Ellen is my hero! What a strong woman... She's about my mom's age, used to race bikes, is now one of the smartest people working at our hospital, and I could hang out with her all day!
So her most recent crazy story... She was out for a bike ride, somewhere in the middle of the forest, out to get away from the rest of the world, slow down the pace, and commune with nature, when she heard some ATV's speeding her way. She pulled over to the side of the path and waved her arms, yelling for them to slow down. Two guys pulled over, one in a four-wheeler and another in a dirt bike. She never heard the third rider, as the engines were so loud. She pulled back into the path to pedal on, and a four-wheeler slammed straight into her at about 50 miles an hour. She was knocked unconscious, flew over him, somehow tucked and rolled, while out cold, and landed head first. Her shoe was ripped off her, as it stayed in the bike clip. All of the muscles in her left leg were stretched and should have broken. And thank God she was wearing a helmet, as she didn't die, merely sustained a traumatic brain injury.
In a nutshell, the guys took off, but some nice hikers called 911 and waited with her while the ambulance personnel wandered the woods looking for them. She went home and spent 4 days sleeping, only waking a few times to have some sips of water and sit in a mental fog staring at her busted bike shoe. She's starting to recover, but it'll be a long journey and she's not herself yet.
So I got out of work earlier than expected and went over to hang out for a bit. We sat by the fireplace, drank tea, and ate fresh gingerbread with lemon curd. Despite the fact that she's highly distractible, and can't multitask yet, she's thinking incredibly clearly. Being a numbers person by nature, she's alread looked up what model of ATV hit her, looked at how fast it could go, calculated the force with which it hit her and proved to herself, using physics, just how he hit her based on how far she was thrown. (Amazing, for someone who can't think straight!) If she had dismounted from her bike, she would have fallen to the ground and died, instead of flying over him. If she had not been wearing a helmet, she would have died. If she had not been so athletic, she could have torn most of the muscles/tendons in her left leg, instead of just stretching them to inhuman proportions. If she had not lived a healthy lifestyle, eaten calcium, and performed plenty of weight-bearing exercise, her bones would have shattered from the impact. The ifs are overwhelming.
In general, I'm inspired by her. She's healthy and fit, and her lifestyle, and a little luck, saved her life. She's still recovering, but she's doing it with such grace... What a story! I had to share.
Ride safely.
No comments:
Post a Comment