June 10, 2025 • 18 mins
One moment you're celebrating Christmas Eve with family, the next you're being told you'll never walk again. In this powerful conversation, we hear a firsthand account of what happens when life changes in an instant.
The story begins on a snowy Christmas Eve in 2007, with an unexplainable urge to go running despite the weather. Hours later, a 90-year-old driver ran a stop sign, causing a collision that would permanently alter the course of a life. What followed was an 8.5-hour surgery, the devastating news of less than 1% chance of walking again, and the simultaneous grief of learning that a father had died in the same accident.
The psychological journey through this trauma reveals the daily battle between hope and despair. "Each morning I'd tell myself I would overcome this," our guest shares. "By nighttime, reality would set in that this was my life now." What makes this story remarkable isn't just survival, but how recovery happened through unexpected channels – from brothers working double shifts to be present at the hospital, to strangers sending drawings that provided focus during long, painful nights. Even small gestures, like basketball referees bringing a Frosted Flakes-themed gift package, created lifelines during the darkest moments.
This conversation offers profound insight into human resilience, showing that strength rarely comes solely from within. It's built through connections, through community, and through finding meaning in suffering. Whether you're facing your own life-changing challenge or supporting someone who is, this episode will transform how you think about overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles. Listen now and discover how we find strength we never knew we had.
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Hi, I’m Marc Thomas, Founder and CEO of Current TEK Solutions and CYBER GUARDIANS. If you or someone you know could benefit from our cutting-edge IT and cybersecurity services, we’d love to help. Reach out to us today to learn how we can secure and elevate your business. https://www.currentTEKsolutions.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And when I finally did get home, I think there was
a lot of soul searching.
And when I got back to my house, I couldn't go to my room
because I was still in mywheelchair.
At that point I think I hadenough medication that my legs
finally I didn't feel anythingfor a while, but when I did, I
would have just painfulsensations, painful burning, and
(00:23):
the medication got to where Icouldn't feel anything.
So, um, but but when I got home, I, when I got home, I realized
that, um, you know, this wasall real.
Like, this is my house and it'sempty, you know, no one's here
and uh, and I, I know there wasa big part of me that was
waiting to come home and maybethat would be this um, inception
(00:45):
point where finally I'd wake up.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
For those that don't know your story, let's go back
to 2007.
Yeah, take us back to the dayof the accident and explain how
did that change your life in aninstant.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I actually remember, and I remember the first time I
was really sitting down andsaying, hey, I'm going to.
I've had a bunch of people overthe years ask me if I had a
book and I said no, and they'relike you should, and I probably,
like I said over 10 years ago,I remember, I still remember
sitting down and kind of goingback, which is which is a
(01:26):
challenge to go back in time andand relive those moments.
But I I remember vividly, uh,christmas Eve of 07, standing in
my driveway and there wasn'tsnow on the ground, but it was
snowing and I went out to go ona run and and there was a huge
pole to just go back insidewhere it's warm and and you know
(01:49):
, it's slippery, it's cold, Ididn't dress warm enough.
All these excuses of all thereasons that and everyone has, I
think that's human condition.
Your body explains to you whyyou shouldn't really, you know,
go out and make yourself work sohard.
And I just remember staring outin the driveway and just
(02:09):
telling, and I had no reason torun, I wasn't training for
anything, and but I just wantedto, like I felt compelled to,
and I went on just a maybe oneor two mile run.
I don't even know how far I ran, but I just went out for this
jog and, you know, came back anduh, and I remember my dad was
cooking lunch and and just waslike what would you run for?
(02:32):
It's cold, it's starting tosnow, it's slippery and get icy,
probably, and I just felt likeI had to go run and uh, at that
time I was also lucky.
I just I was.
I wasn't, that's the thing, Ididn't, I wasn't training for
anything that I knew of.
(02:52):
But I do feel like, lookingback at that, this terrible
thing was happening and I was inthe best shape of my life, I
really was, and, and they, thenurses, the doctor said, you
know that that really helped meget through all the trauma.
But, in any case, we had apretty normal Christmas Eve,
just uh, being at the house andand uh, we were planning to go,
uh, in the mid afternoon over tomy second cousin's house and
(03:16):
and um, and spend Christmas Evewith them, which is a typical
Christmas Eve.
