February 17, 2025 • 40 mins
Picture this: a routine Sunday workout known as "burpees for Jesus" becomes the catalyst for a life-changing event for Mike, one of our hosts at First Responder Financial Freedom. What starts as a typical fitness session suddenly spirals into a medical emergency, compelling Mike to confront the unpredictable nature of health crises. Through his candid recounting, listeners are drawn into the intense moment of suffering a venous brain bleed while on duty, illustrating the physical demands and risks inherent in the lives of first responders.
Mike's story unfolds with a blend of gratitude and lightheartedness amidst adversity. The swift action of the Maryland State Police Aviation Command was crucial in ensuring he received the urgent care needed, an episode that underscores the importance of timely medical intervention. The emotional reactions of his wife and the role of a solid support network are laid bare, reminding us of the profound impact family and community have during moments of crisis. Despite the chaos, Mike injects humor into the narrative, sharing a lighter moment about losing a new pair of boxers, proving that even in the face of uncertainty, levity has its place.
As the episode transitions into the recovery phase, themes of teamwork and resilience take center stage. Mike reflects on the invaluable support from family, firefighting colleagues, and business partners who stepped up when he needed them most. The journey from peak physical fitness to limited mobility is not just a physical challenge but a mental one that demands resilience and adaptability. Mike's experience is a testament to the enduring camaraderie within the firefighting fraternity and the critical importance of cherishing every moment with loved ones, as the future is unpredictable. Join us for an emotional exploration of courage, community, and the spirit of recovery.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
All right, everybody, welcome back to First Responder
Financial Freedom.
It's been a few weeks, butwe're just going to do a show
with me and Mike today and I'mgoing to let Mike kind of take
the wheel here.
For those of you that followhim on social, or any of us, I'm
sure you've heard that Mike hada pretty, I would say,
significant, life changing event, had a pretty, I would say,
(00:27):
significant life-changing event,and just want to give him a
chance to let everybody knowwhat happened, kind of walk
through anything that he wantsto walk through and kind of let
it be his show.
So, mike, with that being said,I'm glad you're here.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, I know we all are Welcome to your show.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, it's kind of funny, right.
I mean welcome to your own show.
But I mean, usually we try tofocus on the guests.
Today we're going to focus onyou, and I think there's a lot
of parallels that we can draw towhat we do, and that's not
really the purpose of today.
But I mean, it's like whatwe've always discussed is,
sometimes things can happen, andI think, if anything, I'm sure
it was a major revelation insome areas of life and it just
(01:05):
probably brought into theforefront things that you
weren't thinking aboutnecessarily yet, probably not
for a few more years.
So, with that being said,however, you want to discuss
what happened and go with it.
I'll try to ask you anyquestions as we go along, but
just wanted to let you talk.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, and so I apologize ahead of time if I get
kind of stuck in talking insome circles because I still am
having some we'll call itcognitive issues.
But so this show is beingrecorded in middle of February
of 2025.
So February 2nd of 2025, I wentto work.
(01:44):
So February 2nd of 2025, I wentto work, it was a Sunday, and
every time I work on Sunday I dothe same workout pretty much,
and I've done it for years andit's something I like to call
burpees for Jesus.
I do 100 burpees for time andmy goal was to beat my time from
the time before, and sometimesit happens, sometimes it doesn't
(02:05):
, and it's just one of thosethings that like.
To some people that might soundridiculous.
I don't think there's too manypeople that love to do burpees,
myself included and the long andshort of it is I was doing the
workout that morning.
I was doing it by myself out inthe engine bay and,
coincidentally like it's kind offunny how this works but I came
(02:29):
into work that morning andthere was a DCFD fire engine in
the engine bay, which I knew washappening, but it's not a
common occurrence to have a youknow, an engine company from the
district sitting there becausethey were preparing for a line
of duty death funeral,unfortunately, for one of their
members, and they were using ourfirehouse, uh, as kind of like
(02:51):
a staging area because of wherethe procession and whatnot was
going to take place.
That way they could clean uptheir wagon and whatnot.
So anyways, I say that becauseit'll kind of come into play in
about a couple minutes.
So I was working out and, likeI said, I usually work out
sometime around 8 or 9 in themorning, depending on when my
(03:12):
administrative stuff gets donefor the morning and what kind of
as I describe them wild cardsthe department or the citizens
have for me.
That day I remember I wasworking out, I had my headphones
in, I was setting, I set mytimer like I always do, and
started doing my burpees and Ialways keep like a little tally
(03:35):
mark of 10 hash marks, if youwill.
I did that morning.
I had it on our writingassignment board just because it
was close by.
So I do 10 burpees, hurry up,mark it off, and I just keep
going and I remember around likethe seventh round, so like the
70th burpee or so, like myvision kind of getting jacked up
(03:57):
, but I was like man, you know,whatever, I'm just being a wuss,
like just keep going.
You know like this is the homestretch.
And so I get to the 80th Burt B, I go over, I hit my hash mark
and I usually do like the last20, just kind of like mentally.
I think about it as four setsof five, just kind of like this
is where the suck factor starts,like you just go as fast as you
(04:18):
can.
So I did that.
So I did that, I get done and Istart to like feel what I can
only describe as like a littlebit of pain in my neck.
I'm like man, I just like pull amuscle or what, because I felt
(04:43):
it like down my traps, almostlike both sides or, for you
medics, bilaterally.
So I sit there and I'm like man.
This is like this is gettingworse.
And I've had sinus surgery formigraines, originally like 12
years ago, then I had it reviseda couple of years ago.
So I know what a migraine feelslike and I'm like this isn't a
migraine and I just I'm likethis is unbearable.
(05:06):
So I'm still rolling around onthe engine bay floor just trying
to get comfortable.
I'm sweaty and we have like the, the tile floor in our engine
bay, that kind of looks like anold school McDonald's, you know,
and I'm just like it's cold.
So I'm like trying to getcomfortable and I lay there and
uh, I start to realize like it'sreally hard to lift my head up,
but I'm like, well, maybe Itweaked a muscle, let me, let me
(05:28):
try and make it to the shower.
So I finally get up and uh, Iget to the shower after we'll
call it a little bit of work,and I get a shower and I am
hurting.
And then I get in uniform and Ilay down in my bunk which like
(05:48):
I never do during the day andone of my guys came in there
like, are you okay?
And I'm just like, no, but I'llbe okay.
Like I just took two Excedrin,I'll be fine.
So then we catch a tower run andI'm like, oh no, like this
sucks.
So I get, we cross staff, myfirehouse.
(06:09):
So like there's three guys, wehave three for the engine or the
ladder truck, whatever gets thecall.
We, we cross stuff, which isn'tideal but it's unfortunately
just the way we have to operateright now.
So we get in the ladder truckand it's a like a fire alarm
with burglar alarm, you know,like one of those like low
budget.
(06:29):
So the engine company that wasdue with us, they got there
first.
They staged until the policearrived so they could clear the
unit, which I'm glad they did,cause if I had to like get out
first and do the 360 and allthat jazz, it would have been a
real mess.
So we staged for the police andthey cleared the unit and I'm
like I'm looking like a hotbucket of crap sitting over
(06:51):
there in that seat my the guywheeling me that day it was.
He's a senior fireman, likebackup driver.
He looks over, he's like areyou okay?
I'm like, yeah, I'm fine, youknow, of course, like what else
are you going?
Speaker 1 (07:05):
to say Pale cool diaphoretic I'm great.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Well, you say that like.
Apparently that was thedescription.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Like I could tell like I'm starting to get
diaphoretic, like I don't sweatmuch but like I'm starting to
sweat like clammy sweat.
So I get out of the laddertruck barely and I kneel down
next to the wheel and I just, Iremember holding on to the lug
nut cover and I just startedlike throwing up.
And they realize like all right, give the cap a second.
(07:35):
Then like next thing I know, Isee the back door open.
Then I see my driver comearound and they're like hey,
we're getting an ambulance tothe scene.
I'm like no, no, no, no, likeno, no, no, no, no, no, no, just
get me back to the firehouse.
So then the engine company likerealizes there's something
going on and they come back and,to their credit, man, like they
were just like how do we help?
You know, they start strippingmy gear off because, like I said
(07:56):
, I'm like hot at this point.
So somehow I get back in theladder truck, we get back to the
firehouse and on the way thereI'm doing one of the one-eye
texting things and I text thebattalion fire chief that
handles scheduling on theweekends, because normally we
have a scheduler, but on theweekends that's one of the
(08:17):
collateral duties for one of ourbattalion chiefs and I'm like,
can you please arrange relief?
I need to go, I'm sick, 'm sick.
He said, yep, it probably won'tbe till 1800, and this is at
like 10 o'clock in the morningand I was like, okay, meanwhile
I'm thinking there is no way inhell I can make it till 1800,
right?
And uh, so, and the timelinemight be, uh, slightly jacked up
(08:43):
here.
