Hit by Car, Woke Up With No Memory | Nicole Gibson | 032

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I was unconscious in the
hospital for about almost 7 days

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and then when I woke up I did
not remember who I was.

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I didn't recognize my mom.
I still have no memory of that

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morning or to that Thanksgiving
which was about a Week, 2 weeks

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later and that's just completely
gone.

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Welcome to When You Look, where
ordinary people share their

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extraordinary experiences and
you get to decide, was it

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coincidence or God?
Nicole, thanks so much for being

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on When You Look.
Genuinely pumped to have you on

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the show, truly.
Yes, thank you for having me,

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Mick.
I'm excited for this

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conversation.
Yeah, me as well.

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You've got an amazing story.
We are absolutely excited to

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hear it.
But before we jump into it, tell

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us a little bit about yourself.
Yeah, so my name is Nicole.

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I am the author of Shattered
into Grace.

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I'm also an engineer, a mother
and a Yogi.

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Really my goal is to, especially
starting off with this book that

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I've just written, as to help
other women and people really

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deal with their trauma and life
challenging experiences and

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hopefully drive them closer to
God.

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Yeah, how about that?
Driving closer to God?

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Very cool.
Well, I think your story's

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absolutely going to do that.
So let's dive in, give us a

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little bit of back story, and
then walk us through things as

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they occurred for you.
Yeah, so when I was 20 years

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old, I just, I literally just
changed my major probably the

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semester before that.
And finally found my great

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niche.
I felt like throughout my

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childhood, I really kind of
struggled just fitting in and

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which I go into more detail in
the book, but I just really

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found my niche.
And I say that to say then I was

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walking on campus and my friend
and I were actually waiting on

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the corner for for the light to
change so we could deliver this

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project.
And a car drove up behind us and

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hit us and continued to go down
the street at 30 miles an hour.

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I ended up with 7 fractures to
my skull, a severe traumatic

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brain injury, and a fractured
fibula.

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I was unconscious in the
hospital for about almost 7

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days.
And then when I woke up, I did

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not remember who I was.
I didn't recognize my mom.

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And really I say all as I share
all this.

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I still have no memory of that
morning or to that Thanksgiving,

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which was about a Week, 2 weeks
later.

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And that's just completely gone.
But after, after that, I was

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yeah.
So so then I really went.

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I went back home for it was
towards the end of that

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semester, but obviously I
couldn't finish that semester.

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I was pretty much a shell.
Even the doctors told my parents

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that all they could do was bring
me home and hope that my memory

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came back and that I was I
healed.

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So we really had no idea.
But as we see here I am 13 years

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later and I have a successful
career, a loving family, and I'm

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just continuing to walk in what
God drives me to do.

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And I've been successful so far.
Yeah, wow.

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OK, Nicole, we, we, we've got a,
we got to recap this one girl,

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because there's, there's a lot
happening here.

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So you and a friend are struck
by a car.

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Wow.
Major impact obviously to your

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head, broken skull numerous
times.

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You talked about the fibula
being broken as well, which is

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probably the least of your
worries at that point.

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And you are in it.
Sounds like a coma for a week,

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right?
Was that medically induced?

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No, no.
OK wow, so you're in a coma for

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a full week and then come out
with essentially amnesia to some

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degree of not having any
recollection of what occurred or

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even key key critical key people
in your life.

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Your mom not even being able to
recognize her.

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So it seems like the T being
traumatic in TBI is an

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understatement.
Wow, wow.

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Yes, yeah, yeah.
My mom always said, like the one

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of the first things that I said
to her was, I don't know who you

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are, but I know I'm meant to be
with you.

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And that's one of another area
where it's like faith just

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played in.
Because even though I had no

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idea, my brain was so scrambled,
like all these key details were

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still there.
And it really was just the

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public pieces were there and I
was trying to fit them back

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together.
And as surprisingly, the even

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more surprising thing to that is
two months later, I was able to

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go back to school.
Yeah, wow.

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Which in the grand scheme of
things is a very short period of

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time from the the severity of
what you experienced.

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Even though I did go back to
school I still like the recovery

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and the healing process.
It it was intense which I go

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into more of my book, but it
really I would say it took me a

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full 8 years to truly heal and
be physically and mentally in a

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stable place.
Wow, eight years.

