The Day I Thought I Died: An Excerpt from My Memoir

There are moments that split your life into ‘before’ and ‘after.’ This was mine. One minute, I was in the kitchen chopping onions. The next, I thought I was dead. A few minutes (seconds?) later I heard voices and felt water being thrown on my back. It took some convincing but I eventually realized I wasn’t dead, and that I had survived a gas explosion that left me with severe burns and changed my life forever.

This is a short excerpt from my memoir—about my thoughts immediately after the explosion.

“Why God why god why god” I thought over and over again. I can’t move. I can’t open my eyes. Am I dead? I must be dead.

I feel dead. I feel how a mummy looks, shriveled black skin shrunken tight to my bones. Shit. I’m actually dead.

Thank God my kids weren’t with me. They are safe. My kids are so little, they won’t remember me. They’ll never know how much I loved them. I never wrote a book.

I should have written my kids letters, made them videos…there are so many things I should have done and now it’s too late. I’m dead.”

I actually got a second chance at life and writing this book is part of that.

If you’ve ever had a moment that made you rethink everything—tell me about it in the comments. If today was your last day, what’s something you’d regret not saying?