Life is the most precious thing on Earth and in an instant it can be taken away. There are times where you have a close encounter with death, but somehow you escape it even if you don't understand why. You could be in a hospital bed clinging to life and battle against every obstacle put in front of you and overcome it.

On December 18,1994. a couple weeks after my 2nd birthday, I was riding in the car with my older brother, Chris, and my grandmother. We were heading to my Mimi and Papa's house when the world felt like it had stopped moving; it had become the day that my life would change forever. It's a day where I would lose my brother and my grandmother and where nothing in my life would ever be the same.

My mom has told me that they don't know every detail, but that my grandmother was driving and when she came to a curve in the road, she drove straight instead of around the curve and drove off the road. The car hit a culvert and the car went airborne. The roof of the car on the passenger side hit a tree and then it landed upside down. Someone saw the car and called 911. The crash killed my brother instantly and my grandmother was still coherent when the paramedics arrived and she gave them my medical history. She passed away 2 days later due to her injuries. I had to be cut out of my car seat and they rushed me to the hospital. My car seat is what kept me alive in this accident and I still don't know how, even after all this time.

I aqcuired a lot of injuries in the accident. I had burn marks from the gasoline, a broken arm, and a fractured skull and bruises all over. When I got to the hospital, I wasn't breathing on my own, so they had to put a breathing tube in me. I was laying in a hospital bed while my brother was being buried. It pains me now that I am older to know that I wasn't there. I know I was only two years old, but I remember a lot about him. He loved Lion King and Power Rangers and he always had a smile on his face. As my parents were healing from the loss of their child, they had to watch their other child lie in a hospital bed not knowing what was going to happen next. I started breathing on my own, but when they took out the breathing tube it paralyzed both of my vocal cords, which affected my speech. I was born left handed, but after the accident I had to be rehabilitated and had to relearn everything; such as how to walk, talk, use my hands and use the left side of my body because it had been briefly paralyzed. I learned how to do everything with my right hand when I was rehabbing. Sometimes, I do things left handed without even knowing it.

To this day, it is almost impossible for me to fall asleep in any vehicle, unless I'm extremely tired. I have scars on my neck from the breathing tube and one on my foot from the gasoline burn. I also have an indention in my head from the fractured skull. I sleep with my brother's Power Rangers pillow. I always have that pillow and an angel pillow with me on long car drives. I also wear a necklace with my grandmother's and brother's name on it, because they are always on my mind.

There are times where I wonder why I didn't leave this world with them, but as I have gotten older, I have come to understand that there is a purpose for me to be here, even if I don't know what it is. I wish they were here to celebrate Christmas and birthdays with and have them be able to see me walk across the stage in a few months, but I know they are watching over my family and I.

Despite having three open heart surgeries, the accident, and being in a coma, I'm still here to tell my story. I may have scars all over my body and may not be considered "normal", but here I am living life at 23 years old. I honestly don't know how I've gone through so much in life and why I am still here to tell the world about it. I am considered the miracle child in my family and I wouldn't be where I am today without every single one of them. Honestly I have surprised myself by making it this far in life. I may not be physically strong, but I have a strong heart and will continue to battle through every obstacle life puts in front of me.

Make sure that you live life to the fullest because you only have one shot at it-- make the most of it.