be-musings

Over a year ago, in the winter, our friend Amanda was seriously injured when hit by a jeep on a snowy day. She was on a school break and ran across the road to join friends before returning to class. She didn't see the jeep driving down the street until her head hit the front grill.

In the first week following her injury she flat-lined twice and had 40% of her skull removed so they could take out 10% (the size of a golf ball) of her brain . Her pelvis was badly injured. She got pneumonia, was in a coma and on life support. Things were dismal regarding her recovery, and in fact I had her pegged for dead.

A few weeks after the accident, Scott and I visited her in the hospital. She wasn't in her room, so we wandered around various places trying to find her. We walked through the lobby to check outside, Scott ahead of me, and I noticed the name "Amanda Thompson" on the back of a wheelchair, but I didn't recognize the person in it. I thought that person had nerve taking Amanda's wheelchair when she needed it. As I looked at the hockey helmet wearing person slumped down, I realized it was Amanda. I told Scott she was there, and staring right at her he asked "Where?" I pointed her out again, and he put the scene together. There she was, shaved head, bright red helmet, not the perky woman we knew before. But who would be when in that much discomfort and missing part of the brain?

Amanda removed her helmet and showed us her stubble hair, the large scar and indentation across the entire right side of her head, where the skull had been removed. She was happy to tell us that they were soon going to cut her open again to put back the missing skull, now that they knew her brain wasn't leaking. She and her mom were thankful that she survived the accident, and they told us the doctors said her recovery was exceeding their expectations.

Tonight was Amanda's Grade 12 graduation. She has walked around this past few weeks reminding us about it and saying "I'm going to graduate this year. I'm not getting pregnant or hit by a truck." She was right.