Today marks one year since my mom's accident. One year since the day that I received the worst phone call of my life, where I was informed that my mom was in a coma after being run over by a Mercedes.
I was unsure that I would ever see my mother alive, and aware, ever again.
I had to wait out the night sleeplessly until the morning, as no flights left from Iceland to England that late. I waited helplessly from over 1,000 miles away, terrified of every phone call, expecting the worst news.
The journey to the airport in the early hours was nightmarish. The weather was dreadful, and a few times a wave of water swept over the windscreen, obscuring our vision. I inwardly worried that we might also have an accident and imagined how awful that would be for my family; 2 car accidents in less than 24 hours, but 1,000 miles apart.
I remember boarding our Icelandair flight and seeing multi coloured lights running along the base of the overhead luggage racks. I took it as a sign and felt a twinge of hope - mom loves rainbow colours.
Then a sickening thought hit me. Mom had always told me that if she dies her funeral must be rainbow themed, no one will be allowed to wear black. I tried to suppress any thoughts of having to plan her funeral and told myself that she must survive, fully recovered.
When the plane landed in Manchester we ran to passport control, hoping to get through quickly in order to make our train. The automatic scanner wouldn't let me through and I had to wait in the queue for manual inspection. The man working at the desk looked at me with unease as he checked my passport. He surveyed me; exhausted, unkempt and sobbing uncontrollably. He didn't want to let me through. A security woman behind him stepped forward and asked me if everything was okay. I screamed at them both that there was a family emergency and I had to go. She told me that everything's okay and I screamed back that it's not. I yanked my passport out of the man's hand and ran through the border, not caring about the consequences.
We were running late for the train. The ticket machines were out of order and there was a queue at the booth. We missed the train by seconds, which put us an hour behind at a time when every second counted.
Fortunately when we arrived mom was still alive and gradually started to improve. I won't recount the entire recovery as you can read it in other posts which I will link below.
We were told that she would be in hospital and rehab for at least a year. Miraculously she left 6 months ago!
There have been ups and downs since she left and a few setbacks but today she is alive, fully aware, and healthy and that is incredible.
Last week I visited her for my birthday and I couldn't believe that I was looking at the same person from last February. She was so happy, bright and full of energy, just like she used to be. You'd be hard-pressed to believe that she has a brain injury!
I will forever be thankful to the staff at both the QE and Sandwell hospitals, at Moseley Hall, and of course everyone who provided my family and myself with any kind of support during that horrendous 2018 that we had.
Going into this year I'd like to remind everyone to check in with your loved ones often, you never know how long you have left with them. Life can change in a minute. Last year mine changed during the space of a short phone call.
Also make time for yourself, life is too short to be stuck doing something you hate. You only need to make a living, don't overwork yourself.
If you're feeling stressed, reduce your hours, even if it's only temporarily, it might make a world of difference.
Find time for your hobbies and passions, even if it's only for 10 minutes every couple of days.
Expand your comfort zone a little. It could be something as small as trying a new food, or as huge as taking a new job abroad.
Find happiness in the little things and don't let petty things ruin your mood. It really doesn't matter if the barista made your latte a few degrees colder than you'd like.
Moving into 2019 I'm feeling optimistic that this will be a fantastic year and we are all looking forward to see what it brings.
Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous year.
Loppy x
Read about mom's recovery process
Read part one here...
Read part two here...
Read part three here...
Read part four here...
Read the four month update here...
Read Birmingham Mail's update about mom here (includes video interview with her)
I was unsure that I would ever see my mother alive, and aware, ever again.
I had to wait out the night sleeplessly until the morning, as no flights left from Iceland to England that late. I waited helplessly from over 1,000 miles away, terrified of every phone call, expecting the worst news.
The journey to the airport in the early hours was nightmarish. The weather was dreadful, and a few times a wave of water swept over the windscreen, obscuring our vision. I inwardly worried that we might also have an accident and imagined how awful that would be for my family; 2 car accidents in less than 24 hours, but 1,000 miles apart.
I remember boarding our Icelandair flight and seeing multi coloured lights running along the base of the overhead luggage racks. I took it as a sign and felt a twinge of hope - mom loves rainbow colours.
Then a sickening thought hit me. Mom had always told me that if she dies her funeral must be rainbow themed, no one will be allowed to wear black. I tried to suppress any thoughts of having to plan her funeral and told myself that she must survive, fully recovered.
When the plane landed in Manchester we ran to passport control, hoping to get through quickly in order to make our train. The automatic scanner wouldn't let me through and I had to wait in the queue for manual inspection. The man working at the desk looked at me with unease as he checked my passport. He surveyed me; exhausted, unkempt and sobbing uncontrollably. He didn't want to let me through. A security woman behind him stepped forward and asked me if everything was okay. I screamed at them both that there was a family emergency and I had to go. She told me that everything's okay and I screamed back that it's not. I yanked my passport out of the man's hand and ran through the border, not caring about the consequences.
We were running late for the train. The ticket machines were out of order and there was a queue at the booth. We missed the train by seconds, which put us an hour behind at a time when every second counted.
Fortunately when we arrived mom was still alive and gradually started to improve. I won't recount the entire recovery as you can read it in other posts which I will link below.
We were told that she would be in hospital and rehab for at least a year. Miraculously she left 6 months ago!
There have been ups and downs since she left and a few setbacks but today she is alive, fully aware, and healthy and that is incredible.
 |
| A huge thank you to everyone who contributed to my crowdfunder, you were a massive help! |
Last week I visited her for my birthday and I couldn't believe that I was looking at the same person from last February. She was so happy, bright and full of energy, just like she used to be. You'd be hard-pressed to believe that she has a brain injury!
I will forever be thankful to the staff at both the QE and Sandwell hospitals, at Moseley Hall, and of course everyone who provided my family and myself with any kind of support during that horrendous 2018 that we had.
Going into this year I'd like to remind everyone to check in with your loved ones often, you never know how long you have left with them. Life can change in a minute. Last year mine changed during the space of a short phone call.
Also make time for yourself, life is too short to be stuck doing something you hate. You only need to make a living, don't overwork yourself.
If you're feeling stressed, reduce your hours, even if it's only temporarily, it might make a world of difference.
Find time for your hobbies and passions, even if it's only for 10 minutes every couple of days.
Expand your comfort zone a little. It could be something as small as trying a new food, or as huge as taking a new job abroad.
Find happiness in the little things and don't let petty things ruin your mood. It really doesn't matter if the barista made your latte a few degrees colder than you'd like.
Moving into 2019 I'm feeling optimistic that this will be a fantastic year and we are all looking forward to see what it brings.
Wishing you all a happy, healthy and prosperous year.
Loppy x
Read about mom's recovery process
Read part one here...
Read part two here...
Read part three here...
Read part four here...
Read the four month update here...
Read Birmingham Mail's update about mom here (includes video interview with her)