RESERVE MINES, N.S. — A Reserve Mines woman who is recovering from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident becomes emotional when discussing the community support she has received.
“It’s overwhelming,” said Michele Oliver, her voice cracking with emotion. “I’ve received so many beautiful cards and letters.”
The community rallied around Oliver and raised $6,445 through a GoFundMe campaign. A fundraiser was also recently held at the Reserve Mines Volunteer Fire Department but the final monetary tally is still not known.
Oliver said many people have commented about the number of young people — friends of her daughters — who attended the Reserve Mines event.
“It was absolutely beautiful,” she said. “I couldn’t even talk about it for weeks after the benefit it was just too emotional for me. I finally got the courage to look through all the cards.”
Oliver says she’s happy to be out of the hospital and is now recovering at her daughter Rene’s home in Halifax.
Daughter Danielle also lives in Halifax and a third daughter, Larissa, lives in Reserve Mines.
“I’m absolutely happy to be here with my daughters and my granddaughters. Larissa travels back and forth from Cape Breton. They are all taking excellent care of me.”
On July 20, Oliver was on her way to Glace Bay when she was involved in a head-on collision with a truck. She was airlifted to a Halifax hospital suffering from fractures in her neck, back, ribs, wrist, femur, knee and lower leg. She also had a punctured lung and a concussion with bleeding on the brain.
Oliver only remembers parts of the accident.
“It’s very hard for me to go back over it. It was traumatic and brings back a lot of trauma and bad memories. It’s not easy to talk about. I just want to focus on the present and future.”
Related:
• Community rallies behind Reserve Mines woman
• Reserve Mines woman requires months of recovery after serious car crash
Oliver said it was great to recently get the arm cast and neck brace off.
“The only thing I have left on right now is the brace on my left leg and that’s what we’re concentrating on right now for physiotherapy and stuff like that.”
The mobility brace extends from her ankle to the top of her leg.
Oliver receives physiotherapy at home, which she said is a blessing as she still can’t put any weight on her left leg.
“The physiotherapist is great. I look forward to him coming three times a week and the progress that we are making,” she said. “I am a work-in-progress and I’m healing very well.”
Oliver said she always looks for the silver lining in anything that happens. Although sometimes it’s harder to see than other times, she’s thinking positively.
“I’m concentrating on not letting any negativity in and we’re trying to have as much fun in the day as we can. We listen to music, we sing and dance and just try to make the best of our time together.”
