MOC Day20

I was a regular fourteen year old girl. An eighth grader enjoying the last couple of months of middle school. I had just finished up my second year of cheering and was looking forward to trying out for one of the high school squads. I loved running around with my friends and was already thinking about the spring dance. Being an only child, my parents watched me pretty closely, but I was given a good amount of freedom. Everything was absolutely, perfectly normal. Until…


...April 2nd, 1985, at around 8:00 am,. My life changed forever. Earlier that morning I was just a regular fourteen year old girl without a care in the world. Then, on that fateful day, an innocent ride to school took a turn for the worst. I always rode the bus to school, and when riding the bus, I always sat with the same group of kids who were slightly older than me. Doug was one of those kids. This particular day, he was going to be driving to school due to an after school activity and called everyone in our group to see if we wanted a ride. I was far enough down the bus route, that I was the only one still at home. About halfway to school, we were at the top of the hill by the Taylor farm, when a squirrel ran out into the road. Doug tried to dodge it, ran off the road to the right, overcompensated and went off the road to the left, flipping the car. My life would never be the same. I had broken my neck, C2 to be exact. I was completely paralyzed from the neck down. I did not feel hot, cold, or pain on my right side. I would be in the hospital 32 days, learning to do everything all over again. I would never fully regain my strength on my left side and never regain sensation on my right. It’s part of who I am now.


At fourteen, I never returned to school to finish out my eighth grade year. I never cheered again. I tried out at the end of my freshman year, but didn’t make it. Looking back now, I can’t believe I even attempted that with my lingering disabilities just a year later, but it needed to be done. That door needed to fully close in order for me to regroup and redirect. It took a while to get back to hanging out with friends again. They were all just fourteen too and dealing with my injuries was a lot for them to process as well. I took extra time and extra care in the beginning. They weren’t sure how to handle that. I didn’t make it to the spring dance that year. My parents watched me like a hawk after the accident. My mother hovered behind me nearly constantly at first. So hard when you’re fourteen and want to be so independent.


Over time, I regained strength, I adapted to my sensation loss and a new normal began.. Friends returned, new activities took the place of cheerleading and my parents relaxed (to some extent). It was a lot to deal with at fourteen, but being fourteen also made things easier. I had the maturity to take things seriously, but the naivety to fully believe that everything would be okay... and it was! A different okay that I had envisioned prior to that morning, but I definitely believe that everything turned out just as it was supposed to and I wouldn’t change a thing.

WOW! This page is so beautiful and moving. What a story. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that, but it sounds like it made you a stronger person. This is an amazing layout!!!

that is incredible!!!! {{high five}} to you for not giving up.

**YOUR PAGE IS A FROGGY FAVORITE!**

Love how you've told your story. Wow! So interesting how things work out for us in different ways than we expect. Love the before/after page split and the newspaper article.

oh my! in a split second your whole life changed! kudos to you for never giving up and staying strong! no doubt you learned some very hard lessons of life during this challenging time and here you are, a fabulous testament to who you are today! strong and positive! wonderful page and inspirational story, thank you for sharing

What amazing documenting. I love your design and the 'before and after' on the side. So glad to read of her recovery. It must have been a very frightening time.

What a story to share and such a lot to have lived through. I can see that your daughter turning 14, the same age as you at the time of the accident, would have had a new emotional impact on you. A fabulously well put together story telling page.

Thanks so much everyone! It's a story I've been meaning to get down on "paper" for a while now. I hate that this was the path I had to take to get where I am, but I wouldn't change where I am now for anything else in the world!

Wow. What a backstory! And if this isn't the quintessential story of "how life can change in a flash", I don't know what is. It's these kinds of stories that lend powerful perspective. I love how thoroughly you've documented it here..from including how you felt at the time..the kind of life you imagined for yourself, to the news clipping (that touch of "personal ephemera" is just fantastic), to how the accident impacted you and how you adapted to your new normal and new hopes for your life. I love the "vintage" photos, I love the split "before/after" background. I love everything. This is truly wonderful! And I can understand how it has fresh presence in your thinking now that your own daughter is the age you were When Life Changed.