Life Changes

I’ve been writing on here for nearly four years. Most of the time I love to share tips and ideas related to inspiring you to make memories and celebrate life. I write about our life, our stories, local events, recipes, etc…. but sometimes I write personal things. I share feelings and moments that don't necessarily relate to anything else on here - but they are something that I just need to share.

I don’t do this all of the time though. There have been many changes and losses over the past year that I have never mentioned on here, but this time - this time I want to tell you a few things. I want to share why I haven’t been on here for a few days: one of my best friends was in an accident.

Last Thursday evening I found out that she had been in a major car accident. She was driving on the highway in her little car when a truck drove through a stop side on a side road and literally drove right into the highway and hit her. They had to cut her out of the vehicle and transported her to the nearest hospital. She had a broken right arm, broken right femur, 3 broken ribs, and several broken vertebrae in her neck.

I rushed to the hospital. 

They had her right leg in a skeletal traction until they did surgery, meaning they drilled a hole through her tibia and inserted a metal triangle and had weights hanging on it to keep the leg aligned until they could operate on it.

I stayed with her until the wee hours of the morning until she got settled into a room on the neuro trauma unit.

Friday morning I rushed back after I took the kids to school so I could see her before she went into surgery. I waited all day as they repaired her arm and leg, and didn’t go home until one am.

Saturday I drove the 30 minute drive back up in the evening and sat in the hospital room, letting her rest as I worked on my computer and gave her cousin (who had been staying with her) a break. Once again I drove home at one am.

Yesterday I stayed home; trying to rest up so I could keep myself well, because I knew I’d be back at the hospital quite a lot.

On top of all of the trauma, my friend also had a TIA (trans ischemic attack) at some point during surgery  - which is pretty much a mini stroke. Her left arm (the unoperated side) had pretty much no function. She could feel touch but not pain stimuli. She couldn’t move it, but could give a faint grip. The neurologist said she most likely will gain movement back, but they aren't sure how long it will take. In the meantime they extended her hospital stay by two weeks.

So here I am.

She has friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances messaging me asking what they can do, and my response is to just pray and wait. There are so many people telling me that she is lucky to have me there as a friend and I guess I’m just a little dumbfounded. Here is my dearest friend, a friend that I’ve considered family for the past 16 years of my life, sitting here immobile in a hospital bed and people are surprised that I’m there for her? Why wouldn’t I be? She is single and other than a few family members she doesn’t have someone there to assist her in little things like sipping water or re-positioning her hands. Why wouldn’t I be there for her? Isn’t that what we are supposed to do in life - be there through the good times and the bad? Life isn’t always happy and sugar coated. Sometimes it's just tough. 

Life is made up of happy times and sad - but I’m just grateful to have her alive. If anyone I know is suffering immense pain I would be there to do whatever I could. Why that seems so unusual is beyond me.

Here I sit. I’m on the 7th floor in a hospital room with a clear view of the state capital and Mt. Hood (the mountain we just visited two weeks ago). I’m quietly working on my emails and not interrupting her sleep - but I am there if she coughs or needs a sip of water or a nurse needs to ask a question.

I’m happy she is alive and stable, so while I’m sharing tasty recipes or fun adventures remember this: there is more to behind the scenes than you can imagine. It’s not always sunshine and flowers...but I want to share all of these moments that will inspire you to make memories daily and celebrate life...because you never know when everything could change in an instant. 

~Melissa