Recently, after venting about my current state of mind and emotional stress, my friend joked about how my life “is just like a TV show.”
I shook my head in disbelief, and then the neon light flashed on my phone, letting me know I received a new message and catching my attention. It was my best friend.
Nobody truly knows the struggles someone faces every day.
Last year on Oct. 25, 2012, Tia was in a serious car accident. The driver was speeding, ignoring Tia’s wishes to slow down, and lost control of the car and hit a tree.
She remembers being told that help would be on the way.
Tia was in the ICU for quite some time, worried her family every day and defeated every odd set against her.
To save her life, both of her legs had to be amputated. She was unconscious from the medicine and constant surgery, and had no idea what was happening.
When I think about her waking up in a hospital gown, surrounded by her family, confused and wondering why she could no longer feel her lower half, it disgusts me when I hear someone complain about their latest GSW paper, working a four-hour shift or how long the wait was to buy a frappuccino at Starbucks.
When I find myself frustrated because of a Spanish assignment or overwhelmed about the requirements for graduation, I think about my best friend.
I think about the girl I met in eighth grade, how she was my first friend in a new school.
When times were scary for me, she was there. Now I have to be there for her, too.
After reminiscing about the event, she wanted advice about the approaching court date on April 9, where her and her parents are expected to write a ‘victim statement.’
The driver was never ticketed and will be sentenced on that date.
I cannot even imagine how she must be feeling. I know seeing him in court, along with reading her statement, is going to be tough.
We have a tendency to complain about things that may seem important at the moment, without questioning what others are dealing with.
Of course I have my bad days, stressful moments and endless rants on the phone with my parents, but I think everyone should be more aware of what others are going through.
When I look at life through Tia’s perspective, somehow everything changes and I forget about my life completely; suddenly, none of that matters.
Respond to Ashley at