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Just tell us a little bit more
about all that.

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Yeah.
So I would say for the first

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five years it was I did on and
off have still have migraines, a

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lot of pain in my head.
But the biggest thing that I

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think a lot of people miss with
traumatic brain injuries is the

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emotional impact.
And really I went through a lot

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of huge depression phase and a
lot of my emotions were when I

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was when I was happy.
Those emotions were very, very

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high.
But then the crashes were very,

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very low and that that really
went on until I truly started to

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actually seek my relationship
with God, which I go into my

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book.
But then that happened.

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That resulted in my full
recovery at eight years after

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the accident.
Yeah, wow.

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Super high highs, super low
lows, and probably lots in

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between as well.
Right.

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Wow.
Well, maybe let's go back to

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college, OK, and give us a sense
for what life is like for you as

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it relates to your awareness of
or even any relationship with

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God and or Jesus at that time.
Yeah, so I, when I growing,

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growing up, I, I really should
look.

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I was very casual and my family
went to church every Sunday and

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that was about it.
I knew I was a Christian, but I

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didn't always really know what
that meant.

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I would say I did believe God
existed, but I never picked up

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the Bible on my own.
Besides church on Sunday and

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then going to college, I went to
Marquette University, which is a

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Jesuit university and I was
like, oh, this might be good.

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This will be exciting.
I can actually learn about this

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God I believe in.
But those third, the first

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theology class, which was my
freshman year, which was the

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year before the accident.
It was like a slap in my face

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because we started going over
all these like where it really

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areas of the Bible where people
will be like, oh, like God is

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God good?
Like what?

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Really quite those like which
anybody that really dives in the

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Bible, it's everything that
happens is for a reason and God

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is always good.
But there's like when these

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negative things are just called
out, you're like, wait, this is

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the God that I believe in and
that's really what was drilled

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in.
So went through his phase where

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I was like, well, maybe I
believe in God, but not the

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Bible.
And then that was all of that

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went happened right before the
accident.

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And then the accident happened
and with me having this rocky

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feeling and relationship, it
really just made me angry.

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Was God.
OK, Angry.

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Yeah.
Same.

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More, yeah.
Just like why?

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Why would you do this?
Why did this happen to me?

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What did I do to have this
happen to me instead?

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Instead of looking at wow, he
got me through this horrible

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accident which I very easily
could have died from, but at

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that point I really just
wondered why he kept me here.

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Yeah, how did he ever answer
that?

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Yeah, he's definitely showed me
that through the different

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experiences that he's had me go
into, especially through my

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career.
I've I've continued to do well

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and excel in my career, grow,
grow in my, in my role really,

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really quickly and also just be
able to connect with different

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people through my story and just
just in general.

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Yeah, wow.
So the book is called Shattered

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into Grace.
Tell us, Tell us about that

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title and the significance of
it.

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Yeah, so really starting with
shattered, as I said, my the

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accident resulted in seven
fractures to my skull.

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So really that shattered that
shake up of my life and where I

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was at and physically and
mentally really resulted in me

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having to piece everything back
together.

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But then I really wasn't able to
truly piece everything together

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until I really saw after God and
realizing that He, He is the

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reason why I made it through all
of these things.

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Which is where I say into grace.
Yeah, I tracked with you on

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that.
One of one of your blurbs

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related to the book includes
this idea of feeling abandoned

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by God.
Tell us a bit more about that.

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Yeah, so after when when the
accident happened, I really won.

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I was I was just angry because I
finally felt like I was in I was

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in this place in my life where I
was finding a happiness.

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I was feeling fit in.
I had this great group of

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friends, which I still have in
my life today.

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And then I also found my, my
major that I was happy with

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because when I first started
going to school, I was pre Med

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and I soon realized that I was
not meant to be pre Med and I

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fell into my engineering major,
which that semester prior to the

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accident, I was just excelling
in and doing very, very well.

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So when the accident happened,
it was like, why, why now?

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Why are, why are you doing this
to me now?

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And so that really resulted in
more of that just abandonment

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feeling.
Yeah.

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And then you mentioned you've
got a recovery of approximately

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8 years.
What are some of the lasting

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impacts that you've experienced
from that traumatic brain

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injury, the TBI?
Would say I every once and that

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is often as I used to.
I'll still have that really bad

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pain in the back of my neck
specifically if I don't get

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enough sleep.
The best it's mine, It's it's

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not as bad as what it was right
after the accident.

