Shari's Story  "The Near Fatal Auto Accident"

Horses have been in my life since childhood. I continued to dream and breathe horses. I rode often and was around many horses including my own. When I was 12 my Dad got me my first horse named "Dutchess".  She was a gorgeous black and white Pinto Tobiano and was in need of weight. I kept horses always in my life. When I was in my fourties the unimaginable happened! In the year 1994. I was lifted by life star due to a horrific near fatal auto accident. I died and came back thanks to the persistent work of all my doctors, I survived. The accident left me with severe brain bleeding called TBI (Tramatic Brain Injury). I broke nearly every bone in my body, my right foot was severed, I had open tibia fractures, broken ribs on my left side. I also suffered severe fractures of my arms, broke my left shoulder and collar bone.

I suffered Horner's Syndrome that made my pupils stay fixed which made my eyes very sensitive to light. My face drooped on the right side. I had lacerated my spleen and had internal bleeding along with permanent nerve and brain damage! I was hospitalized for a very long time then transfered to a nursing home. My family was told I would probably never walk or talk again if I lived at all.  As time went on after several years the doctors also found I could only sweat on half my body. This makes any excercise difficult as I would become very overheated. Keeping a normal body temperature made life very difficult and does the same to this day. 

As if that wasn't enough, when I awakened I had no life, in other words severe memory loss from the TBI. When I finally became aware of my surroundings I thought it was 15 years earlier than the present time. I was gone from my real life for a very long time. A friend took me into their home out of the nursing home. With much time and patience I went from a wheelchair, to a walker, and struggled to walk with a cane. It was well over a year before I could attempt walking. My speech returned slowly as I slurred my words and drooled much of the time.

My friend knew my passion, love and respect for horses and knew I had them in my life. I was driven to a farm weekly to be around horses. I first started with bonding and grooming the horse. The aroma and scent of the horse was so relaxing. I was so motivated to try to get my life back. I wanted to look the same and be the same. My face was distorted my scars consumed me. I sunk into severe depression. Those horses showed me love and compassion. They never judged me.  I could feel them inside my soul. I was driven and encouraged to try and my self worth and self esteem began to return. Everything I knew with regard to my physical attributes about riding began to return to me slowly. The love and the passion returned along with my smile.

I began another mission to slowly start looking for a horse for myself. My balance was way off as I had no feeling in my right leg and still do not to this day. I continued almost daily returning to this farm and felt my condition improving. After two years of consistantly riding and working hard at regaining my skills I decided it was time to get a horse of my own. I of course have permanent pins, plates and screws in my foot, my tibia, legs, my shoulder, arms and collarbone area. Too many to mention.

I started my search from barn to barn for a year. Finally, I happened upon a huge seal bay horse I named "Pegasus Dreamer". Our eyes met, "I could see into his soul". I knew he could see into mine! I admitted to myself I needed him and he needed me. In the same stable was a an intelligent Appaloosa gelding named Mr. Domino Effect. With much help through equine therapy, yoga and guidence I started back into my equestrian journey that I had held so dear to me in my life prior to the auto accident.

A bond formed and before I knew it I was riding and regaining my balance and my strength. My speech improved, however, the damage to my brain was permanent. I suffered from seizures and black outs but the horses KNEW and nuzzled me. I then got a call from a friend about "Doc" the leopard Appaloosa. He was gentle and kind so I took him home also. These horses needed homes I rescued them and they rescued me.