Coming off my last blog post on My First Anniversary at Forward Networks, I was on cloud nine! I have a fantastic job where I work with, hands down, the best humans on the planet. My family just returned from an incredible vacation three weeks ago where we swam with dolphins, and I went parasailing. Then last Monday, life threw me a massive curveball—one that would alter our family’s life forever. So, what do you do when life throws you a curveball?
This blog post will not be like any other on this site. This is a real look into my life and what shattered our world on Monday, March 25th, 2024. This was a regular Monday for us. The week prior, my wife, Erica, tested positive for COVID. She had the typical COVID symptoms, fever, shortness of breath, etc… Fast forward to the weekend, and she was feeling better, but not 100%. I asked her to make a doctor’s appointment, and she scheduled it for early morning on Monday, March 25th. I was scheduled to head to my company’s HQ to record videos with other team members. Since I am not a morning person, I usually take the later flight to get into SJC at around 9 PST. This time, I wanted to be in SJC at 11 AM to get in and prep for the week.
The Morning of March 25th
My alarm goes off at a time when alarms should not go off, 3:15 AM. I bounce out of bed, do my morning routine, hug Erica goodbye, and head to the airport. We live in St. Augustine, FL, and it was a cool 50-something degrees this morning. I get to the airport, get through security, grab some food, and board the plane. I have a routine when I am on the plane: AirPods go in, iPad goes on, and I start watching Ted Lasso. Side note: I have seen all three seasons probably about ten times.
Today was different. I didn’t fully engage ANC on my AirPods. I faintly made out the pilot’s announcement and caught the tail end of it. He said, “… can’t take off until the sun comes up, which will be around 7:30 AM. We probably will not be in the air until 8:00 AM. Thank you for your understanding.”
I thought, why are we delayed that long? Everyone seemed to be there, so I asked. We were delayed because of “frost on the wings.” I took a double-take: How is there frost on the wings when it is in the 50s and doesn’t dip below the mid-40s? I checked the 5:30 AM flight, and that took off without issue. Something didn’t seem right, so I inquired about the possibility of missing my tight connection in ATL. The flight attendant told me to get my things and talk to the gate agent. I grab my things, get off the plane, and talk to the gate agent.
I already knew all the flights between ATL > SFO were full because I looked after checking the status of the earlier flight. There is only one other flight to SJC, which left at 7:45 PM. He confirmed this and asked what I wanted to do. I asked him to move my flight to leave JAX at 3:45 PM and put me on the 7:45 PM flight to SJC. I get my boarding passes, thank him, and head home.
When I got home, I talked to Erica and asked about the appointment. She said it was good. They did bloodwork to see what was going on. They wanted to rule out any weirdness since we had just returned from an international cruise. I repacked my luggage in the car, said my goodbyes, and headed back to the airport around 1 PM
The Phone Call
I am driving up I95, about halfway between my house and the airport. I get a phone call from Erica. She said, “I am glad you were not on that morning flight and you got off of it.” I don’t know what is happening; I asked what happened to the plane because what else would it be? She said no, nothing happened to the plane. The doctor called, and we needed to get to the emergency room NOW. I asked why, and she said my bloodwork, we need to go.
I get home, get her, and head to the hospital. We get seen in the ER, and we answer questions. They move her to a more secluded room because of what they saw in her bloodwork, and we wait. I am very observant, and I noticed three people I assumed were doctors walking past, looking into the room we were in, and walking past. This happened a few times until one asked, “Hi, were you in bay 20?” Erica says yes, and they walk in and close the door. They verify she is who they want, and the one doctor takes a deep breath and says, “I am sorry, but we have some devastating news….”
The Moment The World Changed
The doctor took a pause right afterward and said, “I am sorry to tell you, but you have Acute Myeloid Leukemia.” Excuse me? She had COVID; she had a hard time breathing because of her asthma; where the fuck did Leukemia come from? Do you have the correct chart? Do you have the right person? This can’t be right. He explained what they saw and why they came up with this diagnosis.
He said that after more invasive testing if it proved to be Leukemia, she would have to be in the hospital for an unknown amount of time. OK, we have kids, what about the kids? Can they come up and see their mom? No, children can not be on the floor due to the radiation and the risk of infecting other patients with a compromised immune system. They go over the next steps, where she will be, and what to semi-expect. I had to leave to get the kids, and she was moved to her room.
Some of the most painful phone calls and conversations I had were today, and I appreciate everyone who offered to help us in any way possible, some even going above and beyond. It often amazes me how people will go the extra mile if they genuinely care about you, and I am beyond grateful that we have that group of people in our lives. The most surprising to me has been my team at work. They are the best group of people to work with, and now, with this new chapter we have to navigate, they have been phenomenal just in how I am learning to navigate this new normal.
The Silver Lining
What I think is the most insane is that what started as COVID wound up being Leukemia. I am forever grateful that her doctor had the idea to run blood tests. Without that, we would not have known that she had this. I am grateful that she receives treatment at the hospital where she works. I know she has a strong support system here, and if there is ever a day when I can’t come up, her team and her friends here will visit her and check in on her for me. Finally, my team at Forward. Once they found out, the outpouring of support I received from the team was terrific.
While this is not the outcome we had hoped for, I am confident that she will get through this. Her support system is vast, and her hospital team will not accept anything less than perfection.
We are now two weeks into her hospital stay, and today is her last treatment. So far, she is doing fantastic and feeling well. You do not realize how many people will have your back in your time of need. From the entire group she works with, from all the techs, nurses, doctors, and administrators to all of our friends and family, the number of people offering help has been mindboggling. They say you will find out who your true friends are in your time of need, and I can honestly say we have some of the best friends on the face of the planet. I am forever grateful to all of you, more than I think you will ever know.
Lessons Learned
I didn’t know how I wanted to end this. Let us focus on the feeling I had on the plane. I have flown ALOT over the years, and you will be surprised to know that I had a bad fear of flying before I started working at Versa. This was something I got over quickly. The feeling I got while on the plane was one I never felt before. How I have told a few people, just being my usual funny self, is, “The last thing I wanted to do was spend 10+ hours sitting in Hartsfield Jackson.” But, all joking aside, something didnt feel right, and it was the first time I wanted to get off a plane. The only time I am glad I did go with my gut.
I know we are beginning our new journey, but I am confident Erica will overcome this. She is a strong woman. I mean, she has to be to have been married to me for so long. We live by a specific Disney quote in our house, and I think the end of the quote also fits this. It is a quote that we use with our kids to make them curious to learn new things, but it also fits for helping us deal with this adverse situation.
Around here, however, we don’t look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things, because we’re curious … and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths. Keep Moving Forward!
Walt Disney
Thanks for reading; if you want to reach out to me, you can do it on any of my socials. Thanks for reading, and see you on the next post!