Friday 20th September 2024 approx 2:30pm
Cruising along the Tipping Way with the cruise control set to 100kph enjoy life and out of nowhere an emu was in our face. No time to react, I said “of fuck”, grabbed the front brake (which in hindsight maybe I shouldn’t have done) and the next thing I remember is my left glove coming off on the road and pancaking the bitumen face done, going OUCH and crying.
What happens next, I can only thank my lucky stars for.
A motorist heading south witnessed the event, stopped and rendered assistance. This person his name is Marlon is an off-duty Paramedic who I owe my life to….so if you’re reading this THANK YOU!! I don’t know how to thank you enough for what you did for me.
All the emergency services were called and I was told to just keep talking, don’t go to sleep. One of those service people was the guy I met at the servo in Lake Cargelligo I asked about the loo. I called him loo man (his name is Craig) which he chuckled at and said “when I said I’d see you around, this wasn’t what I met love”. Most importantly I rattled of Karl’s phone number to anyone who would call him for me, which Craig did from the scene – thank you.
Karl arrived at the hospital on Sunday and stayed with me until Wednesday when he had to return home for the furbabies. The important things and people in your life really hit home at times like these. Sweety, you are my rock, my strength and the air that fills my lungs, my driving force and without you I wouldn’t have been so determined and courageous to face what lay ahead of me….so THANK YOU, I LOVE YOU!!!
There are lots of details that I will leave out and lots of details I actually have no recollection of.
I was loaded into the ambo taken back to Lake Cargelligo and then choppered out to Liverpool Hospital Emergency Trauma Centre.
When you see the scenes in a movie when someone is being unloaded from the chopper and guernied into hospital with lights, faces and voices all over the top of you – well let me tell you, it is exactly like that.
Let’s say I was just a bit broken up and had some things going on inside that I wasn’t even aware of.
My Trauma teams (yes there were 6), all the nurses, additional doctors and all the other specialty technicians and doctors at Liverpool Hospital were absolutely fantastic and looked after me for the next 7 weeks while I mended enough to be discharged to Karl and taken home.
My injuries included all the following fractures (broken bones) – left ankle, left thumb tip, both pelvis’, right wrist both radius and ulna, right pinky and right middle finger tip has a broken tendon (known as a mallet finger). I ruptured a cyst on my liver that I didn’t know I had and had multiple bruising on my legs, arm and a small bruise on my chin. My face was saved by my Schuberth helmet.
My right wrist is currently held together with metal and screws and recovering slowly.
I did incur a few complications along the way, but you can choose two paths in moments like these. You can run or be defeated or fight and be the best you you can. Now most of you reading this will know that I’m not one to lay down (although yes I did a lot of that in the 7 weeks in hospital) but there was no way in the bloody world, I was going to let that long-legged feather duster beat me…..so I fought the best fight I could.
Now you can’t do all these things on your own, you need a support team and to all those and you know who you are THANK YOU for being there with and for me. Drawing strength from all of you helped me get through this ordeal. Being so far from home but having friends and family come to visit made my days brighter, gave me something to look forward to. I’d also like to add here how supportive my employer has been through all this. It makes a big difference to know that when I can get back to work, my job is there for me THANK YOU.
Highlights, yes there can be. I hadn’t seen Karl since he left, not that he didn’t want to, but we/he had commitments at home that had to be looked after but we did talk every day or I cried sometimes. So, the day my cast was being removed (week 7) and Karl’s handsome face peaked around the curtain was a love story scene for me right there. I’d been telling all the nurses on my ward that Karl was arriving today and they were as excited for me as I was myself. My poor physio Leo shed a tear himself and said he’d come back…bless him.
More highlights, having both my drains removed earlier than we anticipated – even the Dr’s were amazed at that one…my body obviously decided the alternative plan wasn’t for it. Having my first shower & washing my hair in 5 weeks, heaven. Being able to go to the bathroom albeit with the aid of a frame and nurses then just the frame. Walking just in general (with the aid of a crutch) opened up being able to eat REAL food from the café, was like an excursion for me..an exhausting one but exciting at the same time.
What happened to Old Man Emu? he died on impact…don’t you go being sorry for it.
What happened to Dudley? Unfortunately, after 133,000km’s together Dudley paid the ultimate price.
What’s happening to Kimmie? Well, I’m in rehab and recovery mode at home. Lots of physio and doctor’s appointments but on the road to recovery. Will I get back on the bike again – absolutely once my right hand/wrist is all sorted out and I can safely do so.
So for now, I get to do what women do best and shop for a new bike and gear (well window shopping for me atm). Continue to do all my exercises and physio to get me back to peak performance (not the tune up I intended..lol). Get my life back to the new normal where I can continue to line dance, go out for my Friday coffee’s and drive again.
Why did I not post until now? it’s part of my recovery process. Having the world know while I wasn’t in great shape would’ve made it so much harder for me to focus on what I needed too and deal with all the additional emotions. The visitors, calls and messages I was already receiving was just the right amount for me to cope with.
I’m doing OK for and old duck.
