My Story of Victory: People asked me to go fix my face before I spoke to them

This is my story of overcoming an accident, a story of victory, a second life and always following your heart!

I was on my way home around 1:30 am, on the 14th November 2001, when I met with the accident. One that has completely changed my life for the better! I was a kid when I met with an accident that almost killed me. Almost because my survival is nothing less than a miracle. Something you might see in a movie and gets goosebumps, probably get a big jolt of the value of life and how precious it is, and you don’t know what you have until you’ve lost it. But how do you know the value of your own life after you’ve lost it? We’ll I got mine back!

It was the pre-Diwali night when I met with this unlucky accident, less than 5 km from home. The rikshaw driver lost control of his vehicle at a turn and it toppled. I have no memory of that night, so this is my life’s biggest incident pieced together from stories told by various people.

What happened afterward was part 1 of the miracle. Strangers who were passing by stopped to rescue me. I was unconscious and badly bruised. They didn’t have means to carry me to a hospital, but as luck might have it, there was an ambulance passing by, unoccupied. They stopped them for help. If that wasn’t enough, cops patrolling that night had also stopped to take me to the nearest hospital. The emergency room couldn’t treat me, even though I was in dire need of it as there was no one to sign-off the guarantee.

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Private hospitals were a far cry and regrettably the Government hospital couldn’t attend to me as they didn’t have the expertise or the kind of doctors I needed on call. I was turned away from there too. My family was up waiting for me back home as it was a tradition in our household to stay up all night before Diwali. They were eagerly waiting for my arrival to start our tradition, but I lied unconscious and bleeding. Worried parents kept calling my phone, which was finally answered by the cops, who informed them that the girl they were trying to reach was in a bad accident.

I slipped into a coma; due to the injuries I had sustained.

They all rushed me to a private hospital, hoping it wasn’t too late. I slipped into a coma; due to the injuries I had sustained. The doctors weren’t too hopeful, and they didn’t shy from telling my heartbroken parents that. The group of strangers who rescued me now became friends and well-wishers. They came every day to the hospital, and along with them were a brigade of friends, well-wishers, people who heard of me, people I knew, relatives, friends of friends…and the list went on. The hospital people got fed up of so many visitors and sent many away.

I had one fight only, the will to survive and go back home to my family. The doctors said there was too much damage to the brain and if I did survive this, I could possibly be a vegetable. I think it was somewhere in the third week that my mind gave up and I saw the light. There was a long light, one that I can’t explain in words as it was calm, overwhelmingly powerful but felt like peace and home. It was not scary, but strong, one that connects to your inner being as an energy. The feeling is inexplainable. There was a voice that was protected by guards, who weren’t angelic, but just warm and welcoming! I approached further and I remember the voice so clearly even now, it said; ‘It not your time yet”!

The doctors said there was too much damage to the brain and if I did survive this, I could possibly be a vegetable.

That’s all I remember. I don’t know how I got out of the luminous light and back to reality. I regained consciousness in a few very long weeks after that.

I woke up to a new me. The body was bruised, but not a single scar in sight. I rose with little to no memory of my past life or the old me. Yes, I knew where I was and who I was but if you ask me what my biggest achievement was growing up and the best memory with my family, I would have no answer.

It took me a year to learn to walk, talk and do everything basic. Just like a newborn.

The Next Chapter

The only defect the new-born had was an accident caused facial paralysis. As victorious as my survival story was, the next chapter was even harder.

I didn’t know why this had happened to me and why I was being punished. I broke down every day because the world didn’t wait for me to restart. I didn’t get any concessions for what I had been through. No one cared about my experience. That’s the truth!

While there were thousands who wished me well during my recovery, there were hundreds that made fun of my crooked smile, my slur, my language skills, my in-confidence, and the worse was when people asked me to go fix my face before I spoke to them.

So many incidents after that, I developed a state where I couldn’t hold a conversation without feeling the gaze and judgement, even if there were none. It’s now who I am. The girl with a broken smile. I have had so many guys use this as an excuse too to not date/marry! Yes, once I was told that if ‘My parents won’t like if I married a girl with facial paralysis’ but I love you and this was used as trade card. So glad that they didn’t do me the favour by marrying me!

This was also an issue regarding work, sometimes I wouldn’t get the job, at times I was an easy target. But I fought and have my wins and losses there too!

So don’t settle till you have great story! I am working on mine to tell the light when it’s definitely ‘my time’. Until then, I’m going to make every day count! Life is so big, so please love it and everyone who is around, because that’s all you can take with you! I know it from experience!

Oh, and the part 2 of the miracle is that, the group of strangers that rescued me, happened to be the children of my father’s dearest childhood friend from his hometown, whom he hadn’t met after school.  They reunited through this incident.

It's 20 years now to this new life and I wanted to celebrate it by sharing with everyone who does and does not believe in miracles!

The views expressed are the author's own.