Life keeps getting better
Doctors said I needed to let my injuries heal.
‘You’ll have scars and your face won’t be symmetrical,’ they warned.
Friends came to visit, tried to keep my spirits up.
After 10 days, doctors took out some of the stitches.
Finally, the swelling started to go down.
‘It looks a bit better already,’ I managed to smile to the nurse.
She nodded in agreement, and I felt a wave of hope wash over me.
Needing something to focus on, I started a journal.
And made a list of all the goals I wanted to achieve.
I’d finish my physiotherapy training and train as a yoga teacher.
‘I could have died, so now it’s my duty to live my life to the fullest,’ I decided.
Ten days after my accident, my mum arrived to collect me.
Back home, I took things easy.
The swelling kept going down and my doctor removed the last stitches.
But my face was still covered in a huge scar. Worst of all, the left side was paralysed and I couldn’t feel it. Only one side of my face moved when I laughed.
I worried about going out, didn’t want anyone staring. I’d scare children, I thought. So, I covered up in floppy hats and sunglasses.
As the weeks passed, I gained confidence.
Friends encouraged me to meet for coffee.
In time, I got used to people looking at me.
No one ever made cruel comments.
So I tried to smile and brush off the stares.
A few months after my accident, I went for a short bike ride.
This time, I wore a helmet. Terrified at first, I soon relaxed into it.
After that, I started running and doing yoga.
Went back to my physio training, too.
And, in
February
2018, I was in the supermarket when
I spotted a man in a triathlon top.
‘I do triathlons, too,’ I smiled. ‘Only, I can’t right now as I’m recovering from an accident.’
The man introduced himself as Alex, then 25, and as we got chatting, it felt natural.
We swapped numbers and, days later, he asked me out on a date.
I never felt self-conscious around him. ‘You’re cute and beautiful,’ he’d say. In December 2018, I had another operation to take out the metal plate. Doctors tried to reposition my eye, too. But my face is still wonky. My scars, although faded, are still visible.
But I’ve learned to love what I see in the mirror. It’s a miracle I wasn’t killed that day.
I’m always laughing, never letting anything get me down.
I’m not the same girl
I was before. I’m stronger. And life just keeps getting better.
I’ve never been happier and it’s written all over my face.