What Happened Before My High School Graduation

As I look out over the crowd attending my high school graduation with high school gowns, I can’t help but wonder if the events of the past few weeks affected them as much as it did me. Although it seems like a lifetime ago, I know that it was a just a few days.

May 5^th was just like any other day in my sleepy hometown. It was a brisk spring morning, like any other it seemed. I never thought that something like this could happen to us, not our small town, but I was wrong, we all were.

I figured it was such a nice day, that I would walk to school this morning. I didn’t live that far from the school, so it was not that big of a deal. I was lost in thought, thinking about finals and my high school graduation that was coming up in a few weeks; everybody has already ordered high school gowns. If I can just get through finals, then I know I will be able to finally leave this town. It was a nice town, don’t get me wrong, but it was just small and boring.

I guess if I had been paying attention, I would have noticed that car speeding towards me. I may have noticed that this car was going way too fast for the road and might have gotten up out of the street. Even though I was only walking along side of the road, because there was no sidewalk, I would have gladly gotten up onto the curb, and possibly up onto someone’s lawn. I wonder if I would have noticed that the driver was drunk.

By the time I looked up, I didn’t even have enough time to register if he even had a front license plate before he hit me. I remember being thrown over the car and I remember the pain. I didn’t know it was possible to feel so much pain. I don’t remember too much after that, until I woke up in the hospital.

I remember the doctor telling me that he did not even know if I would be able to attend my high school graduation and I was so sad that I can’t wear my high school gowns. He said a lot of big words that didn’t make much sense to me. He also said a few things that did, like blood loss and femur fracture. I don’t know if it was the morphine or just my lack of medical experience, but not a whole lot was making sense at that point.

After 2 surgeries and time spent in my cast, the doctor did not think I would be able to make it to my high school graduation, but here I am. While I was hoping to be able to walk down the aisle to get my diploma, I will have to deal with being wheeled to receive my diploma. I don’t know if they ever will catch the guy that hit me. I don’t know if I will ever be able to run again, or walk without pain. I don’t know now what my future holds for me, other than lots of physical therapy. I do know that I made it this far and I am not going to give up now. I want to wear my high school gowns for my graduation.