24 to 40: Surviving a Broken Neck

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Broken neck? Yes, you did read that correctly. Of all the things that I am writing about in this Turning 40 series, this would definitely be at the top of a short list of the events in my life that I feel have impacted me the most.

The year was 1986. I had finished my semester at Oak Grove Boarding School and was back to small town living in Ferryville, WI. I was SO ready to get my driver’s license and my father was more than happy to take me out for driving lessons on the country roads in their small Ford Escort.

I had passed my driving class and had been feeling excited and anxious to set up the appointment that would give me the freedom that every teen-age girl longs for! (Assuming that I would pass, of course!)

My dad was taking me out for one last little trip before I took the plunge. We were only a few mile outside of town, on the country road that I had come to know pretty well. Coming to a bend in the road I had gotten off on the shoulder just a bit and the gravel pulled the car in a way that I was not used to. Heading straight for the railing of a bridge, my dad grabbed the wheel to point us in the other direction. We ended up rolling the car and landing upside down near the creek.

Here are the pictures of the poor Ford Escort:

Wow! I never dreamed I would have such a bad car accident before I even had my driver’s license!

I haven’t seen these pictures for several years and going over them again brings back a flood of memories and an amazing feeling of gratitude that things turned out the way that they did.

Looking at that first picture above, you would not think that the driver could be OK considering where the roof of that car is! I call it divine intervention for sure that day that my car seat broke causing it to recline all the way back on impact. Two men had been fishing nearby and when they saw the car they proceeded to get us out and drag us away up the hill a bit (because of leaking gasoline)…another divine moment as they did not know that they were dealing with a girl who had a broken neck.

Yep, here’s the not so pretty result of the car accident injury to me:

I can remember the day very well. I think I had lost consciousness for a bit on impact and the next thing I knew I was screaming for my dad! I needed to be sure that he was alright. My mom came and we were all rushed by ambulance the 40 minutes to the nearest emergency.

At the time, my dad was in shock so there was a lot of worry about him, but we were talking and alive!

Once at the hospital, we were put in different rooms and I remember my mom going back and forth between the two to check in on us. X-rays were taken and I’ll never forget my doctor coming into the room, slapping the X-ray up on the wall and telling me “Well, young lady it looks like you have yourself a broken neck!” Say what?!

When my mom came in and I told her what the doctor had said, she did not believe me at first. I MUST have misunderstood! He looked at the x-ray with us and he actually said that it was somewhat surprising (I call this a miracle – divine intervention #3) 😉 that my spinal cord had not been severed. My 6th vertebrae was overlapping the 7th and decisions would need to be made as to how to proceed.

At that point, I was pretty much immediately put in the traction that you see above. Screws in the head, rotating bed (180 degrees) and all!

My father suffered a fractured sternum and was not admitted to the hospital.

The first few days were rough! I hated that rotating bed! I was on a lot of medication for sure but sleep was not coming too easily. My parents stayed at the hospital and what I remember most during those first few days after the accident was that my dad seemed always to be there. Coffee in hand, he would walk to each side of the bed talking to me. I know that he had a difficult time seeing me like that, but I was so thankful that it was me and not him because I was the one driving.

There was a moment while I was alone and in traction that had played itself out in my faith walk today many times. I believe that it was one of the first times that I really heard the voice of God. Depending on your own faith, you might think me crazy (it’s ok) but I heard God telling me that night that I would be alright, that He had a purpose for my life that did not include being paralyzed. (There had still been some concern of this.)

This voice was so real to me that I rang for my parents and told them and the doctors that I had heard from God.  Wow! Over the years, this moment has faded a bit but there have been times during my walk with the Lord now that He has reminded me of that exact moment, so much so that it can bring me to my knees today.

The rest of the story includes the decision to go ahead with surgery (as opposed to continued traction). This meant a bone graft from my hip and the shaving of much of my hair. (Which, by the way, they didn’t bother to tell me – a rude awaking for a young girl!) I would be in a neck brace of one sort or another for the next several months.

During this time, I discovered just how much people cared for me. EVERYONE from my small High School showed up as well as a few people from the boarding school in Fargo. It was right around Easter that I was in the hospital. Here is a picture of me in the room post surgery:

There are SO many things that I learned from this period of my life. I will just end in saying that I do not regret the accident at all. I think it taught me an amazing lesson about appreciating life at such an early age. I pray that I (and you) would never take life for granted, as it really CAN change in an instant.

P.S. I did go on to get my driver’s license after 3 ATTEMPTS! (At least one failure was marked as “drives TOO cautiously!” Go figure!)