In November of 2020, I was looking up at the sky asking myself if I had any regrets in life and after taking a few minutes to go through a chronological sweep of memories, I thankfully didn’t come up with any. At this point, I had been lying on the ground for at least an hour and I was taking a break from screaming for help. I was thrown from a horse and had landed in an unfortunate manner resulting in me being unable to move my legs or hands. My dogs, Emmett and Benson, were with me that day so I wasn’t alone while I was waiting for help.
About an hour later, I heard the crunch of brush underfoot and yelled out one final time as my rescue team arrived. I was life flighted to Boston where I lay in the emergency room awaiting my prognosis. The hospital’s COVID-19 protocols restricted me from seeing my husband, other than a quick “I love you” on the phone before I was carted away. The amazing team at Brigham and Women’s Hospital were successfully completed a spinal fusion and relieved the pressure on my spinal cord.
After spending a week in the ICU, I was sent to Spaulding Rehab in Charlestown to learn how to relive my life. At this stage I was completely dependent on others. I couldn’t walk, get dressed, feed myself, or hold a phone. I worked very hard while at Spaulding Rehab thanks to an AMAZING team of nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, aides, and doctors (shout out to Hannah & Kelly). I continued my recovery at Brigham’s Outpatient Program in Foxborough (shout out to Joe & Jen) and then on from there with personal training, then CrossFit Walpole and horseback riding again.
To say this was a difficult road to recovery is an understatement and there were plenty of days where I struggled. One thing that made this difficult time much easier was that I had planning in place for my family in the event that something like this were to happen.
I had letters written to the most important people in my life if I died without being able to say goodbye. I had my estate planning complete and insurance policies in place to benefit my family. And while I was rehabbing and wanting to try everything I could to help me heal faster, I had the cash reserves in my financial plan to get me the resources needed without the burden of dipping into any other funds. What could have made an already stressful situation exponentially more challenging was alleviated by planning.
You never know when life is going to throw a wicked curve ball and smash your life plan to pieces, but we can put a few safety nets in place to catch us when we fall. As a financial advisor and planner, something I hear too often when I sit down with a new client is, “Oh! We’ve been meaning to do that”. Financial planning might not be at the top of your ‘Most Fun Things to Do’ list, but the impact this process has on your finances, family and future are immeasurable. As my father always said, “Hear me now, believe me later”.