Like I said, I'm kind of goingfrom memory here and it's not
been the best.
So if some attorneys listeningto this from work comp or
something just know that this,that's my caveat here.
Wife and the kids left churchand they text me and I said, hey
(09:05):
, I'm getting ready to start myburpees.
I'll text you when I'm done,cause my wife knows that's what
I do, and so she hadn't heardfrom me.
So somehow she has and inhindsight this is a really bad
idea for me.
So she didn't have any of theother guys' cell phone numbers
that I was with.
She only had this one other guywho was not.
(09:26):
He was detailed out that day.
So then that dude texts mydriver and was like, yo, hey,
word must be getting around,you're not doing well, cause
this guy just texts me that hey,right in the tower.
So, um, my wife gets ahold ofthis guy and uh, they're like,
(09:51):
yeah, he doesn't want to go tothe hospital.
I'm like, no, just let me sleepit off.
Like, uh, I told them, once myrelief gets here, I'll come home
.
So my wife knows, like if I'mtalking about getting relief and
coming home, that something iswrong.
And uh, they said they somesomebody must have mentioned I
threw up and I described it asthe worst headache of my life.
(10:11):
And she my wife was a CAT scantech for 20 years.
So, like, she's not a doctor,but she, she heard that and she
was instantly like on red alert.
She's like, put him on thephone.
I still feel horrible for theguy that had to be like the
intermediary here and I've toldhim this.
I said I'm sorry, man, I shouldhave listened to you.
(10:31):
Puts my wife on the phone andshe's, we'll say, giving me the
business about going to thehospital.
I'm like, fine, I'll go to thehospital, like just keep her
happy.
And after this point, this iswhere it like gets really blurry
.
So they put me on the cot.
Fortunately, it's really blurry.
(10:57):
So they put me on the cot.
Fortunately, like where I work,like we have, we actually have
two ambulances staffed and oneof them just happened to be in
quarters, which is not alwaysthe case, so they put me on the
cot.
They literally wheeled the cotto the bunk room and somehow I
got on it.
I don't really remember how.
And after that man I know I gotto the hospital.
I remember my battalion chiefbeing there.
I don't know if he was therewhen I got there or what, but I
remember seeing him.
And I remember seeing one ofour EMS supervisors.
(11:20):
Uh, we have, like I'm sure youguys do, I don't know what you
call them, but like we, this guyhe has EMS 902 is there.
Ems 902 is there and I remember, like I don't know if it was
(11:49):
the hospital staff I don't wantto put them on blast or somebody
was suggesting that I go triageand I just remembered that EMS
lieutenant goes.
He's one of our guys and, basedon the description of what I've
been told, I looked like Iapparently did not look good and
, like I said, I don't rememberany of this really, except bits
and pieces.
And I remember being put in oneof the rooms and then I
remember going back for a CATscan and coming back, and then
all I remember is my wife beingthere and the doctor coming in
and saying that he has a bleed.
(12:10):
And I remember my wife walkingout and screaming some not so
Christian words in the hallwayand then throwing up so so, like
I said, she's not a doctor butshe knows enough.
Like she got, she saw the filmand she she could tell what was
going on and she's like that's alot of blood and uh, so next
(12:33):
thing, I know, um, I didn't knowthis, but huge shout out to the
maryland state police aviationcommand.
Like they I don't know if theyflew over from their hand,
because one of their helicoptersis based in the city I work
they either flew theirhelicopter to the hospital or I
don't know.
Apparently, I was told thatthey were actually there and
(12:54):
they were willing to take me tothe hospital.
I needed to go and take my wifebecause the helicopter they
were going to put me in, thatthey wouldn't let my wife go,
and my wife's like that's not anoption, like I'm going with him
.
So, long story short, my hat'soff to the Maryland state police
, uh, for their like willingnessto just say let's go.
(13:16):
But, um, at the end of the dayI ended up flying on the the
hospital's helicopter that I wasgoing to and, um, I was flown
to Washington DC and again, Idon't remember much of anything.
I don't remember the helicopterride at all.
Um, and then once I got to thehospital, I don't really
(13:38):
remember anything there exceptwaking up, like if you saw my uh
one social media post that, uh,I woke up, I had my uniform.
Pants were missing, that's allI had on whenever I got to the
first hospital was, somehow Iwas only in my uniform pants.
Um, and I remember those weregone and my brand new boxers
(14:00):
that I just got for Christmaswere gone, like standard dad
gift, yeah, exactly Like I toldmy wife I was like, damn, those
are my new ones, like those.
Those came in a three pack.
I only got two now, but anyways, like and just like my whole
like groin area covered iniodine because they had done an
angiogram, like where they go inthrough your femoral artery and
(14:22):
like put dye in your brain andlike do all this stuff.
And so I don't have it in frontof me to pronounce it correctly
, but the type of bleed I hadfortunately was not an aneurysm
and it was just like a venousbleed which, from what I gather
and I mean I'm clearly noneurosurgeon, but based on what
I've talked to all these folksabout over the last week or two,
(14:46):
the last week or two is, uh,this, basically, while I was
working out, uh like theexertion level it basically
caused a venus bleed is the wayI understand it.
Again, if you're from work compor whatever, like, don't hold
me to this, but this is myinterpretation of my
conversations.
So this was going to happen atsome point, whether it was that
(15:09):
morning in the engine bay or youknow another time, and like,
but somehow, god's grace,however you want to look at it,
whatever you pray to, but like,thank god it happened there and
not uh like, yeah, I went on thealarm bells call, but then,
like, either the next call orthe call after was a house fire
(15:33):
where we would have been thefirst due truck.
So I would have been on theroof with, with my rookie, who
it was his second day on a pieceof suppression equipment, so
that was not going to go so well.
You know, I don't want to speakfor him, but like, let's face
it.
(15:53):
If you have your choice.
Let's do this at ground level,right by an ambulance, or let's
do it on the roof of a house onfire.
Let's, let's pick our poisonhere.
So that's uh, that's one ofthose.
You know, I can already hearpeople like well, that's why I
don't work out, that's why Idon't do all this, all this dumb
shit, you know, and like I said, this wasn't like I just dreamt
this crazy workout up, like Ido it all the time, frankly, and
(16:14):
uh, so like the only likesilver lining to this to me is
like I'm glad it happened thereand not on a roof, you know.
So that's how I at least haveinternalized or become okay with
it.
Like, hey, you moron, like youshouldn't have done this, you
shouldn't have done this, youshouldn't have done that.
But like I felt fine when Istarted, like I had no issues,
(16:34):
like I actually worked the nightbefore at a different firehouse
.
Um, I got hired as the fourthman on a fire engine.
Like, so not, some of our uhfirehouses have four man
staffing now and mine is stillat three.
So if you're like, well, whatthe hell, why don't you have
four?
Like we're in the next wave,the final wave of a four person
staffing, so right now we havethree.
(16:57):
So I worked as a fireman thenight before easy night, no big
deal, um, worked the next day atmy firehouse and felt fine.
And next thing, you know, hereI am in a neurological intensive
care unit in Washington DC andI, you know, I'm trying to make
sense of all this, like I'm youknow, they have you on all sorts
(17:19):
of crazy stuff Like you're justtrying to make sense of what's
up and what's down, like.
And you know, like before Irealized that, like my parents
are there and I'm like what theheck?
Like cause they live in Florida.
Like, like my parents got thephone call from my wife,
literally were on a plane, likefrom what I gather, like two
hours later and somebody from mydepartment, you know, shout out
(17:41):
to Brady McCartan uh, the guy,the, the guy we interviewed
about the job coat like left icerescue training in central
Pennsylvania, drove to BaltimoreWashington airport, picked my
parents up and drove themstraight to DC.
Like they got to the hospitaldamn near faster than I did, you
know like, so, uh, justincredible, um, and then, like I
(18:06):
remember, I'm starting to likecome out of some of the cause
they give you a sedation for theprocedure.
And I remember waking up andnext thing, I know, I see, like
our union president, uh, who Iwent to recruit school with, and
then I see, like our our firechief showed up and then I'm
like, then the guy that normallyrelieves me in the morning, uh,
(18:26):
on a shift, like thatlieutenant was there.
Like I'm just like Holy crapwhen, what's going on?
And uh, you know, I said I'dcircle back to the whole DCFD
engine.
Like I didn't know this againat the time because I was on,
you know, higher than a kite.
But apparently when I got tothe hospital there were members
of DCFD already there waiting,like just to be there.
(18:49):
So pretty cool.
Um, and then, like again, Isaid my parents came, my wife
came, like DCFD, uh, burnt, dcfire burn foundation I might
have to look that verbiage upexactly, but the DC burn
foundation which is ran by theirlocal 36.
(19:10):
Like they already had hotelrooms for my parents when I got
there, like they, they broughtdinner, I'm pretty sure right
off their dinner table thatnight.
Like, again, I this is allrelayed to me Cause I was
completely out of it.
