Noah

This past Sunday, I was enjoying an evening with my boyfriend and his family watching TV when I got a phone call I never imagined I would get. My sixteen year old cousin was in an accident; there was bleeding in his brain, he was on oxygen, and they didn't know if he would make it. I was completely shocked. How could this be happening? Eager for more information, I anxiously awaited more phone calls. Throughout the evening and the next day, more details flooded in. Noah, my cousin, was being pulled behind a car on a skateboard at thirty miles an hour when he flew off and hit his head. He had always done stupid things, like the “cinnamon challenge”, but never anything as dangerous as this. As a result, he suffered from two skull fractures, a basilar bleed, and a frontal lobe contusion. Thankfully, despite what was originally thought, Noah was moved from the ICU this morning and will begin in-patient rehab soon. While my family can breathe easier knowing his life isn't at risk, the way he lives his life will definitely have to change. We have yet to find out how much damage there is to his personality, behaviors, fine motor skills, or language and articulation which can all be affected by such a serious head injury. Just in case those effects aren't enough, the sports that Noah has worked so hard in will most likely have to be put in the past. He will be a walking example of how one stupid decision in his teens can damage the rest of his life.