But, uh, but it all, we, wedrove back, uh, we left the, we
left the party and um, we weredriving back to go to church.
Uh, I believe nine or 10o'clock.
We were um going to go to thisuh midnight mass so-called and
(03:39):
that was my aunt's um church andwatch my uncle and aunt sing in
the choir.
Um and uh, but on our way there, a 90 year old man ran a stop
sign and hit our car and and Istill remember that moment
vividly.
But then just black, justnothing.
And and I remember when I cameto uh and I don't even know how
(04:03):
long that was, but when I cameto I had, shortly thereafter, I
could hear people talkingoutside.
But I remember someone I waslaying on the passenger window,
on the passenger side, and Iremember someone coming up to
the driver's window and lookingdown at me and you know,
basically just telling me toremain calm and all those sorts
(04:23):
of things.
You know, basically justtelling me to remain calm and
all those sorts of things.
But, um, but he warned me thatwhen I, when I came out, I'd
feel the most pain I've everfelt in my life and I had no
idea what he's talking about.
I mean, I was in shock.
I didn't, I couldn't feel mylegs in that moment, but I
didn't really think about it, um, I couldn't move, my, I didn't
think anything of it.
I think I might've even toldhim that, and so he probably
knew what that meant.
(04:44):
But I didn't know what thatmeant.
I just thought like I stilldidn't know what was going on.
And um, but he was right.
I mean, when they, they pulledme out, it was the most pain
I've ever felt in my life.
And uh, since, or before, and um, and uh, I was taking the
hospital, um, it was, it was ablur.
(05:07):
I had, um.
I remember counting down.
I'd never had a surgery, but Iremember counting down from 10
and and uh, going under at abouteight and then, by the time, in
my mind, I would have gottendown to zero.
I woke up again, eight and ahalf hours had passed and uh,
and they had worked on my backthat entire time, uh, replacing
two vertebrae, and uh, and itwas some short time thereafter
(05:31):
that the doctor came in to tellme that I had to have a surgery
on my back and all those things,and and and then laid it on me
that I'd never walk again, thatthat even a 1% chance would be
more credit than than she wouldwant to give me.
But but that's what it is.
And uh, yeah, and that's um, atsome point during that time I,
(05:55):
I know, I know, in betweengetting or the accident and the
surgery, I had a trooper come totell me that my father had
passed.
But I didn't really.
I mean, I felt it, but I didn'tbelieve it necessarily.
I mean, all of it felt like itwas a nightmare, like none of it
was real.
And I was waiting to wake upand I didn't get much sleep,
(06:18):
obviously, at the hospital, butwhen I did, and I woke up, every
single time was like a newrealization that I'm waking up
again and I'm in a hospital bed.
What happened?
And I basically had to reliveit all over and over again,
because every time I woke up Iwas somewhat in shock that, like
(06:40):
, this is my life now.
This isn't going away, um, but,but that changed everything for
us as a family and for me,obviously.
But, um, but yeah, I wentthrough, um, as I said, it was
about three and a half months inthe hospitals.
Um, and when I, when I finallydid get home, I think there was
(07:02):
a lot of soul searching and um,and when I got back to my house,
I couldn't go to my room causeI was still in my wheelchair.
Um, at that point I think I hadenough medication that my legs
finally, uh, I, I didn't feelanything for a while, but when I
did, I would have just painfulsensations, painful burning, and
um, and the medication got towhere I couldn't feel anything.
(07:24):
So, um, but, but when I gothome, I, when I got home, I
realized that, um, you know,this was all real, like this is
my house and it's empty, youknow no one's here, and uh, and
I, I know there was a big partof me that was waiting to come
home and maybe that would bethis inception point where,
(07:45):
finally, I'd wake up in my roomand it was all a nightmare, but
that didn't happen.
So there was a lot of figuringthings out, especially the first
year, of trying to realize andcomprehend everything that had
happened and what that meant formy future yeah, so when the the
(08:07):
comment was made about um, youknow one percent chance or less
than a one percent chance,really one percent chance of
walking and um?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
do you recall what your initial thoughts and
emotions were to that comment?
Speaker 1 (08:21):
I mean, I think it was the same as as the other
things that they told me hadhappened, but I just remember
saying no, like, no, that's not.
Like you're wrong, basically,and really not necessarily that
you're wrong and I won't walkagain, but you're just confusing
(08:43):
me with someone else.
