On June 24, 2004, my husband was involved in a horrendous vehicular accident. The truck that he was driving (for his employer) lost it's brakes on a steep grade and went crashing into a ditch on the side of the road. It bounced up from the ditch and back onto the road, where it finally came to a halt.

 

There was virtually nothing left of the truck after the crash... It was a pile of unrecognizable twisted metal. The motor had been pushed back into the driver's seat, crushing hubby's lower extremities. He was shoved over to the passenger side of the vehicle, which quite possibly saved his life, because the driver's side had literally been sheared off.

 

My husband sustained a broken right leg, with the bone protruding through. The doctors estimated about an inch to and inch and a half of the bone was missing. His right ankle was crushed, as was his right knee. He also had a fractured left hip, as well as severe lacerations to his face and left arm, and a concussion. It took 45 minutes for the emergency team to get him out of the truck, having to use the 'jaws-of-life.' Everyone was concerned that he may have lost too much blood to survive much longer.

 

Emergency surgery on the right leg was done almost immediately after his having arrived at the hospital. The surgeon had wanted to repair the hip at the same time, but hubby's blood pressure plummeted and so any further surgery at that time would have been too dangerous.

For 3 days, the doctors were uncertain if he would survive his injuries.

For 3 days and 2 nights, I didn't sleep or eat.

Hubby was 'put back together' with 3 titanium rods, 2 metal plates, and a total of 19 screws.

 

Hubby spent a total of 7 weeks as an inpatient, first in the hospital and then in a nursing facility. It was a most joyful day when he was finally able to come home! Though he had to have a hospital bed at home and a wheelchair, we both were overjoyed that he at least would be here.

 

And then infection set into the leg wound. He was rushed back to the hospital with pain and a 103* temperature. He remained there for 2 weeks.

 

After having come home once again, it wasn't long before another infection was discovered in the leg wound, this time being found also in the bone. It was back to the hospital for the third time, where the doctors discussed possible amputation. Antibiotics were the first choice, however, and after 3 weeks, he was again released to come home. (And, of course, what a relief it was that he was able to keep his leg!)

 

During the first 7 weeks that hubby had been in the hospital, I chose to move to a smaller home that was handicapped assessable. Our larger, 2-story home had stairs, both inside and out, and the hallways and bathrooms were much too narrow to accomodate a wheelchair.

Needless to say, I had to pack and move before hubby could come home. I was settled in the new home by August 1, 2004.

 

When outside one day, I noticed the cutest little puppy across the road at my new neighbor's property. When she saw me, she came bounding across the road and ran up to me, jumping around and behaving as though she could hardly contain her joy. Since I'm an animal lover, I fell in love with that puppy right away!

 

The next time I saw the puppy, she was tied outdoors, with no way to get cover from the blazing heat. I felt so sorry for her!

 

And then I met my new neighbors... They were a very young couple, with a little boy not yet walking and the second baby due in just 2 months. The conversation came around to the puppy and they told me that they didn't want her. They said they had tried to find someone to take her, but hadn't had any luck. They went on to tell me that she couldn't be indoors because she wasn't housetrained and that they really couldn't afford to take care of her any longer. For days I watched that  puppy tied up in the yard - no shelter, no food, and no water in the sweltering heat. It became apparent that the young couple were going to allow the puppy to die from heat and/or starvation. Since we already had 3 dogs, with 2 of them being elderly, we had decided to not adopt any more. We also had 6 indoor cats, so our menagerie of pets was quite large. We did sneak food and water over to that pitiful little waif when no one was at home...

 

On October 28, 2004, one of our elderly dogs had to be put down due to health problems. A few days later, on November 7, 2004, I told hubby that I could not morally watch the torture of that puppy across the way and I marched over to the neighbor's house. I asked them if they still wanted to be rid of the pup and they said they did. I then asked if I could take her home. She came to live with us after hubby's second stay in the hospital...

 

We learned that the puppy was part pitbull and we gave her the name of Missy Anne. Neither of us had had any personal experience with pitbulls and we had only heard negative things about the breed. With attention and love, Missy Anne was housebroken within a week (she never did poop in the house!) and she learned simple commands. She was eager to please and very affectionate. Almost from the beginning, she became extremely close to my husband, her human dad.

 

When hubby had to be admitted into the hospital that third time, Missy Anne refused to eat. I obtained permission for her to be brought into hubby's room, certain that it was exactly what both of them needed. And I was right. I took Missy Anne in to see her 'dad' several more times and she never left his side while there. After he came home, she wouldn't allow him out of her sight.

 

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Missy's favorite place to sit.