Six months ago today our lives were flipped upside down. We will forever be changed. After an experience that could have taken your child from you... you cannot help but be changed.
I continue to work hard for change in our local area to prevent others from living this terror. I continue to speak with our local legislature to create new laws to protect our community and I will not stop until our experience makes a positive change.
My STRONG, smart, beautiful, loving, resilient, caring 8 year old little girl is a SURVIVOR. She fought for her life that day and I am so happy she did. I could not live a day on this earth without her. Happy 6 month Survivorday , Sydney!!!
Her story......
You are seven years old. Nothing is wrong with the world. You are on spring break spending your days outside in the sunshine playing with your brothers and your friends.
It's March 17th....St. Patrick's Day. You begin this day riding your bike. The sun shining through your long golden hair as it blows from under your helmet. Your pink rain boots are peddling as fast as they can while you race your two brothers up and down the drive way. Your Poppy is outside watching you as he does some work because Mom is sick and heading to the store for medicine. You think how much more fun this would be with your friends. Yesterday you all had come up with a great game and you really wanted to continue the fun. You ask for permission to walk through the yard and ask your friends to play just as you had several times before....
Except this time is different.
You are saying "Hi puppy!" As they are still running down the hill toward you. T-Bone doesn't stop for you to pet him. He chomps right down on your left arm and shakes you down to the ground. Why?! He opens his jaws and bites down again. You turn to your younger brother yelling at him to go get help! You are hidden by the mine of trees now and Poppy can't see you. He turns around and starts running. He stops and looks back at you. Then starts running again.
You think that maybe if you are nice to T-Bone he will stop biting you. Why is he biting you? You begin to pet him.....
Why won't he stop? Your arm hurts. There is so much blood. This isn't working. You begin to hit and kick him as hard as you can. He is scratching you and shaking and biting more you can't stop looking at your arm...so much blood....what is that white stuff falling out?..... up your arm..... your shoulder.... you're yelling. You let him rip your jacket off. Maybe he will stop now and play with your jacket, you think.
"Please stop!" "You can stop now!" "Just run away!"
You get away some how!!! You start running!!! It's over!!!
Except it's not. He chases you. You feel the pain in your butt. You're on the ground again. He is shaking and biting more.....why? Your arm.....it hurts so bad! You are kicking as hard as you can. You are fighting. You are going to die. You wonder why he wants to kill you? He's a murderer. He is biting your legs over and over again. Blood.....
I want my mom. Why isn't she coming? Your pink rain boots.....he rips one off shaking it in his mouth. You get away......
Poppy is running for you. He picks you up and tries to carry you to the house. You can't walk. It hurts so bad. Is mom going to be mad at me? There is so much blood.
Now......you are a Mother. You have carried a baby within your body. You have loved them from the instant they were created. You have protected, nurtured, taught, and would give your life for them.
It is March 17th....St. Patrick's Day. You are sick. Your dad offers to watch your three kids so that you can go to the store to pick up your medicine. He is working outside as they play and enjoy the sunshine and nice weather. You are about to leave when you hear your dad yell your name. You've never heard him yell your name that way before.....
You start running down the hall. You already hear your daughter crying. You are yelling, "What happened!?!" You turn the corner.....her arm! The blood, there is so much blood. He arm is hanging and tissue is dangling from the gaping wounds. What happened!!!!??
"The dog got her!!" You hear your dad say.... but it sounds like he's miles away. You feel like you're under water. What dog? Lucian? Dad's dog?? Surely not?!
"T-Bone!"
"Who is T-Bone?" You don't know this dog. You feel confused and angry and most of all terrified.
"Dave's dog".... the neighbor's dog. Omg. A dog did all of THIS!? I want this dog dead! How could it do this to my tiny baby?!?! How can someone have something capable of doing this around people... around children?????
You take off your daughter's pants wrap her legs and arms in towels, gauze... anything you can find. Put her in the car and rush to the hospital.
Your normally very composed...hardly ever cries daughter is screaming the entire way. She is screaming "I'm gonna die!" "He's a murderer!" "He killed me" "He tried to kill me!"
You drive down the turn lanes with hazard lights on honking your horn. Tears in your eyes. Your hand reached back to hold hers.....bargaining. Please, God. I need her. Please, God let her be ok!
God, she doesn't deserve this....she is so good. She is so kind. I will do ANYTHING!!! PLEASE!
As you pull in front of the ER you don't care about the stares from the paramedics. You cradle your baby in your arms just as you did the day she was born and you run through those doors.
Thank God, my baby was ok.....in the sense that she is alive. She went on to have emergency surgery. Complications and two hospital stays. She couldn't walk on her own for nearly a month and has significant scaring. She couldn't sleep without me in the room for a month and couldn't sleep without her brothers for months after that. She struggles with nightmares, flashbacks, panic attacks and anxiety. She is self conscience of all of her scars and gets made fun of by mean kids and questioned regularly by curious kids and adults. She now realizes that she is not invisible and is afraid of nearly anything she thinks may hurt her.
She has lost an innocence that no child should lose so young. Her and I get called the nastiest names through social media all because I choose to share her/our story in an attempt to raise awareness.
She is dismissed most times in the victim community because she is a survivor and because she was not bit in the face.....that somehow makes her experience not as bad.
I will never back down from spreading awareness and I will never turn ugly either. She is amazing and all who know her are lucky. I'm the luckiest because I was chosen to be her mother.
Scars are beautiful. They show what you've been through and how strong you are to have come out of it.
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