My life had been running at a slow pace, I wanted to improve things...get a better job, etc...but was having problems figuring out how to do those things. I couldn't afford college making improvement a near impossibility, until I decided to join the army. After much thought I caim to the conclusion that this was the only way I could give my life direction, so I headed to the local recruitment office and started the process. In late June I passed the written test and physical and was all set to head out to boot camp in early August when everything came crashing down around me.

I had gone to a friends house to go hiking on July 10. After hiking through the woods I got in my small S10 Blazer and headed home, taking the backroads as usual. I came to a red light at a main thoroughfare and came to a stop. The light changed to green and I went to move forward only to be hit by a much larger extended cab truck headed in the opposite direction. The driver having recently been at a bar was driving recklessly and was about to be pulled over by a cop (the one trailing him, apparently) when he decided to run his red light and slam into me. I only know this from talking with the deputy officer not having any memory of the incident at all. In fact I can't remember anything past July 8.

The cops had to use the jaws of life to get me out of the car, I was then put into a ambulance and rushed to a hospital nearly 30 miles away, I wasn't expected to live to see that hospital. I did and was taken into surgery shortly after arriving. The medics had feared that there was internal injuries, there were just not the ones they suspected. Most of my ribs had been broken and one of them punctured my right lung causing it to collapse. A blood vessel in my stomach had also been severed causing even more internal damage. The doctors fixed those problem as well as a few others that I had been born with, but had not known about. Then came the problems with my head, specifically the bleeding in my head. My parents had been told that if the bleeding stopped in 72hours my chance of survival was high. It did stop in that time they then placed a tube in my head to prevent my brain from swelling.

The docs then gave my parents a reality check, a harsh one. They said that there was damage to my brain, and because of that I would more than likely not be able to talk/walk or think independently ever again. On those cases they were wrong. My memory was damaged but gets better every day and I hope to start college in January. I also have problems seeing out of my right eye due to a sight case of double vision (one I'm hoping a nuerological eye doctor can rememedy next month.).

I am recovering and are doing far more than many anticipated I would be able to do, hell I walked a mile today without breaking a sweat. Still, knowing how close I came to dieing has had a definite affect on me. I am more of a positive person who looks toward the good in a situation and not the bad. I anticipate that my full recovery will be a long one and that doesn't bother me a bit. Eventually things will return to a near normal status and for that I am grateful. God spared me, I don't know why but I hope to someday return the favor and do whatever it is he wants me to do.

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