10 Years Ago...

10 years ago today... I was 21 years old, Simon and I had been together 4 years, we had just graduated from university, we were planning out big 'overseas experience', we were young, we were happy and as the saying goes, 'the world was our oyster'. 

It is true what they say though, everything can change in the blink of an eye...

10 years ago tomorrow, our world came crashing down. Simon was on a business trip when his car was hit head on by a dangerous driver. I knew something had gone very wrong when he did not come home for dinner, I rang his cell phone many times with no answer. A knock at the door several hours later by two police officers and my life, my entire life, my entire future, all my plans, hope and dreams vanished into the night sky. That moment, the overwhelming fear I felt still haunts me to this day. 

Simon was not dead, he was alive... just. 

His injuries were horrific, they told me his head injuries were so bad he was going to die but if by some miracle he survived, he would be little more than a vegetable. And so we waited, we waited for him to live, we waited for him to die, we waited and waited. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and still we waited.

Then slowly, like a diver coming up to the waters surface, Simon began to emerge again. We made up and alphabet board and slowly and painfully he would spell out things by pointing at each individual letter. We realised the Simon we knew was still there just locked in a body that would not co-operate. One day, one sweet day, Simon spelt out "will you marry me" on his letter-board. Of course I said yes.

He had to relearn how to do every little thing over. He had to learn to walk, stand, sit, shower, eat. It was hard, hard work but he was determined.

9 months after the accident Simon finally came home.

18 months after his accident we got married.

4 years after the accident, we finally went on  our overseas experience

8 years after his accident we welcomed into the world our lovely girl Holly

21 months later, we welcomed our second sweet girl Isla.

Today, 10 years on from the crash, life is good. Simon got his drivers license back a few years after the accident. He recently got a new job in school administration, and he is gearing up to attend the nation disabled winter games where he competes as a very competent disabled skier.

Today, I am happy. Happiness is not something I take for granted like I once did. Rather, it is something I treasure. I sometimes wish I could go back and show the 21 year old girl sitting at his bedside photos of the life she would one day have. Photos of 2 sweet little girls that would one day call her Mama, to take away from her the fears and anxiety she held for an unknown future.