My name is Amy, otherwise known as "Perky"! Jen gave me that name in high school and I've always loved it! I'm the mother of three beautiful kids, the oldest of which was Bailey, my 14-yr-old who was in the car with me when our lives were forever changed by a head-on collision with a drunk driver on 12/31/11. I'm not gonna lie...this has been very hard, and like my counterparts, I don't shy from a challenge!!!
Bf my accident, I graduated magna cum laude in pre-med with minors in chemistry, physics and Latin. I was supposed to take my MCAT to get into medical school in April 2003, but found out I was pregnant for my 3rd child, and realized I couldn't chase my dreams just then. I continued to run 6 miles per day (8.5 min/mile) for all 3 pregnancies, and prided myself on not being a pregnant couch potato:-). I went on to get my BS in nursing and graduated in 2009, and was working as a telemetry nurse at the time of my accident.
Don't worry...I'm not as uptight as I sound! I DO have a type A personality, but also a crazy sense of humor, and like my youngest baby, Mary, pride myself on being "the funnest girl I know"!!!
The accident broke my left leg in 4 places, one of those being a completely crushed kneecap. I crushed my left elbow, broke almost every rib, had a spinal fracture, bleeding in my brain and a ruptured spleen. Bailey had a broken left hand and had 2 permanent teeth knocked out.
I don't want this accident to be the thing that ends me, or my determination. As Jen and Monique can attest, it's hard keeping yourself mentally and emotionally upbeat thru such difficult circumstances, and we rely on each other a LOT to get each other thru!!! We've all lived nightmares, but thank God we had each other to get us thru!!! They are two of the best, strongest women I know, and I'm honored to call them "friends".
