It’s my anniversary! No, it’s not an anniversary of a marriage. It’s not an anniversary of my job. Nope, it’s not even an anniversary of a relationship.

Today is my anniversary of life.

Six years ago I became very ill. Six years ago I only weighed 115 pounds. Six years ago I thought I just had a cold. Matter of fact, we were in the middle of the H1N1 outbreak, and, for a moment, I wondered if that’s what was making me sick. Six years ago my career was my life, and I worked what seemed to be around the clock. Six years ago my brother Patrick and I were roommates.  Six years ago I woke up suddenly from my sleep in the middle of the night and discovered I was having trouble breathing. As I tried to stand up, I fell from my bed. Six years ago Patrick heard my fall from two stories below and realized I had collapsed….

Craziest thing…..the rest is very foggy to me. I remember being rushed by ambulance to the hospital. I remember Patrick calling our mom (who lived in D.C. at the time) and our Grandmama who lived not far from us.

Unfortunately though, I don’t remember all the details. Why? I didn’t realize I had gone into DKA (Diabetic Ketoacidosis for those who aren’t familiar…..it happens to individuals with Type 1 Diabetes, aka Juvenile Diabetes) and was on the verge of going into septic shock. No, the two things were completely separate issues but merged together made for the perfect storm and one of the scariest moments for my family. I was immediately put into the Intensive Care Unit and connected with every monitor imaginable. One day later, I was rushed into surgery to remove and stop an infection which literally almost killed me.

One thing I do remember is the look on the faces of my family members when they came to visit me in the ICU and subsequently once I was stable and moved to another room on a regular floor. My life nearly came to a tragic end because I pushed myself (and my body) to the limits.

So, today I celebrate! I celebrate life and all its unexpected twist and turns I have experienced in these short 35 years on this earth. I celebrate a wonderful and rewarding career in public relations which I absolutely love. I celebrate my family. I celebrate the people who are in my life and truly want to be. Most importantly, today I celebrate ME!

Happy Anniversary to Me!

As always…..these are just a few thoughts “From My Hart.”