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So I always say it's minor.
And whenever people ask that I'm

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like, oh, I have, I have no
lasting effects.

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But the reality reality is I'm
I'm going to always have lasting

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effects even when if I don't, if
I realize them or not.

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So that that's really the the
physical part.

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Another thing that I've realized
is actually funny that my mom

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and I are talking because she
had an MRI in her brain a few

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weeks ago and they were talking
about how the white masses in

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her brain really is from like
she suffers from migraines.

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And they said that that's
likely.

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But if so, you're, you're likely
to see those white masses if you

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have some have migraines or have
a trauma.

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So I'm like, oh, maybe I should
probably get my brain checked

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out to see if there's any
lasting effects there.

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But that's a minor random
tangent, but that's something I,

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I often think about.
But also, but my, I've actually

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been able to really recover from
a lot of the, the emotional ebbs

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and flows I used to have.
But of course I still have them

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every once in a while, but I'm
able to rebound from them a lot

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faster than what I what I was.
Yeah, well, you were mentioning

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your mom just a moment ago, and
at the outset you kind of talked

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about how you didn't recognize
her at all.

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So give us some more insight
into the recovering of your

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memory and what that has been
like.

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Yeah, so right after that
accident, like I said, I didn't

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really recognize or remember
anything, but my parents took me

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home.
I really slept a lot.

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But as I was sleeping and
recovering, they, the memory

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slowly started to come back and
I was able to get into a place

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somehow by mid-december where I
was able to my mom was able to

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talk to through to me and help
me understand that OK, you

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didn't finish your last
semester, but was able to get

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everything together so that you
just have to go back and take

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these tests and, and finish out
the semester, which.

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I was struggling to remember who
I was and saying that I was all

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a runaway model in Paris, if you
would months ago, like random

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stuff that did not make any
sense.

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But I still had to go make sure
I took finish these physics labs

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and take these statics tests and
but so I was able to get my mind

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00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:49,720
at least together enough to go
and fumble through these tests

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00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:55,000
and these final, final exams,
which thank God that my I was

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00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:59,160
doing so well that semester
because those even it really

230
00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:02,680
helped my GPA to stay above 3
point O somehow.

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00:14:02,960 --> 00:14:08,400
And so after after fun.
But I'll say that to say those

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00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:13,840
tests, I think also helped me to
be able to get back to place

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00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:16,400
where I could actually return to
school that following semester.

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Because if with your brain, if
you don't use it, you lose it.

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And I think right after that
accident, even every all the

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00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:27,040
pieces were still there, but I
just needed them pieced back

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00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:28,320
together.
And I think if I would have

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00:14:28,320 --> 00:14:31,840
waited any longer or one to jump
back into things, it would have

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00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:34,800
been even tougher for me to get
back and maybe I would have

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00:14:34,800 --> 00:14:37,160
never been able to actually
return to school.

241
00:14:38,080 --> 00:14:43,560
So I going back to the memory
piece it was it was tough.

242
00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:49,720
I struggled and but I somehow by
I would just say by the grace of

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00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:53,760
God was able to get all of that
back together and my memory back

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00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:57,200
together and go to school.
Granted, it wasn't easy.

245
00:14:57,200 --> 00:15:00,720
I ended up like, I ended up
having to take a couple

246
00:15:01,200 --> 00:15:03,760
adjustments, like I had to take
a test, take tests in a

247
00:15:03,760 --> 00:15:07,440
different room, get an extended
time because I just wasn't, I

248
00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:09,920
wasn't able to do it like the
rest of my classmates.

249
00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:15,160
But slowly I was able to, you
know, get everything back to

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00:15:15,200 --> 00:15:16,880
work.
Well, I wouldn't even say back

251
00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:18,440
to how it was before the
accident.

252
00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:21,520
I, I somehow graduated with my
engineering degree.

253
00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:23,480
I'll just put that put it out
that way.

254
00:15:24,880 --> 00:15:28,960
Yeah, I mean, 'cause you did
mention that even to this day,

255
00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:32,160
your recollection of certain
things just simply isn't there.

256
00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:35,640
Yeah.
But maybe getting to to 80 or

257
00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:40,680
90% of memory recovery, how long
did that take?