Like you didn't do that surgery's not, that didn't happen.
This isn't real.
Like, yeah, basically, goingthrough those stages of grief
that I just denied everything,that wasn't real.
I mean, even in that first day,as I was processing things,
though, it's like okay, I mean,you know, I couldn't even, I
(09:04):
couldn't hardly move, like eventurn or anything in bed, and it,
you know, like okay, so I didhave this surgery.
Like that's, you know, that's areal thing, and I, I would tell
, but I would.
I would still tell myself,though, that she's still like I
will, you, I'll get through this, and it wasn't quite that easy,
(09:26):
but it was.
I'm going to get to this, isn't?
I'm not going to be likeeveryone else, like I'm going to
overcome this.
And she doesn't know me, shedoesn't know how I am, but
usually by nighttime, you know,I'd sat back in like that, and
not that they were know allnegative, but they knew the
(09:49):
reality I was facing and what achallenge it would be.
And so by night time usuallythings would settle in that like
this is your life now, likeit's going to be awful all the
time and you're going to be inphysical pain and you're going
to be in emotional pain, and andthis is just what life is now.
And usually around those timesis when I would say my prayers
(10:11):
and and just if anything couldgo right, if anything positive
could ever come from this, thenit would kind of renew the faith
I had because, uh, justeverything was terrible, and so
I would start my mornings again.
Okay, I'm going to get overcomethis.
And I really had hoped for thatmiraculous moment that boom,
(10:33):
well, I just wake up and none ofit had happened.
But I also hope that I wake upand just forget what had
happened and I would just getout of bed and just walk home.
And of course that didn'thappen either.
So it was a constant tug backand forth as far as getting to
(10:54):
nighttime and, like I said,usually not sleeping a wink and
just thinking this is my lifenow, this is what it's going to
be, and then the next morninghaving to reset and eventually
get to the mode at theUniversity of Michigan that I'm
going to go do my physicaltherapy, do what they tell me to
do, give it my best and, youknow, just make it through
(11:15):
another day and really take itday by day.
That was, I think, when I reallystarted to regain which I think
I naturally had a positive,optimistic attitude, like just
my personality.
But I kind of regained thatagain.
Instead of just saying no, andand you got the wrong guy and
that kind of thing, I just said,well, I'm just I'm going to do
(11:36):
the things they tell me to doand and get the most out of
every day that I can and andhopefully that adds up to
something of value so you, youknow, daily you were dealing
with the mental and emotionalright aspects of this and the
struggle and hoping maybe youjust wake up and everything's
(11:57):
back to normal, right.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
They're just kind of living this dream and this
nightmare.
You know that's a lot that youwere trying to cope with.
And then your family was copingwith due to the tragedy and and
obviously you being in thehospital and having these
surgeries.
How was that support from themfor you and you know, being
(12:22):
there and, and I'm sorry,everyone's dealing with their
own thing, right, yeah, the lossof your father, the loss of
your beloved ones.
And then so help me a littleunderstand about the support
aspect there it was, it was huge.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
You know, I think that for each of us, I think we
each just were strong in our ownway as far as uh bearing, you
know, that weight that we had.
I mean, even for me, I wouldnever make it out as bad as it
actually was.
You know, even a nurse askingme what's my pain on the pain
(12:59):
scale I might say a four or five, but in my mind it's really a
seven or eight.
If my mom was sitting with meand I think the same way for my
mom, she's trying to be strongfor all of us and Um, and I
think the same way for my mom,she's trying to be strong for
all of us and and again, uh, Igo back to that, you know
comparing the things, but, um,you know her dealing with her
loss, uh, probably, in a lot ofways is a?
(13:23):
Um a stronger burden to bearthan uh, even for for any of us.
I mean, again, you know, losingyour father's, and not by any
means, uh, an easy thing.
I mean it's, uh, again, a huge,terrible thing.
But for my mom that's someoneshe's, you know, been with as
(13:43):
long as I've been alive, andsomeone that's been with her and
and um, and then as well, formy brother, um, and what he was
dealing with, loss, and then, ofcourse, for me, I'm dealing
with learning how to live lifein a wheelchair and the loss of
my legs, and, and you know,they're all.
They're all different forms ofloss, but certainly the the the
(14:04):
biggest challenge, as hard as itwas.
