You Are Worth It by Kyle Carpenter

Author:Kyle Carpenter
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2019-09-09T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

It Starts at Home (Again)

FEBRUARY 2011

Early in the spring of 2011, my family was offered a surprising choice: I could stay at the VA hospital in Richmond, or I could go home to South Carolina to start physical therapy and wound care until the new barracks at Bethesda were completed in September.

The chance to recover in my own house, together with my family (and my dog!), instead of being stuck in a hospital five hundred miles away, seemed too good to be true. We understood that the arrangement was unconventional and would mean a tremendous amount of work and travel for my family to accommodate my extensive needs, but my medical team felt confident that my parents and brothers were up to the task. My mom volunteered to drive me to Bethesda whenever necessary if it meant we could all be together. I was approved to be released on convalescent leave.

I can’t remember who made the joke—I think it was Price or Peyton—but we laughed that it was a good thing I never had any desire to go AWOL (not that I could have gotten very far!) because this would have been the perfect opportunity. I don’t remember any of the six-hour drive from Richmond back home, but it was late February so I imagine the sky was gray and the scenery was pretty bleak. Even so, I don’t think anything could have brought us down. Three months ago, my heart had seemed determined to flatline and there were serious doubts as to whether I would survive, let alone have a life outside of a hospital. Twelve weeks and twenty-four surgeries later, I was heading home, at least for a few months. For all the ups and downs since my injury, this was certainly one of the highest peaks.

After such a peaceful and uneventful drive, I was not prepared in any way for what awaited me as we turned into our neighborhood, led by the Patriot Guard Riders: What felt like hundreds of people were lined up, waving flags and holding signs that read WELCOME HOME KYLE! GOD BLESS OUR WOUNDED WARRIORS! and TEAM KYLE. Price and Peyton were waiting to help me climb carefully out of our car and into our neighbor’s golf cart, which was decked out in red, white, and blue. As we rolled down the street to our house, about a half mile away, people were cheering and celebrating like it was a Fourth of July parade. Cameras were flashing like crazy. As I recall, there were even police there, helping to mark the way. It was incredible—and also overwhelming.

For the past three months, other than occasional outings, my life had consisted of tiny hospital rooms that held no more than a few people. I passed folks in the hallway as I went for walks, but everyone was focused on their own rehab or their own patients. Even when I visited with friends, like Stinson and his wife, it was just us and the occasional nurse.

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