My New Life
No one really understands how much we take for granted. It was something I did for nearly ten years of my life. I faintly recall the bright pink walls in my room, which surrounded my canopy bed and large white desk. Everything seemed perfect. Never did I imagine it was merely a vision. It could vanish in the blink of an eye.
I remember the days, when I could roller skate and ride bikes with my neighborhood friends. It was a casual Friday afternoon kind of thing. I was young, energetic, and full of optimism. It wasn't until I was nine and a half, that I truly appreciated the freedoms of living I'd had for nine years of my life. Awaking on the morning of February 3, 1990 was the dawning of a life I'd never expected to live.
As I lay exhausted on the brown, velveteen couch in our den, I envisioned a girl laying in a hospital bed. Mom held my hand. She stood over me, and told me it was going to be okay. But as my mother and father tried to ease my fears, I worsened theirs. I hanged my head over a basin, and blurted out, "Get me to the hospital. I'm dying."
My parents drove behind the ambulance, and I lay unconscious with the ambulance attendant. When arriving at the hospital, they found that something inconceivable had happened. I was stricken by a rare brain hemorrhage. Otherwise known as an AVM stroke.
They were told it was a condition that was rare, and didn't affect many people. It was an unecessary artery in my brain I was born with, and it was of no use to me. Since I was young, I would be able to overcome obstacles much easier than someone older. But, for me, it was far from easy.
I remained in a hospital bed for nearly five months, getting up at times to tackle my quad cane or manual wheelchair. I recall the times when I'd say, "Wake me up. This is a dream." It wasn't hard to hear the hesitation in mom's voice. This continued until I came to face the cold reality, that I wasn't the same person I used to be.
Everything seemed like a new beginning, a road I'd never traveled before. I was sure everything would be okay after a few months. My friends from school visited me throughout my hospital stay.
Latest Articles