Celebrating 20 Years of Blessings

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It was a hot summer day. In fact, if memory serves me correctly, it was the hottest day that summer in St. Louis. It was August 14, 1986, and I was only 16 years old. I loved summer, and swimming was one of my favorite things to do.

I was spending the day with my best friend Shelia at a private pool when my life changed forever. I was a great swimmer. I had taken several years of swimming lessons from our local YMCA when I was a child. Shelia was also a good swimmer, and had taken lessons from the YMCA. In spite of what we had been taught, a terrible accident happened that day.

I dove into the pool, and struck my head on the bottom. I immediately floated up to the top. I was face down, and I was unable to move. I was very afraid, and I knew that something had gone terribly wrong. I remember thinking, “I am going to drown.” I remember seeing the air bubbles float up around me as Shelia jumped into the pool. As she turned me over, she said, “Dead man’s float is not funny.” I labored for a breath, and said, “I am not kidding; I am really hurt.”

Remembering what she had learned about water safety at the YMCA and her High School Health class, she began to question me. It didn’t take us long to figure out that while I was very aware of who I was and what was happening, I had been paralyzed by the blow that I took as I struck my head on the bottom of the pool.

Shelia held me very still. She screamed for help, but no one came. I tried to scream, but breathing alone was a difficult task for me. We knew that we had a very difficult decision to make. Since I was unable to move, Shelia couldn’t leave me in the water to go get help. If she didn’t go get help, who knows what would have happened. The longer we waited, the more afraid I became. Finally, I said, “Shelia, get me out of this pool before I die.”

Remembering a technique that she had learned in a class, Shelia grabbed a raft, pushed it under the water beneath me and allowed it to hold my weight. Even though some movement was inevitable, she was able to provide a great deal of stability to my neck, and I was no longer floating in the water.

The ambulance came, and I was taken to a local hospital. I later learned that my mother had been called and told that if she wanted to say good-bye to her daughter, that she had better hurry. The doctors believed that I would die within the hour.

Twenty-years, 3 surgeries, years of physical and occupational therapy, and the grace of God have brought me to where I am today. I believe with all of my heart that it is because of the skills that we learned at the YMCA so many years ago that I am now a fully functioning adult. Things could have turned out so differently if we had not had the training that we were lucky enough to have.

Today, I am a wife and a mother. I am active in the community and in my church. I walk, talk, and feed and bathe myself. I am basically pain free, and I and lead a normal life. I was told that even if I did live, I would never do any of these things.

First and foremost, I credit God with my recovery. It was the strength, courage, and desire that He gave me that ultimately got me through this tragedy. A broken neck is bad, no matter how you look at it but I credit the YMCA with keeping my injuries to a minimum by teaching us water safety skills in our swim classes.

As I lead a normal life now, I am so thankful that I have been given the amazing opportunity to be part of the team of employees at the YMCA of Greater St. Louis that helps to keep kids safe. I am so thankful to be part of a team that makes a difference in people’s lives. I know that the Y sure made a huge difference in mine. Sometimes it amazes me how things can come full circle in our lives.

I have much to celebrate and be thankful for on this unexpected 20th anniversary.