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Submitted Photo Brooke Bird pictured with Bruce and Brando Bird. Brooke was pinned in her car for 45 minutes earlier this February and had to spend 10 days in the hospital.
On Feb. 9, Highlands local and Southwestern Community College student Brooke Bird was involved in a car wreck, where she was pinned for 45 minutes in her car.
Bird’s story was shared on social media and the surrounding communities rallied together to help her, donating meals, their time, medical equipment and services by building a transition area leading to her house.
Bird said the morning of Feb. 9 started like any other day, heading to class at SCC.
“There was an accident blocking Webster Road. leading up to the school,” Bird said. “I was about ten minutes away. I’m not very familiar with Sylva, so I used a GPS to find an alternative route. The only option was to get back on the freeway. It was about 20 minutes to 9 a.m., which is when my first class started. I was starting to get nervous because I didn’t want to be late. I followed the other cars using the detour and looked both ways before turning left onto the freeway. Within seconds, I heard two loud honks and saw a truck barreling towards me from the left. I didn’t have time to move or brace myself before it slammed into the driver side of the car.”
Bystanders were able to call an ambulance, but since the car was so warped, EMTs and firefighters took 45 minutes to get Bird out of the car.
“I was lucky that bystanders were nearby to call an ambulance, but despite the quick response it took forty-five minutes for the EMTs and firefighters to get me out of the car,” Bird said. “The impact on the driver’s side warped the door so much that I was pinned inside.”
Bird was then transported to Harris Regional Hospital and airlifted to Mission Hospital in Asheville, where she stayed for 10 days.
“My pelvis was fractured in three places, and my left collarbone was broken,” Bird said. “When I first came in, the estimated discharge was two days, but the staff quickly became concerned about internal bleeding. There was some speculation from the CT scan that my spleen was lacerated during the accident. The doctors couldn’t be sure whether there was any bleeding in my abdomen, so they wanted to keep me an extra day or two to keep an eye on it. From there, I started experiencing multiple complications including severe anemia, a hematoma, pseudoaneurysms, orthostatic hypotension, etc. which continually prolonged the stay. Much of this time, I was on bedrest because I was considered a fall risk. It was the longest ten days of my life.”
While she was in the hospital, Bird said the thought of being back home was what made her strong.
“I had to remind myself that this is temporary. I will heal. Every day the pain will lessen, and I’ll grow a little bit stronger,” Bird said. “I’m very lucky that I didn’t injure my neck or spine or receive any permanent injuries. I also thought a lot about coming home, seeing my cats, and being amongst familiar things. As amazing and helpful as the hospital staff are, being in the hospital is not very pleasant. The days and nights seemed never-ending. Just the thought that I might be able to go home soon was enough to get me through.”
Once Bird got home, the thought bubble of being comfortable at home burst.
“It [being at home] felt amazing,” Bird said. “Like I said, the thought of going home was one of the few things that got me through the hospital stay. I daydreamed about the food I would eat, the sleep I would get, and seeing my family and cats. Once I did get home, the bubble burst a little. I couldn’t get comfortable in any of the chairs, I couldn’t get myself up onto the bed, and I couldn’t get down the porch stairs to go outside. I realized that despite my dislike of the hospital, it had all the equipment I needed. It had a medical bed, a recliner, etc. I finally felt the impact of my lack of mobility, and how much help I would need to get through this. It was also during this time that I fully let myself grieve. When I was in the hospital, everything was always in motion. People were constantly in and out of the room and events were always occurring. There wasn’t much time to think about what had happened. It took me a few days to settle at home before I started to feel any kind of normalcy.”
Through the “What’s Happening in Highlands” Facebook group, Bird said several people in the community reached out and offered help.
“I feel very touched that so many people took an interest in my welfare. Through the help of the community, I was able to get a wheelchair, medical bed, and various other medical equipment,” Bird said. “As I mentioned, when I first came home, I realized I couldn’t get on a regular bed, so the medical bed was a life saver. I was finally able to get a good night’s sleep. My mom came across a couple, Isabel and Will Escalera, through the Facebook group ‘What’s happening in Highlands’ that offered to bring the bed and set it up in the house for free. They also donated a wheelchair and other medical supplies. Michael Geisler, who owns Ace Handyman Services, also offered his time and services through Facebook to build transition areas for the doors in our house to improve wheelchair access. Camilla Galles, our neighbor, has been a big help throughout this experience by making meals and donating clothes. Additionally, The Methodist Church in Cashiers and Highlands Emergency Council both loaned and donated medical equipment. Of course, I also have to thank the EMTs, fire department, bystanders, the ER team at Harris Regional Hospital, doctors, nurses and other staff at Harris and Mission Hospital and the air lift team.”
Through this experience, Bird said it has shown her that there are a lot of amazing and generous people in the community.
“I am so incredibly thankful to everyone that has helped out, offered suggestions, or even simply lent me their prayers and thoughts,” Bird said. “There’s no way I could’ve gotten through this without the help of the community.”
Looking forward, Bird said she plans to continue with college to become a medical records technician.
“When the accident happened, I was about a month into the semester. I’m a bit of a nontraditional college student at age 25, so putting things on hold wasn’t really an option in my book. My first thought after the accident was ‘Someone has to tell my teachers why I’m not in class.’ I continued studying the entire time I was in the hospital, and I’m continuing to do so at home. I’m very lucky to have kind and understanding instructors that have allowed me to follow along and turn in my assignments online. It’s definitely been a struggle to keep my mind on schoolwork through the pain and the circumstances, but I’m keeping my eye on the finish line and taking breaks when I need to.”
Now that Bird is home and finding things to do, she said she is trying to fill that time with things she enjoys.
“When I’m not doing schoolwork, I like to watch shows, read, or play games. It seems like there’s a lot more time to waste now that I can’t follow my usual routine, but I’m trying to fill it up with things that I enjoy,” Bird said. “I think this is a good time to catch up on things that I couldn’t get around to doing before the accident. I have several books sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read, so I’d like to start going through those.”
For those that are also dealing with disability or chronic illness, Bird said that she had a very small taste of their struggle and that she is sorry for what they have had to go through.
“I just want to say again how thankful I am to everyone that’s helped out myself and my family during this time. Truly, the people of Highlands have been an amazing help and I feel very humbled by all the generosity,” Bird said. “I also want to say that this experience has been a huge eye opener for me. It never occurred to me that something like this could happen. Never in a million years did I think I’d have to use a wheelchair or that I wouldn’t be able to walk. I’ve always been a very independent person and having to give that up has been extremely difficult. I admit that I’ve taken what I have for granted. I’ve never fully appreciated what a blessing it is to be healthy. For so many people, disability is permanent. Chronic pain and immobility are daily struggles, and the sympathy from others wanes over time. I just want to say to all the chronically ill and disabled people out there, I’ve had a very small taste of your struggle, and I’m sorry for what you have to go through. If anyone is strong, it’s you. And you have every right to grieve.”
Bird’s mother, Lisa, who calls Bird “Birdy Lou,” describes her daughter as smart, talented and studious.
“She was even studying in the hospital with her horrible injuries,” Lisa Bird said. “Brooke is a great writer, artist, singer, and plays several instruments. She’s very talented. She’s been a very hard worker who has had many jobs helping out us, her family. She has previously worked at Sweet Treats and The Pizza place in Highlands and at the Cashiers library. Thinking about how we were so close to losing her, but how God spared her life, is God working miracles for her and us. She has a lot to contribute to this world. She is the most amazing daughter anyone could have. We are so lucky.”
- By Christopher Lugo