(Patti Morrow is a prominent women’s adventure travel writer who was seriously injured in a recent traffic accident in South Africa, while on assignment and doing what she loves. To learn more about this remarkable individual, visit her Luggage and Lipstick blog.)
Dear Patti:
I hope this finds you in good spirits, and moving forward along the road to a full recovery.
When I heard about the accident that put you in a hospital, in a foreign country, in severe pain and almost smothered by bureaucracy, it came as a complete shock. After all, in the nine months that I’ve been following your adventures, you’ve been sky diving, hang gliding, scuba diving, and a host of other activities that have at least some risk attached to them. Yet it was on the road from Capetown to the Aqila Safari, that the passenger side of the car in which you were riding was hit by another vehicle.
My first reaction to the news was shock, then horror, then worry. Since I tend to be a bit of an old mother hen, I guess that just comes naturally. ☺
Relax. I’m not writing in order to cluck about eating well, resting and doing what the doctors tell you – although it couldn’t hurt. Crazy as it might seem, I am hoping that the readers of this blog will be inspired to click over to Luggage and Lipstick and get to know what a talented and courageous person you are.
You have a unique way of drawing your readers into your adventures with your wisdom and wit, not to mention the photos that invite us into your life.
You have been an inspiration, and following in your footsteps would be wonderful for me, as long as it doesn’t involve climbing, jumping out of airplanes or moving faster than 3 miles per hour on foot. I think I could handle something like your search for the perfect margarita, though.
What concerns me at this moment is the circumstances that are preventing you from returning to the U.S. on a commercial airliner, because you are currently unable to remain in a sitting position for 20 minutes during take-off and landing. Flying home on a private jet would be financially prohibitive, so in South Africa you will stay until you can sit upright long enough to fly home via a commercial airline, or some kind of miracle occurs.
You might have been spared the current problems getting home had you had been signed up with AirMed. I was planning to write a post about the organization in the near future, but am now feeling guilty wondering if I had written it a couple of months ago, you would be in the position you’re in.
Well, there’s no use in playing Monday morning quarterback. What I will do is put the post together within the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, there will be an opportunity to do some interviews that will clearly explain how it all works.
I will continue to follow your progress through Luggage and Lipstick and on Face Book. You will have a lot to do in order to get back to inspiring us with your adventures, and your ability to share them with us. Meanwhile, your optimistic spirit and determination will allow us to find even more to admire and respect.
In closing, here is what I wish for you:
- May you return to the U.S. very soon, where you can accelerate your recovery.
- May you always know that your loved ones, as well as total strangers are rooting for you 24/7, even when you get tired and discouraged.
- May you find strength and serenity, when you need them most.
- And, most of all, may you continue to hold true to the quote on your blog: “Love the life you live. Live the life you love.” – Bob Marley.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery,
Penny and Otto
