Motorcycle Aftermath
How Ben and Beth Started Over Again

He never saw it coming.

The squeal of the wheels, the harsh odor of melting rubber, the shards of glass that showered the ground and his body like confetti…for a moment things felt like they were moving in slow motion. Then everything went black.

***

Before the motorcycle accident, Ben’s* wife Beth* had always described him as fiercely independent. After the accident, he didn’t have that option anymore.

Ben and Beth had both been on the bike, and both were without insurance. As a result, their hospital stays racked up massive bills. At the same time, bills at home continued to accrue as well.

Ben tried to go back to work as quickly as possible but was held up by the fragility of his knee, which the doctor warned him would require surgery if it didn’t have a chance to heal properly. After a prolonged home stay, Ben finally returned to work, only to discover that his employer was cutting his hours as a result of the poor economy.

Ben had never been able to buy the nicest things for his family, but he had never had to ask for help either. Now he found himself at an impasse, a sharp financial precipice that threatened to pull him over the edge at any moment.

“If it would only hurt me,” Ben thought to himself, “I wouldn’t care. But this situation hurts Beth and the kids, too. I’ve got to ask for help.”

Swallowing his pride, Ben made an appointment with a case worker at the Samaritan Center. With some frustration and embarrassment, he stuttered out his story to her, not sure what to expect.

“We can help with some things, and if there are others we can’t assist with, we can tell you who can,” his case worker said with a smile. “Electricity and water bills, food, home medical equipment for your wife—we’ll do our best to help you work it out.”

As they began to discuss the details, Ben could feel his shoulders unknot, his brow unfurrow, and his stomach restore itself to working order.

He had always given what he could to the Center, never expecting to need anything back. Now unexpectedly his cast bread had returned. Blinking hard, Ben slowly refocused, dwelling less on the horrors of the crash and more on a strategy for starting over again.