If you had met me before the accident, you would have known a different version of me. She was independent, ambitious, and convinced she had life figured out. Little did I know, life was about to take a wild, unexpected turn into the unknown.
Let me start at the beginning.
It was the summer of 2016. Life was finally falling into place—or so I thought. I had just graduated from nursing school and landed my first job as a brand-new nurse. After years of studying, sleepless nights, and wondering if I would ever make it, I finally had the career I had worked so hard for.
I had my own apartment, my own paycheck, and for the first time, complete independence. The future felt wide open. I was excited, optimistic, and ready to begin the life I had imagined for myself. I was figuring out my new city and discovering hole-in-the-wall places that I hoped would become my favorites over time.
Looking back now, I smile at how certain I was that I knew what the next chapter would hold.
I had no idea that in a matter of weeks, everything would change.
I had dreams that stretched far beyond the life I was building. I hoped to get married someday, and I longed to live overseas. For years, I had felt drawn to a life beyond the United States. Although I was learning to be content where I was, I never stopped believing that God was preparing me for something bigger.
At that point, I had finally made peace with being stateside—for now. The emphasis was on for now. I believed there was a reason God had me exactly where I was, even if I couldn’t yet see the full picture. Still, I was ambitious enough to think that within a year I might be packing my bags and beginning a new life abroad.
As it turned out, God had different plans for me. Before He would take me around the world, He would first teach me how to survive.
For months, I was figuring everything out. I was thriving as a new nurse-growing and learning the career that I had worked so hard to achieve.
Fearless at Heart 