People

On Oct. 11, 2019 Riley Kidd, a junior, and some of her friends were hanging out in the CHS student parking lot before a football game. She had no idea that night would be so life changing. At around 3 p.m. she climbed onto the back of a friend’s car and rode around the parking lot. Riley fell off and fractured her skull in five different places. She suffered a concussion and blood clots formed on her left carotid artery.

She ripped through multiple nerves in her face that left her unable to hear out of her left ear and taste on the left side of her tongue. She missed three months of school. Much of that time was spent in the hospital.

“I thought it would be fun and didn’t think much of what could happen,” said Kidd.

The accident changed the way she looked at the world. “I found a better appreciation for life and for the people around me. I learned what’s it like to not know if you’re going to live or die.”

Most people would be broken after going through something like Kidd’s accident. Riley didn’t let that happen to her. Instead, she said, she used her suffering as an opportunity to live a more sympathetic and understanding life. “I gained a better understanding of people’s pain and how heavy that can be on day to day life, PTSD especially. Sometimes I would get hit and it would leave me in a depressive state for the rest of the day and that’s something that opened my eyes a lot,” said Kidd.

It was the recovery that was the toughest part for Kidd. “It hit through so many mental soft spots, and I felt like I was completely out of control of my life.”

Although the aftereffects of the accident were really hard, Kidd said she always found a way to push through the pain, so she could get back to seeing the people that she loved.

“I did miss my friends but I also missed my whole life. That was only more of a reason to push through it quicker.” While her friends and family were a big help in getting her back into her normal routines, it was Kidd herself who worked the hardest to get back on her feet. “What helped me through it was remembering that it wasn’t a forever thing and that I would get through everything eventually. Friends were also a huge help. There were so many people supporting me when I felt so gone and that really helped through a lot of my recovery.”

After her experience, Kidd said she wants people to know that whatever they are going through, they can make it too and no matter what, they are never alone.

“Nothing lasts forever and you are in control. Mind over matter. There are people who care about you and you aren’t alone. I know it might suck, and you really don’t want to, but it’s okay to get help.

“This is coming from the girl who refused help until the ambulance arrived. You got this, you’re stronger than you think.” /Allison Gill