But then, like the next nightthey brought food and the night
after they brought food, likethese guys show up like on duty,
(19:33):
you know.
So shout out to nine truck andI'm assuming nine engine, like
just.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I was just like.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Holy crap, man.
You know, like it was um at thetime, like you don't even
realize what's going on, butlooking back it's just
overwhelming the amount ofsupport.
But I still have a long roadahead of me.
Just because they're not goingto release me for full duty
(20:02):
anytime soon, at minimum I'm offwork for six weeks.
But I don't even want to thinkthis way, but it could be a
career ender, you know.
But they told me like hey,right now we're going to put six
, but it'll probably be more,like 12 weeks.
And uh, like right now I stillhave restrictions, like I can't
(20:23):
drive, um, I can't lift anythingover 10 pounds, I can't like
twist, I can't do all this, youknow, like basic stuff.
So I've been trying to, you know, just lean against a wall and
do pushups or like do something,like just trying and I mean I'm
sure you could speak to this alot Like you start to get in
your head like oh, yeah.
(20:45):
So like I mean I'm I'm not surehow long it'll be like this,
but like I told Alicia that's mywife Like I have to start with
a routine today.
So, like this today's on MondayI was like I got to get a
routine again.
And if, even if that just meansI work out for 10 minutes, like
I use the quotation marks,workout like I sat up and sat
(21:06):
down like 50 times, like in achair.
You know I walked to the stopsign the other day and that's
like dude, I would go rock sevenmiles with like 40 pounds in my
bag, just like on a randomSaturday with bill.
You know, like on theAppalachian trail.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
So like to go from that to walking to a stop sign
and back is like sucks, you knowit's crazy, right, and
especially, a lot of us have ouridentity and being like
physically fit, like willing todo pretty much anything.
We love the job, as you clearlydo, and it's like so to your
(21:42):
point, like being in your head.
Yeah, it's weird because ofwhat you described.
Again, knee injury versus brainbleed much different.
I'm not comparing that, butthere is parallels.
It's the guys are unreal, theactual boots on the ground, I
mean.
It's you understand what itmeans to be a fireman when that
is shown, because there isnothing that they will not do.
(22:03):
And, to your point about dinneroff the table, wouldn't
surprise me either if theyliterally took their own plate,
put foil on top of it and droveit directly to the, the hospital
, because that's just the wayguys are and a lot of that too.
Like as you.
Like you're going to be home,hopefully no longer than, let's
say, 12 weeks, but it'sinteresting.
It gets very quiet andeverybody's going about their
(22:26):
life while you're sitting athome on this hamster wheel all
day long, like what am I goingto do?
Am I going to have a job andall of these things?
And then you're like I just gotto go do something.
So yeah, to your point.
I used to run five miles a day,like bare minimum, every single
day, like that, dude.
The amount of stress that youcan relieve in something like
that, I know you and Bill, oryou by yourself, will rock a ton
(22:47):
.
That's an outlet for us.
So when you don't have it youmade me laugh about pushups on
the wall, dude, because I stillI still can't do because of the
way my leg is, I can't dopushups.
But I said I can either do thisor do nothing and, as you're
finding out already, nothing isnot a good option because now
I'm not being physical, I'm notaround the guys, I'm not doing
all these things that I have aroutine with.
(23:07):
And yeah, to your last point,and then I'll let you continue
is you?
We forget how structured ourdays are, especially on the job,
and then when you get home, youknow you have a limited time
before you go back.
So I was always, and not everytime.
But you're way more productivewhen you come home, cause you're
like boom, I got 24 or 48 hours, I got to do this, this, this,
this and this.
Now it's okay, I got six to 12weeks.
(23:28):
I don't really have to doanything today.
It's just an interestingfeeling.
So, yes, I do agree.
I mean listening to you talk.
Like I said, brain bleeding.
I want to make that very clear.
Two different ends of thespectrum, but there's a lot of
parallels to where it's a scaryplace to be in your head all day
long.
I think.
I really do think it is,especially when you're used to
(23:49):
all the outlets that you're usedto having and now you're told
you're used to all the outletsthat you're used to having and
now you're told you're gonnahave to wait a little bit to do
it.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Yeah, and I mean I don't want to make it sound like
I'm walking around, woe is me,but it's like, yeah, and I mean,
don't get me wrong, like the,the guys that just the support
has just been amazing.
I'll just leave it at that.
Like, um, my dad said something.
He's like you know, I rememberyou talking about the whole
brotherhood thing when you firstgot started, but like he's
(24:15):
never witnessed it and he goes.
I hope I never have to again.
But he was just likeflabbergasted, like is the best
way I can put it.
And you know I can't say that Iwasn't either.
So just not that we have a hugelistenership, but obviously,
with Tyler and Aaron, well,aaron being in DC, like I just
said, cognitive ability WithAaron being in DC.
(24:39):
I just want to personally thankthose guys.
That department should beextremely proud of the way they
showed up.
Just amazing.
And the guys on my departmentcould never ask for anything
more.
And I wouldn't even put thatjust at.
The guys on my department likecould never ask for anything
more.
So, and I wouldn't even putthat just at.
The guys like the fire chiefshowed up at my room that night
(25:01):
and then showed up like a couplenights later Like just and
granted, we're not far from DC,but it's not just across the
street either.
We're not far from DC, but it'snot just across the street
either.
So for him to take the time todo something like that I don't
think there's that many firechiefs in a department of
600-some people that are justgoing to drop everything to go
(25:23):
do that.
So I think that was justamazing.
Perfect time to start sweepingGreat, but can you hear that?
Speaker 1 (25:35):
real bad no, I can't, because it sounds like they're
running a zamboni in my livingroom right now.
I have three kids screaming outon the trampoline in the
backyard too.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
So to that point.
You know, like that's one thingthat's like still really
bugging me is noises and uh,just like you'd think you just
sit here and watch tv and getall caught up on your netflix
shows, but like, even justwatching this screen right here,
like it's hard for me, like uh,to stare at a screen very long,
(26:03):
like the movement just startsto make like my head hurt a
little bit and noise is realtough.
So yesterday, um, um, againthis is a Monday so yesterday
was the first time I've gone tochurch since this happened and
uh, that's the first time I'vereally gone out.
And, um, like we were, weweren't all sure how it was
(26:25):
going to work, cause, like thechurch I go to, like they, they
do a uh, we'll call it a prettydecent job at music at the
beginning and it's usually likea full band and it's really
awesome.
I really enjoy it.
I mean thank God.
Cause, so, like I had earplugsready and then plan B was to go
sit in the lobby and just, youknow, scale it back like time
(26:48):
distance shielding here we go,but like again back.
Like time distance shieldinghere we go, but uh, like again,
by some weird grace of god,yesterday was just an acoustic
set, so they just had twoacoustical guitars and no, like
big production.
I was like, oh, thank god, youknow.
So it's just weird how all thatworks and uh, but yeah, still
going out like this is tough.
(27:09):
So, anyways, having the, I knowwhat that's like because I'm you
know you tried and that for themost part I've done a pretty
good job.
But, like you know, kids arejust being kids and you're just
like trying to keep the wheelson the wagon.
And right now, like, as I getcloser to nighttime, through the
night and the mornings are theabsolute worst for me right now
(27:30):
Uh, once I get up and get goinga little bit, it's okay.
But like my wife God bless herLike she has made sure, like my
uh, like medicine regimen hasbeen on point.
Like I told her, if it wasn'tfor her, I probably would have
needed Narcan by now, cause Iprobably did I take this, did I
take?
I can't remember, but she's gotlike a chart and she's all
(27:50):
organized and stuff, but so justyeah, anyways, so that's kind
of in a nutshell what happened.
It's a long road ahead and Ican't thank there's too many
people to thank here and justfrankly, I've made a list and
I'm going to start clipping awayat some of the thank you cards
and whatnot, but the one thingit's made me just absolutely
(28:14):
solidified my belief in ishaving a small team, or a team
in general, whatever you want tocall it.
Because, like during all ofthis, obviously most folks on
here probably know like I have abusiness partner.
His name is Bill and we'vetalked a lot about the pros and
cons of partnerships on here andall I can say is, if it wasn't
(28:35):
for Bill and our issues Like ofthe last two weeks, I would have
had the financial and businessissues that were basically just
(28:59):
left flapping in the wind.
So I don't care if you havelike two rental properties or
you have 200, like having somesort of plan system.
Something is imperative,because I didn't talk about it
but, like, the NICU that I wasin had 14 beds and of the 14
(29:21):
patients that were in that NICU,I was the only patient that
could walk and talk.
Some could talk, some could walk, but most were intubated, most
were in um, we'll call it worseshape than even like what, what
I was in Okay and uh.
So, like I was talking to mywife, I was talking to Bill, I
(29:41):
was like I, they called me, they, they call you a walkie talkie
when you're in that ward and youcan walk and talk, which I
thought was kind of funny.
