Bikini Envy

When I was 14 years old, I had emergency brain surgery. I was in Kansas at my family reunion and my cousin and I had decided to take a walk. I don’t remember anything about the accident, but from what I understand, the car hit me from behind and I flew over the car, breaking the windshield with my head. It took an ant hill that broke my fall, a neuro surgeon that happened to be in the right place at the right time, and a helicopter transport system that was only a few weeks from being shut down, to save my life.

My family says the doctors expected me to be in recovery for two years. After all, I could barely walk, I was having major migraines, and I’m not sure I even knew my own name. But, lucky for me, my mother had always worked in the medical field and knew what the problem was. She demanded that they take me off all the pain meds! They put me on 1000 milligrams of Tylenol twice a day and everything changed. The projectile vomiting stopped, the rashes went away, and I knew who I was. Amazing!

After only 6 days, the doctors released me from the hospital. My hair had been shaved off and I had 33 staples in the shape of a horseshoe on the right side of my head (how fitting for Kansas). I was missing three teeth and I was still having terrible migraine headaches, but I was alive and on the mend! That was in August of 1989.

To think that it all could have ended for me that day. What a blessing it is to have had the opportunities I’ve had since then!