Rebecca is a tender hearted soul with beautiful eyes and a voice of an angel! She has 3 precious children, Braedon is 12, Brianna is 3, and Brennen is 1 yr. Becca has never been without her "babies" as she refers to them and she is an incredibly loving and caring momma! Everyone who knows our Becca Boo clearly understands the struggles she has endured and overcome! I am so incredibly PROUD of her accomplishments (CNA) and she had many future goals as well. However, life threw her and everyone who loves her a massive curve ball that will forever change her life and those who love her so dearly!
On March 31st in the mid afternoon, our beautiful Rebecca was involved in a car accident! Upon arrival a Luther Hospital, we were greeted by the Chaplin which I knew wasn't a good sign. They took our family to a waiting area where the doctor came to give us the news that Becca had broken her back, she couldn't feel her legs, and needed to be immediately airlifted to St. Mary's in Rochester. We had about a minute to give her a kiss before getting on Mayo One. Surgery took place late Saturday evening and went into the wee hours of the morning. She broke her back at the T12 vertebrae located in the middle of her back. During her surgery and early Sunday morning they took a the bone splinter from her back out of the spinal cord. This center vertebrae shattered and it tore a small hole in the Durum of her spinal cord (the outer layer) causing fluid to leak and therefore permanent paralysis as the surgeons indicated. They placed 2 rods and 10 - 12 screws in her back (I can't remember which it was). Becca also has a fractured wrist and at first the surgeons thought this injury would require additional surgery. But by the grace of God, her broken wrist bones managed to stay in place. She has a splint on until the swelling goes down in a week or two. After this, she will have a cast put on for an extended period of time.
Sunday was a very difficult day and the evening was significantly worse. Besides the massive incision in her spine that runs nearly the entire length of her back, Rebecca's pain was under semi-control. It was her anxiety that caused her significant agitation coupled with the realization that she couldn't move her legs. The nurse had to call me in to her room in the middle of the night due to her high levels of anxiety/panic (family isn't allowed in the ICU after 9:00pm.) The second time they called me into her room at around 3:30am, they allowed me to stay with her. I cannot begin to express the feelings I have experienced in the last 48 hours, but the one that stands out the most, is the feeling of HELPLESSNESS. Seeing my daughter in so much pain and knowing that her life will never be the same and trying to comprehend what that means to her at such a young age, literally breaks my heart. I am her mom and I should be able to "fix" this and I can't!!! Complete sadness, disbelief, anger, frustration, denial, emptiness, HOPE, repeat again and again. This is unchartered territory and a process that I anticipate will change daily.
Today (Monday) was much better since the anxiety and pain were under control. She slept much more comfortably today. Please PRAY that tonight will be like today and not like last night. In the coming days, she will be scheduled for an additional lengthy operation where they will go through her side and abdomen to fuse her spine. Due to the damage, they couldn't do this for her in the first surgery and as mentioned above, she has rods and screws in place.
On behalf of my entire family, we are so appreciative of the outpouring of love and support that we have received from family, friends, acquaintances, and people we don't even know. God is GREAT and He works through people to help others in need. So, thank you and may God richly bless all of you! Rebecca welcomes all your comments and encouraging words, scriptures, and anything you'd like to add or say to her. She needs to know just how many people are fighting right along side her. I will continue to post on Caring Bridge to keep all informed about Becca's progress.
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