The greatest piece of advice I ever received was from me to myself in 2011. I was 16, and I had rolled a car. I was
comatose for seven weeks When I became sentient in the hospital, I had to relearn everything. It took me 120 days,
but I eventually did learn to walk again, albeit clutching the walls. I’m not sure why, but they discharged me from the
hospital before I could even stand on my own.
“Never give up,” I kept telling myself throughout the arduous ordeal. I didn’t give up. My first conscious memories are of
being in a cage bed having to pee very badly. When I was comatose, hospital staff did not change my diaper regularly
enough, and I developed a urinary tract infection. I remember being trapped in a cage bed, having to pee very badly, and
being denied trips to the bathroom. “You just went,” they told me. I made plans to break out of my cage bed. I tried, but the mesh
walls were stronger than they appeared.
My first conscious memories involve me giving 110% in physical therapy.I was discharged from Children’s
hospital in 2012. Then, hospital staff gave me an Iron Man medal. They saw the intense effort I displayed during my
recovery.
Things We Forget 
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