Well today I am thankful for 8 years ago on this opening day of deer season I was shot and it could have been fatal but God allowed me to live and keep on enjoying life! On November 27, 2000 my dad, my brother and me and my grandpa went hunting ( my first time ever!!!) we sat out in the woods all day in the cold. I fired off a shot at a smaller doe but didn't get her. We finally decided that we would stay for the next day and see if that was any better (By the way we were at our cabin in the mountains of PA). So we all headed back to cabin for a hot meal and some relaxation. We got back to the cabin and dad and I went to unload our guns, he stepped up the porch and I followed suit leaning in too close to the porch. I started to eject shells about the same time that my dad did and suddenly CABOOOOOM!!!! The gun fired, I jumped back and grabbed my stomach and screamed, Dad didn't know what had happened and thought he had shot me in the stomach (we were 18 miles from the hospital) Soon though we realized it was my hand His first words were "She'll never play the piano again!" quickly he ran and got a bowl of COOOOOLLLLDDD water and told me to stick my hand in it I did and immediatly it was red. While I stood with my hand in the bowl of water he went and checked the guns and found that his gun had fired the shot and that the bullet had entered the magazine of my gun and caused it to explode (By the way there were 6 bullets in that gun only one fired!). He carefully took my gun inside (still loaded because we couldn't get the bullets out!) and put his gun away. My grandfather wasn't right there when it happened so we've kinda left him out of this the whole time.
My dad wrapped my hand in a towel so I wouldn't keep looking at it and make things worse and we headed for the hospital that was one ride I don't think I'll ever forget. We were flying and at one point I remember thinking ok Dad I don't need to break my neck too! LOL However on the way down the mountain road (rocky and all dirt) I told him that "I didn't care what it took I would play the piano again" (thank the Lord He has allowed that!) We got to the hospital and of course I was in a lot of pain every bump hurt! They hooked me up to IV's and the doctor came in and started checking things over. Of course the police had to come and interrigate us since it was a shooting even though it was completely an accident. The cop who came in to talk to me asked me if he had done it on purpose and I'm thinking "Dude your nuts why would my own dad purposly shoot me!" I wasn't too happy with him for that but then they had to take my dad back to the camp and make sure our stories matched and they did. So my great Aunt Mary came and staying with me in the hospital. While my dad was gone my mom called and they stretched to phone into my emergency room spot and I talked with her. By this time they were doping me up pretty good on Pain Drugs first was Demoral (which didn't do anything!) then Morphine which I was on for a few days. But while dad was gone I asked the Docotor what my chances were of losing my fingers and he gave me a percentage that I can't exactly remember something like 20% which isn't much but still is significant. They wheeled me down to exray and took pictures of my hand it was covered in shrapnel from the explosion. They by this time had wrapped it up pretty good. I stayed in that hospital over night (my brother and best friend Andrea came and spent the night with me well Andrea did Kevin didn't) The next day the transferred me to Akron Hospital to a Hand Specialist (all this time My hand had not been cleaned out and I was pretty much still in my hunting gear except I think I was able to get out of my coveralls)! The hand specialist in Akron took me into surgery(my first ever!) and they spent 2 hours just cleaning it out best they could ( I still have shrapnel in my hand). I was in that hosptial for about a day or so and then they sent me home with a Vikadin perscription which made me sleep. About a week after the accident I went back to Akron for the amputation of the end of my pinky finger( that was all I lost!). Today I pretty much have full use of my hand except I can't really squeeze anything because I can't make a full fist!
The above picture is a picture of my hand 8 years later.
But I can play the piano just like always!
At the time that this all happened I was 15 and wasn't a Christian and wasn't a very happy person. After this all went down I can remember thinking to myself my life has to change, I almost died ( still didn't become a grounded Christian until I was probably 18 or 19) but this changed my life forever. My fiance says that had certain tradgedies not happened in both of our lives we probably would never have met. But I am a much happier person today (of course due to Jesus Christ being the main reason of my joy) and I enjoy my life much more now that I almost lost it! I realize that each day is a gift for which to be thankful and praise God for each little thing that happens in life. I thank Him that He got a hold of my heart and turned me from the wrong path to His path!
I know this post has been long but I felt on the eigth anniversary of this accident I would share it and what has happend in my life!
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