Damon Salvatore: I will always choose you.

Two minutes

EDITED // 10-15-21

Two minutes.

120 seconds.

That is how long you have until your body shuts itself off and your chance of surviving rapidly drops. Each nanosecond passing by is as important as the last. 

There are typically 5 stages to drowning:

First you have surprise, you acknowledge the danger and gather your surroundings, while searching for a way out.

Then you have involuntary breath holding. You try and hold your breath for as long as you can while you begin to panic and try harder and harder to get out.

The third step is unconsciousness; did you know, when you're drowning you don't actually inhale until right before you black out. The instinct to not let any water in is so strong that you won't open your mouth until it feels like your head's exploding. But then when you finally do let it in, that's when it stops hurting. It's not scary anymore. It's actually kind of peaceful. That's when your body turns itself off due to the lack of oxygen.

The fourth step is hypoxic convulsions, due to the lack of oxygen around the body your skin turns blue, especially your lips.

And finally, the last stage of drowning which is also the last stage of your existence, death. Breathing and circulation stops and you go into cardiacs arrest. After four minutes without oxygen your brain cells begin to die and irreversible damage occurs. You can't be saved after 4 minutes.

If you ask me, the pain is worth going through so you can be saved. Because it makes the feeling of being alive so much more satisfying. It makes you feel strong, it gives you the confidence to go and get what you want because you've been through a hell of a lot worse.

The thought of escaping and being so close to death makes you realize how lucky you are to still be here and it makes you savor every minute you have. Because death is inevitable and you've got to make the most of your small time on this earth.

Last fall I just so happened to escape the clutches of death along with my twin sister, Elena. We went to a party instead of staying home for family night with our Aunt Jenna who had come to visit us. The party was pretty lame so we called our parents to pick us up.

On the way back home, we went across Wickery Bridge and my Dad suddenly lost control and we went over the side into the water. Me and my Dad were the only ones conscious for the whole thing, my sister and mom both blacked out on collision. I knew we were screwed when my dad turning around and mouthed he loved me. The pain was immense. When I knew I was going to black out I grabbed my sisters hand and shut my eyes waiting for the pain to go, and it did. I was so sure that I was dead when the pain stopped. But I woke up in a hospital bed.

I was told that only me and my sister survived that night and they had no idea how we got out.

And from that day on, nearly one year after the accident I still have no idea how Elena and I got so lucky.