Bloggie & Dagwood

The last two weeks have been nothing less then amazing watching my 88 year old grandma heal from this horrific accident we've been sharing with you. You have seen her healing process and after thinking long about posting this picture, we've decided if we can help save a life or make someone think twice about using their phone without a proper bluetooth, then it's worth it.
When my grandma crashed, her scalp was ripped from her upper eye and face area as well as her head.
I personally have learned not to touch my phone when driving because I am guilty myself. Somehow I feel like my grandma went through this to save lives and to stop her from driving before she killed someone else or herself.
It was a hard lesson to learn but she is doing amazing and being transferred to a rehab tonight. She will be home in 2 weeks back to life as she knew it before.

Dial a Ride here she comes! !!

I know it's a harsh title but it's just plain realistic. My grandma is 88 and passed out at the wheel last Monday. She hit the back of a parked landscaping truck and went through the windshield. Many of you are aware of the severity of her injuries. Broken ribs, fractured vertebrae, broken clavicle, her skin from her right eye was ripped away from her face and she was scalped. Surgeons spent 3 hours putting her back together and this woman who was and still is, so beautiful, now has huge facial and head scars with thick staples where she was put back together and reconstructed. She will live with a thick uncomfortable bulky neck brace for several months and it will be at least a year for her head injuries to heal.

Despite all of this, she began trying to write the evening of the accident and has moved upward and forward each day since. Yesterday, was one week since this nightmare happened and she was walking almost 100 steps with the aid of a walker and Physical Therapist. She is speaking to her friends on the phone, entertaining visitors, playing her DS game, eating solid food and simply defying all odds. There is no reasonable explanation as to why she is doing these things other then it's a miracle from God, mixed with her SPIRIT and love of life!

Born one of seven siblings, she was raised by an evil woman who never allowed her to call her "Mom". She was only allowed to call her Mama Rose. Mama Rose practiced a witchcraft called Brujeria, otherwise known as Black witchcraft. As a child, I remember visiting her home a few times and taking a rare peek into her black room filled with dead chickens and an alter that reeked of something very dark and bad.

My grandmother was never treated with love and many times was forced to walk the streets of Lincoln Heights searching trashcans for food. Mama Rose eventually succeeded in her life mission of turning all siblings against each other. To date, there is only one sister that my grandma stays in contact with. For a woman being so mistreated and unloved as a child, she became a better grandmother then she was a mother but for someone who was never shown how to love a child, she sure did her darn best!

Unfortunately, she never learned to trust ANYONE and keeps people at arms length out of fear of being hurt. Her two daughters, myself and my son Jacob are probably the only people she feels safest with and who have her heart. As I grew into adulthood and needed her less (financially) we struggled to figure out how we fit into each others lives but about 10 years ago, I moved in with her, she gave me the house and I now keep an eye on her the best I can. She's a feisty, spirited and VERY independent woman and although we fight and argue, we are the best of friends.

For about a year now, we have known it was time to take her license away and that maybe she shouldn't be driving anymore but the mere mention of the idea made her become angry and defensive. Aging isn't easy for her and I suppose losing any part of her independence was scary for her as well. She simply would NOT listen to reason and was going to do what she wanted no matter what! There is so much positive I hope to come out of this for her. My personal wish for her is that she can travel to different senior centers to share her story and possibly help save lives by helping other seniors make the transition from driving to taking alternate forms of transportation.

This little lady is as headstrong as they come and has had a tough life but that's why she is as strong as she is. She has NEVER let anyone or anything stop her from living her life to the fullest (even when she lost her teeth and went to the senior center toothless)! Everyday of the week, she is out of bed, hair done, makeup applied, dressed to the 9's and had eaten breakfast before I even wake up! She is my inspiration of how we should live our life and always make the best of every situation and whatever the good Lord dishes out to us.

The pictures I'm going to share are hard for me to look at but I feel it necessary to help others understand how quickly our lives can change at the blink of an eye. PLEASE think twice before you look at or send that text or answer/make a call without a bluetooth. Please don't put your makeup on while driving and just overall be safe this holiday season. No one is immune to accidents or death at anytime. My grandma will have her normal life back eventually, however, she will never look quite the same.

Thank you for taking the time to read and hopefully share this story and have Happy Holidays!

Love,

Sandy and Andi