Rolling With the Dice…Thrown

 

When I worked in defense contracting for a UK/NATO corporation, I’d had great bosses. I can say in my work careers I’ve almost always lucked out with having either great bosses or people I worked with in most of my jobs before and after I’d started my own business which lasted nearly 30 years.  As I was ending my obligated military time with the Marines, I’d gone to school from 1983-1985 for accounting. It was difficult, as I’d gotten married at that time, then worked in corporate by 1984, and was attempting to make the Olympic Trials for the Marathon too.

I took a year 1987 to focus on training, worked minimally for a year. My husband and I had some tragedy, as well I’d gotten multiple injuries from muscle/tendon issues that were perhaps caused by a couple of birth defects I was unaware of. By mid-1988 I was back in the corporate atmosphere once again. And making about 20% more than I had when I’d left it in 1987, it was with a different company and a different position. That company was downsizing and moving fifteen hours away to Raleigh/Durham, NC. I then went with another company that gave me about another $1,000 more annually. I liked the company even more. However, within six months I found out they were downsizing and moving to Philadelphia, over two hours southwest of where we lived. Too, I received another different position with that company as well.  

The company that was merging and going southwest gave me three months of severance and I was unemployed only one week. During the last three months there, we had another tragedy. My husband had a choice, go back to college and get another degree on top of the two he had or to accept a position with less pay. We decided to jump in, feet first. I’d figure a way to support us, and we’d delay our desire to become parents once again.

 I ended up working for a defense contracting company in Financial Budgets and Planning. As my husband attended college full-time. The pay was another $1,000 more annually. I’d eventually make about 60% more over the next four years working for them.  A little more than a year after I’d started the new job in defense contracting, I was abducted on a beautiful sunny day. It was a morning that I’d finally felt physically better just six months after a surgery where the first surgeon had messed up, and this removal of a gland had to be done. The second surgeon had never performed this particular surgery on anyone prior, yet this then rare surgery had to be done. He told me I’d be in pain going to the bathroom for at least a year. He was visibly upset for me.  I took it in stride. I was on a mission, and I would not fail my husband, nor our goals.

I was back at work the Monday after the Thursday morning abduction, beating and rape that had occurred that day. I told my husband not to worry. I knew I could fake it, hold it together till my husband would graduate in May of 1994, getting a job soon after in his new career he so much desired. Then we’d become parents. It would all work out. Little did I know, as well the medical field had been inept at the proper diagnosis of taking me seriously about my right leg not functioning properly during my long runs, and sitting had become intolerable all within ten weeks of the attack. Overtime it worsened, as I went from doctor to doctor, six x-rays had shown nothing because they weren’t done correctly. No MRI was ordered because as some may know doctors received kickbacks back then from the insurance companies for not prescribing the then expensive MRI scan. Too, doctors back then got kickbacks the less they prescribed physical therapy. Yes, that’s a fact in the state of New Jersey in the early 1990’s.

I saw a chiropractor who believed I had damage, he suggested two things; to see another orthopedic doctor, and he gave me a piece of paper and said, “Call them. Change your career. You could go to school at night. It’s not expensive and I think you’d be good at it.” He was the third person between 1987 and then 1992 to suggest this particular career because of my fitness level and my caring capabilities. My husband suggested this back in 1987. He was the first person to suggest this new career. The second person was my yoga instructor in 1988 who also was a successful massage therapist.

I came home and told my husband what the chiropractor said. My husband said, “Yes, that would be a great career as we become parents. Do it. At least check it out.” So, I did. I went for an interview with a nurse who ran a massage therapy school with her two sisters. I was accepted into night school within two weeks in August 1992. I was in school three nights a week and remained working in financial budgets and planning as my husband worked part time and went to college full time. I continued to run as my right leg gradually got worse. People thought we were crazy in both of us making career changes at the same time, with trial coming up. And soon the criminal trial against my attacker arrived. No one could imagine the meetings, visits to the police station and other offices that had occurred since the 1991 crime. Finally, my chiropractor, seeing I was not diagnosed properly after six x-rays and multiple doctors, gave me the name of an orthopedic he'd used in 1993. His office took me in immediately per my chiropractor’s call.

Upon arriving, I was taken into an exam room, and the orthopedic doctor I found out was a long-distance runner and so was his wife. Also, he’d been reading the newspapers and following the case since 1991. He looked at me as I described the crime and he nearly dropped the file in his hand, his eyes fixated on me in astonishment, “You’re that woman… I’m so sorry. I’ve been following it in the newspapers.” He was aghast.  Before I knew it x-rays were being done differently than I’d experienced the other six times. They found the fractures in my lower back and then ordered an MRI and sent me to a neurosurgeon within days.

Prior to the eight hours of spinal surgery and hip graphing six weeks later, the criminal trial had been taking place, and I’d testified three times before the surgery. The trial was still happening for another 8 days after the surgery on me.

I had lawyers who were friends of people I knew tell me not to testify that I was bound to lose. They knew who the defense attorney was. Even detectives who knew the case warned me, “He said. She said.” I was bound to lose. One thing I had on my side, was a good husband, God, my willingness to ask others to pray for me regardless of their religion, whether they were from: Dutch Reformed, Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish, or Agnostic, it didn’t matter. I’d take anything good at that point. I wasn’t backing down. Even the prosecutor was down on the case. He kept warning me that we just may lose. I warned him back, “Do your job and we’ll win.” I was the fireplug that hadn’t gotten started. But now, my flame was lit and someone poured kerosene on it. I wasn’t going anywhere. I didn’t tell anyone what I’d do if we’d lost the case. I waited about eighteen years before I had revealed it to my husband.---Jody-Lynn Reicher