Day 12 Response- Kyle Rich

Megan- Growing up as an only child with a crazy imagination and a sense of wonder, i have made lots of strange and crazy decisions. There is one, however that has stuck out and has made me think about everyday for the rest of my life. Although I am now in a better place and a better state of mind, i have no problem with admitting that i used to be a drug addict. I've tried nearly everything there is to try, but mostly stuck to marjiuana, pills, and liquor. One night however, for the first time me and two friends decided to try hallucinogens. We took them and just hung out at my house for the night watching movies, acting silly, and talking in great depth about meanings of life. However, towards the end of the trip, my friend decided to go outside for a cigarette. I however, didn't think twice about it, and let him go out by himself for i didn't want to smoke because i was pretty much in bed. I began to lie down, and after ten minutes i decided i wanted to shut everything downstairs and lock the front door. By doing this, i needed to get my friend inside and just go to bed. When i stepped outside, i didn't realize my life and his life would change forever. I still do not know to this day what happened, but i am assuming he fainted. He was lying down on my sidewalk to the door, with his feet up in the air against the porch step. He fell. And he hit his head. Hard. It took me about thirty minutes to realize that he just didn't have a minor bump, but his head was sligtly bleeding and was dented in. I did the right thing, and woke up my mom and then i called his house. His parents arrived and we decided to take him to the hospital. Sitting there, i realized how dumb the night was and how much it sucked this happened, but i figured he would be out in a few hours with some stitches and a memory we could laugh on when the time was right. I was sadly mistaken. His brain had swelled up, and he nearly lost his life before doctors had to preform emergency brain surgery to save him. He remained in a coma for two months, and once he awoke and got out of all the physical theraphy, he is still and never will be the same again. He was an intelligent and bright person, and now he has the mentality and thoughts of an eight year old. He changed physically as well, going from pencil thin, to heavy set. To this day i think about what i saw that night, and all the feelings of confusion and pain. I still cry once in awhile that i will never have my friend back to the way he was. He is very difficult to speak with now, and i can admit i have lost touch. There has not been a day since i have not thought about him and just typing this all right now is leading me to nearly break down. Ever since his accident, i have such huge and heavy regard for human life. Life is so fragile to me now and i will never view people the same way again. Anytime somebody does anything dangerous and risky, my stomach always flips in thought that I am going to witness yet again another freak accident. Life is precious, and from that day on i have done my best not to waste any of mine ever again. This still makes me sick to this day and this moment and i will never think the same again. It cripples me that somebody that was once so close had to basically go, just to teach me a lesson.