It was summer again and I was getting ready to go see my dad, only this time we were going to California. Oh my gosh I was so excited. We were going to see my uncles, aunts and cousins. We got on a plane and was ready to go. I don't remember much about these trips other than I would play with my cousins, and we would go to Fisherman's Wharf, Disneyland or Great America. But I was carefree and no worries.
Dad would take me in the summer so I wouldn't miss any school. He was a member of the Eagles and they too would have little summer excursions for the family. My dad sometimes took me. When we would get back from California, I would go to my brothers. He would take us to where ever he was living at the time and pile on the junk food and videos and we stayed there for a week or so (sometimes at my dads house, but with only us kids there), with him checking in on us periodically or to get us more junk food or new movies. When it was time to go home, again we would go to the bar so I could see my dad. I asked him if he was ever going to come spend time with me? He responded, "I will come down and see you sis." I don't think he did that year. He did a few times come visit but if I recall correctly he came down once or twice a year.
The school year had begun and I was in the 7th grade. We had to run the mile. Oh my gosh I hated running and especially a mile. I remember my back hurting really bad that day. (My back hurt a lot growing up. I am assuming from being thrown in to the walls and other things that happened growing up) I told my teacher my back was hurting and asked if I could make it up another day. She wouldn't let me and told me I had to run. I wasn't a fast runner but usually finished in the top 5 or 6. This time I was dead last. I was 20 minutes into my next class. I couldn't stand up straight, straighten my legs nor could I hardly move. I was running looking like I was sitting down. My gym teacher made me run until all my laps were done.
By the time I got to my next class, I had no feeling in my legs. My teacher asked me what was wrong, fighting back the tears, I replied, "my back hurts." She sent me to the office to call my mom to come get me. It took me 20 minutes to make that 1 minute walk. When I got to the office, I called my mom, she was busy and told me to grow up. She hung up the phone. I called several people until someone agreed to come get me. When I got home no one was home so I laid on the couch. My mom and her boyfriend came home and she yanked me off the couch I couldn't straighten up. It took me almost 30 minutes to get myself off the floor. I had to go the bathroom which was just 2 doors down and to get there and back took me over an hour.
I had called my dad when I got home before Trish did and told him, he said he was going to call her and make sure she got me into the doctor. After he called, she yelled at me for calling him and told me I was being a baby, but since he was calling back she would call a doctor.
The next day she finally took me and I was instantly referred to a neurologist and sent to the emergency room where the neurologist would meet us. He told me I was very lucky that at any given moment I could of been paralyzed from the waist down. I was no longer able to attend gym class until the end of 9th grade. I wore a back brace and went through extensive therapy for almost a year. Trish had told me I had scoliosis. I found out later in life that my spine is as straight as they come with no signs of ever having scoliosis. The few doctors I asked stated that my back may of been broken due to all the abuse.
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