I was a passenger in my friend's car, when we were hit head on by an inattentive driver. I was critically injured, and had to be airlifted by the Dartmouth Hitchcock Air Rescue team (DHART) to Dartmout Hitchcock Medical Center, (DHMC), in Lebanon, NH. I arrived at the hospital in shock, intubated, and with a score of 3 on the Glascow Coma Scale. I also had internal injuries, none of them severe enough to require surgery. I was placed in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit where I remained for 3 days in a coma. As I began to "wake up", I was moved to the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth, (CHAD), where I remained for another 11 days. I was then transferred to Health South Rehabilitation Hospital for 5 weeks. I don't remember much about being in either hospital, except that I didn't think I had any problems and I just wanted to go home. When I went home, I had short term memory problems, word retrieval and organizational problems, slight left side weakness, and I suffered from migraines.

I desperately wanted to go back to school, and in the beginning was allowed to for 2 hours a day. It was good to get back into my social circle, but I was just too tired and had too much school work to do, to hang out with my friends. I did end up going to the prom in May, but there was too many people, and the music was too loud, so I only stayed for about 45 minutes. As time went on, and just about at the end of school for the summer, I had worked my way up to attending a full day. A tutor was hired for me, and I spent the summer trying to finish my Junior year, (which I accomplished in October of my Senior year). Also about this time, I returned to my part-time job.

All of my friends began to apply to college except me. I felt that I would not have a chance of being accepted, but with encouragement from my parents, guidance counselor, and special education teacher, I decide to apply to two colleges, however, late. My friends began to receive their acceptance letters, and because of my late applications, I began to worry that I wouldn't be accepted. Finally, a letter arrived from my second choice college, I had been accepted!! I was excited and began to feel good about myself. Shortly after, I received a letter from New Hampshire Technical Institute, in Concord, NH, a small college about 75 miles from my home. I had been accepted there also!!! I began to make plans to attend college.

I moved on campus in August 1998. I made many friends, and loved it. I took 12 credits my first and second and third semesters, and did well. I am now in my fourth semester, (only 7 credits), and living at home, doing my "externship" at a local dentist office, and traveling to school one day a week to attend my classes. I am getting ready to take my Radiology board exam on March 9, 2000. I also still work part-time at the same job I've held since I was 16.

Over time, and very slowly, my short term memory improved to almost pre-accident level, I no longer have word retrieval, organizational, or left side weakness problems, I have not had a migraine in over a year. I will be graduating from college in May, 2000, and look forward to a career as a Dental Assistant.

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