The 720 seconds: Reagan’s story of healing through a car accident

On April 26, 2025 at 10:30 am – 11:00 am, I was heading to the Rockies game. I was so excited. It was going to be my first baseball game ever. I was wearing all purple. I got my iPad and phone, and we got in the car. We drove down for about 50 minutes. I was fighting with my brother talking with everyone else in the car.

Then I heard nothing and felt nothing. I woke up 30 minutes later. When I woke up, I only saw purple, different shades of purple. I turned on my left. I see a blonde girl about 30 years old, blue eyes. She was a nurse. She grabbed big scissors to cut up my sweater. I saw Corina. She had a big bump on her forehead. My first words were, “I love you, Jacob.’’ My brother was crying so bad he could not speak at all. The fireman asked for his information. Then I hear everything for the first time. I had walked to the ambulances. I saw two women, both of them with a bow. I got on the gurney. My brother sat beside me.

I got 2 IVs in my arm, and it hurt. It took 6 minutes to get to the Denver Health Hospital. The man pulled me out, and I saw about 30 doctors. I saw my mom. I got 3 more IVs in my arm and a pain killer. I said to the doctor to check my ankle. It was hurting so bad, also my neck. They put me in the MRI. The IV hurt badly in the MRI. I had to take about 3 MRIs, 4 CTs and 6 X-Rays. Then it was gone. I felt the bad, bad pain, and I felt sick in my mind. I was like, oh, I broke a bone. In the room, I learned I hurt my ankle and broke 8 bones, including my teeth! When my dad learned the news, I saw him cry for the first time in my life.

I also broke 5 teeth, 3 of the bottom of it, 1 almost coming out, and 1 one all gone. It was all my adult tooth. I learned I also had a small brain injury. I was getting super tired, but I could not sleep. Everyone kept asking me about it. I had gotten a cut and a lot of it. My mom stayed with me the whole time I also had to get a dentist surgery done.

I got a room overnight and they checked me every 4 hours. The only thing I ate was ice cream and plain rice. I could only walk less than a foot. I had to get blood taken every 4 hours and they had to check if I remembered anything. The people were so nice. They gave me 3 stuffed animals. 

My dad came the next day and gave me a squish mellow. It was a pink cow with a flower Squishmallow. I was happy until I saw my best friend crying on Facetime. I felt so bad. I told her I was fine, it’s like I am not going to die. I sent a video to my teacher to tell the class what happened. I got out of the hospital, and I went home. I walked fast to the Ipad, and there were about 280 texts  in the group chat. I texted hi in the chat. Everyone was so happy. They kept asking if I was okay, and I said yes. When I went to school, I got around 30 cards and a lot of candy. They forget I couldn’t eat candy, because I broke 5 teeth. I saved  all of it for a month. When I went to Webber for a wave tour, it was hard because it was my first time in a wheel chair. But I got to go home early and eat Silver Mine. I got rides in a friend’s car on the way to Webber. We waited for my whole grade. They got there. They got see me for the first time in a week, and the boys and girls surrounded me.

Because they were worried about me and a boy riding with me in the car was hurt. His knee was hurt. For the wave tour at Webber, I saw my neighbors like Nora, and I was happy to see them, because I just moved out. Hope was one grade above me, and Nora was two grades above me. Also, the week after we went on a Webber tour, because I was in 5th grade that time, but I am now in 6th grade. I saw a lot of kids from my school and other schools. I saw my brother and also saw a lot of his friends. I saw Harper, Eva, and others. 

Later, I was taking a 1,000 mile road trip in Colorado. I was in the southern part of Colorado. I got a call. I had completely healed my brain, my ankle, my back, my rib, everything. I was so happy when I heard the news.

It was hard for me to heal from the car crash. Everything was hurting on my body, but eventually I healed my body and I felt good. I had to relearn somethings like I had to relearn how to ride a bike. The second time I rode my bike, I sprained my arm very bad. It hurt bad but it healed. That was my story of my worst thing that happened to me.