But so, like my nurses, likeyou either have one, like your
nurse ratio is like one to one,or your nurse has two patients,
like that's how sick some ofthese people are.
So I would be like, oh, am Iyour own patient, you know cause
(30:03):
?
Like the nurse would be inthere all the time and not she's
like no, but my other patientcan't talk.
So, like, I'm kind of, I'm kindof like this oddity, but
anyways, I was saying like whatif that would have been me?
Like cause, originally theytold me I was going to be in
there for two weeks and I wasable to get out in one week, uh,
which, thank God, because thathad been a whole nother issue.
(30:24):
But, um, what if I would havebeen in a coma or intubated, or
one of these people that youknow I doesn't doesn't have as
much progress as I had showed?
Like then, what, how do youmanage the business?
Like, and that's that mightsound like, uh, I'll be frank,
like I, I know that's nevergoing to happen to me.
(30:45):
Like I eat healthy, I take careof myself, I do this, you know,
I train.
I wouldn't have ever thoughtthat I would have been the one
taken out in a freakinghelicopter that day.
You know it's so, it's easy.
Easy to sit there and say Idon't need to worry about that,
because that's not going to beme, and I hope you're right.
(31:06):
Um, but what if it was so,having a team where they were
able to step in, like we were inthe middle?
I'd say we're in the last phaseof implementing a brand new
storage management software,which is not an easy feat when
you have to switch severalhundred tenants over to a new
(31:27):
software and change bankingprograms and all this other
stuff that goes along with it.
Software and change bankingprograms and all this other
stuff that goes along with it.
So, like one of our VAs wasable to step up and just really
basically take the bull by thehorns from the Philippines and
handle, I would say, 90% of theissues, and then, with the
support staff from the softwarecompany and the billing company,
(31:50):
they were able to finish therest up for the most part, and
then that was enough to triageuntil I was well enough that I
could answer a couple ofquestions here and there.
So, and then having our otherVA just able to do all the
things she does on the dailybasis is just it was a godsend.
(32:10):
So we, we put we 20, I forgetthe exact number like 27 more
storage units in service,portable storage units like that
.
Of course, all that crap gotdelivered and was like the day I
got hurt was a Sunday.
That Monday I was supposed togo meet the install team that
(32:31):
flew in Sunday night to goinstall all these things,
install all these things.
Well, I'm not responding totext messages, I'm not
responding to anything.
Well, that's because I'mfreaking, you know, in an icu
completely blown out of my mind.
But then, like somehow I thinkmy wife got a hold of bill and
just said, like this is what'sgoing on.
So bill was able to meet themthere, go over like the plan,
(32:55):
cause we already had everythinglike schematic wise, like
planned out, just like manpeople, just like like the book,
uh, extreme ownership withJocko Willink and life bab, and
they talk about cover and movelike that.
The last two weeks have been areal world example of what cover
and move looks like when youhave a small team and you're not
a one man band.
(33:15):
And, um, after my first timebeing assigned to training and
seeing what that did to mybusiness versus the second time,
I can tell you that I was abeliever, but now I'm a real
believer that the one man bandconcept is a bad idea.
In my opinion.
You cannot go wrong with havingsomebody that can do at least
(33:39):
60% to 70% of what needs done onthe daily basis to at least
keep the boat afloat until youcan get back to whatever it is
you do Big believer in that now.
Now I'm going to sit down overthe next several weeks and just
kind of, you know, I got thislife insurance policy and Chris
(34:02):
Bukley's credit Like I've beenworking with him, bill, and I
got like a buy sell policy andit had just got approved like
two weeks prior to this, and Itold my wife you know, like dark
sense of humor I'm like man,good thing we got that policy,
you almost got paid.
You, you know, just like stupidass should have just kept your
mouth shut like, but anyway,that's just what they want to
(34:25):
hear yeah, yeah, seriously, I'msurprised I don't have another
bleed, but uh, so just takingsome time and putting all that
stuff together and you know,like easy, somewhat easy to find
format, it's in the safe, it'shere, it's there, just so that
it's on a USB key, whatever itis, just so.
God forbid, had they had tosort through the emotional and
(34:49):
mental issues of like hey, youknow dad's dead too.
Like now you got kids and likeI have, like they're young, like
, and eventually, like you said,everybody has to go back to
their normal lives and you don'twant to think that way, but
like I want to make sure thatlike hey, all this shit I've
been doing for years isn't fornothing or, even worse, like a
(35:14):
burden to them wheneversomething does happen or if
something were to happen.
So, yeah, man, that's, um,that's the the cliff notes
version.
That's not so cliff notes ofwhat happened two weeks ago and
kind of what the last two weekshave looked like.
I have my first follow-upappointment, um, this coming
(35:36):
Thursday and that will kind ofgive me a little bit better idea
of what to expect over the nextcouple weeks, months, so on and
so forth.
It's pretty cool.
Guys from my firehouse havealready made arrangements to
make sure they give me a ride mywhole shift I didn't even
mention this my normal wagondriver.
(35:57):
We call them technicians here.
I don't know what do you callthem in LA or LA County.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Engineers.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
Engineers.
So like DC, they call themtechnicians, we call them
technicians Montgomery County,they call them master
firefighters.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Or firefighters.
Specialists is what I thinkthey're supposed to be called.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Yeah, we've got a lot of specials, that's for sure.
But so the guy that drives meevery shift, my technician like
he's the one that drove me homefrom dc and then, like I didn't
know, but my whole shift wasthere.
When I came down the elevatorand, uh, I feel horrible because
I woke up that morning and Iwas just what I can only
(36:36):
describe an excruciating pain,like I looked like a hot bucket
of shit and I didn't know theywere going to be there and I
just couldn't even, like it wasback to the like, had one eye
open, type things.
Like I was like, oh my God,this is, hey, he's from my shit.
Wait, this is my whole shift,like you know.
So that was cool, you know.
In hindsight I wish I couldhave been a little more present
(36:59):
to thank them, but I guess theykind of understand also.
like, they're like yeah, we feltbad.
You looked like hell.
Thanks, I felt like it sothey'll always tell you the
truth.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Which is?
You know?
I still enjoy the the ballbusting and just chatting with
everybody.
So, yeah, that's all I got.
(37:21):
I know we said 20 minutes,we're at 40.
But that's all I got.
That's all I got to say aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
That's what I got to say Well, it was good to hear it
, dude, and it was funny thatyou mentioned that, because
Aaron, of course, texted meright away, right when he found
out.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
And then when I heard pale, cold, diaphoretic
vomiting, I'm like in my headI'm like, oh, dude, that's a
brain bleed for sure.
Yeah, it's like so.
And hey, anybody out there ifyou ever have that, those are
things you cannot fake.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
So yeah, if you ever describe it as the worst
headache of your life yep, theymean it, or hospital, yeah, I
still feel bad because, like Isaid, the guy driving me that
day wasn't my normal technician,he was the senior guy but like
the backup driver and he's like,dude, you're throwing up, we
got a rule out of brain bleed.
I'm like I'm freaking fine.
You know, like just let me be.
(38:11):
You know like just totaldouchebag, and I apologize to
him like 100 times, but I waslike dude, I was being a total
douchebag, like sorry, I, Ishould have listened to you,
like, but you know what I mean.
Like how many times have youhad a headache?
You take a couple looks at youand you're good to go it goes
away yeah, I mean I.
It should have been a deadgiveaway when I like couldn't
(38:31):
lift my head up that yeah orvomiting like hey, hey, dipshit,
uh, something might actually bewrong.
But again you just fall underthis false pretense of like I'm
fine, I'm not, you know I didn'tjust, I forgot what it's called
.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
But the Vietnam pilots talk about it.
It's like oh, that's going tohappen to the other guy, but
never me.
There's something that works.
Oh, it's never going to be me.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Yeah, well, that uh like confirmation bias maybe,
yeah, I don't know.
It's yeah, so anyways, it's uh,it's uh, it's been a ride, man.
And I can't thank my family,fire department family, my wife
my god, she's just been a hugetrooper.
So, um, just, yeah, and we itkind of sucks because we had
like a I I was taking my sonskiing one day Like they're like
(39:22):
, well, you're going to, wecan't cancel that, you're going
to have to send us a letter Likehere here's the note from the
fire chief he sent to thedepartment that says you know,
we were supposed to go on acruise in March and had to
cancel that.
So, just, but they wereactually really cool about it.
They're like, yeah, that sucks,but here, just, we'll give you
a credit and you can reschedulewhenever.
(39:44):
So that was cool, but yeah, soit's been, it's been a ride.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
It sounds like it and I'm sure you know we're glad
that everything's on the on themend and since you will be off,
like myself, for a while, we'regoing to commit to doing a lot
more of these.
Aaron could not be here today,so we'll get everybody together
and, um, yeah, I'm sure we'llprobably revisit this at some
point.
Um, down the road, as far as,like you said, like things that
you've done now, things thatyou've changed, yeah, but yeah
(40:14):
man do you have anything elsebefore we sign off?
