March 28, 2024, is a day I will never forget and that’s not because it was Holy Thursday. It was the day I almost died. It was just after 3:00 that afternoon and I just had to take a 15-minute break and go for a walk like I always do.

I work in an office in downtown Bridgeport and it’s customary for me to take a 15-minute break in the morning and again in the afternoon. I would walk two or three city blocks before getting back to the office. I love to walk!

I was at a crosswalk just outside my workplace, and as usual, checked to make sure the lights were red, and no cars were coming up from behind me. I was more than halfway across the street when it happened.

One moment I was walking on the street and the next thing I knew was that I was lying flat on my back in the middle of a wet street. It had rained earlier that day and was still raining lightly when I left the office. I became conscious of several individuals hovering over me and asking me whether I was ok. I asked them to help me up, but they told me it’s best to wait for the EMT. They told me that I had been hit by a car. I had lost consciousness, not sure for how long.

I have no memory of the actual collision. The car came up from behind me, so I didn’t see it coming. It turned left and hit me on my right thigh, leaving a deep contusion, and a very injured leg as it knocked me onto the ground unconscious. I landed on my left hip and hit the back of my head on the left side as I connected with the ground. Thank God the driver stopped, and someone called for an ambulance! I was rushed to a nearby Emergency Room.

I’m very thankful to God that I did not break any bones or received any internal injuries though the next several weeks were quite an ordeal! The pain was excruciating for the first several days! My right thigh and knee were very swollen and for at least three weeks, I couldn’t bend the knee. I was limping around the house and couldn’t drive for about four weeks. Eventually I was able to start physical therapy and though at times that entire leg feels very wounded and hurts like crazy, the prognosis is good. I will heal eventually, with time.

I am giving God thanks daily for watching over me, for sparing my life, and for being such a merciful and compassionate God! I thank Him for not taking me away from my family when they needed me the most. My husband, Steve, is disabled and has a lot of medical problems. He would not have been able to take care of our teenage daughter on his own. He admitted this to me as he broke down in tears following the accident.

Steve and our daughter were very traumatized by my accident and the thought that they could have lost me. They each handled the stress in a different way. Me? I am just grateful to be alive and to be here with and for my family. Together we can face anything! Steve was on a diet prior to the accident. He went off the diet that day and it was weeks later before he finally managed to get back on track. He eats excessively when he’s stressed. It gives him comfort.

Our daughter really stepped up and helped me a lot the first few days following the accident. I was discharged from the hospital several hours later that same day with crutches. She helped me get into the house and into bed that night.

I almost passed out at the hospital when I got off the bed after being discharged and again at home after getting up the stairs and into the kitchen. I had to lean heavily on my husband, who was sitting on a chair at the kitchen table. For several moments I couldn’t move, and I felt rather woozy. Eventually our daughter was able to lead me to a chair. I don’t know what I would have done without her. I give God thanks for her every day. She’s a special gift from God to both of us!

I thank all my family, including our relatives, and friends who prayed for me during this ordeal. Special thanks to my sister, Joyce, who sensed something was going to happen, even though she didn’t know what exactly, and asked her pastor in Jamaica to pray for me ahead of time.

Thanks, Pastor Roach, for praying for me and for your many prayers for the Cotterell family throughout the last several years! You’ve stood in the gap for us time and again though many of us didn’t know you were the one praying us through. God sees and knows though. Just want you to know that I am grateful!

I’m also very thankful for my church family, Cornerstone Christian Center, who have interceded a lot on behalf of my family members, especially over the last several months. One can chase a thousand but two can put ten thousand to flight! We’re better together!

We serve a truly wonderful God who is always present in every situation and makes provision for everything we need ahead of time. I thank Jesus for all His merciful kindness towards me and my family. I love Him passionately, with all my heart, and I’m not ashamed to say so, or to own Him as my Lord! He is my identity. Outside of Him I am nothing at all.

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