258
00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:46,040
Let's say at least five years.
But, and even even now, a lot of

259
00:15:46,040 --> 00:15:49,160
things like my, in my childhood,
a lot of things people bring up

260
00:15:49,160 --> 00:15:50,600
like, oh, do you remember doing
this?

261
00:15:50,600 --> 00:15:54,240
You remember that?
And I'm like, no, no, I don't

262
00:15:54,240 --> 00:15:57,840
remember that at all.
There's some solid, like solid

263
00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:00,960
memories that I can remember,
but I would, I could probably

264
00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:03,320
count them on one hand.
How many memories from my

265
00:16:03,320 --> 00:16:07,960
childhood I remember.
It's more of feelings, not not

266
00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:11,360
actual remembrance of things
that happened.

267
00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:17,240
Yeah, wow.
I'm, I'm pausing here for a

268
00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:22,440
second because what's striking
me with that is the oh gosh,

269
00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:29,360
pardon, pardon the pun here, but
the, the impact, I mean, this is

270
00:16:30,440 --> 00:16:33,880
you were clearly struck by
someone at a very high rate of

271
00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:38,080
speed, 30 mph as you mentioned.
But the impact of that, that

272
00:16:38,080 --> 00:16:42,320
that had on you clearly
physically and then all of the

273
00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:47,200
downstream impacts of that, I
mean, that's, that is

274
00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:50,520
significant, significant.
Wow.

275
00:16:51,680 --> 00:16:59,080
Well, you mentioned you and your
friend standing on the corner

276
00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:02,880
waiting to cross the street.
What is their status?

277
00:17:02,880 --> 00:17:06,720
What happened to them?
Yeah, so here the engineering

278
00:17:06,960 --> 00:17:10,400
and me will kick in a little bit
because my so my friend is about

279
00:17:10,880 --> 00:17:14,800
almost a foot shorter than me.
And so her impact with the

280
00:17:14,800 --> 00:17:19,520
vehicle was so different her
like because obviously the

281
00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:21,319
vehicle struck her at a
different angle.

282
00:17:21,319 --> 00:17:25,520
And so she ended up having an
MCL and ACL tear in both of her

283
00:17:25,520 --> 00:17:28,000
knees.
But her brain was fine.

284
00:17:28,000 --> 00:17:31,480
But and so I think the most
tragic thing is she actually

285
00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:36,480
remembers everything.
And I, I couldn't imagine being

286
00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:41,040
in her shoes and literally
walking into my my hospital room

287
00:17:41,040 --> 00:17:45,800
and seeing me unconscious and I
but my head and whatever

288
00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:51,720
configuration it was and
realizing, oh, I like, like just

289
00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:54,680
remembering it all that just
wants to be tragic in its own.

290
00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:58,040
And I know like she, she herself
actually really struggles with

291
00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:02,040
being about it.
But we are still friends to this

292
00:18:02,040 --> 00:18:03,960
day.
It's something that when you go

293
00:18:03,960 --> 00:18:06,480
through something like that with
somebody, you're, you're

294
00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:08,440
guaranteed to be friends with
them for life.

295
00:18:08,960 --> 00:18:12,440
But yeah, it just completely
different impact.

296
00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:20,080
Yeah, literally and emotionally.
Wow.

297
00:18:21,560 --> 00:18:26,880
Well, Nicole, let's come back to
the abandonment feeling

298
00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:33,040
abandoned by God and shattered
into grace clearly indicates

299
00:18:33,040 --> 00:18:34,280
that.
And you've certainly been

300
00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:36,120
talking about it and alluding to
it as well.

301
00:18:36,120 --> 00:18:44,040
But maybe share with us how you
go from that feeling abandoned

302
00:18:44,200 --> 00:18:50,280
to where you are today.
Yeah, so after, after the

303
00:18:50,280 --> 00:18:54,640
accident and after, because I
felt so abandoned, I felt OK

304
00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:57,600
after I started getting my brain
back together.

305
00:18:57,840 --> 00:19:00,560
I don't want to be in this
negative place, this darkness

306
00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:03,560
for forever.
But because this is how I felt,

307
00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:07,080
I felt because God abandoned me,
I have to piece all this back

308
00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:10,000
together myself.
And it's funny that I, that

309
00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,920
that's how I felt because look
now in the shoes that I'm in

310
00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:16,160
now, I look back and I'm like,
God had me the whole time.

