14.
“I almost died when I was 21. I was going through my second round of chemo treatment at the infusion center when I had a severe allergic reaction to the chemo. First, I felt itchy and uncomfortable all over, then my vision suddenly went black even though I was awake. The nurses had me lie down and put an oxygen mask over me. I later learned that my breathing slowed because my airways had started to close, causing my heart rate to go up. I wound up passing out and getting intubated.”
“What they don’t tell you when they intubate you is that you can still feel pain and your nerves still work, even if you’re unconscious. They had to intubate me twice because the first time, they weren’t able to gain access to my airway. I passed out after that and didn’t wake up until over eight hours later, in the ER. My parents were by my side and later, the doctors came in and explained what happened. I still feel so fortunate that when the reaction occurred, I was in the hospital and the medical team was able to respond right away.”