I was on my way to Pinehurst to attend a rehearsal and get set up for a wedding on Saturday. A few miles from the venue, the car in front of me slammed on the brakes suddenly to avoid hitting the truck in front of it turning left on a hidden driveway.
With little room to stop, I slammed on the brakes and swerved on to the shoulder to avoid a collision. I hit a tree going 45 miles an hour, causing a level three butterfly fracture of my right femur, a broken left thumb, and numerous other bangs and scratches requiring stitches (oh and a lovely burn on my neck from the seatbelt). You can only imagine the thoughts that ran through my head as i lay on the side of the road, was put in the ambulance, and rolled swiftly through the doors of Moore Regional Hospital. And second only to calling my husband, I was thinking of all of you.
When my husband Justin arrived at the hospital I told him I loved him and the i told him “get out your iPhone and write this down…” I said to him “Robin Lin (“thats L-I-N”)” “Tara Parker” “I can’t remember anything else, just look them up and tell them what happened and they’ll know what to do.” I couldn’t remember my mom’s phone number, I couldn’t remember what kind of car I drove…but I remembered the WPS. Pain and morphine took over but Justin left the room to call two amazing friends and photographers who I knew could be completely trusted to be sure my wedding the next day was covered.
Friends, I write this two weeks later from my little rehab room at the hospital (yup, still here!) with tears in my eyes, barely able to express my gratitude. Without the WPS I would never have known these two amazing individuals, who knows how my wedding would have been covered, and James Walters and Stephanie Kingston (Whom I have NEVER met) would not have even been on my radar to contact for help. Because of you by the time I was off to sleep that first night I had not one but TWO stellar photographers covering my wedding. I literally could sleep only because I knew that while I was in surgery for 4hrs on Saturday my bride and groom would have amazing documentation of their wedding. I’ll say it, perhaps even better than I could have done myself.
Do you even understand the PEACE you brought my family and my couple and their families? I cried like a baby when I read Robin’s post on FB and the 60+ responses of folks offering to help. Then again when I read Brian’s forum post. There are so many of you I have never met and there you were in a single online forum willing to give up planned family time, reschedule consults, even provide housing!
From the deepest, humblest, most sincere parts of my heart. Thank you.
– Teresa Porter
