My whole life had fallen to pieces . I was broken . My body , mind , and spirit : all broken . My family , my marriage , my home : all broken . They were like pieces of broken glass scattered on the floor of life . I used to be fearless , just plowing through life , doing what I had to do , not worrying about why things happened , just solving problems as they came , enjoying life and not worrying about it . And the abundance of energy and motivation that I had was phenomenal . Now , all I do is worry and I feel like I can 't stop it . I am seven years older , but I feel like I 've aged twenty years . My body feels like that of a ninety year old . I have aches and pains all over . I suffer with restless leg syndrome every night , I get less than four hours sleep per night , and I can 't stop worrying about the future . I used to color my hair for fun , now I have to do it to cover all the grey . My hair has thinned greatly from the stress . It is extremely difficult to lose weight , even though there are many foods that I simply cannot eat . I can 't drink coffee or eat chocolate . I know these things are bad , but everything in moderation . My ankle throbs when I 'm on it for too long , I have sciatica , and I 'm nauseous from the pain . I suffer from painful periods , migraines , and I am chronically depressed . And I don 't know why I can 't rise above it all . I used to be able to do that . I was so resilient . When something got me down , it would really get me down , but I always got back up , but this time , I just can 't seem to get back up . I can 't seem to " get my second wind . " When my son and I came back from our trip , the rest of the fall and winter were absolutely unbearable . I felt like I was stuck in a nightmare , rewinding to that pivotal moment of absolute despair , just months prior . It wasn 't until Christmas that things started to change for the better . Tough decisions were made regarding all our lives . We almost didn 't make it . But , somewhere along the line , something gave . Around April the lawyer 's office called and said that the insurance company had made an offer , but it would never be enough to cover what I had lost , or even cover a few years of physiotherapy . He advised me to refuse the offer , which I did . Then I had to go to all these assessments , again , so that the lawyer for the insurance company could have an up - to - date report of my current condition . It was hell . I threw up the morning of the first one . All those buried memories just , all at once , came stampeding to thPosted by The car I had been driving died . A new car was bought . All debt was paid . My relationship with my partner seemed better , but I was just kidding myself . My relationship with my son was rock solid . I was still riddled with guilt , but we were good , we were closer than ever . I was still going to physio , dealing with my pain , and visiting my doctor on a regular basis . I was still hooked on pain killers . My stomach was raw from taking anti - inflammatory pills , and at the next visit to the doctor I mentioned how my stomach was burning . He asked me about my meds , but I didn 't tell him that I was taking anything other than what he prescribed . Nor did I mention that I had been going to the walk - in clinic to obtain what I could . He gave me some meds for the burning , but it didn 't help . My condition got worse and I finally realized that I had to stop what I was doing ; I had to stop the pain killers . I was sent to a GI specialist and a colonoscopy and EGD was done . Results showed severe H . Pylori infection and inflammation . I was given antibiotics for two weeks then ulcer medication for six months . I cannot tell you the hell I went through going cold turkey from the other drugs , but I did it , and my stomach hasn 't been the same since , and not in a good way . Then some bad news changed things once again . My partner 's mother was deathly ill and was in the hospital . The three of us went to Newfoundland to see her , to say goodbye . My son and I came back to Brampton and my partner stayed . She passed a few days later and he came back home . Things got steadily worse ; our relationship was growing to a point where we couldn 't even look at each other . We had made plans to go back to Newfoundland for Christmas before his mother passed , and since we couldn 't refund the tickets , we went . For me , it was a nice holiday , and I visited many relatives and enjoyed the time I had with them . It helped to be among relatives since I was still trying to get over my addiction . My partner had gone home two days early to go back to work then my son and I followed . I had been back only a week when the lawyer 's office informed me of another assessment . After the psychological assessment had been reviewed , the insurance company reinstated my income replacement benefits and approved a treatment plan for counselling . It couldn 't have come at a better time . I was a mess when I went to my first session with