My near-death experience MADE ME A MUM
Walking away from a car wreck, changed Rachel’s life
Shaking a pot of pink nail varnish, I took Sue’s frail hand in mine. ‘I’ll paint your nails,’
I told her.
‘Thanks, darling,’ she smiled, grateful.
Sue* was my friend’s mother. She lived in a nursing home as she had advanced Alzheimer’s.
I visited her every week and took in her three beloved cats.
Two years later when she passed away, I tearfully attended her funeral.
As I was driving home, a huge semi-trailer smashed into my car. The truck spun my vehicle around three times, then squashed it against the wall of the motorway. We were both doing about 110kmp/h.
My car rolled 50 metres down the highway. When it nally came to a halt, I opened my eyes, shocked at what had happened.
Dazed, I crawled out through my passenger window as my door wouldn’t open. The truck was gone – the driver had ed the scene.
I walked out into traf c, but cars kept whizzing by me. I called triple-0 but it felt as though the other person couldn’t hear me so I hung up.
Convinced I was dead, as nobody was stopping and the Emergency operator wasn’t responding to my voice, I wandered about 20 metres down the highway.
Then I lay down in a gutter and closed my eyes so I could go to heaven.
What followed was surreal. I felt very calm, peaceful and unafraid, but also disappointed I’d never managed to be a mother.
This must have been why – to prevent the baby from being without a mum, I thought.
Suddenly I felt Sue’s presence enveloping me like a warm hug, and I knew everything would be all right.
A passing motorist saw my lifeless body on the side of the road and called an ambulance.
When the paramedics arrived, they couldn’t believe I was alive.
‘How did you survive that?’ they asked incredulous, pointing to my car. It was a total wreck, yet I didn’t have a scratch.
The regret I’d felt about not becoming a mother when I thought I was dead, sparked a dif cult conversation with my boyfriend. When it was clear he didn’t want to have kids, I left him.
At 34, I began IVF, and at 37, became a single mother by choice.
‘You’re beautiful,’ I told my son when he was born.
I’d wanted to have a child since I was 25, and couldn’t believe my dream had nally come true.
Arlo, now three, is a cheeky fun-loving little boy and the love of my life.
I share my adventures as a solo mum on Instagram at @solo_mum_survival to encourage other women who long to be mothers to consider doing it on their own before it’s too late.
That near-death experience changed my life. I’m convinced Sue’s spirit took care of me that day. Maybe she ensured my survival because she saw my disappointment at not having been a mum.
Perhaps it’s thanks to her that Arlo is here. And that really is surreal. ●
Closing my eyes, I felt very calm, peaceful and unafraid