This page contains photos of my crash and my medical file.
Being the victim of a Drunk Driver altered my life in ways one
cannot imagine, every medical intervention put my life at risk,
and the constant pain was so severe, that only my thoughts
of Jesus and the children who lost their lives to a Drunk Driver,
gave strength to endure my long road to recovery.

In May of 2001 I was hit by a drunk driver, head on. I suffered many severe injuries. Both of my femurs were fractured and crushed in places, my tibia and fibia on both sides were broke in half also, two broken wrists, ribs broken dislocated sternum, my right heels crushed, my heart stopped twice and my liver failed my lungs collapsed and I suffered from a traumatic brain injury. I recovered and am now surviving and fighting to keep my health and to advocate for others who go through what I have and share my story. Please read my book preview.

Here is the journal I kept on my medical history since the crash. MAY 28, 2001 CRASH DATE - SURGERIES INCLUDED BILATERAL FEMUR FRACTURES RECONSTRUCTION OF BOTH FEMURS, TIBIA AND FIBIA BOTH LEGS ROD IN RIGHT FEMUR AND LEFT TIBIA AND FIBIA. PLATES IN MY LEFT FEMUR AND RIGHT TIBIA AND FIBIA. IN COMA NOT EXPECTED TO COME OUT OF IT. MAY 28, CRASH DATE - HEART STOPPED DURING SURGERY. TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY DETECTED. SWELLING ON MY BRAIN. MAY 28, CRASH DATE - STERNUM DISLOCATED AND BROKEN RIBS, BOTH WRISTS BROKEN, HEEL CRUSHED CAST PUT ON BOTH LEGS, TOO MUCH TRAUMA TO DO SURGERY ON HEEL ALMOST DIED DURING SURGERY, TOO RISKY TO PERFORM ANYMORE SURGERIES. MAY 29, 2001 - HEART STOPPED CODE BLUE CARDIAC ARREST. PUT BACK IN CRITICAL CONDITION. TOLD THAT CHANCES OF LIVING THROUGH THE NIGHT ARE VERY SLIM DUE TO TRAUMA. MAY 30,2001 - LUNGS COLLAPSED DUE TO WRECK. RUSHED INTO O.R. CONDITION - CRITICAL. JULY 2001 DIAGNOSED WITH HYPERTENSION PROBABLE CAUSE DUE TO TRAUMA. DIABETES WELL UNDER CONTROL DUE TO NINETY POUND WEIGHT LOSS DUE TO COMA. ALSO HAD SURGERY ON MY HEEL PLATES PUT IN MY HEEL AND A DONOR HEEL PUT IN TO REPLACE CRUSHED HEEL. DEVELOPED HETEROTOPIC BONE GROWTH IN LEFT UPPER THIGH AND RIGHT UPPER THIGH. MAJOR PAIN IN BOTH MOSTLY IN LEFT LEG. BRAIN INJURY CAUSING ME TO HAVE MEMORY LAPSE AND DIFFICULTY WITH SLEEP AND CONCENTRATION. AUGUST 2001, TOOK FIRST STEPS AND WALKING WITH WALKER NO PROMPTING JUST GOT UP AND TRIED AND WAS ABLE TO WALK THROUGH TREMENDOUS FAITH. SEPTEMBER 11, 2001 - FELL AT HOME AND HIT MY HEAD LOST MY ABILITY TO SPEAK WELL MEMORY LOSS WORSE NOW. JANUARY 2002, WALKING WITH NO ASSISTANCE WHATSOEVER. GOING BACK TO WORK SOON. MARCH 2002, HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY LEGS AGAIN HAVE TO STOP WORKING HAVE HAD TO USE THE WHEEL CHAIR FROM TIME TO TIME SINCE LAST MONTH. SEEMS THAT MY LEGS ARE GETTING WORSE AND MY LOWER BACK IS GETTING REALLY BAD. JUNE 2002, HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY ABILITY TO WALK. LEGS ARE WEAK AND MAJOR PAIN. LOWER BACK PAIN. FELL TWICE DUE TO LEG WEAKNESS. AUGUST 30, 2002 - DIAGNOSED WITH A SPINAL DISEASE. STILL BEING TREATED AND TESTED. PROBABLE TREATMENT WILL BE SURGICAL AND MEDICINE. CAN BE CRIPPLING. CAUSES NARROWING OF THE SPINE. SCHEDULED FOR A PREOP APPOINTMENT FOR SURGERY ON MY LEFT LEG ON SEPTEMBER 19, 2002. Had the appointment all went well set for