Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Cracked Vertebrae

I was talking to a friend at work today about this so I thought maybe you guys would find it interesting...and I don't know how many of you already know this story and how many of you don't so...here it is...

When I was in 5th grade (so, so, so long ago) It would have been around '85. We were living with my Mammie (grandma to y'all Yankees ;) in Charleston, West Virginia. She lived on this gigantic mountain right below Yeager Airport....the one major airport in Charleston. Named after Chuck Yeager you know who broke the sound barrier...I had a huge crush on the kid Chris Yeager in my class who was his grandson...but I digress.

So since she lived below the airport there were a few runoffs; of water, oil, grease who knows what...from the airport that came down the mountain near her house. They were pretty awesome. We loved to play around and on them when we got the chance which wasn't very often because my Mammie would say "Dawn Marie dontchu go gallivantin' 'round this mountain ya' hear!" Only when she was away did I usually go gallivantin' 'round.

We (this girl Danielle and I) were playing on the mountain around the runoff, when I sat down to retie my shoe my foot slipped on some moss and I fell 95 feet down the jagged rocks (I have a picture if you want to see it) on my belly. I fell until a boulder stopped my fall by me slamming into it back first (hence the title of this post) I was unconscious for awhile but awake when the ambulance came. They tied ropes to the trees to support the back brace as they took me off the mountain (they were convinced that I was paralyzed) I was aware enough to be mad that they weren't using the siren ;)

I had a broken right leg, 3 broken ribs, 6 cracked vertebrae but that was it. Even though I slid 95 feet on my stomach there wasn't one scratch on my body, just broken bones. Crazy huh. I only have one picture of myself in the back brace that I had to wear for over a year and that one picture is enough. I look miserable. I was in the hospital for about 8 months, while there the nurses and I became great friends, they would get me Popsicles anytime I wanted. I would ask for pickles and they'd moan and groan and tell me they had to go to the basement for those but they would still get them for me. I don't remember being in pain at all (except for physical therapy.) It was crazy, I have been thinking about this lately because of some stuff going on in my head right now, at that time I was told that I had a guardian angel, one neighbor (Danielle's mom who was the only one who saw the whole thing) said she saw a male figure with his arms beneath my body the whole time that I fell. I've always believed this but I'm not certain why. I am not religious. I always say I am agnostic not atheist because I am afraid not to be. I like the idea of gods, not of a god. It doesn't seem fair or possible that there is only one being out there who holds all of our fates in his/her hands...I just don't know what to believe.

What I am hoping is that if I do have that guardian angel that he is looking out for me right now and that his boss has some sort of plan for me, because this cannot be it, this cannot be all that there is.

2 comments:

IncogKnito said...

Wow, what a story. That story alone shows that you have great courage and faith. That no matter what life hands you you surge onward. Awesome!

Jen said...

of course there's more. unfortunately for us, we can't predict a single piece of it and won't know what it is until it smacks us in the face.

i wish i had something concrete to believe in too. i believe in the universe in general but i hate how vague that seems. i guess i believe in good timing more than anything and i think your good time is coming. :)

xo
J