By the Grace of God...

My Road to Recovery

Hello, my name is Lynda Haines Schommer. You are about to read a true accounting titled BY THE GRACE OF GODMy Road to Recovery, of a near-fatal accident I was involved in which changed and saved my life, both physically and spiritually. I invite you to come along with me as I travel back in time, to the memories of a smart, pretty, popular teenage girl who wakes up one day to find her life completely changed, with no recollection of how it happened. When I was 15 years old, I thought I was pretty special. In my Freshman year, I had been on Pom-pom and had a cute boyfriend. What more could I need, right? I had come from a very dysfunctional family and home life, but as far as I was concerned, I had risen above all of that. It never even occurred to me that I should be giving all of the glory to God, for what He had allowed me to become, and to overcome! In the middle of the summer, on July 24, 1986, while riding on the back of my boyfriends moped, we were involved in a collision with a car. I dont remember the accident; God has an incredible way of instantaneously deleting memories of traumatic events from our minds. However, according to witnesses, I flew up and over my boyfriend, hit the car with my head, and hit the ground with my head. I landed on my left wrist, breaking it, and after vomiting, immediately went into a coma. We were rushed to St. Francis hospital in Wichita, KS. My boyfriend suffered a serious concussion, and was in the hospital for three weeks. Though I had internal bleeding, a closed double-head injury and a broken left wrist, I just looked as if I were asleep. I was immediately rushed into surgery, where an exploratory search was preformed on my abdomen, and my head was shaved for an operative inspection. After my brain began swelling, a pressure monitor was inserted to monitor the swelling. I had to be resuscitated twice, at which point a tracheotomy tube was inserted into my throat, as I was unable to breathe on my own. My diagnosis was not good. My family was told that it was as if someone had put my brain into a jar and shook it several times. At one point early on, the doctors told my mother that due to a lack of brain activity, I would most likely be a vegetable if I ever came out of the coma, and she should find a nursing home for me. My mother, being a strong believer in the healing power of Jesus, said Youre just the doctor, youre not God, and refused. As one month became two, my brain activity became stronger. My eyes opened, and I was able to track, that is, to follow people with my eyes when given the command to. I dont remember any of this, technically, I was still in a coma, however my doctors decided that I might benefit from rehabilitation, so I was transferred to St. Joseph Hospital, also in Wichita, KS, which had a more intense rehab program. As I slowly came out of the coma, I was like a 15-year-old baby, and had to learn to do almost everything again, including eating, writing, walking and talking. By the Grace of God, I never did lose the ability to read or spell. Oftentimes, visitors would come into my hospital room at St. Joseph to find me reading the latest issue of Seventeen magazine. After a total hospital stay of approximately four months, I was able to go home. Soon after, and By the Grace of God, I wrote down my memories of my time in the hospital. Compiled with the details of how drastically my life changed after going through such a traumatic event, here is my story... Follow along with me as I recount my painful days in the hospital, my start of high school and the ensuing times there, until finally I find the peace that surpasses all understanding, with the realization that I am who I am only By the Grace of God. I hope that BY THE GRACE OF GODMy Road to Recovery means as much to you as it does to me.