I will always remember where I was the day Osama Bin Laden was killed. May 1, 2011. Mere hours after a seemingly normal night at a family friend’s house, I was fighting for my life.
After experiencing severe stomach pains, my mom took me back to my house, hoping that some rest would erase the discomfort. But as the pain continued, and even worsened, my mom made the live-saving decision to bring me to the emergency room. I was only 14-years-old at the time, so I was mostly unaware of what was about to happen. But looking back five-years later, I can say without a doubt that I owe my life today to my mom. Without her decision to take me to the ER, there is a very likely chance I would not have survived.
Following the events of that night, I really do not remember anything from the next week. There were moments of not knowing where the heck I was, and being confused beyond belief due to the heavy medication the doctors had me on. The first moment I actually remember was waking up to see Justin Verlander throwing a no-hitter on the TV. Despite this relative “milestone,” I was still barely recognizable. I was intubated and surrounded by a countless number of wires, tubes, and other hospital machinery, essentially in a whole other mindset.
Mother’s Day came, and my mom received a pretty great gift; I was transferred out of the ICU and into a normal patient room, which was a good sign of progress. In addition, I was flooded with tons of get-well cards from friends and family; I was honestly overwhelmed with emotion by this outpouring of support. However, I was unsure of when I would be allowed to go home. At this point, I was able to comprehend what was going on around me, which was when I finally got a sense of what had actually happened after first arriving at the ER. Due to several previous surgeries stemming from being born three months premature and from the formation of scar tissue, my intestines had twisted, causing severe stomach pain. Fortunately, the surgeons were able to correct this blockage with minimal damage and once again, I was incredibly lucky. I later found out that normally when a blockage happens, it can be very difficult to repair or correct. Many times, it is fatal.
Over the next several days, my condition gradually improved, and I was discharged from the hospital on May 12. For a time span of only 12-days, that week and a half felt like a lifetime to me. Despite the trauma, I was able to return to school just two-weeks later. I remember telling my mom that it was “the only time I had ever wanted to go back to school.” Miraculously, not only did I take my finals and regents, I aced them.
This week marks five-years since this speed bump in my life. In that time, I’ve graduated from both middle school and high school, with my freshman year of college soon coming to a close as well. Although I was fairly young at the time, the years since have allowed me to reflect on this incident, especially as May 1 comes around each year. I’d like to say this changed my entire perspective of life, but that would be exaggerating; I wasn’t that wise as a middle school student. However, there are some lessons I have tried to apply to my life in wake of the incident. Live your life to the fullest, have no regrets, but most importantly, make a positive impact on someone else’s journey. You never know when life may throw you a curveball, so make the most of your opportunities each and every day.
I was given just a 10-15-percent chance of surviving this crisis, so yeah, life can be pretty scary at times. But there’s never been an obstacle in my life that has stopped me from moving forward, and this is a mindset that I will carry with me forever.
