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September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Cares by Kerry Hallett

 

An Ordinary Instant

by Kerry Hallett

You know how it goes. One moment you’re having an ordinary, even mundane, day and the next everything changes. That moment for me was at 8:42 a.m. on a Tuesday morning in June 2019. I was headed west on Route 9, driving our foster dog, Indy, to the vet at the Brandywine SPCA. It was raining, so I was driving extra slowly and carefully, especially with my precious cargo next to me on the bench seat of our little red pickup truck. As I approached the intersection at Gravel Hill Road, a tractor trailer pulled into the turn lane opposite me. Then, to my horror, I watched it turn left in front of me, against my green light.

The last thing I remember seeing before I hit my head was a giant tractor trailer wheel that stood taller than the little red pickup. After a few moments’ unconscious, I became aware of the blood running into my eyes, the broken glass covering my body and the bench seat, and Indy’s pet carrier on the floor wedged under the dash. I reached for my phone to call for help but it was smashed, showing only those colorful vertical bars used for emergency television broadcasts. For several seconds, there was silence. And blood. And pain, lots of pain. Finally, a stranger approached the scene. I opened the door ready to get out, instinctively wanting to get away from the wreckage. He stopped me, “Wait,” he said, “where does it hurt?”

“My back, my back hurts really badly, and I can’t see anything.”

“DON’T get out of the truck, don’t move—wait here.” He returned with a towel so that I could stop the blood from my head that obscured my vision. “My wife,” I said, “you have to call my wife.” By that time, another good Samaritan had approached and had already dialed 911. “And my dog—someone get my dog out of the car!”

I waited what felt like an eternity for an ambulance to arrive. They stabilized my neck with a brace and strapped me to a flat board. Then I began the excruciatingly bumpy ride to Beebe hospital. My wife, Millie, found me—still covered in blood and shards of glass—in an emergency room bed. A CT scan showed that my L1 vertebra had burst, and a piece of the bone was resting gently on my spinal cord. The doctor and nurses kept asking if I could move my legs, touching them to make sure I could feel the sensation.

The rest is such a blur. The pain, the ride to the ChristianaCare trauma center, the emergency spinal fusion surgery, the pain, the mild traumatic brain injury, the pain, the totaled little red truck. I’m not even sure how word got to folks at CAMP Rehoboth that I had been in an accident, or about our GoFundMe to help us figure out the coming months and my long, long road to recovery— but somehow it did. At that time, Millie and I had only volunteered at a handful of CAMP Rehoboth events, but well wishes and support came pouring in from folks we had met only once, twice, or not at all. Our neighbors, CAMP Rehoboth regulars, sprang into action—watched and fed our dogs and cat while Millie stayed with me at Christiana. When I was discharged, they picked us up and brought us home.

Plenty of stitches, a couple of rods and screws, and many months of speech and physical therapy later, I’ve landed here at CAMP Rehoboth as one of the newest staff members. I am honored to be CAMP Rehoboth’s new Operations Administrator, and Millie and I look forward to being a part of this beautiful, chosen family that you all have created for many years to come.

In the end, of course, we were extremely fortunate. I think our sturdy little red pickup truck—in that ordinary instant—saved my life. I consider myself lucky to be alive; spared by the minutest of details, the most miniscule of measures. Indy miraculously pulled through, too. But I also know that the outpouring of love and support from friends and loved ones—including our new-found CAMP Rehoboth family—helped both Millie and me survive such a traumatic time.

‹ September 25th, 2020 - LGBTQ+ YA Column by Barbara Antlitz up September 25th, 2020 - It's My Life by Michael Thomas Ford ›

Past Issues

Issues Index

  • December 11, 2020 - Issue Index
  • November 13, 2020 - Issue Index
  • October 16, 2020 - Issue Index
  • September 25th, 2020 - Issue Index
    • September 25th, 2020 - Cover to Cover with Issuu
    • September 25th, 2020 - The Way I See It by David Mariner
    • September 25th, 2020 - In Brief
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Matters by Murray Archibald
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Out by Fay Jacobs
    • September 25th, 2020 - Sundance 2020
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP News
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Conversation by Fay Jacobs
    • September 25th, 2020 - Intentionally Inclusive by Wesley Combs
    • September 25th, 2020 - Community News
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Rehoboth History Project by James T. Sears, PhD
    • September 25th, 2020 - Out & About: Belonging Matters by Eric C. Peterson
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Houses by Rich Barnett
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Critters
    • September 25th, 2020 - Who's That?...That's CAMP! by Anita Broccolino
    • September 25th, 2020 - Health and Wellness by Marj Shannon
    • September 25th, 2020 - Health & Wellness Classes
    • September 25th, 2020 - LGBTQ+ YA Column by Barbara Antlitz
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Cares by Kerry Hallett
    • September 25th, 2020 - It's My Life by Michael Thomas Ford
    • September 25th, 2020 - Out & Proud: Belonging Matters by Stefani Deoul
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Shots Gallery 1
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Shots Gallery 2
    • September 25th, 2020 - Historical Headliners by Ann Aptaker
    • September 25th, 2020 - Spotlight on the Arts by Doug Yetter
    • September 25th, 2020 - Booked Solid by Terri Schlichenmeyer
    • September 25th, 2020 - CAMP Courtyard View by Michael Gilles
    • September 25th, 2020 - Straight Talk by David Garrett
    • September 25th, 2020 - Dining OUT by Fay Jacobs
    • September 25th, 2020 - The Real Dirt by Eric W. Wahl
    • September 25th, 2020 - Celebrity Interview by Chris Azzopardi
    • September 25th, 2020 - Deep Inside Hollywood by Romeo San Vicente
    • September 25th, 2020 - We Remember
  • August 28, 2020 - Issue Index
  • August 14, 2020 - Issue Index
  • July 31, 2020 - Issue Index
  • July 17, 2020 Issue Index
  • June 19, 2020 Issue Index
  • May 22, 2020 - Issue Index
  • April 17, 2020 - Issue Index
  • March 6, 2020 - Issue Index
  • February 7, 2020 - Issue Index

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