the psychologist . I just didn 't know what to do anymore . I was going through the motions . I was taking care of my son , my home , and desperately trying to take care of myself , but something was missing in my life . There was a void that nothing could fill . When our lease finally came up in May we moved to a smaller apartment . My son was doing well in school , I was trying hard to keep a smile on my face for him , and my relationship with my partner was non - existent . We hardly saw each other . I was still seeing the therapist . I wasn 't getting any problems solved , but it was good to have someone to vent to . Then , in a flash , my whole world turned upside down again . I found out why my partner had been gone all the time ; an affair . 2011 came and things were becoming very tense between my partner and me . He became very ill , but refused to do anything about it . We argued all the time . We tried not to argue in front of our son , but that became increasingly impossible . By summer my benefits were cut off again . The lawyer wanted me to apply for CPP Disability . I filled out the application and sent it in , but was denied . An appeal was also denied . When school was finally done for the summer I packed up my son and drove to New Brunswick to visit my brother . I couldn 't stay in the city any longer . I couldn 't stay in that apartment any longer . I felt like I was going crazy . I had very little money and we had to stop frequently because I could only drive for so long before my left leg would go numb and the pain would start . Needless to say , it was a rough trip . We stayed at my brother 's place for two weeks , then drove to Nova Scotia to visit my cousin and her family , then after a week of rest there we moved on to Newfoundland . My son stayed with my partner 's parents and I stayed with my mother , however , that proved to be difficult since she was used to living alone and I felt like I was unwanted . After two weeks I packed up and stayed with relatives , here and there . I spent a lot of time alone . I would visit or call my son every day to see if he needed anything ; he was fine , his cousin was with him and they got along great . He was enjoying his summer . I was a mess . I didn 't want to go back to Brampton . I wanted to leave my partner and just stay where I was . I could get an apartment in the nearby town and my son could start school . I had no reason to go back . I couldn 't tolerate it anymore . Everything was going to hell . Our relationship was done . I was done with the city . I didn 't care about any settlement , I was sick and tired of going to physio , getting poked by doctors , and talking with psychologists who gave me only advice on how to relax and remain calm and made me fill out quizzes then compare the answers to charts in a book . Nobody knew how I really felt because nobody actually gave a damn . I had no one and I wasn 't dealing . I didn 't know how I had gotten from being content and happy to wanting to kill myself . It wasn 't just the accident , the pain , the law suit , the mental anguish , it was everything . About a month later , I got an email from the lawyer 's office advising me of assessments that I had to go to in September . I made the decision to go back . Then my partner 's grandmother passed away and we stayed for the funeral . My partner had traveled by plane and a few days after the funeral we took the long journey back to Brampton . I went to the assessments and my physio treatment plans were once again being accepted and paid for . My benefits were not reinstated . It was another tough year . We were broke from cheque to cheque with my partner gone all the time , which was a good thing because all we did was fight about his problem . Maybe that 's why he was always gone . It never occurred to me that there were other reasons . School started , holidays came and went , a new year came in , spring came . A relative had started living with us and since he wanted his own room , instead of sleeping on our sofa , we decided to move back across town to a three bedroom apartment . However , that turned out to be a disaster since shortly after he returned to Newfoundland and left us with that extra rent to pay . My partner and son went to Newfoundland . A week later my partner returned , my son stayed and traveled back a few weeks later with his cousin who wanted to visit . My partner and I worked through some stuff and we had an uneventful summer . We showed our niece a good time and she went home with lots of memories of good times and good laughs . Just before school started once again , I got a call from the lawyer 's office . They wanted me to go to discuss the case . When I got there the lawyer informed me that the case against the driver who hit me had been settled . I received a sum that didn 't come close to the wages I had lost , but the good news was that part of the law suit was over . That part was closed . I really didn 't know how to feel . I was happy for the money , but that didn 't take away my pain , the damage that had been done to my family , or the depression that I was still in . However , once I got the cheque , a feeling of security that I hadn 't felt in years , came over me so strong , that I had to sit down and take it all in . The year 2009 was the worst year of my life . All those assessments did was make me realize what a mess my life had become . I couldn 't let go of how it used to be . I wanted it back and dwelled on it . I really tried not to , but I guess I just wasn 't strong enough . We used to be a happy family . We had everything going for us . We had more than enough . We had money to spend on what we wanted . We did fun things on the weekend , took long walks together , went to the park for picnics . We were close . We had no worries . We had no debt . Then in the blink of an eye everything changed , forever . Now , we were each doing our own thing , never spending time together as a family . The entire year was a complete blur . I went to physio when it was approved , I went to all those assessments , and slept . I was dependant on pain killers , sleeping pills , and OTC muscle relaxants with codeine . I was living in a fog . Now my son just carried on with life as he normally would , playing with friends , going to school , and preparing for holidays . My partner had worked a lot of hours and they both went to Newfoundland for a two week trip when the school year was done . I was glad to stay home as I didn 't care to see that place ever again . At the end of July the insurance company declined the housekeeping benefits I had been getting , and by October they completely cut me off my income replacement benefits . We were barely making ends meet as it was , and by the end of the year we were selling our furniture to pay our rent . I don 't know how we made it through the rest of the year . Bills kept piling up , we were broke from cheque to cheque , and my partner and I were like strangers living in the same house . I barely saw him . And another long painful winter passed by . By spring , 2010 , we found a cheaper apartment on the other side of town and moved again . We had to sell all we could just to come up with the first and last month 's rent . I started driving again and drove my son to and from school every day . We had very little furniture and bought a used sofa and table and chairs . My son had all his bedroom furniture and all his things so he was pretty content and adapted well to the new place and his new surroundings . I thought with a new start in a new place that it was time for me to come out of my stupor and be a better mom . I had really let myself go ; I had spent too much time at rock bottom , and spent way too much time in self - pity . Yes , I had problems , yes , I was living with pain every day , and yes , I felt like crap , but I still had my family , I wasn 't in a wheelchair , and there were other people out there living a worse life . I started walking , but it wasn 't easy . I kept thinking if I could just get through this hurdle , if I could just see some improvement , if I could only burst through the bubble I was in , maybe , just maybe , I would feel better , but my spirit had been broken beyond repair , and no matter how hard I tried I couldn 't keep up the momentum . I had no family to talk to , I had no support , my partner was gone all the time , and I couldn 't talk to my son ; he had been through enough , he had to grow up a little faster than he should have and that had filled me with enough guilt . I was all alone . I spent a months of sleepless nights trying to get off the sleeping pills , but eventually I was able to sleep again . I got myself into a bedtime ritual that helped me get a few hours ' sleep ; even though I woke up frequently , I accepted the fact that that was the way sleep was going to be for me . I couldn 't get help with my drug addiction , nor could I tell anyone what I was really feeling for fear that my son would be taken away from me . By June the lawyer sent a RN ( Nurse ) and Kinesiologist to me to do an assessment of my current situation . The lawyer had been working on my case and after the insurance company reviewed her report my benefits were reinstated . My partner and son took a two week trip to Newfoundland using credit cards and later that summer my cousin and her family came from Nova Scotia for a visit . It was nice to get out with different people and our kids got along great . But after they left I felt lonelier than ever . Soon my son was back in school and I was slipping back into my usual routine , physio , pain killers , and sleep . I tried to keep walking , but the cold would make my pain worse , so I eventually gave up . I kept up with my housework though , that was one good thing . Well , our apartment was scantily decorated , so there wasn 't much to do , other than a few dishes , beds , bathroom , vacuuming , and it would take me all day to do that . That winter I spent a lot of time in my own head , not only thinking about how we were before the accident , but how I had lived my entire life . Everything came to me , my childhood , my years in school , my teenage life , the mistakes I had made , the bad decisions , I was analyzing everything in my life . And I grew more and more depressed , negative , critical , cynical . I couldn 't see joy in anything . Only for my son I don 't know where I would be right now . He was my rock , my reason for living , the only one that I could count on . He was there with me , through it all , keeping me company , understanding , but not understanding , laughing with me , crying with me , keeping me going . I owed everything to him and he deserved better . So , I don 't know how I did it , but I kept going , for him . A week later the physiotherapy clinic I had been attending closed and I was transferred to a new clinic where I received much of the same treatment . However , there was a chiropractor , kinesiologist , and acupuncturist working there . Treatment plans reflected the changes to my therapy and instead of sending in only six sessions for approval , they started to send in eight sessions . Also , there was a shuttle van so I didn 't have to pay for taxis anymore , a bonus with funds dwindling and bills piling up . I was attending the new clinic three to four times a week . My family doctor experimented with various types of drugs hoping to find the ones that worked best for my ongoing pain , inflammation , depression , lack of sleep , restless leg syndrome , and insomnia . Some worked , some did not . My lack of sleep , bad mood , fatigue , and pain made me increasingly depressed . I became socially withdrawn . I was very inactive and was gaining weight . I couldn 't walk for very long without experiencing pain in my back and ankle , so I walked less and less and gained and gained . I felt like I was slowly falling into a bottomless pit and was losing hope . My mood improved slightly in March when I began receiving Income Replacement Benefits . The lawyer helped me receive the maximum benefit . I can 't tell you how happy I was to get that cheque , no matter how little , every bit helped to keep us afloat . My partner and I decided we could manage our bills better if we found a cheaper place to live so we filled out the Notice to Vacate and two months later we moved into a small house on a quiet street . The landlord told us there was a quiet older man who lived in the basement . Turns out he was my age , a drunk and a doper , and his girlfriend lived there too , but we had already signed the lease so we just overlooked it . My son was sad to leave his school and our home , so was I , but his friend had moved a month prior and I let him finish the school year at his current school . Of course , his mood brightened when he met and made friends with other kids his age on the street . Soon he was playing in the court and going to the park with his newfound friends . I was so happy for him . You know , it 's very difficult to be happy when you feel like you 're dying inside . Looking back , I don 't know how I did it . The relationships with my partner and child were changing and I felt so far away from them . My son , even though only seven , was becoming so independent . And my partner seemed to be working all the time . I never felt so alone and lonely . In May a homecare worker came to my home to do an assessment and I was approved for various household devices to help me with my housework such as a Swiffer duster and sweeper , light vacuum , long - handled brushes for cleaning the shower , and so on . I also received a TENS machine and cervical pillow . Also , added onto my little bi - weekly cheque , was going to be two hundred dollars for home maintenance . I could finally pay someone to come in and clean my house . In June I was approved for psychotherapy , and once a week told my therapist how I felt : depressed , anxious , restless , cranky , sore , afraid , etc . There were too many emotions to name . I was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder . I continued with sessions until they were no longer approved which was just a few months . The sessions helped put things in perspective , but my depression was deep - seated , nothing a psychotherapist was trained for . Almost a year had passed since the accident and I was still complaining about my hip and foot so the clinic sent a request to the insurance company for an MRI of my low back and left foot . It showed some kind of labral tear in the hip joint area and inflammation in the tendons of my foot . I knew all along there was something wrong with my hip , but my doctor didn 't seem to take me seriously . It seemed I was going regularly to the doctor for refills and check - ups . He noticed how overweight I was and sent me for blood work to check on cholesterol levels as well as blood sugar levels . Tests resulted in high levels of both . In October I went to the orthopedic doctor who diagnosed me with severe tendonitis in my back