27.
“Age 16 — I was cruising around smoking and drinking with some friends. I had my feet up on the dashboard right where the airbag is. We came around a curve at about 60mph and impacted with an elk in the road. I don’t remember anything other than seeing the elk, a quick flash of being cut out of the car, and a split second of the EMT asking me to open my eyes in the ambulance. Several days later I woke up in the hospital and was informed by the doctor that I would most likely never walk again due to the condition of my legs and that they were honestly surprised I had survived.”
“I had coded twice on the way to the hospital, and the EMT asking me to open my eyes was after reviving me the first time. I had crushed all the bones in both of my feet, broken both ankles, both tibia, both fibula, hyper extended both knees, fractured pelvis, fractured sternum, broken clavicle, dislocated shoulder, elbow and wrist all on the right side, three broken fingers, broken jaw and fractured cheek bone. Along with a collapsed lung, swelling on the brain, bruises, lacerations and a blown ear drum and pupil….eight surgeries, a lot of metal, a lot of pain medication and two years of physical therapy later, I took my second set of first steps two days before my 18th birthday. By the time I got to go home, I was completely dependent on pain medication and my depression from having to be taken care of was spiraling out of control. I attempted suicide thinking I would relieve the burdens I was causing…Today, I’m 17 years sober, a mother of two (plus a bonus kid), work with recovering addicts and have gained almost all mobility in my legs back.”
—u/Loud-Range-2005
Source: https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahmarder/regrets-from-teen-years
