Emily Chan
The paramedics cut her out of the car. At that point, the shock had worn off, and the pain had become excruciating.
In addition to her head injury, Kiaha had shattered her femur and pelvis, broken all her ribs, and lacerated her liver.
Kiaha was taken into emergency surgery and sedated for seven hours. The surgeons had to reconstruct her femur and pelvis and keep her liver from bleeding out. After about a week, she was stable enough to stay in the trauma area of the ICU.
Eventually, she recovered enough to go home. But before she left the hospital, her surgeon had a serious discussion with her about her leg.
The damage to her leg and pelvis had been so severe that she was required to use a wheelchair for at least a year. She would have to relearn how to walk and couldn’t feed, bathe, or clothe herself.
The surgeon also told her she would probably walk with a limp for the rest of her life if she were even able to walk again. So finally, she was discharged from the hospital and did not hear from her date until three weeks later.
She found out that her date had lied about his age on the dating platform. He had claimed he was 24, but in reality, he was 19.
She ended up moving back into her parent’s house, and her life became a flurry of physical therapists and mental health professionals. The road to recovery was long and strenuous, but Kiaha was determined to get better.
To her doctor’s surprise, she took her first step six weeks after the accident. In due time, she graduated from a wheelchair to a walker, to a cane, and finally, walking down the street without any support.
Kiaha also revealed that she did not sue her date for the damages. She stated that he was just a kid living at home with his parents and didn’t even have the proper insurance or any assets to take. His car was destroyed, but he walked away from the accident with nothing but a small cut on his head.
Later, Kiaha’s date reached out to her, apologizing for everything. Kiaha holds no hate toward him because she understands that, unfortunately, accidents happen.
