Inspiration From Unlikely Places

I recently read a book called Overcome: Burned, Blinded, and Blessed by Carmen Blandin; she is a woman who was beaten and chemically burned by her husband of nine years. Carmen writes around the event to give background (she's a nurse) and afterwards to show where she is today (she might get a face transplant).

I expected to feel immeasurable sadness (even depression!) reading her story, but instead I felt compassion, anger, and pride--never pity.

Carmen is a wonderfully clear and straight-forward narrator; perhaps the reason I didn't feel so much sadness for her is that she doesn't often let herself feel sadness at her situation. Sure, there are moments when she's overwhelmed by circumstances, but her first thoughts throughout her ordeal were of her daughters well-being.

Her story is an absorbing one. Not only because of the horror of what happened, but also because Carmen is a nurse with a unique perspective on what has happened to her. My husband works in a hospital and has always claimed health care workers have to have a unique sense of humor. Carmen certainly does--she makes fun of her missing ear by waving her 'ear flap' around. Further evidence of a resilient sense of humor comes from a conversation between Carmen and her sister:

"Well," I said to Kess, frustrated, "at least I don't have to dress up for Halloween." 
"What do you mean?" Kess asked.
"I can go as an accident victim." 

Carmen's visions while she was in a drug-induced coma were the most memorable to me. Interspersed with hallucinations and dreams about Dr. Phil, she received one clear message: Life is a choice. I think we often forget how much our attitudes and actions can affect the path our lives take.

The takeaway for me: be thankful and content. Carmen, now blind, briefly regained sight in one eye with an artificial cornea. When she lost that precious bit of sight again, she realized how important it is to be thankful for what we do have in the here and now.