311
00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:22,480
And I, even though I didn't
acknowledge him, which, And so

312
00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:28,400
it like I, I started my career.
I even with, with the small

313
00:19:28,400 --> 00:19:31,200
inconveniences I had from the
brain injury, I started my

314
00:19:31,200 --> 00:19:33,960
career, I moved, I moved out of
the state.

315
00:19:33,960 --> 00:19:38,440
I was like, I was just ready and
set to do this on my own, find

316
00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:40,600
my happiness, this thing that
I've always been seeking my

317
00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:45,160
whole life.
And it's as I was succeeding, it

318
00:19:45,160 --> 00:19:48,320
also started to crumble.
I found myself in a negative

319
00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:51,080
relationship that I really
should have never been in,

320
00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,360
really just did not value myself
worth.

321
00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:59,200
And I finally got to a point
where I was like, OK, I can't do

322
00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:03,080
this on my own anymore.
And I got on my knees and I

323
00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:07,400
started praying because I just
was in such a deep dark hole.

324
00:20:07,400 --> 00:20:11,440
And that was proud, I'd say,
let's see, that was in 2018.

325
00:20:11,440 --> 00:20:14,560
So that was about five years,
five years after the accident,

326
00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:18,440
right when I like the, the
physical pain started going

327
00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:21,520
away.
And but even though the physical

328
00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:24,560
pains are going away, that
emotional darkness was just

329
00:20:24,560 --> 00:20:27,800
weighing on me really heavy and
I wasn't able to get out of it

330
00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,520
on my own.
And that's when he really

331
00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:35,520
started reshaping everything
around me, started showing me

332
00:20:35,560 --> 00:20:39,080
like really pushing me to a, to
a different role and even a

333
00:20:39,120 --> 00:20:42,800
completely different state.
I moved and I just started

334
00:20:43,240 --> 00:20:47,560
realizing when I like I can't do
this on my own anymore and

335
00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:49,360
started seeking him.
Got out of the negative

336
00:20:49,360 --> 00:20:53,280
relationship and just started
thriving.

337
00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:59,320
Praise God, what did the seeking
Him look like?

338
00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:04,200
Really in that moment, just
prayer to start with, just

339
00:21:04,200 --> 00:21:06,520
prayer.
And that's but that's where it

340
00:21:06,520 --> 00:21:10,280
started and that's what really
got me out of the dark hole.

341
00:21:10,280 --> 00:21:13,960
But then as I continue to move
forward and realizing, OK,

342
00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:17,240
prayer got me this far, what
would listening to this,

343
00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:19,760
listening to this sermon do for
me?

344
00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:22,400
Or what would it opening the
Bible and studying it do for me?

345
00:21:22,400 --> 00:21:26,840
And as I started incorporating
that slowly and now this, this

346
00:21:26,880 --> 00:21:30,680
was over a whole like probably 3
year period, it was a lot.

347
00:21:30,680 --> 00:21:33,360
It was a lot of growth, a lot, a
long time.

348
00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:36,680
But as I started implementing
these small things in my life, I

349
00:21:36,680 --> 00:21:40,840
realized I started to thrive and
be in such a more positive

350
00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:45,920
mental state on my own.
I was able to like slowly and in

351
00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:48,960
a healthy way, get off of my
antidepressants, really just

352
00:21:48,960 --> 00:21:55,520
start to heal.
Yeah, wow, prayer and then

353
00:21:58,120 --> 00:22:02,160
seeking, seeking God through his
Word and through other sermons.

354
00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,320
Yeah, over, as you described a
period of time.

355
00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:08,080
And I think that's great.
I really appreciate the

356
00:22:08,080 --> 00:22:10,960
transparency there.
You know that sometimes people

357
00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:16,080
think that transformation
happens instantaneously.

358
00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:19,360
And I bet you and I would
probably agree on this, that in

359
00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:24,920
some ways it absolutely does.
And then in other ways, it takes

360
00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:31,760
a long sort of sanctifying
process for that transformation.

