My story starts 11 months ago, on Nov. 25. 2000. It was two days after Thanksgiving, and the start of the Christmas shopping season. I had no intention of getting stuck in the shopping crowds that week-end, so we were purposely avoiding the stores and the crowds. A friend of mine that I went to school with, had me take some Christmas pictures of her and her girls, to be made into Christmas cards, earlier in the week. We had dropped them off at Sam's Wholesale Club, and they called us to let us know that they were finished. So, that's where we were on our way to, when the accident happened. It was around noon, or so they tell me.( Everytime I try to think or talk about the accident, for some reason I keep saying night.) It was a little cloudy, and it had just started to sprinkle. We were only about one mile or so, from our destination. I remember seeing the car coming at us head-on, but that's the last thing that I remember, for about a week. They said that an elderly couple in a 94 grand marquis, crossed the centerline, and hit us head-on. We were also driving a grand marquis. My husband was driving, and our twelve year old son was with us. My husband suffered minor injuries, and had a few teeth knocked out. He has to have surgery on his knee in the future, but was not admitted into the hospital. Our son had been riding in the back seat, and he had a seat belt on. Due to the fact that our car was an older one, there was only lap belts in the back seat, and in the front middle seat, where I was sitting. And, there was no airbags.

My son had to have emergency surgery, which I did not know about until about a week later, and even after they told me, I kept forgetting. I feel so bad, because I couldn't be there for him, when he needed me. He had a torn colon, and a ruptured bowel. He also suffered a back injury, and has had to deal with alot of stress. He celebrated his thirteenth birthday in the hospital, and I couldn't even be there with him. Imagine turning 13 in the hospital just three days after having life saving surgery! He spent one week in the hospital, and missed more than three months of school. He's had a long road to recovery, but he seems to be doing pretty good, thank God. He says what bothered him the most, was seeing me in the condition I was in. I hit my head in multiple spots. I had a subderal hematoma and a concussion. I had at least six broken ribs, and a collapsed lung. I had a cracked lumbar, & three dislocated discs in my back. My left arm, wrist & three fingers were broken. I had a broken nose, & the bone was pushed & crinkled all up. I had two dislocated jaws.Almost everything on my left side was injured in some way. I was covered in cuts & bruises. We were all removed from our cars by witnesses, before emergency help got there. They said they did that because the other peoples car that hit us, caught on fire. We were all transported to the hospital trauma center by three ambulances. My son spent a week in the hospital, and I spent two weeks in the hospital. Ever since that day, our life has changed drastically. Nothing is the same anymore. All my broken bones have healed, and I have to undergo surgery on my nose yet. My biggest problems still, are my head pain and balance and dizziness problems. I have problems with short term memory, attention, multi-tasking, and multiple other things yet. I am trying to find ways to compensate for all that's changed or lost. It's a hard long road, but I'm going to do it somehow. I'm just thankful we're all still here alive, and have another chance at life. I'm very thank-ful to the people at the accident scene who helped us all, and to all the medical professionals that have helped, and to all my new friends at tbichat, you have been alot of help! And, I'm going to need it, to get through this next month, the 1 year anniversary of our accident. Thank you all!!!

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