You Never Know
December 22, 2009 
9 Comments
So Life took a sharp right turn the minute I got off the Celebrity Century on December 17th 2009. Over the last month, I hosted the Social Fresh Social Media Cruise on the Carnival Destiny, I was one of the first on the Oasis of the Seas (interviewed in the Miami Herald for Live Tweeting from the Inaugural), and completed a 5-day cruise to Jamaica and Grand Cayman on the Celebrity Century in which I taught other agents Social Media basics. It had been an almost perfect end to an incredible year. I was looking forward to getting home and spending time with the family. As soon as I got off the Celebrity Century, it all changed. I received a call from my Dad telling me that Mike, my brother, had fallen asleep behind the wheel of his truck and ran into a huge tree at 7:00 AM.
He crushed both ankles, lacerated his liver and spleen, and his head went partially through the windshield. He was not wearing a seatbelt. He’s very lucky to have lived through the crash. He had to be cut out of the truck and airlifted to the Charlotte Medical Center. I rushed to the airport and got on an earlier flight home. By the time I got on the flight home, all I knew was that he had been airlifted and that his legs were in very bad shape. Once I got to the Hospital, my brother was asleep on the bed with cuts all over his head and his legs covered in bandages. The Doctors were not sure if there was enough bone structure left to attempt to fix his ankles. My brother did not look anything like himself thanks to all the cuts and swollen head from the impact with the windshield. As of now, it was my worse day ever and I couldn’t even imagine being my brother.
Mike & JoJo at the Zoo a few weeks before the wreck
It is now Tuesday, December 22, 2009. Mike went through 4.5 hours of surgery yesterday and the doctors were positive about the results. They were able to get all the bones in the correct placement and now it is up to Mike’s body to heal properly. After surgery his heart rate remained extremely high, he was running a fever and of course was in excruciating pain. They moved him back into the Trauma Intensive Care Unit so that they could keep a closer eye on his situation. They got his Heart Rate and Fever back down by Midnight. Today, he is in full recovery mode with a slight possibility to be back home on Christmas Eve. Mike has two beautiful daughters and a wonderful wife. Him being home for Christmas would make for a very special Christmas.
I share all this because I’ve shared all my good times of 2009 here on my blog, CruiseSource.us. The reality is that times are not always good. I wanted to explain why I had not gotten to my final reviews of the Celebrity Century, and to let you know that they are coming soon. Although it has been a tough week, I am truly blessed as we have had tons of prayers and well wishes from all of our friends online and offline. As you head into the Holiday Season and into the New Year, please remember how quickly loved ones can be taken from you or how fast things can dramatically change in your life. Going through this experience has given our family time to reflect about all the good times spent on family vacations and other shared life-experiences. At the end, all we have are memories. Having lots of memories from beach trips, sports, and other lifetime experiences has made this ordeal a little more bearable… I’m personally going in to 2010 living by the quote: dream like you are going to live forever; live like you are going to die today. Make it a point to spend more time with loved ones in 2010. Don’t keep putting off that family trip to Disney, Europe, cruise vacation, or whatever is on your list to do next. You never know when life may take a sharp turn on you.
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Leave a comment about what you’re not going to put off in 2010.
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Good to know the doctors worked their magic on your brother… I mean, medicine!… and that you kept us praying for him as well… albeit virtually, proves that we are ‘in touch’, so to speak.
Hope everything ends up where it belongs, and that the wisdom gained lasts for a long, long time.
Feliz Navidad!
Francisco,
The Magic (medicine) and all the prayers were amazing. Mike will be home for Christmas, which was unthinkable a week ago. Mike is a very strong individual who obviously has a guardian angel looking out for him. Thank you for always virtually keeping touch.
Rich
I am so glad to hear of your brother’s improvement. I know that it’s a deeply personal matter and thank you for sharing the update as he’s been in my thoughts.
On to 2010 – I’m not putting off finally learning GarageBand. It’s about 2 years too long.
Ruth,
In this awesome new world of sharing and being open online, I had to share. Thank you for caring! You’ll have to share a video of you once you have learned Garageband. I’ll hold you to it!
Rich
Sending well wishes to your brother and your family.
“You never know when life may take a sharp turn on you” and “Make it a point to spend more time with loved ones in 2010.” – are phrases to remember:
when we get ‘too busy to…,
I get to it later,
I’ll see them when I get done with ,
I’ll go there when ….’ .
Thanks for sharing this with us and wishing everyone a happy and healthy New Year!
Tracy,
Writing and sharing really helped me get through the experience. Plus, I think his recovery to this point has been sped along by everyone’s wishes and prayers. Even better if our story inspires some of our friends going into 2010.
Have a Great Holiday!
Rich
Glad to hear your brother is recovering. I have come close to losing a brother, and it’s a crappy feeling. Makes you cry a lot too… It’s pretty great though the hug you can now give him, knowing what you’ve forgotten to say in the past.
Here’s to being home by the holiday.
Ori,
I’ve been amazed by the number of tears shed through this experience. It really puts everything into perspective. The Hugs and the Tears of Joy will be remembered for a lifetime.
Rich Tucker