Speaker 2 (40:18):
No, I just I always.
You can go back in my oldFacebook posts.
I posted this a long time ago,but it's like uh, so true to me
right now that it just like isseared into my mind.
Uh is nobody ever tells youwhen it's the last man.
So take advantage of each andevery time you see your kids,
your family, whatever it,whatever it is like, because no
(40:42):
one tells you when it's the lastone well, we will leave it
right there then.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Thanks everybody for listening, and we will catch you
on the next one.
All right, perfect.
All right, everybody, welcome back to First Responder
Financial Freedom.
It's been a few weeks, butwe're just going to do a show
with me and Mike today and I'mgoing to let Mike kind of take
the wheel here.
For those of you that followhim on social, or any of us, I'm
sure you've heard that Mike hada pretty, I would say,
significant, life changing event, had a pretty, I would say,
(00:27):
significant life-changing event,and just want to give him a
chance to let everybody knowwhat happened, kind of walk
through anything that he wantsto walk through and kind of let
it be his show.
So, mike, with that being said,I'm glad you're here.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
Yeah, I know we all are Welcome to your show.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, it's kind of funny, right.
I mean welcome to your own show.
But I mean, usually we try tofocus on the guests.
Today we're going to focus onyou, and I think there's a lot
of parallels that we can draw towhat we do, and that's not
really the purpose of today.
But I mean, it's like whatwe've always discussed is,
sometimes things can happen, andI think, if anything, I'm sure
it was a major revelation insome areas of life and it just
(01:05):
probably brought into theforefront things that you
weren't thinking aboutnecessarily yet, probably not
for a few more years.
So, with that being said,however, you want to discuss
what happened and go with it.
I'll try to ask you anyquestions as we go along, but
just wanted to let you talk.
Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, and so I apologize ahead of time if I get
kind of stuck in talking insome circles because I still am
having some we'll call itcognitive issues.
But so this show is beingrecorded in middle of February
of 2025.
So February 2nd of 2025, I wentto work.
(01:44):
So February 2nd of 2025, I wentto work, it was a Sunday, and
every time I work on Sunday I dothe same workout pretty much,
and I've done it for years andit's something I like to call
burpees for Jesus.
I do 100 burpees for time andmy goal was to beat my time from
the time before, and sometimesit happens, sometimes it doesn't
(02:05):
, and it's just one of thosethings that like.
To some people that might soundridiculous.
I don't think there's too manypeople that love to do burpees,
myself included and the long andshort of it is I was doing the
workout that morning.
I was doing it by myself out inthe engine bay and,
coincidentally like it's kind offunny how this works but I came
(02:29):
into work that morning andthere was a DCFD fire engine in
the engine bay, which I knew washappening, but it's not a
common occurrence to have a youknow, an engine company from the
district sitting there becausethey were preparing for a line
of duty death funeral,unfortunately, for one of their
members, and they were using ourfirehouse, uh, as kind of like
(02:51):
a staging area because of wherethe procession and whatnot was
going to take place.
That way they could clean uptheir wagon and whatnot.
So anyways, I say that becauseit'll kind of come into play in
about a couple minutes.
So I was working out and, likeI said, I usually work out
sometime around 8 or 9 in themorning, depending on when my
(03:12):
administrative stuff gets donefor the morning and what kind of
as I describe them wild cardsthe department or the citizens
have for me.
That day I remember I wasworking out, I had my headphones
in, I was setting, I set mytimer like I always do, and
started doing my burpees and Ialways keep like a little tally
(03:35):
mark of 10 hash marks, if youwill.
I did that morning.
I had it on our writingassignment board just because it
was close by.
So I do 10 burpees, hurry up,mark it off, and I just keep
going and I remember around likethe seventh round, so like the
70th burpee or so, like myvision kind of getting jacked up
(03:57):
, but I was like man, you know,whatever, I'm just being a wuss,
like just keep going.
You know like this is the homestretch.
And so I get to the 80th Burt B, I go over, I hit my hash mark
and I usually do like the last20, just kind of like mentally.
I think about it as four setsof five, just kind of like this
is where the suck factor starts,like you just go as fast as you
(04:18):
can.
So I did that.
So I did that, I get done and Istart to like feel what I can
only describe as like a littlebit of pain in my neck.
I'm like man, I just like pull amuscle or what, because I felt
(04:43):
it like down my traps, almostlike both sides or, for you
medics, bilaterally.
So I sit there and I'm like man.
This is like this is gettingworse.
And I've had sinus surgery formigraines, originally like 12
years ago, then I had it reviseda couple of years ago.
So I know what a migraine feelslike and I'm like this isn't a
migraine and I just I'm likethis is unbearable.
(05:06):
So I'm still rolling around onthe engine bay floor just trying
to get comfortable.
I'm sweaty and we have like the, the tile floor in our engine
bay, that kind of looks like anold school McDonald's, you know,
and I'm just like it's cold.
So I'm like trying to getcomfortable and I lay there and
uh, I start to realize like it'sreally hard to lift my head up,
but I'm like, well, maybe Itweaked a muscle, let me, let me
(05:28):
try and make it to the shower.
So I finally get up and uh, Iget to the shower after we'll
call it a little bit of work,and I get a shower and I am
hurting.
And then I get in uniform and Ilay down in my bunk which like
(05:48):
I never do during the day andone of my guys came in there
like, are you okay?
And I'm just like, no, but I'llbe okay.
Like I just took two Excedrin,I'll be fine.
So then we catch a tower run andI'm like, oh no, like this
sucks.
So I get, we cross staff, myfirehouse.
(06:09):
So like there's three guys, wehave three for the engine or the
ladder truck, whatever gets thecall.
We, we cross stuff, which isn'tideal but it's unfortunately
just the way we have to operateright now.
So we get in the ladder truckand it's a like a fire alarm
with burglar alarm, you know,like one of those like low
budget.
(06:29):
So the engine company that wasdue with us, they got there
first.
They staged until the policearrived so they could clear the
unit, which I'm glad they did,cause if I had to like get out
first and do the 360 and allthat jazz, it would have been a
real mess.
So we staged for the police andthey cleared the unit and I'm
like I'm looking like a hotbucket of crap sitting over
(06:51):
there in that seat my the guywheeling me that day it was.
He's a senior fireman, likebackup driver.
He looks over, he's like areyou okay?
I'm like, yeah, I'm fine, youknow, of course, like what else
are you going?
Speaker 1 (07:05):
to say Pale cool diaphoretic I'm great.
Speaker 2 (07:08):
Well, you say that like.
Apparently that was thedescription.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:12):
Like I could tell like I'm starting to get
diaphoretic, like I don't sweatmuch but like I'm starting to
sweat like clammy sweat.
So I get out of the laddertruck barely and I kneel down
next to the wheel and I just, Iremember holding on to the lug
nut cover and I just startedlike throwing up.
And they realize like all right, give the cap a second.
(07:35):
Then like next thing I know, Isee the back door open.
Then I see my driver comearound and they're like hey,
we're getting an ambulance tothe scene.
I'm like no, no, no, no, likeno, no, no, no, no, no, no, just
get me back to the firehouse.
So then the engine company likerealizes there's something
going on and they come back and,to their credit, man, like they
were just like how do we help?
You know, they start strippingmy gear off because, like I said
(07:56):
, I'm like hot at this point.
So somehow I get back in theladder truck, we get back to the
firehouse and on the way thereI'm doing one of the one-eye
texting things and I text thebattalion fire chief that
handles scheduling on theweekends, because normally we
have a scheduler, but on theweekends that's one of the
(08:17):
collateral duties for one of ourbattalion chiefs and I'm like,
can you please arrange relief?
I need to go, I'm sick, 'm sick.
He said, yep, it probably won'tbe till 1800, and this is at
like 10 o'clock in the morningand I was like, okay, meanwhile
I'm thinking there is no way inhell I can make it till 1800,
right?
And uh, so, and the timelinemight be, uh, slightly jacked up
(08:43):
here.
Like I said, I'm kind of goingfrom memory here and it's not
been the best.
So if some attorneys listeningto this from work comp or
something just know that this,that's my caveat here.
Wife and the kids left churchand they text me and I said, hey
(09:05):
, I'm getting ready to start myburpees.
I'll text you when I'm done,cause my wife knows that's what
I do, and so she hadn't heardfrom me.
So somehow she has and inhindsight this is a really bad
idea for me.
So she didn't have any of theother guys' cell phone numbers
that I was with.
She only had this one other guywho was not.
(09:26):
He was detailed out that day.
So then that dude texts mydriver and was like, yo, hey,
word must be getting around,you're not doing well, cause
this guy just texts me that hey,right in the tower.
So, um, my wife gets ahold ofthis guy and uh, they're like,
(09:51):
yeah, he doesn't want to go tothe hospital.
I'm like, no, just let me sleepit off.
Like, uh, I told them, once myrelief gets here, I'll come home
.