and hip . It 's amazing how a doctor can just look at you and come to a diagnosis . And the arthrogram showed labral degeneration in my hip . With more rigorous treatment came more pain , more sleepless nights , more depression , more pills . By January 2009 I had gained over sixty pounds since the accident . And it wasn 't because I was eating more ; it was because I was exercising less . Walking , aerobics , and working out were how I kept the weight off . Now , I hated to look at myself in the mirror . I didn 't have any clothes that fit and couldn 't afford to buy new clothes . I wore my partner 's sweatpants and baggy t - shirts . I hated myself . I hated what I had become . My relationship with my son changed , but we were still very close . He adapted very well to all the changes that had been going on . I did my best to always put his needs first , however , there were times when that just wasn 't the case , like when I was having a bad day and would stay in bed . I was very worried about his mental health and confided in the female chiropractor at the clinic who would help set my mind at ease . She would tell me things that I already knew but had forgotten , like how resilient children are and how adaptive they can be . She would say , " If he looks happy then he probably is . " Winter was always a bad time of year for me , it was worse now that I wasn 't working . I longed to be at the pharmacy filling the prescriptions and helping customers make informed choices about cold medicine . Those winter days were long . I would lay in bed just staring at the ceiling thinking about how things were , thinking about our old home , thinking about our money situation , thinking about how content I was . Why did this happen to me ? Then a phone call from the lawyer 's office filled me with more worry . The insurance company had scheduled some assessments to see if I was still eligible for benefits . I was assessed by a chiropractor a few weeks later . Then a home assessment was done in February , and then in March the same chiropractor assessed me again . In April I attended a psychological assessment . In May I had a neurological assessment done and in June I was assessed by a psychiatrist . I was sent to the same chiropractor in June and again in July . I was assessed by a psychologist and physiatrist in August . In September I went for a vocational skills assessment then in November I was assessed by a neuropsychologist . With each doctor I visited I relived the accident over and over and over again . I told each doctor the same story . I told each doctor all of my symptoms . I told each doctor all of my worries . I told each doctor my life story and that story was an open book . Approximately two months after I was hit by the idiot driver , I had to travel back to Brampton , Ontario , not because I wanted to , but I had to . My son was entering Grade 2 very shortly so I had to get him ready for school , and I had to find some kind of physiotherapy for myself . And , after all , our home was in Brampton . I just wasn 't looking forward to making that trip . It was the longest plane ride that I had ever been on . I felt like a little kid at church , squirming and moaning , and testing the flight attendant 's limits with all my requests for pillows and such . Well , what else could I do ? I didn 't have any sleep or pain medication , and nothing I did took my mind off the pain in my low back and neck . The two and a half hour flight over the bay felt like a twenty - four hour flight over the Atlantic . I was envious of my son who slept through the whole thing . By the time we got our luggage and dog , and endured the long drive home , I was ready for a long winter 's hibernation while my son was completely rejuvenated . After a few days of organizing and cleaning , and piles of laundry to do , I realized that I couldn 't keep up . My left ankle was swollen , my left arm was numb , and I had pain and tingling radiating down my buttock into my left leg . Our small two - bedroom , two - storey townhouse suddenly became a large mansion . I had made an appointment with my family doctor the day I got back and was waiting to see him . When the day finally came I told him about the accident and he performed a complete check - up , directed me to a physiotherapy clinic , sent me for an x - ray of my ankle and back , and gave me anti - inflammatory and pain medications . My partner had consulted with a friend of his who worked in the insurance industry and she had already started the accident benefit claim while I was still in Newfoundland . I made an appointment to see her and she gave me some advice about how the claim worked and what would be involved . I took over the paperwork , brought it to the physiotherapy clinic , and they handled the rest . All I had to do was show up for the treatment . The insurance company paid for my physiotherapy , child care expenses , and prescriptions . The first day of my treatment consisted of examinations and questions about