decided to go for a drive. I felt that I had drank too much so I
asked my friends if any of them felt that they could drive. One said
he could. So he took my keys, I got in the front passenger seat, and
our two friends sat in the back. He apparently could not drive
though because minutes later, he fearlessly ran a stop sign across
Hwy 5. 
2800 West
15th Street
Plano, TX 75075
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My name is Tonya and I am 24 years old. I feel that God has blessed me with an amazing story and I am happy to be able to share it with you. I was a front passenger in a near fatal car accident (including 3 others) on June 16, 2005, fourteen days after my perfect graduation. I was so excited to be graduated and looked forward to continuing my education at the University of North Texas in Denton, TX. I had many friends, a loving family, and a great boyfriend... a normal life; or so I thought. And then it happened... the very last thing I thought would have ever happen.
I attended McKinney North High School and graduated in 2005.
About two weeks
after my graduation though, I was out late one night celebrating
with some friends. We had been drinking at a friend’s house which
was not like me because I honestly did not like to drink. We then
At that exact moment, an 18-wheeler was approaching at precisely 40 mph and collided with my jeep. It smashed into my door so hard that my door was touching the center console, and I was somehow lodged in between the two. The crash sent my jeep flying. We flipped over and over which knocked us passengers unconscious. When we were found, the driver of my car had fled the scene and left us three there.
Paramedics found me outside of the driver's door face down on the pavement not even breathing. They told my family that it took numerous tries to revive me. I was then care-flighted to Parkland Hospital in Dallas along with the two other passengers. A detective on my case believed that the driver of my car had dragged me out of my seat, out of the crushed position I was in, over his seat and out of the car to purposely make it look as if I had been the one driving.
So early in the morning
while my parents were still sleeping, they were awakened by that
most dreaded phone call that their youngest daughter had been in a
serious car crash. Completely shocked and most likely panicking,
they quickly got up and then had to awaken my only sister with that
same dreaded phone call. The three of them rushed to the hospital
worrying the entire time I’m sure if I am even alive and if I am,
how severe were my injuries and would I be able to hold on long
enough for them to see me again. They finally arrived at the
hospital but before my Mom could even stop the car, my Dad quickly jumped
out and ran inside to find me comatose, not breathing on my own, and
ultimately discover the severity of my injuries. As tears fell down
their faces, they found out that I had received spinal cord injury
and would be paralyzed the rest of my life. The spinal cord is the major bundle of nerves that carries nerve impulses to and from the brain and to the rest of the body. Spinal cord injury occurs when there has been such a sudden impact to the spine that it fractures or dislocates vertebrae which then bruises or tears into spinal cord tissue. The level of injury and amount of impact to the spinal cord determines what that person can move and feel. I was severely hit at 40 mph which caused my neck to break at the C6 vertebrae. An injury to the neck resulted in me becoming quadriplegic which means I do not have use of my hands or fingers. I also cannot move or feel anything below my chest. I was in four hospitals for five months and had a total of 10 surgeries as a result of my crash. I had to learn how to breathe with deep breathing treatments, swallow with swallow tests, eat and move what I could all over again. I went through the most severe depression and a long period of being angry with God, being angry with myself, and living in constant regret.
I was immediately put on a ventilator to help keep me breathing. My first few hours in ICU, a CAT scan found a blood clot moving in one my arteries toward my brain at the C6 injury site. The first life threatening surgery I had was to coil the blood clot, permanently disabling the artery. The second day, I lost too much blood for my body to handle so my blood pressure dropped dangerously low due to internal bleeding from a lacerated liver and spleen. My second life threatening surgery was to stop the bleeding and attempt to repair my two organs which was graciously successful. Because my spine was pressed against my spinal cord, I flat-lined three separate times. This delayed my spinal fusion for 5 days since I was having heart issues and a Cardiologist was sent in. I was comatose for two weeks and then finally had my third surgery, the spinal fusion of C5-C7 in my neck. An IPC blood clot filter was installed in the groin prior to this surgery to prevent blood clots from my legs traveling to my heart or brain.
After three weeks of not communicating, I had finally come to the realization of what had happened. A tracheotomy was performed at that time. I could not speak for another four weeks until my trach was capped. I acquired pneumonia and had a collapsed lung, which complicated things further. I also had a multi fractured hip and pelvic with dislocation which needed surgery. I was in leg traction for eight weeks to promote healing of those fractures... however this was unsuccessful. During this time I became more aware of my injury and struggled to gain strength after lying in bed for nine weeks. I have had a team of over twenty doctors, not including speech, respiratory, physical, and occupational therapists.
I stopped breathing at the scene of my crash and I flat-lined on three separate occasions in the hospital but God breathed life back into me. I feel that we experience what we do so that we can learn from it, grow stronger by overcoming it, and realize that we were designed with a purpose in mind which is to use our experiences to empower others and share Christ’s love. Trials and tribulations are not enemies of faith but are opportunities for God and us to prove our faithfulness. God saved me on June 16, 2005 and since then has blessed me with 7 birthdays, revealed the areas of my life that needed corrected, opened my heart to forgiveness, and allowed me to see just how much my parents, sister, and boyfriend love me.
I hope that my story is more than a story to you but also a reminder. You have been blessed with the ability to walk, move, and feel. Every time you are able to take a step, please be thankful for the ability to move your legs. Every time you are able to open a soda can, please be thankful for the use of your fingers. Every time you drop something, please be thankful for the ability to bend down and pick it up. These simple tasks may mean nothing to you but they mean everything to me. Every day and everything you can do is a blessing.
Website Sponsored by CCCS of North Central Texas This site was last updated 02/04/12
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