Going through physical therapyand those things, um, dealing
with that loss was by far themost challenging for any of us,
and so I did have the support.
I was fortunate enough for mybrother.
He graduated high school earlyafter all this happened and went
(14:24):
to Michigan to start a newseason of life, and so I did get
to see him more often at thehospital to spend time with him.
My older brother was at thehospital nearly every day and
meanwhile he was driving backand and uh, running the family
business that, even with thisaccident happening, um, you know
(14:45):
, had to continue on.
So he was working double shifteffectively, uh, working through
normal business hours and thencoming to Toledo to be at the
hospital in the evenings with me, and so that kept me going, I
mean, I think in a lot of wayskept me from breaking down,
because I really, I saw a lot ofpeople at the hospital that did
(15:09):
not have that support systemand I saw I saw some people even
that had had support and by thetime they left the hospital
that support was no longer there.
They didn't want anything to dowith the challenges they were
about to face uh, face, and thatwas.
That was heartbreaking to seeas well, but it also reminded me
of how fortunate I was to havethat and in addition to that,
(15:34):
you know, the whole community ofNorthwest Ohio and and even
beyond, in Michigan and in OhioI had just, you know, little
things.
I had two referees that fromwhen I played basketball in high
school that visited and theythey read my care page about how
I love frosted flakes.
I had an obsession with frostedflakes and um, and they brought
(15:56):
me this kellogg's like giftthing of little trinkets.
You know that in and ofthemselves weren't that valuable
but uh meant a lot to me toyeah you know get that um, and a
lot of classmates that um, oreven friends that were now
teachers that you know.
I had a big banner in myhospital room up on the wall
(16:17):
with all the students giving meencouragement.
But I mean it really does meana lot, because most of the time
it was whether it was at lunch,when I'm in my room, or
throughout the night, when I'mjust laying there that's what
I'm looking at room, or orthroughout the night when I'm
just laying there I'm that'swhat I'm looking at.
I'm either looking at a blankwall or a big banner of um, some
kids and some that try to dry,draw a smiley face or a horse,
(16:43):
you know picture, and just getlike a little bit of
encouragement from that.
From somewhere.
There's some kid that, um, youknow, took the time to say I
want this guy to feel better,even though he didn't know who I
was, but he read about me ormaybe knew me, or maybe his
parents knew me but, um, butthat would kind of give me that
smile and um, and I do.
I look back on those days andand, uh, wonder like how I got
through that deep down.
I know how I got through that,but I have people say that I
(17:06):
don't think I could have gottenthrough that and I said I know
the feeling because I don'tthink I could have either in
light.
I mean other than all thosedifferent things that came
together, including that supportand the prayers.
I mean people really.
Again, in hindsight, I lookback and I see all those moments
and as I was journaling, aboutmy book, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Then I see those pieces come together and and
really see how I did get throughthat.
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(17:55):
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(18:18):
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,oh, oh, oh, oh, oh oh.
And when I finally did get home, I think there was
a lot of soul searching.
And when I got back to my house, I couldn't go to my room
because I was still in mywheelchair.
At that point I think I hadenough medication that my legs
finally I didn't feel anythingfor a while, but when I did, I
would have just painfulsensations, painful burning, and
(00:23):
the medication got to where Icouldn't feel anything.
So, um, but but when I got home, I, when I got home, I realized
that, um, you know, this wasall real.
Like, this is my house and it'sempty, you know, no one's here
and uh, and I, I know there wasa big part of me that was
waiting to come home and maybethat would be this um, inception
(00:45):
point where finally I'd wake up.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
For those that don't know your story, let's go back
to 2007.
Yeah, take us back to the dayof the accident and explain how
did that change your life in aninstant.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
I actually remember, and I remember the first time I
was really sitting down andsaying, hey, I'm going to.
I've had a bunch of people overthe years ask me if I had a
book and I said no, and they'relike you should, and I probably,
like I said over 10 years ago,I remember, I still remember
sitting down and kind of goingback, which is which is a
(01:26):
challenge to go back in time andand relive those moments.
But I I remember vividly, uh,christmas Eve of 07, standing in
my driveway and there wasn'tsnow on the ground, but it was
snowing and I went out to go ona run and and there was a huge
pole to just go back insidewhere it's warm and and you know
(01:49):
, it's slippery, it's cold, Ididn't dress warm enough.
