Ray's Diary 1

June 25, 1996:
I was hit by a car and am now recovering in the hospital. My left side is still painful even after taking strong painkillers. The doctor said that my left leg and hip were permanently damaged and that I will need to use a cane for the rest of my life.
Right now I am actually more worried about where I am going to live after I am discharged from the hospital. I definitely will not go back and live with my Stepfather!
I lived with my Stepfather and his girlfriend. My mother died when I was eight years old. On the day of the accident, my Stepfather's girlfriend drugged me. I am not sure what happened while I was under the influence of the drugs but when the effect of the drugs wore off, I found myself lying naked in my Stepfather's double bed. His girlfriend was sitting on her side of the bed in a bath robe, smirking at me. I tried to put on my clothes as fast as I could. Just then, my Stepfather came home and entered the room. His girlfriend immediately ran to him and accused me of raping her. Of course my Stepfather believed her and proceeded to beat me as hard as he could. This was not the first time he beat me. Whenever he was in an extremely bad mood, he would beat me like a punching bag. After he became too tired to continue beating me, my Stepfather kicked me out of the apartment.
The apartment was in the third floor of a lowrise so there were no elevators. I slowly went down the stairs but when I reached the last flight of stairs, I lost my footing and fell down the stairs. After I was able to stand up, I still felt disoriented. I walked out of the building and continued walking but my vision was blurry. I could not see where I was going so I ended up on the road. Seconds later, a car hit me. The pain was so unbearable that I lost consciousness.
When I finally woke up, 2 police officers were there asking me to recall what happened that day. I gave them a detailed account of the accident and asked them not to press any charges against the driver.
My next visitor was Melissa, the driver of the car that hit me. The poor woman was still shaken by the accident. She was relieved when I was finally conscious. I apologized to her for causing so much trouble. Melissa was not mad at me at all and even brought some homemade soup that her mother made.
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July 9, 1996:
This morning, as part of my physiotherapy, I tried walking with the cane. It's not as easy as it seems. First, because my left leg is the weak leg, I need to hold the cane with my right hand. Then I move both the cane and my left leg forward at the same time. Finally, I bring my right leg forward. Having practiced all morning, I am now able to walk at regular pace with the cane.
A social worker came to see me. He advised that because my stepfather had a history of beating me and will be put behind bars, I will be placed in a foster home.
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August 18, 1996:
Throughout my hospital stay, my regular visitors were the social worker and Melissa. I met Melissa's parents (Mr. and Mrs. Ng) too. I looked forward to their visits. Mrs. Ng would make me have soup every time she came over.
Today, Melissa, her parents, and the social worker came together to visit me. Melissa's parents were willing to be my foster parents. The social worker had brought the paperwork. If I agree to the arrangement, then Mr. and Mrs. Ng can sign the papers to make it official. Of course I agreed to the arrangement.
The Ngs and the social worker genuinely cared about me. For that I am grateful.
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August 25, 1996:
Today I got discharged from the hospital. I moved in with the Ngs. Mr. Ng gave me a door key and Melissa showed me my room. I am home.
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September 3, 1996:
I start at a new school tomorrow. I am both excited and nervous. I'm excited because I will get to meet new people and the school facilities are top-notch. I am nervous because I will have to use the stairs alot and when you have a cane and a backpack, it can get cumbersome.