On November 26, 1990 about 3:30 PM, I was leaving school in King of Prussia with friends. I was 15 and had a job at Kay-Bee Toys at the mall. We decided to take the shortcut to the mall, under the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Well, the tunnel was flooded so we decided to go across the turnpike; this is when my life changed.

I saw my chance to get across, well there was a Honda car passing the Blazer. I didn't see her and she didn't see me, the Blazer blocked our views. I was hit by the Honda and was thrown 75 feet and landed on my head. I was life flighted off the turnpike to HUP in Philadelphia, PA.

If I would have been taken by ambulance to another hospital to be flown out from there, I wouldn't be here to tell my story. I was a the HUP emergency room by about 4:00 PM. A bolt was placed in my head to keep a close eye on the swelling of my brain. I was taken to the Trauma Intensive Care Unit. This was where my mom, Tammy, and my Step-Father, Mike got to see me. They were told I had a 50/50 chance, and to plan for the worst.

For 12 days, every time my brain would swell, the doctors and nurses would rush me down for the test to watch the brainstem. I'd be injected in my IV with a medicine to bring the swelling down. The doctors didn't know if I'd make it, but my mom knew. All I could hear were machines, and my mom and others seemed to be at a distance.

The 12th day my eyes opened and that was enough hope to hang on to for months. I was moved out of ICU to the 9th floor on December 20th. On December 22nd I had surgery on my right foot for an infection. January 1st 1991, I was rushed back to another ICU. I was bleeding internally. I was there for a week. My esophagus had a hole in it from the breathing tubes.

I was back in my room again. I stayed at HUP until January 27th, 1991. I was given test after test. My temperature would get high when my mom would leave. So they looked for infections, and didn't find any. They felt that my temperature was the only way I could show my emotions. I was moved to Bryn Mar on January 27, 1991 and placed in intensive watch. I didn't do much until April of 1991. That is when my eyes started to focus a little. The nurses noticed me watching them. About a month later I could move my right leg.

I was moved to the protective unit at the end of May. I didn't do too much more for a while. One of my therapists realized I was doing sign language that I had learned in school. I progressed slowly. It is a long road. I learned to feed myself and other little things.

October 1991, I was sent home. I learned a little more each day. I went back to school with handicapped students. Down this long road, I graduated from Rocky Grove High School in 1995. I still have a long road to go, but feel 100% better since November of 1990.

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