All these excuses of all thereasons that and everyone has, I
think that's human condition.
Your body explains to you whyyou shouldn't really, you know,
go out and make yourself work sohard.
And I just remember staring outin the driveway and just
(02:09):
telling, and I had no reason torun, I wasn't training for
anything, and but I just wantedto, like I felt compelled to,
and I went on just a maybe oneor two mile run.
I don't even know how far I ran, but I just went out for this
jog and, you know, came back anduh, and I remember my dad was
cooking lunch and and just waslike what would you run for?
(02:32):
It's cold, it's starting tosnow, it's slippery and get icy,
probably, and I just felt likeI had to go run and uh, at that
time I was also lucky.
I just I was.
I wasn't, that's the thing, Ididn't, I wasn't training for
anything that I knew of.
(02:52):
But I do feel like, lookingback at that, this terrible
thing was happening and I was inthe best shape of my life, I
really was, and, and they, thenurses, the doctor said, you
know that that really helped meget through all the trauma.
But, in any case, we had apretty normal Christmas Eve,
just uh, being at the house andand uh, we were planning to go,
uh, in the mid afternoon over tomy second cousin's house and
(03:16):
and um, and spend Christmas Evewith them, which is a typical
Christmas Eve.
But, uh, but it all, we, wedrove back, uh, we left the, we
left the party and um, we weredriving back to go to church.
Uh, I believe nine or 10o'clock.
We were um going to go to thisuh midnight mass so-called and
(03:39):
that was my aunt's um church andwatch my uncle and aunt sing in
the choir.
Um and uh, but on our way there, a 90 year old man ran a stop
sign and hit our car and and Istill remember that moment
vividly.
But then just black, justnothing.
And and I remember when I cameto uh and I don't even know how
(04:03):
long that was, but when I cameto I had, shortly thereafter, I
could hear people talkingoutside.
But I remember someone I waslaying on the passenger window,
on the passenger side, and Iremember someone coming up to
the driver's window and lookingdown at me and you know,
basically just telling me toremain calm and all those sorts
(04:23):
of things.
You know, basically justtelling me to remain calm and
all those sorts of things.
But, um, but he warned me thatwhen I, when I came out, I'd
feel the most pain I've everfelt in my life and I had no
idea what he's talking about.
I mean, I was in shock.
I didn't, I couldn't feel mylegs in that moment, but I
didn't really think about it, um, I couldn't move, my, I didn't
think anything of it.
I think I might've even toldhim that, and so he probably
knew what that meant.
(04:44):
But I didn't know what thatmeant.
I just thought like I stilldidn't know what was going on.
And um, but he was right.
I mean, when they, they pulledme out, it was the most pain
I've ever felt in my life.
And uh, since, or before, and um, and uh, I was taking the
hospital, um, it was, it was ablur.
(05:07):
I had, um.
I remember counting down.
I'd never had a surgery, but Iremember counting down from 10
and and uh, going under at abouteight and then, by the time, in
my mind, I would have gottendown to zero.
I woke up again, eight and ahalf hours had passed and uh,
and they had worked on my backthat entire time, uh, replacing
two vertebrae, and uh, and itwas some short time thereafter
(05:31):
that the doctor came in to tellme that I had to have a surgery
on my back and all those things,and and and then laid it on me
that I'd never walk again, thatthat even a 1% chance would be
more credit than than she wouldwant to give me.
But but that's what it is.
And uh, yeah, and that's um, atsome point during that time I,
(05:55):
I know, I know, in betweengetting or the accident and the
surgery, I had a trooper come totell me that my father had
passed.
But I didn't really.
I mean, I felt it, but I didn'tbelieve it necessarily.
I mean, all of it felt like itwas a nightmare, like none of it
was real.
And I was waiting to wake upand I didn't get much sleep,
(06:18):
obviously, at the hospital, butwhen I did, and I woke up, every
single time was like a newrealization that I'm waking up
again and I'm in a hospital bed.
What happened?
And I basically had to reliveit all over and over again,
because every time I woke up Iwas somewhat in shock that, like
(06:40):
, this is my life now.
This isn't going away, um, but,but that changed everything for
us as a family and for me,obviously.
But, um, but yeah, I wentthrough, um, as I said, it was
about three and a half months inthe hospitals.