the accident and my injuries . I had no idea how badly I was hurt until I started the treatment . And I had no idea how badly I could feel until after the first treatment . I was stuck with electrodes on the tender areas of my neck and back along with ice or heat , I had lazer therapy applied to my left foot and ankle , and I received massage therapy . When I got home I felt like I had just been in the accident , a deja - vu of sorts . I was told it had to get worse before it got better . I went three days a week , right after my partner got home from work . After each session I would come home , take my pain meds , and go directly to bed . When the school year started I would walk my son to school in the morning and a lady who had babysat my son in the past would walk him home . She also had a child in the same school so it wasn 't a problem for her . I was spending less time with my son , but he had made a friend next door and she was welcome in our home . He had lots of toys and they got along very well . I felt very guilty for not spending time with my son since I was the main caregiver . Before the accident I had worked evenings at a pharmacy as a technician and my partner worked days , so our son always had one of us taking care of him . Even though I was home with him , we weren 't doing the things we once did . I had been on the floor with my son since he was a few months old , playing , teaching , and keeping him entertained and happy . Now , I couldn 't hop , jump , and play as I used to do . He was an intuitive child and knew I wasn 't well , and he kept himself busy with his sense of imagination and his new found friend , but still , I felt bad . I was present , but it wasn 't the same . After a few months , it seemed like I wasn 't getting much better . I continued with treatment and my ankle seemed like it was never going to get better . I developed a limp and there was constant pain in my neck , shoulder , and buttock area , all on my left side . I couldn 't walk for very long since my left buttock would tighten to a point where my leg would start to tingle and pain would begin and go down my left leg . I would have to force my left leg forward and back in order to keep moving forward . Something was wrong in my hip somewhere , I was sure of it . The months passed by with fall turning into winter . My treatment wasn 't consistent and at times I felt that my condition was getting worse . The clinic would send a treatment plan of only six sessions at a time to the insurance company , then it would take up to two weeks for a response , so there would be a gap in treatment and it was like taking a step forward and two steps back . Halloween came , my son 's birthday , Thanksgiving , and Christmas followed and by the time January came around our financial situation had become a worry . My partner began to work more hours , credit cards were being used frequently , and our style of living was changing . On February 6 , 2008 , I sought legal advice . My partner 's friend gave me the number for a lawyer and I signed a retainer the same day . I didn 't have to pay anything up front ; he would take a percentage from the settlement , if there was a settlement . Well , he was pretty sure there would be a settlement , but first a case had to be made . I had no idea that building a case would take so long . All I saw was a flash of blue before the airbag hit me in the face , stunning me and cutting my lip open . The car I was driving , a 1998 Chrysler Intrepid , seemed to glide to a stop just before a ten foot drop into Bay St . George . When I came to , I couldn 't breathe , I was smothering , I had no idea that the airbag I was batting at had probably saved me from something worse . I was disoriented , I was panicking , and I smelled gas . It 's going to blow up ! I tried to get the key out of the ignition but it would not budge . I tried to open the door , but it wouldn 't open . The side window was smashed and blood oozed into my left eye . I tried to move , but there was something wrong with my legs , and when I looked down at them my lower legs were missing . All I saw was metal , and , and the tire ? Yes , the tire . How did the tire get into the car ? I 'm stuck . I 'm stuck in a car with a revving engine and gas . I 'm going to blow up ! Then there was a man at the passenger side door . I could see that his lips were moving , but I couldn 't hear what he was saying . I saw people running toward the car , other cars were stopping behind me , and all I heard was the ringing in my ears . Everything was moving in slow motion , the people , the cars , the grass blowing around on the hill on the left , and the waves crashing against the shore on the right . I was mesmerized . The sight of the man was comforting ; it put me at ease for the moment . I couldn 't move my legs , not because they were broken , but because the tire and metal had pushed them toward the console and they were pinned there . I wiggled my feet out of my shoes and managed to