Near Death!Life Changing!RealEstate! What almost dying taught me about life appreciation, gratitude and opportunity
Life was sensational - girls had got back from school holidays, we watched and then celebrated the amazing Championship win with the Adelaide United Players (second best day of my life, first was bringing my girls into this world), my new job was flying setting a personal high of listings per month and I thought my fitness and health were on point. Little did I know.
I attended the Adelaide United Season Awards night, thoroughly enjoying the company, establishing great new business and personal relationships. I felt amazing within myself and for the first time truly believed I was well on the way to achieving the goals the girls and I had set for our future.
On the Red Carpet at AUFC Awards Night with the beautiful Susie Wong
Tuesday May 17th 2016, I woke with a pretty severe headache, but as per usual told myself to suck it up and get to work. I had dropped the girls to school and headed off to a full day of appointments. My lunch meeting was a double- header, listing a property and signing a contract on another. A significant moment as it was the first property to go under contract for a development I had secured. Absolutely thrilled I jumped in the car and remember momentarily thinking, I've still got this headache and feel a little ill, get going, pick the girls up, go home and chill before the next appointment.
I began driving and felt really flat. I'd just gone through a set of lights and felt my blood pressure drop significantly and my heart rapidly slow. Blackout. I regained consciousness flying up the rear end of another car, hitting the breaks it was too late. Poor Suzie Q (my car) had a rearranged front end. I couldn't quite grasp what had happened, but when the young guy I hit got to me, he said don't move something is wrong with you. He was amazing, it was all a blur to me. He called the ambulance, organised my girls and school, plus someone to collect the girls, then with the ambulance officers he clearly expressed to the police (who thought I was drunk and pulled me out of the car, walked me across a very busy road, sat me in an ant nest and breath tested me) his concern of neck and spinal injury. This was the beginning of what was about to become a life changing moment in my life.
A week in hospital undergoing every conceivable cardiac and neurological test and being bled more than a thoroughbred, a team of neuro and cardiac surgeons came to the conclusion that they couldn't pinpoint what had caused the blackout and had no choice but to suspend my drivers licence. "A real estate agent without a drivers licence, how does that work?", that was my immediate thought, but then I realised there was a bigger picture. I need to be healthy to be a good mum and had to get to the bottom of this. Over another 5 weeks I worked with the doctors and surgeons undertaking test after test, to no avail and additionally suffering another four blackouts.
The feeling of knowing what was about to happen - blood pressure dropping, heart slowing and actually feel the beat so slow I wondered if this was it, then trying to prevent the next part from happening. The blackout - the feeling of going back through history at a million miles an hour, then coming to with people looking over me telling me to relax, breath, you are ok, you are in good hands. After the last episode, code blue and intensive care, I had had enough and so had my doctor.
Approximately 4 hours after my last code blue and stay in ICU.
We went back through everything throughout my life and established it was something I had always had and most likely a deficiency within my body. Instead of medication (which I have a tendency to react to) and operating he wanted to find a natural solution. Once again my bloods neglected to show anything. My doctor decided that it was time to at least get my blood pressure up and put me on a high concentrated salt intake. After a fortnight I began to feel alive, more alive than I had felt in months. Something so simple, yet hard to detect. Lets put it this way, my intake per day is enough to get the Australian Olympic team through the heat in Rio, so my body is obviously extremely deficient and requires a lot more than most. As long as I'm feeling better and can provide for my children then life is good.
Throughout this whole process I've had to to face the mental challenge of feeling physically useless, unemployed and without a drivers licence. Those closest to me know I pride myself on staying fit and healthy, am passionate about my profession and having a licence is freedom for the girls and I to escape to the beach. So many times this last 3 months I have had to drag myself out of a pool of self pity, slap myself and embrace that maybe this is an opportunity. Well it turns out it is, I am about to undertake a goal that I set myself for 5 years time and it is only become available through the initiative of the leading real estate brand in South Australia. Scared at the thought initially of having my own real estate business, I embraced who I have always prided myself to be, one to never to step away from a challenge. So I am taking it on and stepping outside my comfort zone, as it is time for some serious growth after being dormant for three months.
Kashalia, Taylor and myself enjoying good health together again.
With a sales associate/driver, great business support systems behind me and two beautiful, healthy daughters to remind me WHY, game on. I am embracing an attitude of gratitude, as I have opportunities presented to me that not many others would.
I have always lived by learning from life experiences and turning them into a positive to move forward stronger. I pose the questions to you:
- If in my situation how would you handle yourself?
- Are you prepared mentally to embrace significant life change, or do you chose to wait until it hits you and react then?
- What are three things that you would change about your life now that would make it easier to adapt to such a life change? e.g. finance, health, lifestyle, relationships
If I am able to help one person from my experiences with any of my blogs then it is worth it. Re-establishing my personal website http://www.rachellawrierealestate.com.au I am allowing all to see what I am up to professionally, within the community and personally. If you chose to follow my journey, welcome, if not then I guess your not quite ready for my intense lifestyle and embracing learning from myself, the professionals I work among and communities I live within.
Embrace your opportunities as they may only ever present themselves once.
© Rachel Lawrie, 2016 All rights reserved