Yesterday as I drove towards the entrance to my community I saw my brothers car in the ditch by the side of the road. I already knew he had been in an accident but nothing could prepare me for the sight of the car with the drivers side pushed half way to the middle, and several feet from the turn off because he had been pushed down the road by the impact. Nothing prepares you for collecting the blood soaked clothing. The screaming in the hospital ward. The 5 hour wait just to get an x-ray and two hours to get the results read. Nothing prepares you for seeing him on the bed, near naked, vulnerable, blood oozing from the hole in his side that wont close, unable to move from the pain. The coughing up blood. The doctors forgetting about him because theyre overworked and hes not gushing blood. This is my baby brother. Ive known him almost as long as Ive known myself. And some idiot overtaking a line of traffic without considering whats ahead almost took him from me. What do I say now? What do I do? I still dont know what to do. I dont know how to feel. But Ive decided I will be grateful. I am grateful my brother is alive. Im grateful hes tough and defied the odds by not having his kidney and spleen rupture or his ribs break. Im grateful he had the sense to ease over in his seat when he saw the car coming toward him. Im grateful we have the money to take him to private doctors because 9 hours and one x ray with a swelling abdomen at the public hospital is not something anybody should have to deal with. Im grateful for my friends andre and mika who made call after call to get us some help. Im grateful for my friend samantha who offered up prayer after prayer. Im grateful my brother is in his room now, in pain, shaken up, but safe and almost whole. Im grateful that my mother was at home to run and take him to the hospital. Im grateful I was close enough to get there in time. In grateful my baby brother is alive. Im even grateful for the emergency room doctors for what they tried. This is not a cautionary tale. This is not even a testimony. This is a statement of choice in the face of life and death: I am grateful for all the things that keep me and the people I love safe and I commit myself to working to create a jamaica where other people can enjoy the same. #family
Posted on: Sun, 04 Jan 2015 02:05:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015