My Step Mom Lost Her Legs After Going Sledding. And the lessons it taught me.

A lesson in how things can go wrong at any time and in any place, but that sure as hell isn't a reason to stop doing the things we love.

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Believe me when I say, my step mom, Tracy, never imagined that taking her kids sledding one day would end up costing her the use of her legs, but that’s exactly what happened. Whenever people speak of freak accidents, or caution others in hopes of keeping them safe from harm, I think of her. And how ultimately I’ve come to realize, we aren’t as in control in this life as we think we are.

The Accident

My dad and step mom weren’t married for that long of a period of time. The memories I do have of their marriage, however, were all pretty great. Thanks to my step mom. Even though they divorced when I was about nine years old, I was able to rekindle my relationship with my step mom in order to continue seeing my younger half brother, Alan, after my relationship with my dad had fallen apart.

Even at the age of fifteen, six years after she’d last seen me, Tracy welcomed me into her life with open arms.

This and more is why it was so devastating to hear that she had injured her back while sledding with my brother and some of the neighbor kids. In fact, she could have been sledding with neighbor kids, daycare kids, or her bonus niece and nephew that she was raising after their father died.

That’s just who she was.

She was the kind of woman who was happy to play with the kids, took no issues with being silly, and always seemed to be the life of the party.

After a few months of uncertainty, she was finally scheduled to have a rather simple surgery on her back to fix the problem.

It wasn’t so simple.

Within a week after coming home from surgery, Tracy began to suspect that something might be wrong. When she finally got herself to the hospital she was told that a MRSA infection had spread through her back.

Keep in mind, I was only a brand new twenty three at the time and in the middle of planning my wedding when I got the call. In fact, her husband called me just after my bridal shower ended.

Tracy was hospitalized and put into an induced coma.

The months that followed were a blur.

Different procedures. Lots of tears and more uncertainty than you could imagine.

My biggest concern fell to my younger brother. Our dad had already died, and I prayed that God would spare his mom for him. He was only fifteen years old.

Even though I truly considered calling it off, my little brother walked down the aisle before me, as one of Tom’s groomsmen in our wedding. The entire show went on without her there.

When Tom and I returned from our honeymoon, I was informed that a grave decision had to be made while Tracy slept. Her legs would be amputated.

This photo has gotten me a lot of criticism online. A lot of caution and warnings from well-meaning parents. Despite all the concerns, my kids never caught a cold (it was 80 degrees out), no one slipped, fell, or hurt themselves. All we had was an amazing, memorable day on the top of a mountain and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.