ONE YEAR AGO
One year ago, July 26, 2014, I had a life changing paragliding accident.
I have scraps of notes that I have written over this past year about the accident and the recovery — and have determined now, a year later, to share those and other reflections about this life awakening event.
Every single day, I am acutely aware of my gratitude for being alive and able to do essentially everything that is of importance to me. It is hard to comprehend that a year ago I was in an acute care bed at the University of Utah Hospital in Salt Lake City. It is hard to understand as I write these words with full consciousness, that my life was at the brink of blinking out forever.
I was medicated and unaware, connected to tubes and machines. All my vertebrae except the lower lumbar spine, all my ribs, and my right lower jaw were fractured. I had survived a five hour surgery by a team of expert surgeons who placed two titanium rods on either side of the entire length of my thoracic spine and attached them to each of the vertebrae with large screws. Some of the vertebrae were so crushed they required reconstruction with bone bits. All the vertebrae in my neck were also fractured and were being held in place with a neck brace that I wore 24 hours a day for months.
Tonight I am in Jerusalem. Earlier today I drove six grandchildren to the Science Museum where we spent three hours exploring exhibits on light and shadow, magnetic electricity and sound. Since January, I have been to Washington, D.C. , New York City, San Francisco, and Chulitna Wilderness Lodge in Alaska. One year ago, it was a major effort, using a walker with an assistant, just to move 20 feet from the hospital bed to the bathroom.
How grateful I am for TODAY, for this very moment, for being able to write these words, to hug my grandchildren and send loving messages to my dear ones.
I send my deep thank you’s to each of you who cared for me during those challenging times, who visited, who sent cards and flowers and gifts, and who prayed and wished for my recovery. Many of you have encouraged me to write about this at once devastating and yet inspirational “adventure.” I hope these bits and pieces that I will post here live up to your requests.
With my deepest appreciation,
joan [August 3, 2015, 343 days later]