A car wreck about took my life a year ago. been on a feeding tube, finally getting where i can talk again. Exploring was something that i used to love before i got caught up in the oilfield....anyway that wreck messed my face up. My right eye socket was over where my temple was, my left socket was crushed, my nose was down below where my right eye should have been, my jaw was split in half at the chin, left jaw bone stuck straight out the side and right jaw bone was shattered like glass. Luckily it was in North Dakota. One of the top maxillofacial and facial reconstructive surgeons in the nation has an office there. He told my family get as many facial pics of me to him as soon as possible, this was after i bled to death twice before the slowed the bleeding and had me stable enough to start operating. So my facebookin super granny sent all my porfile pics up to him and he got started. Dr. John G. Stanley saved my face and left the kinda base line that most any oral surgeon can follow and for that i am forever grateful. I had started my morning dringking a fifth of Jack by noon i was on the Crown and I wiped that out, someone gave me some kinda pill and i blacked out by 3 in the afternoon. Buddy missed a curve in the country andn we went straight over an enbankment with a 30 ft drop. Landed on the front of the jeep. Threw me out. Still no positive if i kissed face with the rocky ground or if my face caught the metal windshield brace as I was being ejected. I was blacked out. Don't know. Came to two weeks later harnessed to a bed...mouth wired shut, eyes swollen shut, possible blind, sever blunt force trauma to the head. The most frightening thing is hangin with your best bud and blackin out drunk then coming to two weeks later out of a medically induced coma, tied down, blind, unable to communicate, and absolutely unaware of anything that happened to you. After extensive rehab i learned to walk again, im still having hell talking, and when i first came home, the boy who has always called me his hero (my son) three years of, didnt recognize me. I regressed at that point. I didnt want to see anyone or go anywhere. My self esteem was so low it was in the negatives. And going from a guy who could get most any girl he wanted to, not being arrogant i was just very handsome and good with girls, to being the guy who can barely atlk and everytime i left the house i was stared at...I locked myself away in my room for about 4 months. Till i came across your forums and man everyone has been so accepting, and given me so many helpful hints on photography, and urbex morals and stuff that I never thought about back in the day when i would just trespass, b&e, and vandalise shit. Plus you all have opened my eyes to photography which i have absolutely fell in love with. Even my cuz registered last night, he said if a website and the people on it could give me the boost i neeed to get outta this house and slowly moving back out into the world for the first time in months, then it must be a great site. But like i told him, it's not just the site, it's the people, very accepting, very inspirational, very helpful on helping me improve my photo skills, since I'll prob never roughneck again I really enjoy taking landscape photos and of course the urbex shots. Man you can expect generous donations from me every month. The depression i was in was gonna kill me soon. Not to be a melodramatic female, but I feel this site and the members, especially who i have interacted with, truthfully in my eyes, you guys saved my life man....I wouldn't have made it another month without you folks, and I haven't been here a month. I just didnt want be the guy being stared at all the time anymore. I feel like i have a purpose now and that is thanks to the members i have talked to and to you Avatar-X. Thank you so much for bringing me back and saving my life homie. My family, my best friend and cousin jesse, and most of all I owe you guys my life. I cant repay you of that but you can damn sure bet that you will be getting very generous donations from me everymonth. I'll do whatever i can to help you keep this forum up and running. Again from the bottom of my heart thank you sooooooo much man...all of you. Thank all of you for making me feel as though im worthy of being a part of something. Words cant express my gratitude. I hate to say this but had I not found you guys.....I dont know what i would have done. Prob wouldnt be around anymore. CHEERS TO EACH AND EVERY DAMN ONE OF YOU!!! EVEN THE NEGATIVE ONES!!!! You have given me something to make me wanna live again. Speaking of which, we found the old mansion i spoke of in my first post....Im headed there today!!! Didnt mean to be a debby downer but i felt yall shoud know that even though i dont know yall hardly at all......I prob owe you my life. Salud!!!!

Although that was extremely difficult to read, i managed to make it through.

That's a very unfortunate story, dude, but look, you're still living and breathing. I'm not a religious man, but i'd say that's a pretty good sign that you're meant to be alive.
Sounds like recovery has been tough and lengthy, but you're gettin' there. Don't lose hope.

Things can only get better when you're at your lowest low.
Keep exploring and doing what you love.
Keep living, as long as possible.

Best of luck, bud.

(P.S. Just a suggestion, but if you spaced out your writing and used paragraphs, you may get more responses. People tend to skip over jumbled walls of text.)

I agree with everything that Relik said.

I also think I can relate with you in some ways. This site helped me out when going through a tough time in my life as well. If it weren't for uer, I wouldn't have the many awesome uer friends that I now have. Beginning with my friend Jason and then later on, Astro, which then led to many many others outside of Texas. I am grateful for all of them.

But anyway, I'm glad that you're recovering. I can't even imagine how hard it has been for you but I hope that you will continue to be strong. Not only for yourself but also for your son. He will always need his daddy.

Welcome to uer and take all the photos you can!

haha, yeah that was a jumbled up mess. Apologies. But I felt like I needed to say something about the fact that this forum has actually helped me out. Not looking for pity or any of that shit. Just being straight up. It all just kinda fell out into a nasty pile of words on the screen. Grammar? Nope. Paragraphs? Nah. Haha for real though, I'll try to filter the nonsense that makes it's way out. I appreciate the positivity though.

Sorry to hear about the shit storm you've gone thru.

I also have met a lot of really great folks on this site, Thanks to AV for keeping it going,

I hope you continue healing and fully recover......

It seems god had to go to great lengths to get you to stop drinking. I'm relatively sure you don't drink anymore? Although some folks take a bit more learnin' than others...

Even if you're not the pretty boy you used to be, your family I'm sure thinks you're gorgeous...... As opposed to being 6' in a hole.

Good luck, and stay strong.

It seems god had to go to great lengths to get you to stop drinking. I'm relatively sure you don't drink anymore? Although some folks take a bit more learnin' than others...

yeah...little hard headed...and yes i haven't so much as touched a beverage in over a year. Never will again. Gotta stick around and show my son how to be a man, and show my daughter that daddy...well that daddy with put the knife between the first boyfriends ribs into the lung, only a touch, so she knows. Dating off limits till I'm too delirious to care lol

in 1999 my wife hit a bridge support at about 70. took her a year to learn to walk again and her right arm has too much nerve damage so now she is a southpaw.

we are not together anymore for other reasons.

that being said, slow down on the hootch and enjoy life with a cold beer and enjoy the evenings with some sippin whiskey.

but... i cant tell anyone how to live life as i still dont know.

glad you are still with us and suckin wind!

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. It really means a lot. Thank you.