During that time, my parents were given the news of my accident. They were devastated and were able to get emergency visas to fly to Brazil to be by my side. They arrived in Brazil on day three and were going to the hospital to tell me goodbye. While they were in the neurosurgeons office waiting to meet with him, he went to do one last test before he asked my parents to sign the papers to donate my organs. Immediately after the test, the neurosurgeon dashed back to his office, he swung the door open and told my parents that I finally started to have blood flow to my brain from my right carotid artery.
In March 2012, I was serving a religious mission in Brazil and started to walk across a street and was hit by a bus. The ambulance picked me up and took me to the closest hospital, where the surgeon removed the whole left side of my skull to allow for swelling. The next day I was transported to one of the best hospitals in South America (still in Brazil) where the neurosurgeon found that I didn’t have any blood flow or oxygen supply to my head. I was given no chance to ever function, let alone survive.
Although I miraculously survived, my life changed forever. While I was in a medically induced coma for 4 weeks I battled several obstacles including pneumonia, a superbug respiratory virus and diabetes insipidus. I was finally stable enough to be transported from the hospital in Brazil to the hospital in the United States where I was for two months.
The left side of my head took the majority of the blow, and the left side of the brain is where the language center is located. When I woke up, I could not communicate and I was diagnosed with Aphasia. I had to relearn how to talk, read and write. As a 21 year old, I felt like a kindergartener with the low amount of language memory I still had. I had to do speech therapy for three and a half years and physical therapy for nine months. I had to do 8 head and face surgeries for my beautiful face:), and one of those was when the surgeon put a titanium plate on the whole left side of my skull. I had severe nerve damage on the whole left side of my left leg that lasted for several years. My left leg was very sensitive and so painful with any touch (like bumping my leg on something or even putting socks and shoes on). Since May 2012, I have had over thirty seizures, four of them were life-threatening. The most challenging trial I’ve had to face is that I lost the majority of my vision. I am completely blind on my right eye, and blind on three fourths of my left eye. Some challenges that have come with that is that I cannot drive and go wherever whenever I’d like to. I can’t see a 65 inch television well from more than 10 ft away. On top of that, it took a long time to find the love of my life who loves who I am despite my vision.
For 8 years I went from college to college, graduating with a variety of degrees, but still didn’t find a career that would be healthy for my well being. During that entire time, I was asked to speak at many different events. I shared my story and many of the lessons I have found throughout my life that have helped me become who I am today and become successful in life.
Speaking has become my passion. It has literally saved my life and has motivated me to keep moving forward while also motivating others. I have come to realize that everyone goes through challenges and hardships, and I want nothing more than to share the resources I have found to help and support you.
After speaking at many events, I have received so many uplifting responses from the audience about the inspiration and motivation I brought to them, which has brought me the happiness, love, and satisfaction that I’ve been looking for.
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