Look Twice – Save a Life

 

Ordinary days can turn tragic in a split second.

An ordinary weekend motorcycle ride on a sunny day in June of 2012 turned tragic when Jessica* and her boyfriend were hit head on by a truck. She survived, but with multiple injuries. Her boyfriend, Nate, passed away later that evening after significant blood loss and a resulting heart attack.

* Her real name is used with permission.

Look Twice  Save a Life

Motorcycles are indeed everywhere. The bumper sticker “Look Twice – Save a Life” pleads with drivers to be aware of motorcycles. Because of their smaller size, drivers sometimes just don’t see them.

When Jessica met the driver of the truck two years later, he admitted he honestly did not see their motorcycle when he made that fatal left turn. Jessica remembers, “I never had to think about forgiving him. The accident wasn’t malicious.”

Jessica and Nate had been dating about nine months at the time of the accident. Nate’s long hours as a chef didn’t leave much time for them to spend together, so they looked forward to their leisurely Saturday motorcycle rides.

Jessica remembers Nate’s scream as he saw the white truck turn in front of him. When she looked over his shoulder to see what caused his panic, she saw his hands squeezing the breaks. It was too late to avoid the crash. At impact, Jessica was thrown 80 feet off the motorcycle into a ditch. Nate was thrown off the motorcycle, as well.

The driver of the truck and his passenger (a pastor) were horrified as they watched Jessica fly through the air as if “she were Super Girl without a cape.” The driver of the truck rushed to Jessica and held her hand and prayed over her until the EMTs arrived. The pastor rushed to check on Nate. People at the scene later told her Nate was only concerned with whether or not Jessica was alive.

Sadly, Nate passed away at the hospital.

Jessica was in excruciating pain when the EMTs put her into the helicopter to transport her to the hospital. She remembers the paramedics not being able to give her pain meds because her blood pressure was so low. She told them, “It’s OK. I’m a Christian and am ready to go to heaven.”

50/50 Chance of Surviving

God wasn’t ready for her quite yet. Later she remembered hearing God whisper to her while she was flying through the air, “I’m so sorry, but this is going to hurt.”

Hurt is such a small word for the injuries Jessica sustained: severe road rash on her entire right leg; several broken ribs; her left leg was degloved, leaving a hole in her thigh big enough for a softball; her left leg below the knee was flipped backward, causing compartment syndrome; the tibia and fibula in her left leg were snapped; her public bone was split in half with the sacral illiac joint broken; collapsed lungs; and internal bleeding.

Jessica’s parents were told she had a 50/50 chance of surviving. If she survived, she had a chance of losing her left leg because of the compartment syndrome. But in Jessica’s words, “They didn’t know who they were dealing with.”

Four surgeries to put her back together again meant Jessica spent a month in the hospital until she was stable enough to go home. Once home, she was bed ridden for another five months.

Her family came to help with her recovery. So many caring friends and people from church visited and brought food. At first all the help made Jessica uncomfortable, but she soon realized, “doing those things brings them joy.”

She could not bend her leg or walk, so getting to sit in a wheelchair with leg extenders in late July felt like progress.

Journaling About the Accident

With all this time on her hands, Jessica spent time journaling about the accident and her healing, as well as her thoughts/feelings about it.

Through journaling, she came to believe that even though Nate tragically lost his life, he saved hers by taking the brunt of the impact.

When I asked her about losing Nate, she said, “His death was so sudden. There was no time to say good-bye. I wanted to be strong, but there were so many sleepless nights as I sobbed (my emotional pain) and my body heaved under the blankets from all the pressure (of the physical pain). Pressure that eventually, with time, started to heal. Many would say it made me stronger . . . one of God’s diamonds.”

Determined to Walk

At the beginning of August (2012), a pulmonary embolism put Jessica back in the hospital. It caused an autoimmune disease (Lupus) in her veins and blood vessels. Testing showed the Lupus anticoagulant was already underlying. It became apparent due to her injuries. [While the disease is in a suppressed state right now, she takes a daily aspirin and follows up with her hematologist for screenings.]

