Thank You to Everyone Who Saved My Life by Touran Soltanifard

Published in Issue 4 | Illustration by Chung-Yun Yoo

Here I would like to tell you about the very serious car accident I was involved in last year, and give a big thank you to all the people who saved my life. The accident made me even more grateful for the NHS we have—and made me ever more proud to work for them too. So firstly, I would like to thank all the paramedics who saved my life, from the bottom of my heart. 

Now, let’s start from the beginning. On one of the last days of summer 2018, when the sky was blue, and the air very fresh, when I felt very confident, and happy with my personal life, I went to a training day over 100 miles from my home. I drove a lot for work, so whilst this wasn’t convenient, it wasn’t out of the ordinary. 

Returning home on the motorway, I was planning in my head what I would do when I got home: I would do my daytime prayer, cook for my family, and then go to the gym. The road was quiet and I was driving my three-month-old car. 

I was less than ten minutes away from my home, still on the motorway, when all of the sudden everything changed. Within seconds, my car decided to misbehave. I could not control it—the brakes no longer seemed to be working. 

To begin with, I was calm in an attempt to be logical about the situation. The new car I had recently bought didn’t have a manual hand brake, so I couldn’t lift that. I pressed the button but nothing happened. It was also one of those high-tech cars in which the key need only be in the car for it to start. 

Then, panic set in. I called for my God and asked him to rescue me, to help me. I was screaming and shouting and begging for help. All I was thinking was that there were drivers and passengers in other cars that I might hit if they began to slow down. 

I knew I would rather harm myself than those on the road with me. I resolved to drive into the hard shoulder, into the ditch there. Following that thought, I still can’t remember what happened.

Unsure how much time had passed, I heard a calming voice, asking whether I knew where I was, where I was coming from. At that point I couldn’t even remember who I was, so I was unable to answer. I could hear him asking me some cognitive questions, but I was too disorientated to process what was being said. 

‘You had an accident and hit a lamp post,’ he said. 

I opened my eyes then, and saw myself in heaven with lots of trees and flowers and fresh air. 

‘Do not move yourself, we’re trying to release you as you’re trapped, and your car is overturned,’ the kind paramedic told me. 

Those words hit me, and I remembered then that I was in danger, so I remembered my God, who I prayed to every single day. The God I was asking for help not that long ago. I had so much hope that I would get help and this nightmare would be over. To me, the paramedics were God’s messengers who came to rescue me. 

What followed was a blur, my family came to see me in A&E, and I spent a week in the hospital. I had a brain haemorrhage, an injury to my shoulder, fractured hands and ribs, various parts of my body were lacerated, and my whole body and face was bloodied and bruised.  

I later found out my car flipped five times, and I had to be cut out of my car. There was even an air ambulance on standby. 

For months after my accident I struggled to understand why my brakes didn’t work, cursing the new car I bought. I had severe insomnia, and being off work for a long period of time meant I was alone with my thoughts often. But now I’ve reflected that perhaps it wasn’t that the car wasn’t good, or had a fault, but that the car had a strong body, and protected me when I could have very nearly died. 

There is a very beautiful verse in the Qur’an that states that God will make things work out when you least expect it. My accident was not expected, but it happened, and made me more grateful and appreciative for the life I have. It also made me appreciate everyone who works in the front line, who works so hard without expecting any reward from anyone. 

I am a health practitioner myself, I work in the Sussex community, and my aim is to be there for people who need help regardless of who they are. Compassion, working together, and delivering excellent care are the goals and vision for medical staff at our NHS. I had just never been on the receiving end in such a severe situation before. During my recovery treatment I felt every single one of the goals of the NHS. They exceeded their promise, and I can’t thank them enough.  

In my life I’ve always had high hopes and a lot of trust in God and the universe. I always see things from a positive perspective, or at least I try. Apparently, the prefrontal lobe of the brain is where our most advanced cognitions take place. Scientists believe that hope can improve the superior functions of the brain, and hope can improve the body’s immune defences. Contrary to that, when one lives a life without hope, hopelessness can actually weaken the immune system.

With the type of accident I had, I could not get better without having hope. I am so grateful now, and I am trying to be even more positive and compassionate to others. 

Following the accident, once I had recovered, I went on a trip to Seoul, Tokyo, and Kyoto with my daughter. It was a trip we had talked about, but I hadn’t properly considered actually doing until the accident, when I realised I should take all the opportunities given to me, and I should do things that scare me (such as a twelve hour non-stop flight!). 

Now, I do not see my accident as a disaster anymore, but I see it as an opportunity to thank all the paramedics, the fire brigade, and the road user who called the ambulance that saved me (I wish I knew who that person was, and then I could thank them personally). So, thank you again.

May God bless all human beings, and living creatures, on this earth, and above all may God bless all caring professionals.