So my wife knows, like if I'mtalking about getting relief and
coming home, that something iswrong.
And uh, they said they somesomebody must have mentioned I
threw up and I described it asthe worst headache of my life.
(10:11):
And she my wife was a CAT scantech for 20 years.
So, like, she's not a doctor,but she, she heard that and she
was instantly like on red alert.
She's like, put him on thephone.
I still feel horrible for theguy that had to be like the
intermediary here and I've toldhim this.
I said I'm sorry, man, I shouldhave listened to you.
(10:31):
Puts my wife on the phone andshe's, we'll say, giving me the
business about going to thehospital.
I'm like, fine, I'll go to thehospital, like just keep her
happy.
And after this point, this iswhere it like gets really blurry
.
So they put me on the cot.
Fortunately, it's really blurry.
(10:57):
So they put me on the cot.
Fortunately, like where I work,like we have, we actually have
two ambulances staffed and oneof them just happened to be in
quarters, which is not alwaysthe case, so they put me on the
cot.
They literally wheeled the cotto the bunk room and somehow I
got on it.
I don't really remember how.
And after that man I know I gotto the hospital.
I remember my battalion chiefbeing there.
I don't know if he was therewhen I got there or what, but I
remember seeing him.
And I remember seeing one ofour EMS supervisors.
(11:20):
Uh, we have, like I'm sure youguys do, I don't know what you
call them, but like we, this guyhe has EMS 902 is there.
Ems 902 is there and I remember, like I don't know if it was
(11:49):
the hospital staff I don't wantto put them on blast or somebody
was suggesting that I go triageand I just remembered that EMS
lieutenant goes.
He's one of our guys and, basedon the description of what I've
been told, I looked like Iapparently did not look good and
, like I said, I don't rememberany of this really, except bits
and pieces.
And I remember being put in oneof the rooms and then I
remember going back for a CATscan and coming back, and then
all I remember is my wife beingthere and the doctor coming in
and saying that he has a bleed.
(12:10):
And I remember my wife walkingout and screaming some not so
Christian words in the hallwayand then throwing up so so, like
I said, she's not a doctor butshe knows enough.
Like she got, she saw the filmand she she could tell what was
going on and she's like that's alot of blood and uh, so next
(12:33):
thing, I know, um, I didn't knowthis, but huge shout out to the
maryland state police aviationcommand.
Like they I don't know if theyflew over from their hand,
because one of their helicoptersis based in the city I work
they either flew theirhelicopter to the hospital or I
don't know.
Apparently, I was told thatthey were actually there and
(12:54):
they were willing to take me tothe hospital.
I needed to go and take my wifebecause the helicopter they
were going to put me in, thatthey wouldn't let my wife go,
and my wife's like that's not anoption, like I'm going with him
.
So, long story short, my hat'soff to the Maryland state police
, uh, for their like willingnessto just say let's go.
(13:16):
But, um, at the end of the dayI ended up flying on the the
hospital's helicopter that I wasgoing to and, um, I was flown
to Washington DC and again, Idon't remember much of anything.
I don't remember the helicopterride at all.
Um, and then once I got to thehospital, I don't really
(13:38):
remember anything there exceptwaking up, like if you saw my uh
one social media post that, uh,I woke up, I had my uniform.
Pants were missing, that's allI had on whenever I got to the
first hospital was, somehow Iwas only in my uniform pants.
Um, and I remember those weregone and my brand new boxers
(14:00):
that I just got for Christmaswere gone, like standard dad
gift, yeah, exactly Like I toldmy wife I was like, damn, those
are my new ones, like those.
Those came in a three pack.
I only got two now, but anyways, like and just like my whole
like groin area covered iniodine because they had done an
angiogram, like where they go inthrough your femoral artery and
(14:22):
like put dye in your brain andlike do all this stuff.
And so I don't have it in frontof me to pronounce it correctly
, but the type of bleed I hadfortunately was not an aneurysm
and it was just like a venousbleed which, from what I gather
and I mean I'm clearly noneurosurgeon, but based on what
I've talked to all these folksabout over the last week or two,
(14:46):
the last week or two is, uh,this, basically, while I was
working out, uh like theexertion level it basically
caused a venus bleed is the wayI understand it.
Again, if you're from work compor whatever, like, don't hold
me to this, but this is myinterpretation of my
conversations.
So this was going to happen atsome point, whether it was that
(15:09):
morning in the engine bay or youknow another time, and like,
but somehow, god's grace,however you want to look at it,
whatever you pray to, but like,thank god it happened there and
not uh like, yeah, I went on thealarm bells call, but then,
like, either the next call orthe call after was a house fire
(15:33):
where we would have been thefirst due truck.
So I would have been on theroof with, with my rookie, who
it was his second day on a pieceof suppression equipment, so
that was not going to go so well.
You know, I don't want to speakfor him, but like, let's face
it.
(15:53):
If you have your choice.
Let's do this at ground level,right by an ambulance, or let's
do it on the roof of a house onfire.
Let's, let's pick our poisonhere.
So that's uh, that's one ofthose.
You know, I can already hearpeople like well, that's why I
don't work out, that's why Idon't do all this, all this dumb
shit, you know, and like I said, this wasn't like I just dreamt
this crazy workout up, like Ido it all the time, frankly, and
(16:14):
uh, so like the only likesilver lining to this to me is
like I'm glad it happened thereand not on a roof, you know.
So that's how I at least haveinternalized or become okay with
it.
Like, hey, you moron, like youshouldn't have done this, you
shouldn't have done this, youshouldn't have done that.
But like I felt fine when Istarted, like I had no issues,
(16:34):
like I actually worked the nightbefore at a different firehouse
.
Um, I got hired as the fourthman on a fire engine.
Like, so not, some of our uhfirehouses have four man
staffing now and mine is stillat three.
So if you're like, well, whatthe hell, why don't you have
four?
Like we're in the next wave,the final wave of a four person
staffing, so right now we havethree.
(16:57):
So I worked as a fireman thenight before easy night, no big
deal, um, worked the next day atmy firehouse and felt fine.
And next thing, you know, hereI am in a neurological intensive
care unit in Washington DC andI, you know, I'm trying to make
sense of all this, like I'm youknow, they have you on all sorts
(17:19):
of crazy stuff Like you're justtrying to make sense of what's
up and what's down, like.
And you know, like before Irealized that, like my parents
are there and I'm like what theheck?
Like cause they live in Florida.
Like, like my parents got thephone call from my wife,
literally were on a plane, likefrom what I gather, like two
hours later and somebody from mydepartment, you know, shout out
(17:41):
to Brady McCartan uh, the guy,the, the guy we interviewed
about the job coat like left icerescue training in central
Pennsylvania, drove to BaltimoreWashington airport, picked my
parents up and drove themstraight to DC.
Like they got to the hospitaldamn near faster than I did, you
know like, so, uh, justincredible, um, and then, like I
(18:06):
remember, I'm starting to likecome out of some of the cause
they give you a sedation for theprocedure.
And I remember waking up andnext thing, I know, I see, like
our union president, uh, who Iwent to recruit school with, and
then I see, like our our firechief showed up and then I'm
like, then the guy that normallyrelieves me in the morning, uh,
(18:26):
on a shift, like thatlieutenant was there.
Like I'm just like Holy crapwhen, what's going on?
And uh, you know, I said I'dcircle back to the whole DCFD
engine.
Like I didn't know this againat the time because I was on,
you know, higher than a kite.
But apparently when I got tothe hospital there were members
of DCFD already there waiting,like just to be there.
(18:49):
So pretty cool.
Um, and then, like again, Isaid my parents came, my wife
came, like DCFD, uh, burnt, dcfire burn foundation I might
have to look that verbiage upexactly, but the DC burn
foundation which is ran by theirlocal 36.
(19:10):
Like they already had hotelrooms for my parents when I got
there, like they, they broughtdinner, I'm pretty sure right
off their dinner table thatnight.
Like, again, I this is allrelayed to me Cause I was
completely out of it.
But then, like the next nightthey brought food and the night
after they brought food, likethese guys show up like on duty,
(19:33):
you know.
So shout out to nine truck andI'm assuming nine engine, like
just.
Speaker 1 (19:41):
I was just like.
Speaker 2 (19:41):
Holy crap, man.
You know, like it was um at thetime, like you don't even
realize what's going on, butlooking back it's just
overwhelming the amount ofsupport.
But I still have a long roadahead of me.
Just because they're not goingto release me for full duty
(20:02):
anytime soon, at minimum I'm offwork for six weeks.
But I don't even want to thinkthis way, but it could be a
career ender, you know.
But they told me like hey,right now we're going to put six
, but it'll probably be more,like 12 weeks.
And uh, like right now I stillhave restrictions, like I can't
(20:23):
drive, um, I can't lift anythingover 10 pounds, I can't like
twist, I can't do all this, youknow, like basic stuff.
