Valentine’s Day 2010 would turn into a complete game
changer, a day we will never, ever forget.
A day I’ve documented in words so if the day comes that the memory is
gone I can always, reflect back on His goodness and mercy. The following is the account of the night we
were poisoned, the night our worlds met His and He provided the most beautiful second chance.
We were
experiencing a “Texas Winter” and had received about 6” of snow. We had been without power for 3 days and Day
3 we ran a generator out in the front driveway/edge of our garage with the
garage door open, windows in garage open, etc.
The Fire Chief later told us that since it was so cold and there was no
wind that the gas probably just settled instead of blowing away and just crept
back into the house via the eaves.
Taylor
(my daughter) and I had gone to bed in our respective bedrooms and she told us that
someone called her name and she was trying to get up to see who it
was... she got up, fell face first into the wall, collapsed and
crawled outside of her bedroom, shimmied up the wall and collapsed again. The thud of her falling on the concrete floor is
what woke me up. Charlie (her dad, and my ex-husband) heard this as well from
the living room and he and I went to the hallway to see what it was and found
her lying lifeless on her face. We couldn't get her to respond at all and
Charlie sent me for a flashlight that was by my bed. On my way to the
bedroom I started feeling like something
was not right with me either. I got the flashlight, and started
running back to the hall so I could get to Charlie to let him know I wasn't ok. I knew if I collapsed
in the bedroom he wouldn’t know to come for me and I had to get to him so he
would know I was sick. (Remember,
all of this is going on in the dark.) The closer I got to he and Taylor the
further away I felt like I was getting. Everything was spinning out of
control and I was experiencing the worst feelings I had ever faced! When I turned the corner to the hallway I
collapsed face first without any hands/arms to brace me, falling onto the metal
flashlight cutting my forehead to the bone. Charlie had to search in the darkness
for the flashlight as it had rolled when I fell and I told him I felt blood
running down my face. Once found, he shone the light, and with one look
he said he had to get me to the hospital! I said, “What is wrong
with Taylor, doesn’t she need to go?” Taylor meanwhile was in and out of
consciousness and our life was so out of control. Charlie was able to get her awake and told
her she had to get a towel to put on my forehead to help with the bleeding
until help arrived. My head began to pulse blood out of control and me,
Taylor and the walls were covered in blood.
When she brought the towel back, she then went back unconscious not far
from me, and Charlie had to drag her over and prop her on top of me, against
the wall as I was having convulsions and banging my face into the concrete
floor. My eyes were rolling back in my head, and Charlie was yelling that
I wasn’t going to die on him! He called 911 and first to respond were the
police. Immediately upon entering they looked for the lights and Charlie
told them we were without power. They used their flashlights and on first
site was my blood, bloody handprints in our hallway where I tried to stand, and
Charlie had my blood on him as well. Immediately they began accusing
Charlie of a crime, etc.…and he began explaining what had just transpired.
Shortly thereafter the fire department arrived, and luckily Charlie knew one of
the firemen who quickly came to his defense. The Fire Chief began asking
questions as to what we had done earlier in the day to maybe put some of the
pieces together as to what had happened. Charlie told of the generator
use and immediately the Chief went to the truck to get the carbon monoxide
detector. The truck was parked at the street and within steps of entering
our driveway the readings on the detector began to rise quickly, so much that
he went back to the truck to recalibrate the device as he was not believing the
high readings. Once again, walking in the driveway up to our front door
the readings began to creep higher and higher. Upon reaching the door he called
for his crew to exit the home and began to get Charlie, Taylor and our dogs out
as well. A couple of Paramedics were left inside with me to get me stable
enough for transport to the hospital. Once outside, they realized that
Taylor had “started” this whole incident and the firemen told Charlie they
wanted her checked out as well. I left by ambulance and Charlie and
Taylor in his truck. On route to the hospital, through nothing other than God’s grace, Taylor
made some of the scariest and bravest phone calls she’s ever made to my sisters
alerting them of what had transpired and seeking their immediate help. Several
firemen stayed at our home to open windows and stay and watch our dogs for
sickness and make sure they were in a safe place before leaving. (Way
beyond the call of duty!) Once at Mansfield Methodist Hospital they
checked mine and Taylor’s blood gases and they were “through the roof”, hers
being much higher than mine. They were not prepared or skilled to handle
emergencies such as ours and they began preparing us to be transported to
Dallas Methodist to get in their hyperbaric chamber. First, my head had
to be stitched up, 15 stitches and I had to have a CT Scan to make sure I was
transportable. Off we went, on the ice, Taylor and me in the ambulance,
her sitting and me on a stretcher, both with oxygen on. Somewhere along
the way my oxygen ran out and the face mask adhered to my face, being
claustrophobic, this was not a fun experience. The Paramedics were
wonderful! Upon arriving at Dallas Methodist, a doctor began to explain
to us the procedures for going into the hyperbaric chamber, (all of this I am
trying to comprehend while the carbon monoxide was still doing damage to my
brain!) I must add that at some time after our arrival we found out that
the family that had just been in the chamber all had died, except the father, not
comforting! Taylor and I are both very claustrophobic, but were survivors
after our approximate 3 hour stay in the chamber! (Taylor was such a
trooper, as they had a very difficult time getting her to the depth that we
needed to be to be successful.) 2 ambulance rides, 1 CT Scan, 2 blood
gases, 2 hyperbaric chambers, 15 stitches and 1 concussion later, WE
SURVIVED! Nothing says “I LOVE YOU” like
a brain injury on VALENTINE’S DAY (02142010)
Afterwards
my sister Kimberley moved in for approximately a month. Physically I was
trying to heal my head, but mentally I was left with a traumatic brain injury.
I literally started over with kindergarten flashcards, looking at an apple
and saying library and my
friends and family completed most of my sentences, scooped Taylor and I up and
helped us heal!
My
Neurologist told me that people don’t survive what we went through and there
really aren't patients like us. He said they really don't know how to
treat me. Through his honesty, he became a great comforter to me as
I struggled so much with memory and cognitive skills. I treated for about a year and a half with him. One of my first visits he took his hand and
made a fist and began knocking on my forehead.
He said the poison goes into your brain and destroys whatever it attaches
to and we have no control over what functions it destroys or limits. I’ve come a long way.
My
short-term memory is horrible at times, and I’ve lost so many precious memories
both long-term and short-term. Taylor and I have a saying when it comes
to trying to remember things, we just look at each other and say, “Did we have
fun?” The one who remembers says to the other, “Yes, we had fun!”
That’s all that matters. To be alive is amazing, in whatever capacity!
God is good; no great, His grace is
unending! I continue daily to
deal with balance, breathing, vision, memory, or lack thereof. These are
daily struggles for both Taylor and I. I have fallen more times than I’ve
stood it seems, had injuries that ranged from Band-Aids to orthopedics visits.
By far my greatest challenge is breathing. Every day at some point I struggle to breathe
and coughing has become my norm. Some
days are better than others. Sunny days
are my friend, cold, wet days I lean on Him for every breath I take. The more I talk the worse my coughing is and
I talk so much for work. Recovery continues every day for me and Taylor,
and luckily her Dyslexic brain is use to accommodating skills and this continues
to be her saving grace on a daily basis. She is young and healing has
come differently for her, but memory and migraines are big battles she continues
to face.
Side note: When we arrived home from the hospital I grabbed Taylor’s
forearms and said to her, “You know the voice
that woke you up was not me or daddy?” Her response, “I know mom!” My
faith is amazing! God’s mercy is incredible!