a physical appointment to check out everything for my first of two major surgeries on my left leg. The first is for the extra bones in my leg. The physical appointment is for September 26,2002. OCTOBER 14, 2002 - SCHEDULED FOR MAJOR SURGERY ON MY LEFT LEG TO REMOVE HETEROTOPIC BONE MASS AND SOME OF THE HARDWARE TO BE REPLACED AND SOME RECONSTRUCTION. AFTER RECOVERY WE WILL FIND OUT WHEN WE WILL SCHEDULE EXTENSIVE SURGERY FOR THE REBREAKING OF THE SAME LEG AND RESETTING OF IT AS WELL AS INSERTING A ROD INTO MY FEMUR. THIS IS ANOTHER MAJOR SURGERY DOCTOR WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT I AM RECOVERED ENOUGH TO UNDERGO IT. OCTOBER 21, 2002 - I AM HOME RECOVERING FROM SURGERY. STILL HAVE MAJOR SWELLING BUT THE SURGERY SEEMS TO HAVE WENT WELL. I AM IN MAJOR PAIN. IT SEEMS TO BE A MAJORITY OF MUSCLE PAIN, AS MOST OF THE BONE WAS INSIDE OF MUSCLE. I AM SURE THAT WITH TIME THAT THIS WILL GET BETTER. I JUST FEEL VERY ISOLATED AT THIS TIME AND REALLY LONELY AND SOMETIMES I GET FLASHBACKS TO THE FIRST SURGERY. I FEEL LIKE I AM RELIVING THE WRECK ALL OVER AGAIN. I JUST HOPE THAT I CA N BE STRONG FOR THOSE WHO LOOK UP TO ME. I JUST WANT TO BE GOOD TO ALL OF THOSE WHO NEED ME. NOVEMBER 6, 2002 - I FOUND A SWELLING FLUID BUILD UP ON MY LEFT LEG, MY PHYSICAL THERAPIST CALLED MY SURGEON'S OFFICE AND THEY TOLD HIM TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AT MY FAMILY DOCTOR'S OFFICE TO TAKE CARE OF IT. I DID THAT, AND THEY TOLD ME THAT IF IT GOT ANY WORSE, TO GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM. IT DID GET WORSE THAT NIGHT I WENT TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM AT SANTA ROSA NORTHWEST HOSPITAL. THE DOCTORS THERE TOOK A SAMPLE OF THE FLUID AND SAID THAT IT WAS INFECTED, AND CALLED THE SURGE0N ON CALL, AT UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND TOLD HIM TO INFORM MY SURGEON. THE SURGEON SAID NOT TO DO ANYTHING BUT TO SEND ME TO THE CLINIC THE NEXT MORNING. SO I CALLED THE CLINIC THAT MORNING AND THEY TOLD ME THAT MY SURGEON HAD AN EMERGENCY AND THAT HE WANTED ME TO SEE THE PHYSICIANS ASSISTANT THE NEXT DAY. THIS WAS THE SAME PERSON WHO I TOLD THAT I THOUGHT THAT MY LEG WAS GETTING INFECTED ONE WEEK PRIOR AND HE TOLD ME THAT I WAS NOT GETTING AN INFECTION BECAUSE I DID NOT HAVE A FEVER. HE LOOKED AT THE AREA AND THEN SENT ME TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM AT UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND THEN CALLED AHEAD TO LET THEM KNOW I WAS COMING HE SAID IT JUST NEEDED TO BE DRAINED. WHEN I GOT THERE THEY TOOK SOME CATSCANS AND SOME TESTS AND SAID THEY NEEDED TO DO EMERGENCY SURGERY AND THAT I MIGHT LOSE MY LEG THAT IT HAD SPREAD ALL OVER MY LEG. I HAD THE SURGERY AND THEN TWO OTHERS ONE ON SUNDAY THEN ANOTHER ON TUESDAY THEN IT HAD SPREAD OVER MY ENTIRE BODY AND INFECTED MY TEETH THEY TOOK THREE OF THEM OUT. I WENT HOME AFTER THREE WEEKS AND NOW I HAVE A HOME HEALTH NURSE AND A CERTIFIED NURSING ASSISTANT AND A PHYSICAL THERAPIST. I HOPE TO RECOVER SOON. UPDATE! I am fully recovered now. It is September, 2004. I walk with a cane, and went to School to train for a job that allows me to sit most of the day. I am at peace now.

To know more of how I felt when I was hit head on, read PREVIEW OF MY BOOK

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