angels.

Today I got to meet with the two men who saved my life 10 years ago... to the day.

10 years ago, I was driving home on an unfamiliar road, after having been lost coming home from my boyfriend's house. I apparently lost control of the car or over corrected on a curve and went into the ditch. My car flipped end over end 4 or 5 times, and I was thrown from the car and landed in a river.

Rob, who lived just near where I had the accident, had just gotten home, and was still sitting in his car in the driveway. He heard the tires squeal, and looked down the road to see my headlights flipping. He went in to get his dad Rodney, and they came looking.

A lot of little things had to fall into place for things to work out just as they did.

They got to the edge of the road and the ditch was so steep and the grass was so tall that you couldn't even see my car. They went down to look for it and the dome light flickered and they were able to tell where my car was. Once they reached the car the dome light went out. They could see that no one was in the car, and they looked around the car and couldn't find me. As they were looking, I let out a scream from the river, and they were able to tell which direction I was.

When they approached the river, I was trying to keep my head above water. The river was 6 ft. deep. Rodney pulled me out of the water, and Rob ran home to call 911.
They had another neighbor bring a blanket and they talked to me and held on to me until the ambulance got there.

I was transported to Owatonna first, and then after assessing my injuries I was sent to Hennepin County Medical Center to the trauma unit. I had broken a both of my femur bones,and a broken vertebrae in my neck. I spent the next day in surgery to get rods and pins put in both of my femurs.

I then spent the next 10 days in the hospital, 3 months in a wheelchair, and 6 weeks on crutches after that.

The fatality rate for this type of injury is 20% as the femurs are the biggest bones in the body and breaking them at the same time is such a trauma to the body that some don't survive it.

I had a long, painful recovery, but I was alive.

And from that day on, my life was changed. I was headed down a path that was unhealthy and destructive. And this accident is what had to happen for me to change my life and my path.

It was truly a blessing in disguise.

And I have Rodney and Rob to thank for rescuing me and giving me another chance at life.



Today we all got back together and had a picnic at Mineral Springs Park. Rodney, his wife Lois, their son Rob, his daughter Lexi and his girlfriend Jessica were all there. And it was the 6 of us, plus my Mom and Dad and Nate and Joan. We brought a cake that said "You are a lifesaver" that was decorated with lifesaver candies. We spent the afternoon talking about what has happened in the past 10 years in all our lives, and we talked about the night of the accident.

It was a very significant day for me.

There is no doubt in my mind that if they had not found me that night, I would not be here today. I will be forever grateful for them.