The Passineau Family: Pittsburgh Edition: 5 years ago

Friday, October 12, 2012

5 years ago

Psalm 50:15
"call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

[We actually have a stone outside our front door with this inscribed on it to remind us of the mercy we were shown on this day 5 years ago]

5 years ago today Michael & I were involved in a near fatal car accident. We were about 5-10 min. from the hospital where our niece had been born & we were on our way to meet her. A large construction ladder flew off of a truck in front of us & Michael swerved to avoid it. We began spinning & were sucked into the median of the interstate. We finally came to a stop when our car was hit by another car on the opposite side of the interstate. Yep, we went all the way over into oncoming traffic. It was a day, which we will never forget. I, personally, will also never forget all of the love/kindness that we were shown after this happened. Michael suffered a C2 spinal fracture, which fortunately did not displace & I broke my right femur & my pelvis. I'm still not sure how I rallied strength to return to complete my senior year in dental school only 2 weeks after this injury, but I continue to thank God for His provision of protection and mercy on us this day. For those of you that don't believe in miracles...talk to me, because I continue to believe that it was a miracle that both of us has no serious lasting effects from this accident. If I think about all that has happened since the accident, it is difficult to fathom not seeing those things develop. It is also impossible to imagine life without our precious girls, but had we both died that day, neither of them would be here. If you are reading & you were there to support us after our accident, know that we continue to be grateful for your kindness in our time of need. One of the biggest lessons I have learned through this experience is that no day is guaranteed & even though your life may be wonderful, it can all change in a split second. I would be lying if I said I wan't angry (at the time) that someone would be so careless & almost kill 2 people. I would also be lying now if I didn't say that this accident did indeed impact my professional life & some days my personal life also...I still have some pain in my leg from time to time. The fact of the matter is that it was an accident & I have forgiven the person responsible. Having gone through something like this I think the best response is to live life everyday with a little more gratitude, more perspective on how precious our lives are, and more FAITH--most importantly. Thanks for reading & please be careful on the roads, I still recall how quickly everything happened!