361
00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,640
Yes.
Yeah, well, what prompted you to

362
00:22:35,640 --> 00:22:41,680
write the book?
Was I was about two years ago, I

363
00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:46,480
had just actually got baptized.
I was baptized as a child, but

364
00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:50,960
when I after going through
everything that I go on through

365
00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:55,800
my adulthood, I really, that was
part of the transformation, I

366
00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:59,600
would say, as I realize I need
to publicly declare my faith,

367
00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:04,080
give my life over to Jesus.
And so I got baptized and I'm

368
00:23:04,440 --> 00:23:08,440
finally in a very positive,
loving relationship.

369
00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:11,960
And I just was sitting there and
I was like just very thankful.

370
00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:17,000
And but also I truly feel God
told me that I need to share my

371
00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:19,400
story, that my story is going to
help others.

372
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:23,400
And so I just started writing.
I literally just started writing

373
00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:28,280
year by year, writing out how
the my whole journey went and

374
00:23:28,280 --> 00:23:30,440
then started working with the
book coach.

375
00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:34,120
And really after two years,
we've got shattered into grace.

376
00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:38,160
And I think the most amazing
thing about it is actually

377
00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:41,720
hearing people share that the
book is really helping them

378
00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:43,560
reflect on their past and grow
in it.

379
00:23:43,800 --> 00:23:46,440
I didn't even told anyone that
that's the whole point of it or

380
00:23:46,440 --> 00:23:48,200
what the purpose that I felt it
was.

381
00:23:48,200 --> 00:23:50,040
And so it's for it to come into
fruition.

382
00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:54,680
It's it's amazing.
Yeah, yeah, that's super neat.

383
00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:59,600
Well, you talked earlier about
this idea of wanting to do

384
00:23:59,600 --> 00:24:04,440
things on your own, but in
hindsight, knowing God had you

385
00:24:04,440 --> 00:24:08,720
the whole time, illuminate that
a little more for us.

386
00:24:09,120 --> 00:24:13,560
Yeah, yeah.
So like one one way is when I

387
00:24:13,560 --> 00:24:18,160
graduated from Marquette, well,
I, I was just, I was really,

388
00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:20,440
really struggling.
Oh, this this is actually a good

389
00:24:20,440 --> 00:24:21,840
point.
So this I was really, really

390
00:24:21,840 --> 00:24:25,480
struggling with finding a job,
which I was so worried.

391
00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,160
I'm, I'm pretty sure many
college students go through

392
00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:31,360
this, but especially after the
brain injury, because I had the

393
00:24:31,360 --> 00:24:33,600
interviews, but I wasn't getting
an offer.

394
00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:36,640
So I'm like, can they tell in
the interview that I'm slow?

395
00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:41,680
Like I didn't know.
But then, and like then it was

396
00:24:41,680 --> 00:24:44,800
towards the end of my spring
semester and I was I, that, that

397
00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:47,600
is another point where I, I was
going to an interview and I was

398
00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:50,560
like, OK, you know what, I'm
going to, I'm going to pray on

399
00:24:50,560 --> 00:24:52,520
this one.
And I did.

400
00:24:52,640 --> 00:24:55,280
And that actually was the only
offer that I got.

401
00:24:55,720 --> 00:24:58,400
And that's offer that I took.
And that's where my career

402
00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:02,960
started.
And as, as, as I was moving

403
00:25:02,960 --> 00:25:05,280
through that, that job, it
actually was a rotational

404
00:25:05,280 --> 00:25:08,320
program.
And it's really started with me

405
00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:11,240
being in Illinois and I've
always wanted to leave the

406
00:25:11,240 --> 00:25:13,080
Midwest.
And I kind of got towards the

407
00:25:13,080 --> 00:25:15,760
end of that rotation.
And I just like in my mind was

408
00:25:15,760 --> 00:25:19,360
like, OK, it's time to go.
It's time to show that I have

409
00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:22,920
healed from this brain injury
and that I'm ready to move.

410
00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:25,920
And the opportunity did come for
me to move to Texas.

411
00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:27,640
And I thought, oh, like,
perfect.

412
00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:29,880
I did this like I did this on my
own.

413
00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:33,200
I got it.
But in reality, we know like I

414
00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:34,520
didn't, I didn't do it on my
own.

