The narrator, Lisa, recounts her life-altering experience. At 16, she fell into a coma after contracting a virus from a tick bite. During her 19-month coma, she gave birth to a baby girl. When she woke up, she was almost 20 years old and had a child, but her life and body had changed drastically.
Before the coma, Lisa's life was marked by a complicated relationship with her mother and a tumultuous romance with a boyfriend named Billy. After the coma, she struggled to come to terms with her new reality and the fact that she had a child, whose father's identity remains unclear.
Throughout the story, Lisa grapples with the consequences of her past actions and the challenges of her new life. She also reflects on the people who supported her, including her mother and a kind doctor who helped her during her recovery.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. The narrator, Lisa, fell into a coma.
2. Lisa's coma lasted for a year and nine months.
3. Lisa's mother was pregnant with Lisa when Lisa's father left.
4. Lisa's mother spoiled Lisa when she was young.
5. Lisa started rebelling as she got older.
6. Lisa had a boyfriend named Billy.
7. Lisa and Billy broke up after a party.
8. Lisa found a black mole on her inner thigh.
9. The mole grew quickly and Lisa became worried.
10. Lisa went to the clinic and saw a doctor who suspected a tick bite.
11. Lisa was given a referral to see a specialist, but she threw it away.
12. Lisa started experiencing symptoms such as fever, headaches, and exhaustion.
13. Lisa fainted and was hospitalized.
14. Lisa was in a coma for 19 months.
15. Lisa was breathing and fed through tubes during her coma.
16. Lisa's brain was swollen and she was not receiving enough oxygen due to the tick bite virus.
17. When Lisa woke up, she was unable to speak or move.
18. Lisa's ability to speak was nil during her recovery.
19. Lisa discovered she had given birth to a baby while in a coma.
20. The baby was born at 33 weeks and was kept in an incubator.
21. Lisa initially didn't want to see the baby.
22. Lisa eventually saw the baby and bonded with her.
23. The baby's name is Guadalupe.
24. Lisa was almost 20 years old when she woke up from the coma.
25. Lisa's math skills were affected by the coma.
26. Lisa's mother helped her care for the baby.
27. Lisa is unsure who the father of the baby is.