Today Stephanie Nielson came to BYU-Idaho and talked about her experience. In 2008 her and her husband were in a plane crash where her body was about 80% burned. Click here to see her story. Grab some tissues, you'll need them!
At the forum, she explained her story and gave some additional insights that can't be found in the video. As she talked I wondered to myself, What would it be like to have a near death experience? How would I react? What would I do? What would be my last wish? If I survived-like Stephanie did- would I wish I had died instead of have to endure the pain and stress and challenges that came with the accident?
She talked about how everything in her life would never be the same. She wouldn't be able to do certain things and she wouldn't even look the same or feel the same. Life as she knew it was over and a sequel began. She talked about the pain of having her wounds scrubbed so they wouldn't get infected. Now I've had a few of my wounds scrubbed before but those were just scratches! Her wounds covered her whole body!
It tugged at my heart strings so bad when she talked about looking at herself in the mirror for the first time. I could only imagine how hard it would be to look so different. It would be so hard on your self-esteem and your identity. Something I liked that she said was she wanted to be
"Not just a survivor but a thriver"
She told us that the only way she could have made it through this trial of hers is through Jesus Christ. He helped lift her burdens and gave her strength to go forward. This is what Christ does for all of us, each and every day. He is there for us to rely on and turn to and He will never leave or forsake us. I thought to myself, we all have scars of sometime. Whether it is scars of physical injury or emotional or spiritual. We all have them. The Savior is there to help each of those wounds heal. His Atonement can heal all ailments.
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