So I've been trying to, you know, just lean against a wall and
do pushups or like do something,like just trying and I mean I'm
sure you could speak to this alot Like you start to get in
your head like oh, yeah.
(20:45):
So like I mean I'm I'm not surehow long it'll be like this,
but like I told Alicia that's mywife Like I have to start with
a routine today.
So, like this today's on MondayI was like I got to get a
routine again.
And if, even if that just meansI work out for 10 minutes, like
I use the quotation marks,workout like I sat up and sat
(21:06):
down like 50 times, like in achair.
You know I walked to the stopsign the other day and that's
like dude, I would go rock sevenmiles with like 40 pounds in my
bag, just like on a randomSaturday with bill.
You know, like on theAppalachian trail.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
So like to go from that to walking to a stop sign
and back is like sucks, you knowit's crazy, right, and
especially, a lot of us have ouridentity and being like
physically fit, like willing todo pretty much anything.
We love the job, as you clearlydo, and it's like so to your
(21:42):
point, like being in your head.
Yeah, it's weird because ofwhat you described.
Again, knee injury versus brainbleed much different.
I'm not comparing that, butthere is parallels.
It's the guys are unreal, theactual boots on the ground, I
mean.
It's you understand what itmeans to be a fireman when that
is shown, because there isnothing that they will not do.
(22:03):
And, to your point about dinneroff the table, wouldn't
surprise me either if theyliterally took their own plate,
put foil on top of it and droveit directly to the, the hospital
, because that's just the wayguys are and a lot of that too.
Like as you.
Like you're going to be home,hopefully no longer than, let's
say, 12 weeks, but it'sinteresting.
It gets very quiet andeverybody's going about their
(22:26):
life while you're sitting athome on this hamster wheel all
day long, like what am I goingto do?
Am I going to have a job andall of these things?
And then you're like I just gotto go do something.
So yeah, to your point.
I used to run five miles a day,like bare minimum, every single
day, like that, dude.
The amount of stress that youcan relieve in something like
that, I know you and Bill, oryou by yourself, will rock a ton
(22:47):
.
That's an outlet for us.
So when you don't have it youmade me laugh about pushups on
the wall, dude, because I stillI still can't do because of the
way my leg is, I can't dopushups.
But I said I can either do thisor do nothing and, as you're
finding out already, nothing isnot a good option because now
I'm not being physical, I'm notaround the guys, I'm not doing
all these things that I have aroutine with.
(23:07):
And yeah, to your last point,and then I'll let you continue
is you?
We forget how structured ourdays are, especially on the job,
and then when you get home, youknow you have a limited time
before you go back.
So I was always, and not everytime.
But you're way more productivewhen you come home, cause you're
like boom, I got 24 or 48 hours, I got to do this, this, this,
this and this.
Now it's okay, I got six to 12weeks.
(23:28):
I don't really have to doanything today.
It's just an interestingfeeling.
So, yes, I do agree.
I mean listening to you talk.
Like I said, brain bleeding.
I want to make that very clear.
Two different ends of thespectrum, but there's a lot of
parallels to where it's a scaryplace to be in your head all day
long.
I think.
I really do think it is,especially when you're used to
(23:49):
all the outlets that you're usedto having and now you're told
you're used to all the outletsthat you're used to having and
now you're told you're gonnahave to wait a little bit to do
it.
Speaker 2 (23:54):
Yeah, and I mean I don't want to make it sound like
I'm walking around, woe is me,but it's like, yeah, and I mean,
don't get me wrong, like the,the guys that just the support
has just been amazing.
I'll just leave it at that.
Like, um, my dad said something.
He's like you know, I rememberyou talking about the whole
brotherhood thing when you firstgot started, but like he's
(24:15):
never witnessed it and he goes.
I hope I never have to again.
But he was just likeflabbergasted, like is the best
way I can put it.
And you know I can't say that Iwasn't either.
So just not that we have a hugelistenership, but obviously,
with Tyler and Aaron, well,aaron being in DC, like I just
said, cognitive ability WithAaron being in DC.
(24:39):
I just want to personally thankthose guys.
That department should beextremely proud of the way they
showed up.
Just amazing.
And the guys on my departmentcould never ask for anything
more.
And I wouldn't even put thatjust at.
The guys on my department likecould never ask for anything
more.
So, and I wouldn't even putthat just at.
The guys like the fire chiefshowed up at my room that night
(25:01):
and then showed up like a couplenights later Like just and
granted, we're not far from DC,but it's not just across the
street either.
We're not far from DC, but it'snot just across the street
either.
So for him to take the time todo something like that I don't
think there's that many firechiefs in a department of
600-some people that are justgoing to drop everything to go
(25:23):
do that.
So I think that was justamazing.
Perfect time to start sweepingGreat, but can you hear that?
Speaker 1 (25:35):
real bad no, I can't, because it sounds like they're
running a zamboni in my livingroom right now.
I have three kids screaming outon the trampoline in the
backyard too.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
So to that point.
You know, like that's one thingthat's like still really
bugging me is noises and uh,just like you'd think you just
sit here and watch tv and getall caught up on your netflix
shows, but like, even justwatching this screen right here,
like it's hard for me, like uh,to stare at a screen very long,
(26:03):
like the movement just startsto make like my head hurt a
little bit and noise is realtough.
So yesterday, um, um, againthis is a Monday so yesterday
was the first time I've gone tochurch since this happened and
uh, that's the first time I'vereally gone out.
And, um, like we were, weweren't all sure how it was
(26:25):
going to work, cause, like thechurch I go to, like they, they
do a uh, we'll call it a prettydecent job at music at the
beginning and it's usually likea full band and it's really
awesome.
I really enjoy it.
I mean thank God.
Cause, so, like I had earplugsready and then plan B was to go
sit in the lobby and just, youknow, scale it back like time
(26:48):
distance shielding here we go,but like again back.
Like time distance shieldinghere we go, but uh, like again,
by some weird grace of god,yesterday was just an acoustic
set, so they just had twoacoustical guitars and no, like
big production.
I was like, oh, thank god, youknow.
So it's just weird how all thatworks and uh, but yeah, still
going out like this is tough.
(27:09):
So, anyways, having the, I knowwhat that's like because I'm you
know you tried and that for themost part I've done a pretty
good job.
But, like you know, kids arejust being kids and you're just
like trying to keep the wheelson the wagon.
And right now, like, as I getcloser to nighttime, through the
night and the mornings are theabsolute worst for me right now
(27:30):
Uh, once I get up and get goinga little bit, it's okay.
But like my wife God bless herLike she has made sure, like my
uh, like medicine regimen hasbeen on point.
Like I told her, if it wasn'tfor her, I probably would have
needed Narcan by now, cause Iprobably did I take this, did I
take?
I can't remember, but she's gotlike a chart and she's all
(27:50):
organized and stuff, but so justyeah, anyways, so that's kind
of in a nutshell what happened.
It's a long road ahead and Ican't thank there's too many
people to thank here and justfrankly, I've made a list and
I'm going to start clipping awayat some of the thank you cards
and whatnot, but the one thingit's made me just absolutely
(28:14):
solidified my belief in ishaving a small team, or a team
in general, whatever you want tocall it.
Because, like during all ofthis, obviously most folks on
here probably know like I have abusiness partner.
His name is Bill and we'vetalked a lot about the pros and
cons of partnerships on here andall I can say is, if it wasn't
(28:35):
for Bill and our issues Like ofthe last two weeks, I would have
had the financial and businessissues that were basically just
(28:59):
left flapping in the wind.
So I don't care if you havelike two rental properties or
you have 200, like having somesort of plan system.
Something is imperative,because I didn't talk about it
but, like, the NICU that I wasin had 14 beds and of the 14
(29:21):
patients that were in that NICU,I was the only patient that
could walk and talk.
Some could talk, some could walk, but most were intubated, most
were in um, we'll call it worseshape than even like what, what
I was in Okay and uh.
So, like I was talking to mywife, I was talking to Bill, I
(29:41):
was like I, they called me, they, they call you a walkie talkie
when you're in that ward and youcan walk and talk, which I
thought was kind of funny.
But so, like my nurses, likeyou either have one, like your
nurse ratio is like one to one,or your nurse has two patients,
like that's how sick some ofthese people are.
So I would be like, oh, am Iyour own patient, you know cause
(30:03):
?
Like the nurse would be inthere all the time and not she's
like no, but my other patientcan't talk.
So, like, I'm kind of, I'm kindof like this oddity, but
anyways, I was saying like whatif that would have been me?
Like cause, originally theytold me I was going to be in
there for two weeks and I wasable to get out in one week, uh,
which, thank God, because thathad been a whole nother issue.
(30:24):
But, um, what if I would havebeen in a coma or intubated, or
one of these people that youknow I doesn't doesn't have as
much progress as I had showed?
Like then, what, how do youmanage the business?
Like, and that's that mightsound like, uh, I'll be frank,
like I, I know that's nevergoing to happen to me.
