So this is how it’s going to end?… I thought to myself, the helicopter blades beating their rhythmic cadence all around my lifeless body as the medevac carved its way through the night sky on its way to Harborview Medical Center.  Barely able to breathe and slipping in and out of consciousness, I was sure that I had broken my back at the very least.  There was no brightly lit tunnel or lifetime slide show presented in lightspeed, just an overwhelming sense of peace.  I didn’t need some dramatic review of my 23 plus years to be confident I’d done my best the whole way, so as the wind howled in my ears I mouthed four inaudible words: okay God, I’m ready.

But as we all know, that night wasn’t the end of my road but a hard left turn into completely foreign territory.  And while this life is one I was neither prepared for nor looking forward to (and to this day have times I don’t want to do anymore), it is one that has led me to many experiences, people and thoughts I may never have come across otherwise.  In less time than it took me to earn my degree, I have gained a greater appreciation for life, both the people I love and those special souls who chose health-care as their career, all the while becoming enlightened to the downfalls of their industry caused by some of my governments nonsensical policies which sometimes cause it to feel a lot closer to health-scare.  I’ve started a blog, told some goofy stories, and met literally thousands and thousands of people from all walks/rolls of life.  And somewhere along the lines I became a writer; about the last thing I would have ever pictured for myself.  I’ve landed an amazing agent, completed my first writing workshop (that went VERY well, for all those wondering), and made countless useful contacts that should come in quite helpful as I try to realize this new dream of someday publishing a book. 

It was right about this time three years ago tonight that my parents were briefly allowed to see me before I was taken to surgery to repair my broken neck.  I looked calmly at my mom and said, "My life is changed forever."  I wasn’t afraid, I wasn’t emotional, it was just a fact: life as I knew it was over.  Though I instantly knew the situation was bad, I never could have imagined the truly great things that also lay ahead.