I didn’t grow up in an extremely religious family so when asked my religion, I’ve always been a bit hesitant on how to answer. However, after a certain life changing car accident I have never doubted my response again. I can’t stand by saying I’m Christian or Jewish, but I can with full confidence say that I not only believe in God, but I have felt His protection surround me. It’s not only a miracle that I lived through my anorexia being as thin and malnourished as I was, but also that I survived the car accidents that occurred during my eating disorder days.
I know what you’re thinking…what does being a bad driver have to do with an eating disorder? Well…everything actually!
My two worst car accidents happened because I had no energy since I had hardly eaten in days and fell asleep behind the wheel as a result. One accident in particular I had no energy to keep my eyes open on my drive home from a late night at dance.
It was 10p.m. on a weeknight; I had been to school, tennis and dance that day. I was 15 minutes away from home when the accident happened. What I remember from the night was coming up to a bridge when I reached over for my purse in the passengers seat. I was digging in my purse to find a piece of gum to keep my stomach from growling and hopefully to keep me awake for another 15 minutes. Before my hand even found the gum I passed out.
When I awoke, I was on the other side of the bridge, running off the road into a mailbox and tree. Startled and terrified, I quickly found my way back onto the road before pulling over to see the wounds. I did a lot of damage to my dad’s truck that I was driving that evening; thankfully though, my parent’s only cared that I made it home alive.
It was a mystery to me for years after the accident how I could fall asleep on one side of the bridge and wake up alive and safe on the other side. I have come to realize there is a lot of mystery to how I am still breathing today, but in my heart I know the only answer is God. There is a reason He carried me across the bridge that day and to why He kept my heart pumping even when it had not been fed a decent meal in months. Every day I try to thank Him by appreciating every day and sharing as many smiles as I can.
