Just over five years ago, Carey Portell, like many of her neighbors, was a busy working mom and farm wife, trying to get her four children to school, sports events and other appointments and praying for a way to literally, slow her life down a bit. And then just days after Christmas in 2010, she and two of her daughters were in their family’s Ford when they were hit head-on by a drunk driver.
While one daughter suffered a broken arm and the other a severe seat belt laceration, Carey had multiple injuries, including a fractured pelvis and crushed ankles.
“Before all this, I had a photography studio and I had just finished MRI school, working as an MRI tech for four months. I was also teaching a Zumba class and then everything stopped.”
Carey began her story with her charming smile that lights up the room. It is difficult to comprehend what she has been through and the pain she continues to grapple with on a daily basis, when countered by her amazingly positive attitude and quick laughter.
“I tried going back to work briefly, both behind the camera and at the hospital, but it was just too painful.
“So I came home but sitting in the house 24/7, just going crazy, was not an option either.”
The Portells have 120 head of Angus cows and use registered Balancer bulls, on three farms, two in Crawford County and one in Phelps County where they also make their home.
And so, for Carey, a new journey began. Little by little, although she could not return to work, she began to find ways to contribute on their farms.
“I was in a wheelchair for almost two years, but after 11 operations, my ankles and pelvis are now fused, with all kinds of metal in there,” she said. “With braces and lace up boots, I can walk but slowly, always fighting with my balance. I started back during calving season. I would just get in the truck each day and drive around to the different farms and check on the cows.”
Things moved a little slow for Carey, but overtime she has made great strides.
“It was hard for me to even get the gates closed in time, if the cows were up close. Today, I’m a little faster and I have some tremendous help,” she said pointing to a pair of Australian shepherds, Mick and Tris.
Carey has also learned various new ways to do her once routine chores from instructors from the University of Missouri Extension. These include techniques to keep her safe in the field, how to avoid falls or protect herself if she does fall, like rolling under the truck to avoid being trampled.
In addition to her daily farm chores, including feeding and moving cows from field to field every few days, Carey makes presentations as a motivational speaker to various groups. Topics include the consequences of drinking and driving, a faith-based presentation, health care as in being on both sides of the gurney, and returning to agriculture and the health issues involved after a serious injury.
“All of them basically come down to choices,” Carey continued. “I even did one at a Ford dealership on how the car we were driving had three air bags per passenger. I really think that saved our lives.
“I’m thinking about adding a new one about community support and the huge impact that has on the victims of something like this. We received so much incredible support from the community in Phelps and Crawford counties and people need to know that really makes a difference. Right now, I’m about to receive a UTV (Utility Task Vehicle) through two programs, Vocational Rehabilitation (Voc Rehab) and the University of Missouri Extension’s AgrAbility. I’m pretty excited because it includes a cube feeder on the back of the bed that will make feeding so much easier for me.”
While she is on the road to recovery, Carey still has to be cautious with each and every step she takes.
“I still have to find ways each day to save energy and take as few steps as possible in all I do,” she said. “The doctors tell me I have severe traumatic arthritis, end stage, which leaves me with the function of a 70 year old and I just turned 40. It means I have just so many steps each day and after that, I’m done. Still, it is good to have a focus, to be able to contribute to the work load around here.”
And whether she realizes it or not, she contributes a great deal more than that, to every person she meets, with her buoyant attitude despite the adversity and struggles she has encountered.
“I got what I prayed for, in a sense,” she said. “A way to slow down – not what I had planned on or hoped for, of course, but it has changed my life – bringing me closer to God and helping me to appreciate so much more of life each and every day.”