415
00:25:34,760 --> 00:25:38,720
He he gave me the opportunity.
Now the opportunity didn't go as

416
00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:43,320
I was hoping it was so and
that's at any end when I ended

417
00:25:43,320 --> 00:25:47,080
up seeking him.
But he he continued to have have

418
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:50,240
me made my back.
And really, I mean, the

419
00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:53,560
situations I put myself in could
have ended up way worse than

420
00:25:53,560 --> 00:25:55,960
what any of they did, which I go
into more in my book.

421
00:25:55,960 --> 00:26:00,200
But in reality, I become
successful.

422
00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,560
I've been successful through
every role that I've gotten and

423
00:26:03,560 --> 00:26:07,840
I continue to have people that
are important and necessary,

424
00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:10,840
like in my life.
My track with that, Nicole.

425
00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:13,080
Awesome.
Thanks for breaking that down.

426
00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:19,000
Yeah.
Well, we ask our guests towards

427
00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:21,840
the end of each conversation 2
questions.

428
00:26:22,240 --> 00:26:27,360
And the first of which is, was
it coincidence or God?

429
00:26:27,360 --> 00:26:29,320
And what we're really talking
about there is, I mean, you've,

430
00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:31,920
you've outlined so many
different things.

431
00:26:31,920 --> 00:26:35,160
So I think you could, you could
pick a particular point in time,

432
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:37,080
but we'll just kind of keep that
one wide open.

433
00:26:37,080 --> 00:26:40,600
You know, was was all of what
has occurred here that you've

434
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:44,040
described coincidence or God in
action?

435
00:26:44,720 --> 00:26:48,760
I I personally believe it was
God in action every piece of my

436
00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:52,320
life it could like I like I was
kind of leading to it could have

437
00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:55,280
and gone through a gone down a
completely different Rd.

438
00:26:55,280 --> 00:27:00,280
But he has continued to just
carry me through it all and it

439
00:27:00,640 --> 00:27:03,840
it's amazing and I can't.
There's no way, it's just

440
00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:08,280
coincidence.
Yeah, Well, let's stay here for

441
00:27:08,280 --> 00:27:11,320
another second because I think
there may be some listeners that

442
00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:14,480
say, OK, Nicole, I, I track with
you on that kind of at a high

443
00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:19,280
level, especially now.
But when we're saying or when

444
00:27:19,280 --> 00:27:25,480
you're saying it's God here, is
that including getting hit by a

445
00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:29,120
car?
Interesting you say that because

446
00:27:29,120 --> 00:27:34,480
a lot of people believe that
God, God does allow things to

447
00:27:34,480 --> 00:27:39,400
happen and not not because it's
all you were a bad person.

448
00:27:39,440 --> 00:27:42,440
This, this should happen to you.
This is going to get get you in

449
00:27:42,440 --> 00:27:45,560
check.
It's more of he's going to help

450
00:27:45,560 --> 00:27:53,480
us grow or help others by going
through this situation and thing

451
00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:55,040
because bad things happen all
the time.

452
00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:58,280
And that's one thing that I
share with very often is because

453
00:27:58,360 --> 00:28:02,720
because I am because I believe
in God and because I am a

454
00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:04,400
Christian at that.
That doesn't mean things are

455
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:10,320
easy like the the road is hard,
but there's always that light

456
00:28:10,320 --> 00:28:12,320
and it's always a lot less
heavy.

457
00:28:12,920 --> 00:28:16,400
So no, I don't believe that God
purposely got me hit by a car,

458
00:28:16,400 --> 00:28:19,440
but I think God allowed me is
allowing me to use that

459
00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:23,680
experience to there's and to.
Yeah.

460
00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:27,400
We'll see.
Great things keep coming, so I'm

461
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:29,120
excited to see what continues to
come.

462
00:28:30,600 --> 00:28:33,200
Oh, that's so wonderful.
Seriously.

463
00:28:33,200 --> 00:28:35,880
I mean, I can see the smile on
your face, so I can hear the joy

464
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,320
in your voice.
Great things keep coming.

465
00:28:39,080 --> 00:28:43,240
Praise God, and that is good.
That is good.

466
00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:46,680
All right, friend, last question
for you.

467
00:28:47,760 --> 00:28:52,360
How has your life changed as a
result of all of this?

468
00:28:54,320 --> 00:28:58,200
As a result of the accident or
just my faith or belief in God?

