Almost three years ago my life turned upside down. During the summer of 2013, I was going to start my first job, I had just gotten back from my second mission trip, and I was going to be starting my junior year of high school. I was an A-average student and a varsity swimmer and had expectations to break the school record for the 500 Freestyle. My friendships were great, and I was carefree and content with life. Everything changed July 14th, 2013.
After my mission trip my best friend, parents, and I went straight off to Mackinac Island for a weekend vacation. The first two days were great, and some fun memories were made. I remember one night my friend, mom, and I stayed outside at night on the beach to see the fireworks, and there was some sort of animal running on the beach. We were freaking out. We think it was an otter of some sort because it disappeared into the water. I remember falling asleep on the beach and getting so sunburned that I couldn't move (thanks, Maddy). On the last day of our vacation, we took a ferry ride out to the island. The only modes of transportation on the island were bike or horse; there were not any cars. We biked around the island first. I really had wanted to go horseback riding that day because I love horses. They used to be my favorite animal, and they still are one of them.
Many of the stables were closing already, and I was giving up on the idea. My mom told me we would go to another stable because she knew I really wanted to ride that day. We found a stable still open and set up to take a ride. My mom and friend were going to go shop in town while my dad and I went riding. My horse's name was Lily. I was put on her because I was a more experienced rider. She was the biggest horse I'd ever ridden. I'm 6 feet tall, and I had trouble getting up on her. Both my dad and I chose not to wear helmets that day.
After we set out there isn't much more of the story I can tell. The guide led my dad and I up into the woods and then let us go. All we had to do was follow the trail. The last thing I remember was looking at my dad's back.
One week later I woke up, and I was in a room I'd never seen before. There was a needle sticking in my arm, and I had patches and wires covering my body. I looked over and saw my mom, and I asked what day it was. She told me, and I freaked out because I had missed my first day of work. It's funny now that that's the first thing that came to mind for me. My mom then explained what had happened to me.
What I can't remember
Somewhere along our ride, my horse had freaked out. We were in the home stretch back to the stable when the horse took off at a sprint down the hill. I was 50 yards ahead of my dad when I got Lily to stop for the first time. She reared and took off again. I disappeared from my dad's view, and by the time he caught up I was no longer on the horse. I had been bucked off and I was unconscious on the cement sidewalk. I had landed on my head and left shoulder. Because I was unconscious, it was obvious that I had a head injury.
Lucky for me there was a nurse and an off-duty paramedic who just happened to be there. There's not a hospital on the island, but I was taken in an ambulance to a medical center. My family and friend had to wait for an hour and a half for the ferry to return to get me to land so I could be taken to the hospital. The ferry took over twenty minutes to get us back to shore, and then the ambulance ride was another half hour. There was a possibility of getting flown off the island, but a medical helicopter was too far away. The doctor decided that the ferry would be the quickest transport. There are, of course, gory details of what happened before I was off the island, but I'll spare you those.
The Injury
My mom was the one who tells me the story of what happened. I constantly wanted to hear what happened again and again. The first day I was really awake in the hospital she told me what my injuries were. I had sustained a severe traumatic brain injury. I had a basilar skull fracture with bleeding that perforated the left tympanic membrane (eardrum). I had a left temporal subarachnoid hemorrhage and bilateral frontal contusions, a subdural hematoma, and cerebral edema (brain swelling) that blossomed about 4 days after the injury which caused secondary injury to the first three cranial nerves, resulting in the inability to smell or taste and changes in my vision and pupil response.
The physician in the ER stated that the neurosurgeon was on his way and that I would have to go to the OR for burr holes and possibly the placement of a ventriculostomy. When the neurosurgeon arrived, I was able to move and follow commands, so he decided to take the “Let’s wait and see” approach. Blood drained from my left ear for almost two days. I had to wear a cervical collar for seven days until the neurosurgeon was able to rule out a ligament injury in my neck. After everything, the only thing someone would be able to see is the bald scar on the back of my head where I had a laceration that had required 3 staples.
Aftermath
After the hospitalization, I had a lot of physical, occupational, and speech therapy. I still have problems with speech and memory. I forget words, sentences, or even what I was talking about at some points. Sometimes I just need more time than other people to get my thoughts together. As for school, my doctors told me that I wouldn't be starting the school year on time. They said that I might be a year behind and that I probably wouldn't graduate with my class. They told me that I wouldn't be swimming that season. They told me that I wasn't going to go to college because of how severe of a brain injury I had.
When I heard this I started working on one of my favorite things to do: proving people wrong. I started my junior year of high school with everyone else. I did have fewer classes and had learning disabilities (I still do), but I started the school year with my class. I was a manager for the swim team that year, and at the end of the season, I got in the water. I even ended up competing in a meet and went to Sections for the 100-yard Freestyle. Was I the same swimmer I was before? No, but I'm lucky to still be able to swim. I'm lucky to be here at all.
I graduated with my class, and during my senior year of high school, I even took college classes. I was accepted to Hamline University, and I am about to complete my first year of college. School work is harder for me now, and I have to work harder than I did before. No one would ever know that I have these struggles or live with the aftermath of a TBI because it's not something you can see from the outside in my case. The doctors told me that I am extremely lucky to have come through the way that I did. I am lucky to be alive.
I would also say that you can't judge someone by looking at them. You would never know what I have gone through and am still going through by looking at my picture or seeing me in person. You need to not take someone for granted and love life a little more. I never believed something like this could happen to me. I never thought I would break my arm, let alone my skull.
I wouldn't change what has happened to me. I have a more open-minded view of life ever since then, and I appreciate the small things. I am more patient than I was before, but I am also more quiet. I feel that I am able to understand things better now. And in case you were wondering, I haven't been horseback riding since that day. I don't hate horses after this; they are still one of my favorite animals, and someday I will go horseback riding again.
