Mother of three goes through therapy
Watch the story about Peggy Blume's recovery.
May 24th was just another day for Peggy Blume. She had finished her school work for her classes at Bryant and Stratton. She greeted her three children as they came home from school. She assigned them a few chores to get done around the house. She talked with her husband on the phone. Then she drove down Route 31 to go to work at a nursing home in Chittenango. The next thing she knew she was waking up in a hospital bed. It was two weeks later.
On her way to work that day Peggy Blume's van was struck by a speeding SUV driven by a teenager who police say was drinking. The teen and her friend were passing on a two lane highway more than one car at a time. They were rushing home on this sunny spring afternoon because their parents had discovered they had skipped school for a day of partying at Sylvan Beach. All Peggy Blume was doing was going to work.
The first call Steve Blume received was from his daughter who took a call from the Chittenango nursing home where they were wondering where Peggy was. Moments later the State Police called Steve and told him Peggy had been in a serious collision. Police knew one person was dead. It wasn't clear whether that person was Steve's wife. He was at University Hospital moments later. His wife was unconscious. While she went through testing he had to identify her because police could not say for certain who she was at the scene of the crash.
Over the next ten days doctors kept Peggy in a medically induced coma. Her heart rate fell dangerously low on two occasions. Steve had the gravest of conversations with the medical staff about her prognosis. She had broken bones in her arms, legs, pelvis, knee, ankle, neck and skull. It would be a long road to recovery. If a recovery were to happen.
That's the detail of the story Peggy and Steve told me this afternoon in the living room of Steve's sister's home in Bridgeport. The living room is also Peggy's bedroom right now. They have moved in with Kathy, along with their three children, while their home is renovated to accommodate living in a wheelchair.
I was immediately struck today by Peggy's positive attitude. Her spirits are high. Her smile cannot be repressed. The love she shares with her husband is evident. The high school sweethearts have been together for more than twenty years. Now more than ever they cherish each moment knowing first hand how it can be taken away in an instant that you never see coming.
Peggy cannot yet walk. She continues to undergo painful therapy to improve strength and range of motion. Her scars are healing. She let me touch a piece of glass just under the surface of the skin on her arm. She just had another similar glass chunk removed from her head. The Blume's credit Dr. Bruce Simpson at University Hospital for amazing work piecing Peggy back together. He got much of his training in the military. He specializes in trauma.
During our time at the Blume's home we joked about their outfits in their Senior Ball photo from Cicero-North Syracuse High School. I was also impressed by the lack of anger or bitterness they show towards the teenagers who were in the other car. Peggy teared up while telling him she doesn't want to waste her energy on such feelings. I told her she is a remarkable example.
There's a benefit for the family this weekend. Converting your home, missing work and paying for medical bills adds up to a lot of money. Aside from raising funds they look forward to greeting all the people who have wished them well over these three and a half months. Peggy says those well wishes made all the difference on the inside as she tried to heal on the outside.
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