469
00:28:58,320 --> 00:29:01,080
All yeah, all of the above, I
think certainly makes sense to

470
00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:02,800
include some of the accident in
that.

471
00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:05,800
But give us a sense for how your
life has changed.

472
00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:10,880
Yeah, I think overall, I mean,
if I if I wouldn't have gotten

473
00:29:10,880 --> 00:29:14,240
hit, I guess I'll start there is
who knows?

474
00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:18,320
I, I often get asked it was I
smarter before the accident or

475
00:29:18,320 --> 00:29:21,040
after?
And because I, and I'm still an

476
00:29:21,040 --> 00:29:23,960
engineer, I still obviously was
able to get a lot of my, I'm

477
00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:26,560
very, very blessed.
Many people don't get the

478
00:29:26,560 --> 00:29:29,000
opportunities or have the
recovery that I did.

479
00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:33,560
And I definitely can say I was a
lot quicker to think my career

480
00:29:33,560 --> 00:29:35,160
when it's like looked a little
bit different.

481
00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:39,640
I think I might have been like
corporate, corporate woman, but

482
00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:43,040
I wouldn't, but I also wouldn't
be able to relate with a lot of

483
00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:45,040
people that I've been able to
relate to.

484
00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:49,040
And I think the accident and
just things that I've gone

485
00:29:49,040 --> 00:29:52,720
through one made me a little bit
more humble, I would say, and in

486
00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:59,120
a way that just allows me to
just relate and understand

487
00:29:59,120 --> 00:30:01,520
others a lot better where they
are.

488
00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:04,840
Yeah.
Hopefully that answers the

489
00:30:04,840 --> 00:30:06,680
question.
Absolutely.

490
00:30:06,880 --> 00:30:09,840
Yeah.
Well, Nicole, it's been a real

491
00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,320
pleasure having this
conversation with you.

492
00:30:12,320 --> 00:30:14,680
We've mentioned the book, but
tell everybody where they can

493
00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:18,920
find the book and how they can
stay in contact with you.

494
00:30:19,400 --> 00:30:20,920
Yes.
So if you go to

495
00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:24,680
dynamicallycrafted.com, that's
my website, there's a tab for

496
00:30:24,680 --> 00:30:27,520
book and there you can find all
the locations that you can

497
00:30:27,520 --> 00:30:29,680
purchase the book.
And also there's a tab for

498
00:30:29,680 --> 00:30:31,720
contact.
So you can contact me there.

499
00:30:32,040 --> 00:30:34,440
Again, that's dynamically
crafted.com.

500
00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:38,240
Sweet sounds good.
You heard it there first

501
00:30:38,240 --> 00:30:40,520
everybody
dynamicallycrafted.com.

502
00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:45,240
Well, Nicole, thank you a ton.
It really has been wonderful to

503
00:30:45,240 --> 00:30:48,440
hear this amazing story.
Thank you for sharing it,

504
00:30:48,440 --> 00:30:52,120
especially the details of things
like amnesia up to and including

505
00:30:52,120 --> 00:30:56,800
not even recognizing your mom.
I mean that's that's big stuff

506
00:30:58,360 --> 00:31:02,880
and feeling abandoned and now
saying with a giant grin on your

507
00:31:02,880 --> 00:31:07,640
face, good things keep coming.
You know, it's it's really quite

508
00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:09,720
incredible to be able to chat it
with you today.

509
00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:11,880
So thanks a bunch for coming on
when you look.

510
00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:14,360
We really appreciate it.
Yeah, thank you for having me,

511
00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:15,720
Mick.
I really appreciated that.

512
00:31:15,720 --> 00:31:22,560
I enjoyed it.
Was it coincidence or God?

513
00:31:23,040 --> 00:31:27,800
You decide for yourself, but I
believe you just heard a story

514
00:31:27,800 --> 00:31:31,760
for His glory.
When You Look is powered by

515
00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:35,280
stories just like this, and
yours could be next.

516
00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:39,880
Go to whenyoulook.com/be a guest
or use the link in the

517
00:31:39,880 --> 00:31:43,840
description below.
Drop us a comment and share this

518
00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:45,960
episode with somebody that needs
it.

519
00:31:46,520 --> 00:31:50,720
Until next time, thanks a bunch
for listening and watching, and

520
00:31:50,720 --> 00:31:51,560
God bless.