The Long Summer
On the morning of May 14th, just a week or two before Memorial Day, Ruben and I were in a head-on crash. Abel, the other driver, came around the curve on the 2-lane highway, using excessive speed and lost control of his car. When crossed into our lane we saw him coming and did everything possible to avoid him, but there was no time.
Ruben got out of the car and came to the other side to let me out. Coughing and breathing hard with an incredible pain in my chest and my abdomen, I walked to the side of the road to lay down. Not sure who called the ambulance, but it showed up quickly. We spent the remainder of the day at the hospital. They did all the routine checks. Ruben had a fracture in each leg. They wrapped him in ace bandages and sent him home later that afternoon.
They decided to keep me overnight for observation. I ended up staying 2 nights, sleeping on and off and vomiting bile frequently. My mother-in-law stayed with me during all that time. On the morning of the 3rd day, she said that nurse couldn't find my pulse. After trying with several different machines, they realized that my pulse had dropped. All of a sudden, they went into action. The doctor told me that they were going to do another scan but that I'd probably need to go into surgery. My only question for him, "Will I be sleeping during the surgery?" "Yes," he told me. That was enough to put me at ease. I was exausted and uncomfortable.
What they discovered upon opening me up was that seatbelt had damaged my small intestine during the impact of the crash. Body waste was seeping into my body to create a septic situation. There was a period of hours where they were not sure if I would live or not. They ended up cleaning out the body waste, cutting away 6.5 inches of the small intestine and sewing me back together.
John O'Neal, my ministry director and a fellow American, called my parents and by God's grace they were able to get a flight out the same day of my surgery. Ruben was in my hospital room with me every day during this crisis. I was in ICU for 2 days. All together my hospital stay lasted 2 weeks. During the first week I had a terrible fever that could not be nipped by anitbiotics. They discovered that a fungus had entered my surgical wound and would have to be treated by anit-fungus medicine. Once those began to take effect I began to feel better.
Ruben's family, our pastor and other friends from work and several of my co-workers from AgapeBarcelona and AgapeValencia were able to come visit us in the hospital. I received calls and cards and flowers too! The show of affection and encouragment meant so much to me during those difficult days.
Once we left the hospital, we spent 10 days with Ruben's parents. They took great care of us in the midst of our disabilities...me with my girdle and Ruben with his crutches. While we were there we had one scare when I began to vomit bile again. After another visit to the hospital the doctors confirmed that I was going to be okay. Although it wasn't easy to maneurver, I took my first shower in 3 weeks at their house. I had to build up to being able to walk around the block. During our "couch potato" season we watched almost every match of the French Open.
On June 11th, almost a month after the accident we returned home. Shopping was a challenge since neither of us could lift much weight. Despite the challenges, there's just nothing like being at home.
Since then, we've been going to physical therapy every day and just recuperating here in Sant Vicenç. We joined the local swimming pool (a 10 minute walk from our door) and started up with a little exercise in the water.
Ruben went back to work at the end of August and I started up in September, just after the Labor Day holiday. I'm still processing all that has happened during these months. One thing is for sure: We are VERY GRATEFUL to be alive and hopeful of what the future holds for us.
More thoughts to come in the weeks ahead....
I discovered this video on September 8, 2008, a year after writing this blog entry. May it remind you of the shortness of life and the power and divinity that has been "blown" into us.
Ruben got out of the car and came to the other side to let me out. Coughing and breathing hard with an incredible pain in my chest and my abdomen, I walked to the side of the road to lay down. Not sure who called the ambulance, but it showed up quickly. We spent the remainder of the day at the hospital. They did all the routine checks. Ruben had a fracture in each leg. They wrapped him in ace bandages and sent him home later that afternoon.They decided to keep me overnight for observation. I ended up staying 2 nights, sleeping on and off and vomiting bile frequently. My mother-in-law stayed with me during all that time. On the morning of the 3rd day, she said that nurse couldn't find my pulse. After trying with several different machines, they realized that my pulse had dropped. All of a sudden, they went into action. The doctor told me that they were going to do another scan but that I'd probably need to go into surgery. My only question for him, "Will I be sleeping during the surgery?" "Yes," he told me. That was enough to put me at ease. I was exausted and uncomfortable.
What they discovered upon opening me up was that seatbelt had damaged my small intestine during the impact of the crash. Body waste was seeping into my body to create a septic situation. There was a period of hours where they were not sure if I would live or not. They ended up cleaning out the body waste, cutting away 6.5 inches of the small intestine and sewing me back together.
John O'Neal, my ministry director and a fellow American, called my parents and by God's grace they were able to get a flight out the same day of my surgery. Ruben was in my hospital room with me every day during this crisis. I was in ICU for 2 days. All together my hospital stay lasted 2 weeks. During the first week I had a terrible fever that could not be nipped by anitbiotics. They discovered that a fungus had entered my surgical wound and would have to be treated by anit-fungus medicine. Once those began to take effect I began to feel better.
Ruben's family, our pastor and other friends from work and several of my co-workers from AgapeBarcelona and AgapeValencia were able to come visit us in the hospital. I received calls and cards and flowers too! The show of affection and encouragment meant so much to me during those difficult days.Once we left the hospital, we spent 10 days with Ruben's parents. They took great care of us in the midst of our disabilities...me with my girdle and Ruben with his crutches. While we were there we had one scare when I began to vomit bile again. After another visit to the hospital the doctors confirmed that I was going to be okay. Although it wasn't easy to maneurver, I took my first shower in 3 weeks at their house. I had to build up to being able to walk around the block. During our "couch potato" season we watched almost every match of the French Open.
On June 11th, almost a month after the accident we returned home. Shopping was a challenge since neither of us could lift much weight. Despite the challenges, there's just nothing like being at home.
Since then, we've been going to physical therapy every day and just recuperating here in Sant Vicenç. We joined the local swimming pool (a 10 minute walk from our door) and started up with a little exercise in the water.
Ruben went back to work at the end of August and I started up in September, just after the Labor Day holiday. I'm still processing all that has happened during these months. One thing is for sure: We are VERY GRATEFUL to be alive and hopeful of what the future holds for us.
More thoughts to come in the weeks ahead....
I discovered this video on September 8, 2008, a year after writing this blog entry. May it remind you of the shortness of life and the power and divinity that has been "blown" into us.
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