I am a mother of 8, my oldest is 18, my youngest 7. I am 45 now, and this is the story of my 6th child, Rosa, who is now 10 years old.
Rosa was born as a conjoined twin to Hilda. They were separated at birth, and it was all fine until they were 6. They were all coming home from school one day. I couldn't supervise because I had overrun with work, so I entrusted my oldest, Misty, who was 14 at the time, to take them home. This was a big mistake.
Serena and Shauna, my 2 youngest twins, ran off together, so everyone else ran off to catch them. Rosa went too, but she got tired quickly and eventually stopped. She was walking across a road, and then one driver couldn't stop in time and ran straight into Rosa. He immediately called for an ambulance.
Meanwhile, everyone else was home, as was I. I noticed that Rosa was not with them, and I asked them why. May (3rd youngest) said they must have lost her, and she'll get home soon. 30 minutes later, she still hadn't returned, so we wondered if she'd gone to a friend's house. While we were out looking, the hospital called. We just stopped when we heard the news and went straight there, speeding all the way.
When we arrived, we went straight to the ICU. Rosa was there. Cuts and bruises everywhere, and some plaster, but that wasn't the main concern. Even though it was wrapped in bandages, we could clearly see that Rosa had a very squashed head. Apparently, a tire went over her had and smashed her skull into pieces.
She stayed in a critical condition for weeks, and when she finally was stable enough they operated to put some protection around her skull. They did some scans, and it showed that most of the left part of her brain was damaged, and some parts were ceasing to function at all.
She woke up 2 months later. She couldn't remember anything. We had to teach her everything again, and slowly, she accepted it. She couldn't move or talk for the first two weeks. But when I was reading to her, she giggled. Slowly, she started to speak and move her arms and hands. But not her legs.
Soon, she started therapy. And she was ready to go home in 4 months after she went in, which I think is a miracle. Now though, she has what may be classed as autism, dyslexia, a smashed head and non-functioning legs, and has to use an electric wheelchair that she can now operate herself and be tube fed (although she is staring to learn how to drink. She is also wanting to try strawberries, ice cream, chocolate and pizza, but we'll talk to the paediatrician first!).
Rosa is a lovely, inquisitive girl who is determined and strong-willed. She is now 10 years of age. Hopefully she will continue to get better until she can take care of herself fully again.
