2 YEARS AGO TODAY

2nd ANNEVERSARY OF CHIE'S ACCIDENT,



JULY 3RD 2006
We quietly passe the day at our home. Chie made no notice of the days significance. We had a great dinner prepared by a friend who has been staying with us for the last month helping out. After dinner we visited and Chie was tucked into bed early without incident. For me, on the other hand, it has been an emotional atom bomb as my mind tries to find some sort reasoning for our lives to come crashing down into a million pieces, while I long for the girl I fell in love with.

It was two years ago on this day that Chie was struck by a lady who ran a red light, T-boning Chie, ending all her dreams and apirations in life, leaving her severely brain damaged and confined to a wheelchair. We have never heard from the woman who struck Chie and our last update was that she never even showed up to court for her traffic tickets for failing to stop at a red light and speeding. Chie still harbors much anger towards the person who ran her over and took her life. Chie has wanted to meet the person and would like to do and say many things, but I think most of all, all she wanted was an apology. A simple, "IM SORRY" She has been encouraged to forgive, though impossible to forget, she won't allow herself to without those two words that mean so much. She has searched and searched for some sort of justification for this terrible turn of events finally deciding to set her anger aside and focus her energies on the work at hand, RECOVERING.

We have made some big steps in the last two years, coming from unconcious to awake but unable to speak, eat or swallow to just a squeeze of the hand that let us know she could hear us and understood what was spoken to her in English, retaining her second language. Then came a hum that turned into 3 and 4 word sentences over the following days. She went from not knowing what was in a salad at all to telling me how to prepare her favorite "Onesta Salad", Reymen, and Curry Rice complete with her mother's secret ingredient. From not being able to move her left arm at all to slinging back Chinese food at a turtles pace using a fork and raising her cup to mouth all by herself. She now can walk in a walker with assistance and tutors a friend in Japanese.
Chie was told she would not do much of what she can do now, but her extraordinary attitude and work ethic would not allow her to give anything less than her very best. That along with some of best supporters from all around the world have helped make her life as happy and successul as we could have wished for.
WE THANK YOU ALL