(30:45):
Like I eat healthy, I take careof myself, I do this, you know,
I train.
I wouldn't have ever thoughtthat I would have been the one
taken out in a freakinghelicopter that day.
You know it's so, it's easy.
Easy to sit there and say Idon't need to worry about that,
because that's not going to beme, and I hope you're right.
(31:06):
Um, but what if it was so,having a team where they were
able to step in, like we were inthe middle?
I'd say we're in the last phaseof implementing a brand new
storage management software,which is not an easy feat when
you have to switch severalhundred tenants over to a new
(31:27):
software and change bankingprograms and all this other
stuff that goes along with it.
Software and change bankingprograms and all this other
stuff that goes along with it.
So, like one of our VAs wasable to step up and just really
basically take the bull by thehorns from the Philippines and
handle, I would say, 90% of theissues, and then, with the
support staff from the softwarecompany and the billing company,
(31:50):
they were able to finish therest up for the most part, and
then that was enough to triageuntil I was well enough that I
could answer a couple ofquestions here and there.
So, and then having our otherVA just able to do all the
things she does on the dailybasis is just it was a godsend.
(32:10):
So we, we put we 20, I forgetthe exact number like 27 more
storage units in service,portable storage units like that
.
Of course, all that crap gotdelivered and was like the day I
got hurt was a Sunday.
That Monday I was supposed togo meet the install team that
(32:31):
flew in Sunday night to goinstall all these things,
install all these things.
Well, I'm not responding totext messages, I'm not
responding to anything.
Well, that's because I'mfreaking, you know, in an icu
completely blown out of my mind.
But then, like somehow I thinkmy wife got a hold of bill and
just said, like this is what'sgoing on.
So bill was able to meet themthere, go over like the plan,
(32:55):
cause we already had everythinglike schematic wise, like
planned out, just like manpeople, just like like the book,
uh, extreme ownership withJocko Willink and life bab, and
they talk about cover and movelike that.
The last two weeks have been areal world example of what cover
and move looks like when youhave a small team and you're not
a one man band.
(33:15):
And, um, after my first timebeing assigned to training and
seeing what that did to mybusiness versus the second time,
I can tell you that I was abeliever, but now I'm a real
believer that the one man bandconcept is a bad idea.
In my opinion.
You cannot go wrong with havingsomebody that can do at least
(33:39):
60% to 70% of what needs done onthe daily basis to at least
keep the boat afloat until youcan get back to whatever it is
you do Big believer in that now.
Now I'm going to sit down overthe next several weeks and just
kind of, you know, I got thislife insurance policy and Chris
(34:02):
Bukley's credit Like I've beenworking with him, bill, and I
got like a buy sell policy andit had just got approved like
two weeks prior to this, and Itold my wife you know, like dark
sense of humor I'm like man,good thing we got that policy,
you almost got paid.
You, you know, just like stupidass should have just kept your
mouth shut like, but anyway,that's just what they want to
(34:25):
hear yeah, yeah, seriously, I'msurprised I don't have another
bleed, but uh, so just takingsome time and putting all that
stuff together and you know,like easy, somewhat easy to find
format, it's in the safe, it'shere, it's there, just so that
it's on a USB key, whatever itis, just so.
God forbid, had they had tosort through the emotional and
(34:49):
mental issues of like hey, youknow dad's dead too.
Like now you got kids and likeI have, like they're young, like
, and eventually, like you said,everybody has to go back to
their normal lives and you don'twant to think that way, but
like I want to make sure thatlike hey, all this shit I've
been doing for years isn't fornothing or, even worse, like a
(35:14):
burden to them wheneversomething does happen or if
something were to happen.
So, yeah, man, that's, um,that's the the cliff notes
version.
That's not so cliff notes ofwhat happened two weeks ago and
kind of what the last two weekshave looked like.
I have my first follow-upappointment, um, this coming
(35:36):
Thursday and that will kind ofgive me a little bit better idea
of what to expect over the nextcouple weeks, months, so on and
so forth.
It's pretty cool.
Guys from my firehouse havealready made arrangements to
make sure they give me a ride mywhole shift I didn't even
mention this my normal wagondriver.
(35:57):
We call them technicians here.
I don't know what do you callthem in LA or LA County.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
Engineers.
Speaker 2 (36:03):
Engineers.
So like DC, they call themtechnicians, we call them
technicians Montgomery County,they call them master
firefighters.
Speaker 1 (36:11):
Or firefighters.
Specialists is what I thinkthey're supposed to be called.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
Yeah, we've got a lot of specials, that's for sure.
But so the guy that drives meevery shift, my technician like
he's the one that drove me homefrom dc and then, like I didn't
know, but my whole shift wasthere.
When I came down the elevatorand, uh, I feel horrible because
I woke up that morning and Iwas just what I can only
(36:36):
describe an excruciating pain,like I looked like a hot bucket
of shit and I didn't know theywere going to be there and I
just couldn't even, like it wasback to the like, had one eye
open, type things.
Like I was like, oh my God,this is, hey, he's from my shit.
Wait, this is my whole shift,like you know.
So that was cool, you know.
In hindsight I wish I couldhave been a little more present
(36:59):
to thank them, but I guess theykind of understand also.
like, they're like yeah, we feltbad.
You looked like hell.
Thanks, I felt like it sothey'll always tell you the
truth.
Yeah, yeah, exactly.
Which is?
You know?
I still enjoy the the ballbusting and just chatting with
everybody.
So, yeah, that's all I got.
(37:21):
I know we said 20 minutes,we're at 40.
But that's all I got.
That's all I got to say aboutthat.
Speaker 1 (37:29):
That's what I got to say Well, it was good to hear it
, dude, and it was funny thatyou mentioned that, because
Aaron, of course, texted meright away, right when he found
out.
Speaker 2 (37:37):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (37:39):
And then when I heard pale, cold, diaphoretic
vomiting, I'm like in my headI'm like, oh, dude, that's a
brain bleed for sure.
Yeah, it's like so.
And hey, anybody out there ifyou ever have that, those are
things you cannot fake.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
So yeah, if you ever describe it as the worst
headache of your life yep, theymean it, or hospital, yeah, I
still feel bad because, like Isaid, the guy driving me that
day wasn't my normal technician,he was the senior guy but like
the backup driver and he's like,dude, you're throwing up, we
got a rule out of brain bleed.
I'm like I'm freaking fine.
You know, like just let me be.
(38:11):
You know like just totaldouchebag, and I apologize to
him like 100 times, but I waslike dude, I was being a total
douchebag, like sorry, I, Ishould have listened to you,
like, but you know what I mean.
Like how many times have youhad a headache?
You take a couple looks at youand you're good to go it goes
away yeah, I mean I.
It should have been a deadgiveaway when I like couldn't
(38:31):
lift my head up that yeah orvomiting like hey, hey, dipshit,
uh, something might actually bewrong.
But again you just fall underthis false pretense of like I'm
fine, I'm not, you know I didn'tjust, I forgot what it's called
.
Speaker 1 (38:48):
But the Vietnam pilots talk about it.
It's like oh, that's going tohappen to the other guy, but
never me.
There's something that works.
Oh, it's never going to be me.
Speaker 2 (39:00):
Yeah, well, that uh like confirmation bias maybe,
yeah, I don't know.
It's yeah, so anyways, it's uh,it's uh, it's been a ride, man.
And I can't thank my family,fire department family, my wife
my god, she's just been a hugetrooper.
So, um, just, yeah, and we itkind of sucks because we had
like a I I was taking my sonskiing one day Like they're like
(39:22):
, well, you're going to, wecan't cancel that, you're going
to have to send us a letter Likehere here's the note from the
fire chief he sent to thedepartment that says you know,
we were supposed to go on acruise in March and had to
cancel that.
So, just, but they wereactually really cool about it.
They're like, yeah, that sucks,but here, just, we'll give you
a credit and you can reschedulewhenever.
(39:44):
So that was cool, but yeah, soit's been, it's been a ride.
Speaker 1 (39:51):
It sounds like it and I'm sure you know we're glad
that everything's on the on themend and since you will be off,
like myself, for a while, we'regoing to commit to doing a lot
more of these.
Aaron could not be here today,so we'll get everybody together
and, um, yeah, I'm sure we'llprobably revisit this at some
point.
Um, down the road, as far as,like you said, like things that
you've done now, things thatyou've changed, yeah, but yeah
(40:14):
man do you have anything elsebefore we sign off?
Speaker 2 (40:18):
No, I just I always.
You can go back in my oldFacebook posts.
I posted this a long time ago,but it's like uh, so true to me
right now that it just like isseared into my mind.
Uh is nobody ever tells youwhen it's the last man.
So take advantage of each andevery time you see your kids,
your family, whatever it,whatever it is like, because no
(40:42):
one tells you when it's the lastone well, we will leave it
right there then.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
Thanks everybody for listening, and we will catch you
on the next one.
All right, perfect.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.