I am the mom of four wonderful sons, three of which are serving in the military overseas, and my youngest son is now seven. I was a Black Belt Instructor of Tae Kwon Do, worked fulltime and was a help mate to my husband as we worked to take care or our family.

This all changed three years ago when I was the victim of a drunken driver. I was a pedestrian struck down by a drunken woman who was also on psychiatric medication.  At first the doctors kept telling me that the pain I was feeling – the strange burn and shocking pain – was all in my head, and I should have been getting better.  I was accused of being a malingerer, as the insurance company likes to call it.

I was dismissed by care providers because they did not believe what I was telling them. I was finally sent to a wonderful neuro-psychiatrist who believed me, and diagnosed me with RSDS/CRPS and PTSD. FINALLY, after almost a year went by, there was a name put to my pain.

Because of the latent diagnosis, a lot of the treatment options for me were not options anymore, so now I am left with a lifetime of oral medications.  I was treated like a criminal by the lawyers and doctors because I said I was in pain.  I was treated like a CRAZY MENOPAUSAL FEMALE with no regard for the actual condition that I had from this accident.

The woman who hit me got 60 days in jail, and was back on the road driving in less than a year. I, on the other hand, will never be able to forget what happened to me because I am reminded each and every day by the burning pain. To heal, I must forget and go on -but how do you forget?

My pain will never go away and I pray someday they find a cure.  I have lost my job and am now waiting for an SSDI hearing and I pray it is favorable. Mine and my family’s lives were shattered that day three years ago, and all we want to do is pick up the pieces and enjoy the time we have left. Even stricken with this intractable pain, I am very grateful that I am alive and I try to be the best mom and wife I can.