Um, and when I, when I finallydid get home, I think there was
(07:02):
a lot of soul searching and um,and when I got back to my house,
I couldn't go to my room causeI was still in my wheelchair.
Um, at that point I think I hadenough medication that my legs
finally, uh, I, I didn't feelanything for a while, but when I
did, I would have just painfulsensations, painful burning, and
um, and the medication got towhere I couldn't feel anything.
(07:24):
So, um, but, but when I gothome, I, when I got home, I
realized that, um, you know,this was all real, like this is
my house and it's empty, youknow no one's here, and uh, and
I, I know there was a big partof me that was waiting to come
home and maybe that would bethis inception point where,
(07:45):
finally, I'd wake up in my roomand it was all a nightmare, but
that didn't happen.
So there was a lot of figuringthings out, especially the first
year, of trying to realize andcomprehend everything that had
happened and what that meant formy future yeah, so when the the
(08:07):
comment was made about um, youknow one percent chance or less
than a one percent chance,really one percent chance of
walking and um?
Speaker 2 (08:15):
do you recall what your initial thoughts and
emotions were to that comment?
Speaker 1 (08:21):
I mean, I think it was the same as as the other
things that they told me hadhappened, but I just remember
saying no, like, no, that's not.
Like you're wrong, basically,and really not necessarily that
you're wrong and I won't walkagain, but you're just confusing
(08:43):
me with someone else.
Like you didn't do that surgery's not, that didn't happen.
This isn't real.
Like, yeah, basically, goingthrough those stages of grief
that I just denied everything,that wasn't real.
I mean, even in that first day,as I was processing things,
though, it's like okay, I mean,you know, I couldn't even, I
(09:04):
couldn't hardly move, like eventurn or anything in bed, and it,
you know, like okay, so I didhave this surgery.
Like that's, you know, that's areal thing, and I, I would tell
, but I would.
I would still tell myself,though, that she's still like I
will, you, I'll get through this, and it wasn't quite that easy,
(09:26):
but it was.
I'm going to get to this, isn't?
I'm not going to be likeeveryone else, like I'm going to
overcome this.
And she doesn't know me, shedoesn't know how I am, but
usually by nighttime, you know,I'd sat back in like that, and
not that they were know allnegative, but they knew the
(09:49):
reality I was facing and what achallenge it would be.
And so by night time usuallythings would settle in that like
this is your life now, likeit's going to be awful all the
time and you're going to be inphysical pain and you're going
to be in emotional pain, and andthis is just what life is now.
And usually around those timesis when I would say my prayers
(10:11):
and and just if anything couldgo right, if anything positive
could ever come from this, thenit would kind of renew the faith
I had because, uh, justeverything was terrible, and so
I would start my mornings again.
Okay, I'm going to get overcomethis.
And I really had hoped for thatmiraculous moment that boom,
(10:33):
well, I just wake up and none ofit had happened.
But I also hope that I wake upand just forget what had
happened and I would just getout of bed and just walk home.
And of course that didn'thappen either.
So it was a constant tug backand forth as far as getting to
(10:54):
nighttime and, like I said,usually not sleeping a wink and
just thinking this is my lifenow, this is what it's going to
be, and then the next morninghaving to reset and eventually
get to the mode at theUniversity of Michigan that I'm
going to go do my physicaltherapy, do what they tell me to
do, give it my best and, youknow, just make it through
(11:15):
another day and really take itday by day.
That was, I think, when I reallystarted to regain which I think
I naturally had a positive,optimistic attitude, like just
my personality.
But I kind of regained thatagain.
Instead of just saying no, andand you got the wrong guy and
that kind of thing, I just said,well, I'm just I'm going to do
(11:36):
the things they tell me to doand and get the most out of
every day that I can and andhopefully that adds up to
something of value so you, youknow, daily you were dealing
with the mental and emotionalright aspects of this and the
struggle and hoping maybe youjust wake up and everything's
(11:57):
back to normal, right.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
They're just kind of living this dream and this
nightmare.
You know that's a lot that youwere trying to cope with.
And then your family was copingwith due to the tragedy and and
obviously you being in thehospital and having these
surgeries.
How was that support from themfor you and you know, being
(12:22):
there and, and I'm sorry,everyone's dealing with their
own thing, right, yeah, the lossof your father, the loss of
your beloved ones.
