The next two days are hard days for me.
8/11/2008: 6pm in the evening, I am picking my kids up from my parent's house. My cell phone rings and a woman on the other end of the line tells me she is calling from the emergency room and she has my friend's husband there. My friend Jon gets on the phone completely incoherent, I can't understand any of it. The woman takes the phone back and tells me that he wife, one of my closest friends has been injured and could I come down there to be with him. No status, just come. I left my kids with my parents and raced down there. I get there and the woman takes me back and tells me that my friend was found stabbed in her home. WHAT? how can that be? Jon found her in a pool of blood. When they brought her in she was fighting the medics so that is good but she is sedated and intubated and the trauma team is working on her. They take me to a room where the police are talking to Jon. Only later did we find out that they were homicide detectives.
We spent a lot of time in the hospital and the trauma surgeon came in to give us an update. She was alive, but on the breathing tube. They had no idea how long she was deprived of oxygen or how serious her wounds were. They were taking her for a cat scan. As those weeks went on there was brain surgery, hand surgery, face surgery, home, back in the hospital with a blood clot in her lung but finally in september, she was home for good.
Her head was shaved from the stitches and brain surgery.
But let me tell you about my friend. SHE IS AMAZING. She never stopped. She never let it get her down. She went out for dinner with her husband and kids. She didn't care that she had no hair. She ALWAYS had an amazing attitude.
No tomorrow is one year later and I realize how this traumatized me. Living it all with Jon. Not being able to tell our friends because the police wanted only us and her parents to know. Waiting and waiting to hear some good news medically. But she did it. She showed that %$^*$ that did this to her that she was better and she rose up. I admire you Abby.
8/12/2004: Five years ago on Wednesday my best friend's brother died in Iraq. He was a special forces, green beret and he loved fighting for his country. We miss you Michael, we thank you for your sacrifice and we remember you always.
Tough days ahead. I'll get through them. I'm a survivor.
4 comments:
Wow Alisa. What a story of survival! What an amazing woman to fight so hard to live. It really says alot about the human condition and how important every single day is. You are an amazing friend as well.
To your friend who lost her brother I admire her family, her brother and their sacrifice. I thank them from the bottom of my heart.
Wow. She is quite a woman! Reminds me of a saying I scrapbooked recently:
"I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." ~ Christopher Reeve
Your friend is just such a hero!
Oh, and to your other friend who lost her brother, my dad was so very proud of the time he served in the military. I grew up with incredible respect for those that put their lives on the line for us each day. He gave the ultimate sacrifice, and it is very much appreciated.
It is great to hear stories of survivors, I am amazed at her courage. It would have been so easy to curl up into a ball in fear but she said HELL NO and is living her life to the fullest. The person who did that to her did not win!!
Thank you for the reminder of the sacrifice that our soldiers (and soldiers' families) make for our country. I don't know how they find the courage to do it, but I'm extremely thankful that they do...
Thanks for sharing these stories and hang in there :)
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