Yesterday I had quite an experience.

What I Remember:
I was leaving my house at exactly 2:51 p.m. to bike up to the park where I play in the Ultimate Frisbee Club at my school. I remember biking about 20 feet and then my memory ends. I woke up about 3:45 p.m. with paramedics, EMTs, and my close friend Emily standing around me. They asked me what my Mom's phone number was and I told them. Then they put me in a neckbrace and put an IV on my arm. I was worried that when they picked me up one of the EMTs would have someone call their name and would turn around, toppling the board over and landing me face down. Again. But we made it to the local college hospital, where my family met me, and they took care of me. I have one staple in my head, a black eye, and virtually no skin on my elbow, but my brain is just fine as far as I can tell.

What I've Been Told:
A woman up the street found me lying in a pool of blood around my head. I was convulsing, and still on the bike, just on the ground. She looked at my frisbee in my bag and found my name, then asked a neighbor to call 911. She stayed with me and apparently, I was repeating my first and last name, and then asked for Emily repeatedly until she came up the street. I waved at her and then couldn't stop saying my Mom's cell phone number. As far as I can tell, no car hit me, the bike chain slipped off as I was riding, and caused me to fall sideways. I have a lot of cuts, scrapes, and I had a hole in my head the size of an eraser, but they stapled it shut pretty easily. The CT scan was clean, as were the Xrays and blood tests.

The Moral:
Wear a helmet. I didn't worry about it, and in all honesty, I hated wearing helmets. Until now, when I will DEFINITELY wear one whenever I am riding a bike. I'm so lucky to be alive, and I'm so grateful to the people who saw me lying there and helped me get care.

Just count your blessings today, I know I will.