Ben Bordelon

Good afternoon everyone. This is Ben- yes the big dummy that flipped his truck on top of himself- and it is my first time writing on Caring Bridge. What an awesome web site. I have wanted to update the site for some time now. To be honest, the only excuse I have for not writing is that I wanted to wait so my journal entry would be a very positive one for you to read.

In only 2 days, it will be six months since that fateful, life-changing night. Today as I reflect back on it, I am not sure if it seems like yesterday or ten years ago. I think it is a little of both.

First I would like to thank God. He was there for me and then some with this ordeal. Often times I thought how anyone could go through something this horrific without having faith. Many times when I was in bed, tied down, with a tube in my throat, a machine breathing for me, in horrible pain- I wondered what people do at a time like this with no faith. It was easy for me to say the Our Father or the Hail Mary and help calm me down. I saw things I can’t explain and really don’t care if I ever understand what they were. All I know is that God was with me and he helped even more by surrounding me with prayers from people like you.

My wonderful friends the night of the accident- I will forever be indebted to them for being there for me. They were really like angels who literally came from heaven and kept me going. I know that God put them there that night for a reason and they did it- they saved my life. I had a talk with one of them after the accident and apologized to him for putting him through seeing me like that. I can’t imagine seeing one of your good friends with no pulse, trapped under a truck and no way of getting to him because his leg is pinned under the vehicle. The truth is, he was put there for a reason, and I am sure I am here today because of him. There were people there that night that lifted the truck off of me, calmed me down by talking to me, rode in the ambulance with me, lined up docs in New Orleans to help. Some just held my hand or maybe patted my head. Others prayed in the waiting room while I was hurting, some stuffed me in the helicopter, helped the medics get me on the gurney, drove to New Orleans to be with me and much more.

My friends. Wow. Friends I never knew I had stepped up and reached out to pray for me. I was completely overwhelmed by the support all of you gave. Without question, I can say that I am typing this today because of you. Each day when Gemi would tell me about the response we were getting either on the web site, through cards, calls, visitors, etc. It certainly gave me that much more strength to pull through this. Often times it was hard, I would start thinking about how much I was hurting or if I would be the same physically or in general, start feeling sorry for myself. It wouldn’t last long. I would get a note from one of you or a visit from a friend or a message passed through someone and I would feel guilty. Guilty because I had so many of my friends praying and wishing I would get better and here I am starting to feel sorry for myself. That’s when I would switch my thinking and focus my energy on healing and getting better. All of your support also helped in another big way- with my family and my wife. By giving them strength, you allowed them to be strong for me. There were not many times when they broke down in front of me. I knew the whole time how hard it was on them but your strength gave them strength which in turn gave me comfort. Thank you all for that.

My family. I can’t begin to know where to thank them. I also had a guilt build inside me for putting them through this, but that was quickly squashed by my family. This is a wonderful example of how important family is to everyone. From immediate family, to in-laws, to distant family- I had so many family members who in my book went above and beyond. Some helped by watching my kids, some helped by making treats for us, some stayed at my bedside when I was sleeping, others reasoned with me when I was belligerent, some helped line up docs, some brought me Wendy’s milkshakes and burgers, some cried when they thought I was sleeping, all prayed for me, some could relate with my condition, others set up for my return home…I could go on and on and on. The fact is my family means the world to me. Sometimes hard times bring families closer, this has happened with us. I am thankful to be part of the family I am in and thank them again for being there for me.

My wife. Gemi deserves her own paragraph. She was a trooper from minute one. She got a call around 9:30 p.m. that night that changed her life too. I couldn’t imagine the drive to New Orleans she had from Shreveport. She was a rock through all of this. There was not one time where she was not there for me once she got to the hospital. In every instance, she was by my side. When we were discussing the surgery, dealing with pneumonia, punctured lung, blood clotting, swelling, therapy, anything- she was there. She was not only there for me but managed to have strength in front of our children. She continued to try to keep their lives as normal as possible. She never let me feel sorry for myself, always upbeat and positive to me. She held my hand when needed, wiped my head, rubbed my legs or feet, whispered to me when I was sleeping, prayed always and much more. I remember times when I would catch her typing on this web site late at night. She truly felt that she had to get the message out so you guys knew what to pray for. She was and still is my angel. I love her dearly.

I am sure you are tired of reading all the thank you’s and I am sure I missed out on someone. I apologize in advance if I did. Now I think it is appropriate to let you know where I am at today. I am now living at home. Yes my bed feels great and it is so good to be home. Mom’s house was awesome but there is nothing like home. I have been doing therapy for over 3 months now. I go in 3 days a week to the clinic but I have home exercises everyday. I am down to walking with a cane- actually now I hardly use it. About 3 weeks ago, my right quadriceps starting working again. This was a huge day for me. During the surgery, my femoral nerve was damaged and I had no use of the quads in my right leg. Now I can kick again. I have a decent gate pattern now and I actually jogged this morning. Not too fast, but let’s remember I wasn’t exactly a sprinter before the wreck. About 6 weeks ago my back was really hurting. I had some MRIs done and found out that I have 4 fractured discs. I went see a neurosurgeon, and he said that it should heal in time. I have seen dramatic increases in my mobility, and my back pain continues to decrease. It seems at times that it isn’t getting any better, but then I realize that I am doing more and more every day. All in all, my therapy is going great. I don’t really look at it as therapy. I look at it like I am out of shape and need to get back in shape. I know my training days are over for getting in shape for football, but they are not over for getting in shape for the rest of my life. Recently, I took the kids fishing, went boat riding in Grand Isle, traveled to the Caribbean for my 10 year wedding anniversary, and traveled to Missouri and Kentucky for work. I have been back to work every day for a couple of months now, playing with the kids, driving, you name it…My life is beginning to get back to normal. I heard multiple times while in the hospital that I would be in bed for at least a year. With the help of all of you, we created a miracle. I have a great life and it is only 6 months from that infamous night. Thanks again to all of you for being there for me during such a trying time for not only me but for my friends and family. When you think about it, we made it though this together - all of us.