After the Truck Hit

Jennifer Kuchinka was a new mother in Estevan, Saskatchewan, Canada, struggling with postpartum depression when she ran out of the hospital, onto the highway, and was hit by a tractor-trailer truck. Jennifer survived that harrowing experience and now shares her story of the accident that left her with a permanent brain injury. She tells how she recovered and created a new life as a single parent, and how she is committed to raising awareness of postpartum depression and acquired brain injury. “I am going to tell the truth, whether or not people like to hear it. I feel I have always been good at following my heart. I feel stripped of embarrassment and fear of failure, because of my near-death experience. What mistakes can be worse than the ones I made in September 2010? I feel like I am a different person now, because of this experience. I am someone who wants to embrace life fully. I feel like my arms are wide open and I just want to open up to everything that the world has to offer... I emphatically want to help other women and be vocal about my recovery and rehabilitation.” – Jennifer Kuchinka