It was Friday, June 3rd. My friend was driving. I was in the passenger seat. Her mother was behind the drivers seat and her 4 year old sister was behind me. 

We were on the way to take them home. 

“Oh my god”

I glance up and there’s a white truck coming from the right really fast. Everything goes black and then all of a sudden I look up again. The windshield is smashed in and there’s blood all over my hands and face. There were people near coming to aid us. My side was dented in so I had no way of getting out. There was a sharp pain in my neck. I look to my left and my friend is crying trying to get out. I look behind me and my friend’s mother is holding her head. There’s blood rushing out of her head. The little girl is crying and screaming. I don’t say a word.

I’m trying to process everything. I hear voices outside of the car. 

“We need to get them out of there there’s a fire!”

There is smoke everywhere and glass everywhere. The people around us that saw the wreck came to the left side to get the girls out. I got myself out and I was walking up a ditch.

My friend grabbed me and held me close. “Donald, tell me you’re alright. Talk to me, Donald. Tell me you’re okay.”

I didn’t talk back for a while. I was trying to figure out what exactly happened. I’m trying to figure out what was wrong with me. Where exactly the pain was. If the other 3 girls in the car with me was alright.

They sat me up against a fence to wait for the ambulance. There was blood all over my khaki shorts and glass all in my hands and arms. I pulled out my phone and called Sean. My best friend. I was afraid I wasn’t going to make it to be honest. I wanted to tell him goodbye.

I handed my phone over to the ambulance people and they contacted my parents. They put me on a board and put a neck brace on me. I was in an ambulance and on the way to the hospital.

They sat me in a room the nurses were cleaning me up. Taking my clothes off and putting me in a hospital gown. Washing my arms and face and pulling bits and pieces of glass out. 

Soon my mom and dad were in the room with me. My dad was just sitting there watching me. My mother started crying so hard. She cried for hours. It was one of the hardest things to see in my life. It wasn’t the pain of my neck or hands. It wasn’t the pain of knowing I could have died. It was the pain of seeing my mother cry.

I told her I was gonna be alright and she kept crying and crying.

My little sister had to watch me cry. She had to see my cuts and neck brace. I didn’t want her to see me like this. She was in the hospital room with me alone and I started crying so hard begging her to go home. I didn’t want her to see me look like this. I didn’t want her to see her older brother hurt.

I was taken to get scanned and x-rayed. I had to stay for a couple more days until they figured out what was wrong with me. I hadn’t seen my phone since I handed it to the ambulance people Friday. So there was no way of contacting friends and of course Facebook and Tumblr was the last thing on my mind. 

My mother held my hand and told me i’m her only son and that she loved me very much. She was crying so hard it broke my heart. I told her to go home and rest. She didn’t need to see me like this. She couldn’t handle it. She called me all night and kept trying to take care of me.

Soon she went home. It was just me and dad again. My dad was very collect and calm. He watched me and stayed up to help me. He slept beside me in the hospital room. He didn’t cry once but I saw the fear in his eyes. 

Saturday and Sunday I got so many visits. My closest friends found out and came to see me. Cody lost his job because once he heard he walked out and rushed to the hospital. Brett was in Atlanta and came as soon as he heard. I have a lot of great friends with good hearts. They all came to see me and visit me. Even Cody slept over a night at the hospital. All my friends came and it made me feel so much better. 

Robert touched my heart. He’s one of the guys i’ve never seen break a sweat. He’s never been worried or scared. I saw him cry for the first time. I saw him Thursday and Friday I got in my wreck. He thought I was dead and started crying. 

That’s the kind of shit that breaks my heart. To see all my friends from all over rush to the hospital and worry about me. It means a lot to me that my friends care about me and would do so much for me. Asking me if there was anything I needed they would get. They visited me and kept me company.

Saturday night I found something out. There is a fracture in my neck and we have three options. Go home in a neck brace, get a metal halo, or get surgery on it. The doctors told me to stay until Monday and they would tell me which option is the best for me.

Monday morning I woke up and they told me I was able to go home in a neck brace. :) 

They called me Superman. The same spot I got hit in the neck was the same as actor Christopher Reeves (Superman)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Reeve

He was paralyzed. Fortunately for me the bone in my neck didn’t get displaced and my nerves didn’t damage. I’m one lucky guy they said. I could have died they said.

The whole time I was worried about the other girls. Every time the doctors I came in I asked about the other three girls that were in the car with me. I don’t care what happens to me. Those girls don’t deserve this. They deserve to be alright and home with their families. 

Two of the girls went home Friday night which was a relief. The other woman and I stayed until Monday because of our injuries. 

I got so many texts when I got my phone back. When I checked my Facebook there was so much support and so much worry on Tumblr.

I have to wear this neck brace for 8 weeks. Hopefully my neck heals by then.

I have a good family and great friends around me. I should have died. I should have been worse off than I was. 

I got dreams to chase. I got a family I got to take care of some day. I got friends I have to spend time with. I got my whole life ahead of me and i’m not scared of anything. The only thing i’m scared of is that my story won’t be told when i’m gone.

So instead of having people tell you what happened to me. I wanted to tell you myself. I wanted to make it out of the hospital and continue writing the story to my life.

I’m here. As long as those girls are alright i’m happy. As long as my friends are safe. As long as my mother and father are healthy i’m happy.

Whatever happens to me in life I could care less. It’s another experience I learn from. I just care about the people around me. Make sure they’re safe and i’m good.

- Donny Tran