afraid to die?

[GhettoDogAllStars]

I guess I have been close to my own death, but I don't really consider the experiences significant. I have been in a few serious car accidents, and I got Spinal Meningitis when I was younger.

Spinal Meningitis can be fatal, depending on the form of the illness. They do tests, and for a few days you don't know if you have the incurable type, or the other. For about a week I was paralyzed from the neck down. I couldn't eat or drink anything, and I remember having to be carried to the bathroom. It must have been a terrible experience for my family. I wasn't scared, but I was young, and I don't think anyone ever explained the gravity of the situation to me.

The one time I have been truly scared of death was when my 1-year old niece fell into the pool and drowned. I was awoken by my brother who told me to get up quickly. In a daze, I stumbled outside to find my sister holding her daughter lifeless in her arms, while crying and screaming hysterically. She was blue, wet, and very cold -- it was Christmas eve. I performed CPR on her, and she started to breathe again. It was the most irregular and unnatural breathing I have ever heard. Moments later, the ambulance arrived, and scooped her up and took her to the hospital. She recovered, and to this day there are no affects, but I will never forget that day. It was, by far, the scariest day of my life.