And then so help me a littleunderstand about the support
aspect there it was, it was huge.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
You know, I think that for each of us, I think we
each just were strong in our ownway as far as uh bearing, you
know, that weight that we had.
I mean, even for me, I wouldnever make it out as bad as it
actually was.
You know, even a nurse askingme what's my pain on the pain
(12:59):
scale I might say a four or five, but in my mind it's really a
seven or eight.
If my mom was sitting with meand I think the same way for my
mom, she's trying to be strongfor all of us and Um, and I
think the same way for my mom,she's trying to be strong for
all of us and and again, uh, Igo back to that, you know
comparing the things, but, um,you know her dealing with her
loss, uh, probably, in a lot ofways is a?
(13:23):
Um a stronger burden to bearthan uh, even for for any of us.
I mean, again, you know, losingyour father's, and not by any
means, uh, an easy thing.
I mean it's, uh, again, a huge,terrible thing.
But for my mom that's someoneshe's, you know, been with as
(13:43):
long as I've been alive, andsomeone that's been with her and
and um, and then as well, formy brother, um, and what he was
dealing with, loss, and then, ofcourse, for me, I'm dealing
with learning how to live lifein a wheelchair and the loss of
my legs, and, and you know,they're all.
They're all different forms ofloss, but certainly the the the
(14:04):
biggest challenge, as hard as itwas.
Going through physical therapyand those things, um, dealing
with that loss was by far themost challenging for any of us,
and so I did have the support.
I was fortunate enough for mybrother.
He graduated high school earlyafter all this happened and went
(14:24):
to Michigan to start a newseason of life, and so I did get
to see him more often at thehospital to spend time with him.
My older brother was at thehospital nearly every day and
meanwhile he was driving backand and uh, running the family
business that, even with thisaccident happening, um, you know
(14:45):
, had to continue on.
So he was working double shifteffectively, uh, working through
normal business hours and thencoming to Toledo to be at the
hospital in the evenings with me, and so that kept me going, I
mean, I think in a lot of wayskept me from breaking down,
because I really, I saw a lot ofpeople at the hospital that did
(15:09):
not have that support systemand I saw I saw some people even
that had had support and by thetime they left the hospital
that support was no longer there.
They didn't want anything to dowith the challenges they were
about to face uh, face, and thatwas.
That was heartbreaking to seeas well, but it also reminded me
of how fortunate I was to havethat and in addition to that,
(15:34):
you know, the whole community ofNorthwest Ohio and and even
beyond, in Michigan and in OhioI had just, you know, little
things.
I had two referees that fromwhen I played basketball in high
school that visited and theythey read my care page about how
I love frosted flakes.
I had an obsession with frostedflakes and um, and they brought
(15:56):
me this kellogg's like giftthing of little trinkets.
You know that in and ofthemselves weren't that valuable
but uh meant a lot to me toyeah you know get that um, and a
lot of classmates that um, oreven friends that were now
teachers that you know.
I had a big banner in myhospital room up on the wall
(16:17):
with all the students giving meencouragement.
But I mean it really does meana lot, because most of the time
it was whether it was at lunch,when I'm in my room, or
throughout the night, when I'mjust laying there that's what
I'm looking at room, or orthroughout the night when I'm
just laying there I'm that'swhat I'm looking at.
I'm either looking at a blankwall or a big banner of um, some
kids and some that try to dry,draw a smiley face or a horse,
(16:43):
you know picture, and just getlike a little bit of
encouragement from that.
From somewhere.
There's some kid that, um, youknow, took the time to say I
want this guy to feel better,even though he didn't know who I
was, but he read about me ormaybe knew me, or maybe his
parents knew me but, um, butthat would kind of give me that
smile and um, and I do.
I look back on those days andand, uh, wonder like how I got
through that deep down.
I know how I got through that,but I have people say that I
(17:06):
don't think I could have gottenthrough that and I said I know
the feeling because I don'tthink I could have either in
light.
I mean other than all thosedifferent things that came
together, including that supportand the prayers.
I mean people really.
Again, in hindsight, I lookback and I see all those moments
and as I was journaling, aboutmy book, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:32):
Then I see those pieces come together and and
really see how I did get throughthat.
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(17:55):
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Oh oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
(18:18):
oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,oh, oh, oh, oh, oh oh.
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