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Despite the agony, inconvenience, frustration and unmitigated pain of having her pelvis broken in three places, Peggy Haymes started out writing a book of pseudo humor about being run over by an automobile while riding her bicycle.

“Didn’t See It Coming — How I Faced Bouncing Off a Buick and Other Assorted Stuff” is about Haymes’ laughing at herself during the treatment in the hospital and during her 14 months of therapy.
This is where the chickens come home to roost for this counselor, therapist and minister who has advised clients and parishion­ers for many years about how to overcome adversity.

Haymes found herself in a hospital bed unable to move, asking herself, “Are you able to practice what you preach?”

The challenge was before her. Would she ever walk again? “Yes, I knew I would walk again,” she said. That determined statement would be backed by a lot of pain and unimaginable adjustments. She would have to learn to move her body again.

Sure, Haymes jokes about how she got broken and bruised and her Kona bike didn’t have a scratch on it after that Buick planted her solidly on the pavement.

“I gave my left turn signal, and the next thing I remember was that I was flat on the pavement. There were flashing lights and policemen and medics there,” Haymes said.

The driver of the Buick never communicated with Haymes. “I guess she was just upset or scared,” Haymes said.

She refrains from criticizing the driver.

Haymes was associate pastor of College Park Baptist Church in Greensboro for six years and remains a member there. Her counseling practice is in Winston-Salem, where the accident happened May 27, 2008.

The book, written in journal form, explains how Haymes has overcome the accident after 17 months with the help of neighbors, friends and family — even many College Park friends.

If Haymes had not written this book, her third, someone should have. She demonstrates courage in the face of many obstacles.

While Haymes could barely move her body and later, when confined to a wheelchair, she promised herself she was going to participate in a triathlon. That meant swimming, riding a bike and, of all things, running — all on the same day.

Haymes made the first step toward keeping her commitment in April 2009. She participated in her first 5K walk in Kernersville’s Heart and Sole walk.

“I completed my first triathlon in September, nearly 15 months after being hit.” That was the Ramblin’ Rose, a race for women only in Winston-Salem, which involved swimming 250 yards, biking nine miles and running two miles.

The winner? Never mind. Just finishing was a victory for Haymes.
She also finished the Angel Race triathlon at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons in September and plans to run a half-marathon in December.

Haymes also went hiking in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains in September.

“I’m hooked,” she said.

Yet, she wrote, “This is not the book I intended to write.”

Along the way there were the deaths of two close friends.

Haymes feels like there was a blessing that she didn’t realize while her parents were tending her during her recovery. She was able to spend time with her parents, especially her mother. They talked about many things. Despite her pain, she looks back now to those precious moments they spent together.

The person who cuddled Haymes as a child and cared for her when she was battered by a Buick passed away Feb. 2. Haymes’ mother had given her daughter her best effort in caring for her. The encouragement from that mother’s lips will never be forgotten.

And Haymes was there for her mother until the end. During her recovery, she learned much about counseling, serving and having a heart for others that is not found in textbooks. “Experience is the best teacher” is a cliché that can’t be denied.

Oh, Haymes already had a reputation as an excellent counselor. Fate, hopefully, has lifted her to a higher gift of understanding others — an unimaginable one the day she lay on that sidewalk wondering, “What’s next?”

It was another bittersweet turn in this counselor’s life. Haymes is not letting the pains of life keep her from running a good race. “But right now, I wouldn’t trade anything for my accident,” she wrote.

Contact Bob Burchette at bburchette@triad.rr.com