It started with a crunch..

As well as a bunch of spinning. But we'll get there in a minute.

I am Cora. I'm not a particularly interesting person at all. I'm a single Mother to a beautiful boy I like to call Ethan.

I was working as a waitress in the Marsden Bar and Hotel until recently. Very recently. Actually.. I remember my last shift as if it were yesterday, as it was only 10 days ago.

I got there at noon, basic for a Sunday shift. It was a quiet, boring Sunday shift. I didn't care. I was so excited. My younger sister was due to have a baby girl any day. Harry Potter came out the upcoming Thursday. I was stoked... After my shift ended that night, I was going to be on my way to the city to be there for these exciting events.

I got through my shift, closed quickly and rushed home. My Dad's girlfriend Sherri and I loaded my luggage, my son, and ourselves in to the truck to be on our way.

We were to pick up her sister in law Sharon, then head straight to Tofield AB to meet one of my Dad's friends who was going to pick my son and myself up to continue the trip in to the city.
We turned down Artland Road to head towards Suffern lake where Sharon was staying at about 7:20pm. The road had fresh gravel laid down just days before. We were about 10 minutes up the road when my son asked for some juice. I unbelted my seatbelt, turned around, found his juice, gave it to him, grabbed my laptop bag and put it in a comfy spot in the back so it wasn't bugging my legs and turned back around to hear Sherri, who was driving, say "Oh shit."

We were fish tailing. Badly. Very badly. I screamed Sherri's name, and we were over. End over end, glass smashing, the sound of metal heavily crunching. I heard something in my back crack. I felt more pain than I had ever felt before. It was like a searing hot wave went throughout my entire body, and then it went cold. My every thought of thousands that passed in that small 10 seconds was of Ethan. It was over as fast as it came on. Even though it felt like it last an eternity. The seconds were few, but I had thousands of thoughts about Ethan. "Is he hurt? Is he hurt now? Is he going to be alive? If he dies I want to die with him. I don't want to live without him. When will we stop rolling? I need to get to him. Why are we still rolling?"

Finally we stopped. We landed right side up. I whipped around and screamed Ethan's name. He responded instantly with "I want to go in the van Mom" and a load of tears. He was okay. Scared, but okay. My heart started to beat again. My son was alive.

I tried to get up, I couldn't. I turned to Sherri and started crying for her to get Ethan out. Get Ethan out of the truck now. She unbuckled her seatbelt, she couldn't open the door. She climbed out the window and she forced open the door from the outside, I don't even remember how she managed to do it. She did though, she got that door open and she got Ethan out. Then started the search for a cell phone. There had been two in the vehicle. Neither were anywhere to be found. Sherri wanted my help, I started to freak.

My legs wouldn't move. I couldn't feel them. I could see them, I could touch them, but they didn't feel like they were mine. I knew instantly what that meant. I've seen enough TV and movies and House to know. My back was broken.

I yelled and I screamed and Sherri told me to calm down. I couldn't. I told her I couldn't feel my legs. She told me not to fuck around. I told her I wasn't kidding. I yelled and screamed some more. I waited and waited, calling for help, in the middle of the country, with nothing but us and our wreckage around.

Sherri continued to search for the phones. Ethan was having a ton of fun playing in the tall grass nearby.
I laid there and waited. Tears streaming from my face. Thoughts streaming through my mind. Was I dreaming? Why wasn't I waking up? Was my back really broken? Would I ever walk again? How could I be a good Mom to my son without working legs? Where was help? Could they even help?

At least 20 minutes went by. No sign of the phones. No sign of my legs being my own again.
Finally I could hear it, a vehicle driving down the road in which we just came flying off of. I started to scream for help again. Sherri flagged them down, and they came running.

The wife was instantly on the phone calling for help. The husband came straight to me and held me up, holding my broken back straight until help arrived. Help was coming. We were alive. My son was alive. But what help was there for me? For my legs?
(By the way: If ANYONE knows who this couple is. Please tell me. I have no clue who they are, they saved my life. I want to thank them personally.)

Another 20 minutes passed. Finally the emergency rescue team arrived. They came to me with a board. The worst and most uncomfortable board. They strapped me to it. All the while my thoughts on Ethan. By this time I was starting to go in to shock I think. My brain was spinning, where was Ethan? Where did he go? I couldn't hear him, I couldn't see him. Where was he.