pull out one leg at a time . One foot had been stuck between the gas and the brake pedal which was why the car was revving . I then crawled out the passenger side door and fell to the ground . " I couldn 't get the key out . " I said to the man . He went back in and a minute later the engine finally stopped . I got up off the ground and stumbled around to the driver 's side . I looked at my car and immediately remembered what had happened . I was entering the turn and a man driving toward me in a blue car wasn 't looking at the road , he was looking over his shoulder at a driveway . I had tried to drive out of the way , but there was a steep embankment and there was no where to go . He drove over the yellow line and right in my lane , hitting my car directly in the driver 's side wheel . My disorientation suddenly turned to rage . To make matters worse , the man who hit me , was coming over to me saying , " I didn 't see you , I didn 't see you . " I don 't remember exactly what I said , but it went something like this : " Look what you did to my car you stupid , lousy , bastard ! " There was a whole lotta cursing going on and a lot of pulling on my hair , apparently . ( So I was told later . ) The man mosied on back to his car . I was shocked at the damage that had been done to the car . The whole left side of the car , from the front door to the headlights , had been smashed in . I stood , bare - footed , in disbelief at what had just happened . Quite a few people had come to see what the commotion was all about . The man who had helped me out of the car spoke with his wife and she took me to her house . She gave me some ice to put on my legs , which were now swelling to the size of elephant legs . My left ankle , the one that was stuck between the gas and brake pedal was severely sprained . I have no idea who mentioned police , but they were called and it was about a half hour before they showed up . My cousin was also called and she waited with us for the police to come before driving me to the hospital . I was sick to my stomach about my car . It was only three years old and the car before that had been stolen . I was more disgusted about the car than I was about my legs . I was so angry , but then the pain started , and by the time the police showed up I could barely walk . I was helped to my cousin 's car and we drove to the scene . There were still a few people looking at the damage . I heard one guy say that I was lucky I didn 't lose my legs . And another guy said that the man who had hit me had hit others . I gave the police my statement , and then my cousin drove me to the hospital . By that time I felt like I had been just run over by a truck and it looked like my left leg was fractured ; it has swollen to twice its size . The pain was intense , my emotions got the best of me , and I couldn 't hold back the tears any longer . Six hours later , I was sent home with non - narcotic pain killers and anti - inflammatory medication . One x - ray of my left leg only , it was the worse , was done and nothing else . The cut in my head , the burn on my legs , and the pain in my neck and back were of no concern to the doctor on call . I could have had internal bleeding in my body or my brain , but the negligence at that hospital is subject matter for another time . When I got home , my mother and cousin helped me out of the car and to the bed , and my mother wrapped my ankle with tension bandage to help stop the swelling , all the while cussing about how the entire Stephenville Hospital should be investigated for malpractice . The next day , I had to crawl to the bathroom . Everything hurt , even my teeth , believe it or not . Both legs and feet were purple , I couldn 't move my neck and my spine felt like a rod of steel , there was no flexibility in my back whatsoever . I was a mess . And for six weeks I was stuck in bed , unable to care for my son and unable to care for myself . The only time I went out was to the doctor for refills . It was funny . It was funny because my six year old son , our dog , and I had driven from Brampton , Ontario , to Journois , Newfoundland , without any problems . We stopped at spooky rest stops to sleep , we ate in greasy dives , we urinated in woods with poison ivy , we went through hours of construction while driving through Quebec , we were eight hours on the ferry , the road trip was completely uneventful . And three days into my vacation on the island I drive up the two - lane road from the local convenience store on a beautiful summer day and get pummeled by a local . What are the odds ? My entire trip was ruined , my car was a total write - off , and I was injured to the point where I couldn 't even wash my own hair . My partner 's parents took care of my son while my mother took care of me , and while I lay in bed most of the time contemplating why such a thing would happen to me , he was having a good time at the beach and just enjoying his time with family . I was thankful he wasn 't in the car at the time .