Dear Editor:

It sometimes takes an unfortunate accident to realize how lucky you really are.

After months of planning the Harbor Fest 5k, it came down to the day before the event, a “to-do” list of last minute things, and the crunch time to get it all done. I was in a hurry, my mind was fully engrossed in my list and wasn’t paying the attention that my traveling feet needed; I slipped and fell. Everything came to a sudden halt.

I was taken by ambulance to St. Andrews Hospital and then transported to Maine Medical Center where I was admitted with four broken ribs. As I was being carried out of the house on a back board, my husband asked me what he should grab, my only response was “the to-do list.”

And between the IV getting started, the morphine drips and the CAT scan, I decoded my scratched, shorthanded notes; my husband kissed me on the forehead and said, “I’ve got this.” Little did I know that friends were already in the ER waiting room, ready for orders on how they could help.

Early the next morning, the morning of the run, my husband sent me a text message that said “People are coming out of the woodwork.” The outpouring of help from friends and the community brought me to tears as I lay in my hospital bed. And I got to watch the event take place through numerous texts and photos sent to my phone.

I simply feel blessed to live in such a thoughtful community and couldn’t ask for better friends and family. So I wanted to say thank you to all of you who came out to help, to the Boothbay Region Ambulance crew, the Boothbay Fire Department, my amazing mother, Dianne, who has taken such good care of me, and to my wonderful husband. I am so proud of you Garry.

Sarah Blackman
Boothbay