I had the privilege today of spending a few hours in the company of a very broken man.
He is a friend. He was in a tragic car accident two months ago, where a stolen car with an impaired driver plowed into his vehicle with his daughter as they were returning from a fishing trip. One person in the other car died. Fortunately this man's 13 year old daughter was fine. But this 6'7" tall mammoth of a man took the brunt of the damage, and most things that can be broken in the human body are. Shattered legs. Broken arms. Broken back. And a bit of his mind is broken too, his memory is a bit shattered. He was in a coma for almost a month, on a trach for another month - he's only been able to talk for a week. He ate a peanut butter sandwich and a banana today, and that was a landmark day. He could have quit, and everyone would have understood. But he didn't quit, and it's quite apparent he's not going to.
He goes out every day, rain or shine, to feed the birds - outside even if it's raining and he gets wet. He is laughing. He is joking and has his wits about him and can crack a pretty good joke. He goes to physio every day. The hospital staff all know him by name, and smile when they say his name. He doesn't remember everything, but he remembers much. He can't talk about the accident without becoming emotional, especially if his daughter is mentioned even though she is OK - he becomes overwhelmed. He read and remembered every name of every person listed in a guest book that attended a fundraiser for his family. He is laughing and looking forward to the future. His love for his family is very apparent. His love for live is apparent. And his gratitude for life overflows.
His body is terribly broken after a very unfair tragedy, but his drive, love for his family and zest for life was inspiring. I was very humbled to be in his company today. Even with the challenges he has faced thus far, and the mountains of challenges to come, he is still smiling, laughing and loving being alive - cherishing every moment he can.
I am saying this, because maybe the next time I think I'm having a 'bad day' i will think again, because there are people out there having far worse days than you and loving life far more...people cherishing every moment they have while fighting unimaginable pain, and fighting for every breath of every moment they are here. Maybe that bad day isn't so bad after all.
I am in awe and I am inspired.
He is a friend. He was in a tragic car accident two months ago, where a stolen car with an impaired driver plowed into his vehicle with his daughter as they were returning from a fishing trip. One person in the other car died. Fortunately this man's 13 year old daughter was fine. But this 6'7" tall mammoth of a man took the brunt of the damage, and most things that can be broken in the human body are. Shattered legs. Broken arms. Broken back. And a bit of his mind is broken too, his memory is a bit shattered. He was in a coma for almost a month, on a trach for another month - he's only been able to talk for a week. He ate a peanut butter sandwich and a banana today, and that was a landmark day. He could have quit, and everyone would have understood. But he didn't quit, and it's quite apparent he's not going to.
He goes out every day, rain or shine, to feed the birds - outside even if it's raining and he gets wet. He is laughing. He is joking and has his wits about him and can crack a pretty good joke. He goes to physio every day. The hospital staff all know him by name, and smile when they say his name. He doesn't remember everything, but he remembers much. He can't talk about the accident without becoming emotional, especially if his daughter is mentioned even though she is OK - he becomes overwhelmed. He read and remembered every name of every person listed in a guest book that attended a fundraiser for his family. He is laughing and looking forward to the future. His love for his family is very apparent. His love for live is apparent. And his gratitude for life overflows.
His body is terribly broken after a very unfair tragedy, but his drive, love for his family and zest for life was inspiring. I was very humbled to be in his company today. Even with the challenges he has faced thus far, and the mountains of challenges to come, he is still smiling, laughing and loving being alive - cherishing every moment he can.
I am saying this, because maybe the next time I think I'm having a 'bad day' i will think again, because there are people out there having far worse days than you and loving life far more...people cherishing every moment they have while fighting unimaginable pain, and fighting for every breath of every moment they are here. Maybe that bad day isn't so bad after all.
I am in awe and I am inspired.
