With every breath I take, I’m reminded of how fragile and precious life truly is. Today, I feel deeply grateful to be here, alive and able to share this. ❤️🩹
I was involved in a severe boating accident that left me stranded in the bay, an experience that felt like an eternity. One boat passed us by, and just when hope seemed faint, another came to our rescue. Within 8 minutes, the longest of my life, the sheriff arrived with helicopters and EMS. But in those terrifying moments, I felt the powerful pull of the rip tide, the boat drifting further away, and the overwhelming fear of being dragged under, tossed again and again by the water’s force. It was the most frightening experience of my life, feeling myself pulled deeper, fighting for air and for life.
Looking back, I’m heartbroken that I ignored the warnings, the signs urging me to be cautious. It’s hard to accept that I entrusted my safety to someone who was careless, placing my life and others in jeopardy.
In the aftermath, now that I’ve regained clarity, I am struggling with the path ahead. For over a decade, I have stayed true to a holistic lifestyle, free from pain medication, despite past struggles with addiction—both my own and in my family. This accident forced me to take pain medication for the first time in twelve years, and while I know it was necessary, the feeling of lightheadedness, the sense of losing control, stirred up fears I thought I had long put to rest. I’m grateful to be alive, but there’s sadness and frustration in knowing that my life has shifted in ways I worked so hard to avoid.
I know I can’t change the past, but I can protect my future—and hopefully others’ too—from such needless recklessness. 🧐🥹
