Last month, I celebrated my Crashiversary. It was a big one. 10 years ago I was driving alone when my life decided to come to an unexpected halt by no fault of my own. I was doing everything right that morning but sadly, the other driver was not. Rear ended at a high rate of speed and pushed into the path of a transport truck led me to be transported to a local hospital and then transferred to a trauma hospital. That is how I started my day on November 6, 2012.
As I reflect on a decade of healing, I would like to add that it has also been a decade of learning.
Learning how critical it was to obtain a highly experienced and empathetic personal injury law firm to represent me in my claim and fight for the compensation I deserved after suffering multiple injuries including a traumatic brain injury.
Learning how important it was to have a rehabilitation team set in place to help me try to put my pieces of life back together to where I once was before the crash.
Learning who my real friendships were and who I could rely on the most.
Learning what it was like to not be able to work and to make financial sacrifices as I put my recovery first.
Learning that insurance companies take their time compensating you as they decide whether your multiple injuries are significant enough.
Learning how to live with chronic pain, sleep disturbances and cognitive issues.
Learning to practice self care and to take it one day at a time.
Learning that there wasn’t much support available for someone like me and deciding to do something about it.
Learning that connecting and helping others is therapeutic and extremely beneficial.
Learning that I wasn’t alone.
I know so much more than I did when I first started my recovery and I am still learning. For several years, I have always acknowledged my crashiversary with our online community by offering a give-away and a decade of healing was definitely worth celebrating. Last month, I decided to give away ten (10) signed copies of my book, “Talk Crash to Me – What to Expect After Surviving a Motor Vehicle Crash and How to Manage Your Recovery” to members of the Crash Support Network Group. The feedback I have received from the winners is overwhelming and I am so honoured to be in a position to be able to give a crash survivor some hope and direction as they face their road to recovery.
Supporting Others Has Become My Passion
After a decade, some days I still don’t have it all figured out. I just wake up each morning ready to put in the work every single day as best as I can and it doesn’t matter if I mess up because I will be back tomorrow to show up again. I have become a strong voice and when I first created the online support group, I remember thinking to myself, “If I only help one person from feeling alone” it will be worth it. Never did I think I would become an editor of a quarterly newsletter or a crash survivor blogger let alone a self-published author. To say my passion lies with the Crash Support Network is an understatement. I am so grateful to have founded a community of courageous warriors who continue to fight everyday as well as a highly informative one-of-a-kind website for crash survivors across the globe.
I look forward to see what’s on the horizon for the Crash Support Network as well as the next decade. Thank you for being here and believing in the Crash Support Network!
S. Dawne McKay is a survivor of a horrific crash that changed her life forever. Dawne shares her personal journey as a Crash Survivor Blogger and also collaborates with crash survivors as Guest Bloggers allowing them an opportunity to share their stories. Dawne is also the author of the book, “Talk Crash to Me – What to Expect After Surviving a Collision and How to Manage Your Recovery” which is available for purchase on Amazon.
Hi
This sounds like a wonderful support for my daughter
Hi Kimberly. Thank you. We encourage her to join our private group on facebook where she can connect with other crash survivors. 🙂