washington; and I live with my parents, Sean and Grace; and my pesky older brother, Wayne, and my two younger sisters, Minh and Yberra; and up to last summer, I think I have had a pretty good life.
But then came that day. I will never forget it as long as I live. My then-boyfriend, Toby, had been drinking prior to us leaving that party, and people know that alcohol and driving while under the influence do NOT mix; and yet, despite my begging Toby to quit drinking he wouldn't. When we left later that evening, he was pretty well soused; and I was scared that we would get into a wreck or worse, which was exactly what happened. One minute, we were laughing and listening to Kelly Clarkson singing on the radio, and the next, we saw two headlights coming at us, and then....a very loud crashing noise and the sound of metal hitting against metal, and the sound of breaking glass; and then the sensation of pain and then numbness flooding my body; and then...total blackness.
When I awoke later (I have no idea of how long I was out when I had been brought to the hospital, and today, nearly five months later, I still don't know anything after the accident until I woke up in the hospital), I found myself in a bed, a blanket and sheet pulled up to my chin, and a needle in my arm; and then seeing the worried faces of my parents and brother and also the relieved faces of the doctors and nurses who were taking care of me. I couldn't feel anything below my waist; and at first, I thought I had lost my legs; but the doctor gently reassured me that my legs were still attached; but I had suffered a devastating spinal injury, and this was why I was having no feeling below my waist. He said that I would probably be permanently paralyzed, judging from the severity of my injuries.
At the news, my mother and father cried, and my brother stood there like a zombie; and I was scared too; but I knew that I would be okay because for one thing I was still alive, and I was aware of most everything that was going on around me. At least most of my faculties were intact, I kept thinking, and I could feel my arms; but it sure felt weird not being able to feel anything below my waist. It was as though a portion of my body had detached itself from me in some way, and it felt strange.
Here it is, nearly five months later, and I am still in the hospital; but I am now in the rehabilitation part of the hospital, and I have been undergoing many torturous and long hours of physical and occupational therapy. I have been learning how to walk again with the aid of a walker, and doctors and my therapists are pleased with how well I am progressing; and they think I should be graduating to crutches soon. My arms and shoulders are much stronger than they were when I first came to rehab, and I am now able to take care of most of my personal affairs and am able to transfer myself from wheelchair to my bed or back again, and I am also learning how to take care of my catheter and change the bag on it whenever it needs emptying; but even though I am paralyzed, I am still (basically) the same person; only thing is, I will have to do most of my living from a set of wheels instead of using my legs.
The change in my physical being hasn't been easy, and I have also had to learn to cope with the death of my then boyfriend, Toby (he died at the accident scene, it turned out; I never found that out until recently, and I blame myself for his death); but my family has been especially supportive and kind, considering the circumstances; but I still have a long way to go before I am released from the hospital.
~To be continued.
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Reviewed by Simon Thurlow
1/4/2004
This is a mindful and insightful write, given through the eyes of what some would call the victim. Very nicely done
Lesson as Karla said-Don't drink and Drive!
Powerful and emotive write!
Thanks for reviews you have left as of late
and reviews you left this past year! You are
super-duper!
Suspenseful and close to home, Rain of Deception 2 will leave you in Tears. Much like Part 1, this will shocking sequel will keep you on the edge of your fingertips.
A poignant story about letting go of a narcissist in your life. Have you ever been attacked FULL force by a narcissist? It's the closest thing to being stabbed over and over in the back.
