The Chance

Many people think they know about death. Truth is I don't think you really know how death would affect you unless someone very close to you dies. Sometimes though, you get a one in a million chance of understanding death without losing a loved one. Unbelievably, I got this chance.

August 27, 2000, my brother Ethan went horse riding with our exchange student at the time, Valentine. We tried to figure out how he ended up on the ground, we even went back to the spot where he fell. My dad thinks the horse must have stumbled, I guess we'll never know, but by the time Valentine looked back, my brother was lying on the ground unconscious and the horse was standing near giving no clue as to what had happened.

I don't quite know what was going on in Valentine's head, but somehow, she had sent the horses home, and started giving my brother CPR. Once she got Ethan breathing, she headed in the same direction as the horses at a full speed run. Finally, she came across our neighbors, and she frantically told what happened. Meanwhile, the horses had come home, and my dad had sent one of my other brothers out to look for Ethan and Valentine, we were all scared of what could have happened. Next thing you know, there is a truck speeding down the road, and turning into our driveway.

After explanations, ambulances, and sitting in the hospital waiting room for what seemed like an eternity, we found out that Ethan was in a coma. When we could see him, his hair was shaved off, and he had tubes stuck in him every which way. After three weeks, my brother came out of his coma, a miracle sent from heaven answering all the prayers for Ethan. There was still the question though of if he would be able to recover and do normal things again. What is normal?

Incredibly, he learned to walk, talk and do everything all over again. Actually, one of the first things he could do after some rehabilitation is play the piano, which he has been doing practically all of his life, and was even doing the morning before the life changing accident. Today, he is a successful realtor, and has a wonderful wife and a beautiful daughter. The whole point of this though is that you never really know what you have until you either lose it, or come millimeters away from losing it, and that is what I have learned through this experience.

by Christabelle Dozeman

I am grateful to my family who stayed with me 24/7 through my rehabilitation.