Suddenly my boss, Glenda, was by my side. She reassured me that Ethan was okay. Him and Sherri were sitting in her car, Sherri had called her from one of the mysterious heroes cellphones. She came immediately to help.

I was stuck to a board waiting for an ambulance and mosquitoes were eating me. They were everywhere and then some. I was covered in a blanket to protect me from them. Glenda sat there stroking my hair. I laid there bawling. I knew the verdict. My back was broken. I knew what this meant. I looked at Glenda, in my state of shock, and asked her if she would still have me work for her even if I couldn't walk. She assured me she would.

Suddenly I was in an ambulance. When they finally showed up I cannot be sure. It took a very long time though. It was getting dark outside. I asked the EMT if I would ever walk again. He looked upset by my question, and told me in a hoarse tone that he could not tell.

I opened my eyes again and was in a large room by myself. Still strapped to that horrible board. I could hear him. Ethan's screams made my heart sink. I started to scream for him. Scream his name over and over. I started to try and shake the board. I was delirious and needed to get to my boy. A nurse came running and told me to stay calm, I tell her that is my son. She tells me they are just checking him out, making sure he is okay and that he is not pleased about it. My heart feels better, but not much. I wanted to be there, to hold him, to tell him it will be okay.
Next my Grandma is standing over me, crying. I am still strapped to that god awful board in that same large room. My legs were still not there. I looked up at her and said "Grandma. I'm never going to walk again. My legs don't work." We both cried harder. Though her much harder than myself. I don't think I have ever seen her more heart broken. This broke my own heart even more.

I heard voices telling me I was being transferred to Edmonton. I cannot recall seeing faces or anything at all for that matter. Just voices saying the weather is too bad for helicopter and that they will be sending me by airplane.

There was a small, dark room. Everything was crazy loud. This must be the airplane.

Then they were putting me in a big machine. They gave me a bulby thing and told me to squeeze it if I need help. I'm going for an MRI. I cried the whole time. I knew the verdict. Somewhere along the way x-rays had been done. I couldn't remember them being done. But I knew they had been. I knew because somewhere along the way someone mentioned a broken vertebrae.

I opened my eyes again and my Mom was there. Amber and Teagan are there. Why are these people there? Why is this guy hurting my shoulder? Grinding my bones? Why am I still on this stupid board? Why are my friends there? My Mom and Dad and Sherri. Where's Ethan? Someone tells me that my sister is in labour. This makes me cry. I wanted to be there so badly for her. But I am not. I am strapped to a board and everyone around me is so upset.
I was so loopy at this point, I can barely recall any logical thought.
I am told I was in emerg. and that everyone was just getting there. It was Monday morning already.

There we are again. Except it's different. It's my family. My parents and sisters and Sherri. They are all gathered around me with a man I had never met before. I asked him if I would ever walk again. He told me it was extremely unlikely. My sister, whom I had never seen cry before, started to bawl. My mom tells me Kirsten had the baby. A baby girl named Chloe. I knew it wasn't a dream. I knew this was for real.

They wheeled me into the O.R.
I felt calm. Because I knew Ethan wass okay. I knew we are alive. I knew they were going to fix what they can. Even if it's unfixable.
They hold a mask over my face, and inject something in to my i.v.

I woke up screaming. Delirious and afraid. Screaming for Ethan. Where is my son. Why isn't my Mom there. Where is my family? Why am I alone. The Dr was rude to me. He wouldn't stop telling me to be quiet. How could I be quiet when my life has been changed forever and nobody I know or love was around to console me? Why was this happening. Why couldn't I just go home? I knew in my mind that I was acting hysterical. I was hysterical. I had every right to be hysterical. This wasn't right.

I wake again suddenly up to see Amber standing over me. She's one of my best friends, Amber. Her eyes are filled with love. I ask where Ethan is. He was there. With my Mom. Everything seemed good again. A nurse introduced herself as Marvellous, as it was easier to remember than her real name. She showed us everything, what every line on every monitor meant, what every tube connected to me was for. I couldn't help but try to block the most of it out. This shouldn't be happening.

But it was.

I have to stop now. The hardest of it all is written. I am exhausted and the morphine is kicking in. I need to sleep.