14/05/2025
This is a true story that happened to meāA second chance and a wake-up call.
I was so excited because I was going to drive my mother to Bicol. I didnāt want her to travel by busāI wanted her to be comfortable during the trip. Long story short, we arrived safely in Daet. A few days later, I planned to return to Manila, but she said she wanted to go to Legazpi. I offered to drive her there too, thinking I could head back to Manila afterward and enjoy some more time with her. We had fun and bonded during the drive.
After running some errands, we decided to have lunch at Embarcadero before heading back to Daet. We looked for a restaurant, but most were still closedāthey usually opened later in the afternoon. So, we decided to go back to the city and eat at a fast-food place instead.
I was slowly making a U-turn with my signal lights onāit was around 1 PM. There were no cars around, and vehicles in that area usually only travel at about 20 kph. I wasnāt even near the blind spot yet due to a slight incline. I was driving slowly and wearing my seatbelt when suddenlyāBOOM! CRASH! My car spun, and I couldnāt process what had just happened. It felt like I was floating, like riding a Ferris wheel. I lost all sense of time.
The last thing I remember was seeing my mother unconscious and covered in bloodāshe was seated behind me. I saw that my niece was safe, and I started screaming for help. I couldnāt breatheāit felt like I was running out of air. The only thought in my mind was, āIs this the end for me?ā
Good thing my daughter wasnāt with me at that time.
I thanked God and prayed, āPlease take care of my child,ā and then I passed out.
It was December 5, 2017, around 1:30 PMāa car accident in Dapdap, Legazpi, Albay.
I didnāt know what happened next. A few hours later, I woke up groggy in the hospital.ļæ½Thank Godāit wasnāt my time yet. The first thing I did was look for my familyāmy mom, my aunt, and my niece. I saw my mother bleeding and still unconscious. Hours had passed, and she still hadnāt been attended to. Thankfully, I had a cousin who worked at the hospital, and we finally got assistance. A few hours later, my mother was transferred to the ICUāthatās when I finally felt I could breathe.
As for me, they couldnāt operate right away because of the cost. My mother had to be treated first. At that time, I didnāt even know my clavicle was broken or that half of my body was swollenāthe painkillers were still working. But all I could think about was my motherāI just wanted her to be okay.
She was finally admitted to the ICU and stayed there for months. Meanwhile, I was sent back to Manila for treatment. I couldnāt even keep track of her condition because I needed to focus on healing and regaining my strength. Thankfully, I recovered without needing surgery and only had to undergo therapy. I accepted that my clavicle was fracturedāwhat mattered most was that I was alive. That alone was a huge blessing.
To cut the story shortāthe person who hit us, I agreed to settle with them.
The hard truth I had no money to pay the hospital bills. At the time, I had no health insurance. My car insurance had already expired. I didnāt care about those things back thenāand that was my biggest mistake.
Fortunately, the other partyās insurance covered all the expenses, and they were financially capable.
But here are the questions that woke me up:
* What if their driver was just a family driver?
* What if they didnāt have money and couldnāt settleāwould they go to jail?
* What if they also didnāt have insurance?
* What if I had no coverageāhow would we afford the hospital bills?
* What if God had called me to heaven that day?
* What would happen to my young childāwhere would they get the money to even bury me?
These realizations made me understand how important insurance really is. You never know what tomorrow holds.
Yes, I used to be one of those people who didnāt believe in insurance. I had a āhappy-go-lucky, God-will-provideā mindsetābut that was misguided.
Now I realizeāGod did provide.
He gave me a second chance.
He sent friends, a good company, and a wake-up call to correct my mindset.
The Lesson:Be open-minded. Think aheadānot just for yourself, but for your family. Life is unpredictable. Being insured isnāt about fearāitās about love, responsibility, and preparedness.
Am I now condemned to suffer from the pain of a fractured clavicle for the rest of my life because of that accident? And my motherāshe can no longer walk properly.
But stillāI choose to stay thankful and positive šŖš»
Miss jlyāļø