Determined to walk without assistance by Thanksgiving, she began physical therapy in September. Having been in great physical shape before the accident made it hard to accept not being able to push the pedals on the stationary bike at first. She made great progress and was using a walker by Thanksgiving and walking with crutches by December.

Severe pancreatitis and a gallbladder full of gall stones resulted in gallbladder surgery in December of 2012. Doctors suspected the gall stones became dislodged from the accident and caused a blockage in the bile duct.

Just a month later (7 months after the accident), Jessica returned to her work as a veterinarian technician and obedience instructor. The residual physical pain and fatigue only made it possible for her to work part time.

One year after the tragic accident that took Nate’s life, Jessica attended a Remembrance Celebration in which she spoke about the accident and her life since then. She said, “A year ago, I could not walk. I lost the love of my life, my sweet Nate. I lost my house, my ability to work, my income, my bladder control, my ability to ride a horse, and my independence. I don’t know why my life was spared, and one wonders how you even pull through something that tragic. My answer is my family, friends, and faith. They’ve all been part of my healing process.”

Riding a Motorcycle Again

Two years after the accident (June 2014), Jessica felt she needed to get past her fear of riding a motorcycle again. A friend agreed to take her on some back roads and drive cautiously. “I had butterflies the whole time; it was refreshing and nauseating all at the same time,” she reflected. She conquered her fear, but she said she’d never get back on a motorcycle again.

A few months later, Jessica’s friends began encouraging her to date again. She dated a few guys, but she didn’t feel any butterflies with them. Then, she met a gentleman online. They texted and talked for a month before meeting. When they finally had a date, Jessica remembers knowing he was the right one because she felt the butterflies!

 

A check mark was added to Jessica’s ‘bucket list’ in March of 2015 when she competed in the Dancing With the Lake Oconee Stars competition and won 1st place for the community fundraising award and 2nd place for the dance award.

“It was an amazing adventure – exhausting, time consuming, and nerve wracking, but it shows what you can do with a broken body. I’ve definitely been blessed with second chances!”

 

 

 

The best second chance of all was marrying the gentleman who gave her butterflies in November of 2015.

Jessica recently posted a “love note”on her Facebook page which further illustrates the love she has for her man.

For my husband:
He takes amazing care of me! He lifts my legs when I am in bed crying because my body is angry at me and the chronic pain I suffer from my injuries seems unbearable at times. He lets me wrap my arms around his strong neck as he carefully helps me out of bed. He helps me drift off to sleep by making up stories to keep my mind off my pain, especially when I can’t take any pain meds because I have to work. He makes sure I smile everyday with his crazy jokes and sense of humor. He assures me how much he loves me and that we will grow old together. He is honest, hardworking, motivated, full of love and is by far very handsome! I just wanted to take a moment to say how much I love him, and I am thankful for him every day! He is amazing! I should write about him more often.

Lessons She Learned

Instead of focusing on her residual chronic pain and severe pelvic neuropathy, Jessica remembers the lessons she learned during her recovery. “Don’t believe the limitations others put on you. A positive attitude is very much a part of healing. There are lots of people with big hearts who want to help. God is more powerful than I ever imagined.”

Her OVERCOMER attitude stood out when she shared this powerful piece of wisdom with me: “Everyone has a story. Life is about relationships. When we share our stories, we can impact other people’s lives.”

Yes, Jessica, your story of loss and injury can touch another life by encouraging and inspiring him/her to fight to overcome. That’s what this web site is all about!

Leave a reply (below): As I’m putting the finishing touches on Jessica’s story, I discover she had a pancreatitis flare up and spent some time at the hospital this past weekend. Her attitude is positive, just as I suspected it would be. This week’s health struggle is just a bump on her journey of overcoming.