Trust Your Instincts

While cleaning her boat to store it for the winter, Carol lost her leverage and flew over the side landing on the hard driveway below. The pain she felt was almost immediate and she knew something major was wrong. She could not even move and she knew she was in real trouble.

She laid there helpless on the dead-end road that she lived on, with no help in sight. Her only hope was her black lab Bud who was by her side standing at attention as if he knew he would have to go into action soon.

She looked at her dog and told him he had to get help and the old boy started to howl. He howled in a way that she had never heard before and for what seemed like an eternity she lay there helpless, hoping someone would hear Bud and come to her rescue.

Her neighbors recall hearing the dog for a few minutes and the feeling of being alarmed. They too had never heard old Bud sound so desperate. After a few minutes their concerns grew and they decided to go investigate. Almost immediately they saw Carol on the ground with her hands clutching her neck.

With the 911 call made, help was on its way. Carol clutched her neck all the way to the hospital, refusing to let go. Her life hangs in the balance, but she was a tough woman and was not about to go down without a fight. Upon arrival to the hospital a team of doctors met her at the door and raced into action. It was not long until the verdict was clear. She had broken her neck.

But this was not just any break, Carol had broken the two parts of her neck that sit just under the brain. The survival rate after breaking these bones is almost zero. It was amazing she was still alive! In almost 100% of the cases, when this part of the neck is broke, life is over.

Some thought was given to the fact that she had clutched her neck and not allowed any movement until she reached the hospital. Could this have been what saved her life? Could Carol have escaped death because of one tiny decision she made while laying helpless on the ground. It seemed impossible that in such pain a person would have the mind-set to do something that would be live saving.

One of the doctors asked Carol, how did you know to hold your neck? She responded by saying, “It was pure instinct.”

Although the doctors think it helped save her life, Carol owes all her thanks to her lab Bud, who will forever be her angel. He won some awards, got himself in the newspaper and for a few short weeks he had made himself a celebrity.

I think this is an amazing story of survival. And the part I like best is what Carol told me about life now. She went on to say, that life is rich, she never gets bothered by the small things and she appreciates everything a lot more. Out of a near death disaster arose a love for life and the little things.By listening to her gut instinct she has enriched her life and has one heck of a story to tell. In life you have to trust yourself first and all others second!