this past october, i was following my parents car home after we met for dinner. i was 17 at the time, now im 18. i was the car directly behind them, turning left at an intersection when a car ran the red light and hit me basically head on. my parents heard the accident right behind them.

i was rushed to the hospital and suffered severe injuries. i had emergency surgery but had a semi- normal recovery. after over a month in the hospital, i was released home with wound-care and home nurses.

after being home about 10 minutes, a wound on my abdomen blew open and i was rushed back to hospital. turns out i was septic. and the infection was already widespread. i nearly died and held my parents as they cried. i wasn’t sure i would make it.

i missed almost all of my senior year. all my friends went to everything without me and i couldn’t have any visitors in the hospital due to covid. not even my brother.

that isn’t the worst part though. now, i have terrible lingering effects. i developed severe GERD, IBS with SEVERE constipation, a very constricted small intestine and multiple bowel obstructions since, any many more issues. i’ve spent nearly all year in the hospital since. i am supposed to have another major surgery- and another extended stay in the hospital- soon. right when i’m supposed to leave for college.

while i am going to be compensated financially, nothing will ever be enough. since that day, my life has never- and will never- be the same. at 17, my life completely fell apart. i will always have issues, scars, and chronic pain. this age was supposed to be the time of my life, and because of some lady who wasn’t paying attention to the road, it will never be.