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Payne thankful for
miracle of second chance |
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Payne
thankful for miracle of second chance |
BY JAMIE GRABERT
Almost 10 months ago, Karla Payne’s life
changed in the blink of an eye.
She was more than the Jeep she was driving
to those that knew her.
She was a wife, mother and friend.
When her husband, John, received the call
from the Poseyville Fire Department, he was
asked if he had any last remarks for his
wife. The volunteer firefighters didn’t
believe she would survive such a horrific
accident.
But then, neither did the doctors. Today,
she sits in a wheelchair, and continues to
heal, along with the support or her family
and friends. She is determined to walk
again.
She remembers many details from the accident
where her vehicle was struck head on by a
car driven by a North Posey student, who did
not survive the accident. But she didn’t
want to dwell on those details.
Payne has made up her mind not to dwell on
the accident, but to focus on walking.
Her family gathered to help show their
support for her Saturday by working with the
Holy Smokers in an attempt to raise money to
help pay Payne’s medical expenses.
Once again, she was amazed by the outpouring
of support.
“This is my family doing this. They have
been there since day one,” she said.
Payne is an inspiration to those around her.
You may have just met her, but when you walk
away, you feel as though you have gained a
friend.
As the interview continued, the display of
love and support was evident as people
dropped by the garage to pick up their
orders. Everyone that stopped wanted to
speak with and hug the miracle lady.
From her opening statements, she expressed
her gratitude for the firefighters that
saved her life that night.
She said she attended the open house the
Poseyville Fire Department had shortly after
her accident. She said they were shocked to
see her. She said she just had to tell them
thank you.
“I just have one thing to say to them. Thank
you for saving me. If it weren’t for them, I
wouldn’t be here. They got me out and
prepared me for Lifeflight. I owe them my
gratitude for taking time away from their
families and lives to save me. I owe
gratitude to their wives and families for
allowing them to be volunteer firefighters.
There is more to it than just going to fires
and accidents. They also have to go to
training. But I just can’t thank them
enough,” Payne said emotionally.
She said they originally thought she had a
broken leg. In fact, she broke her femur,
which caused her knee to shatter, and her
tibia [shin bone] and left ankle and left
foot and all her toes on her left foot. She
has pins in her left foot and a rod in her
femur.
Her right foot was dislocated from her
ankle.
“When my husband got to the hospital, after
the x-rays, the surgeon told my husband I
had lost six pints of blood and should have
died in the accident. I had three surgeons
that night for a seven-hour surgery. They
told my husband they were going to have to
amputate my left leg and right foot,” she
said.
“Basically, they didn’t know what to expect.
They didn’t know if I would make it through
the surgery. If I did, they said I wouldn’t
make it 10 days,” she added.
Her nine-year-old son, Jared, was allowed in
the emergency room before the surgery, so he
could see her one last time.
Originally, the plan was to fly her to
Louisville, but they didn’t think she would
survive the flight. The surgeons then had
Louisville Vascular by satellite to help
them put the bones back together.
“They said I would be in ICU for three
weeks, but I was home in two and a half
weeks,” she said with a smile.
“I think this is so incredible. My family
and friends have been there through it all.
The Poseyville Community has also been very
supportive. This has affected my life, my
lifestyle. It has changed everyone I know.
My husband has been incredible,” she
explained.
“We’ve lived in sickness and in health. Now,
we’re living for richer or poorer, but it
could have been till death do us part,”
Payne commented.
When she went home, she couldn’t bend her
knees. Her mother, Linda House, then took
care of her daughter. For 10 months, House
has arrived at her daughter’s house to get
her grandchildren ready for school or to
take care of them while John went to work.
“No body can take care of you like your
mother,” Payne said with a smile.
Since the accident, she has had three
surgeries to prepare her to walk.
“In the beginning, they said I would never
walk again. But I’ve taken the belief that
God would have me walk again, and that if I
wasn’t, He would give me the acceptance of
that. I don’t feel that acceptance. Someday,
I will walk again,” she said with
confidence.
“My life has changed so much. Work is one of
the things I miss the most. I miss my job. I
miss having a day that is just jam-packed,”
she said.
Payne is the assistant manager at the
Westside Wal-Mart.
“I could fill a page with what I miss. But
my independence is what I miss most. It is
the hardest thing to ask people for help. My
mom is good at doing things before I ask.
That makes it easier for me,” Payne
commented.
She then spoke briefly about her children.
“My three-year-old son, Kyle, didn’t realize
a lot at the time. Now, his view is, if I
have to go to the doctor, he asked if I am
coming back. He asks to go along because he
knows if he goes, I will have to come back
home,” she said softly.
She explained that having seven doctors and
physical therapy, she goes to the doctor at
least once a week.
Her nine-year-old son, Jared, understood
everything. He was there when her husband
received the phone call from the fire
department.
“The man called and said, Your wife has been
in a head-on collision. She’s not going to
make it. Is there anything you want me to
tell her,” she explained.
She said they have talked about the night he
saw her in the ER. They had talked about
Heaven and Hell.
He said, “Mom, you’ve talked to us about
Hell and what a bad place it is and how much
it would hurt, but I don’t think my heart
could have hurt worse than the night I saw
you.”
Payne said she has her moments where she
gets down, but does not allow herself to get
bitter because she won’t heal that way.
“If I get down, I look at my children and
realize that it could have been much worse.
My children are my motivation,” she said.
She credits her healing to God and the
support she has received from her family and
friends.
“I couldn’t have done this alone. But I
haven’t. We have a lot of friends and
family. And the town of Poseyville has been
amazing. My family has rearranged everything
from birthdays to Christmas to be able to
include her. How could I say thank you
enough to anyone,” said Payne.
The medical bills are a hardship. Payne’s
insurance was basically gone the night of
the accident. Her health insurance is
covering a much of the expenses, but her
family has to pay for all the medications
and co-pays.
She isn’t down about that either.
“It’s amazing. I’ll think that we need
something, but the Lord just works something
out when you need it,” she said with a
smile.
“My goal is to walk by the one-year
anniversary of the accident. God didn’t
spare my life to destroy me. I don’t need to
know why, but if I can just know that He
will see me through this, that’s all I ask,”
she concluded. |
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