June 28, 2014. The day that changed my life forever.





The day before, I had gone to see my doctor who gave me some fluids and sent me on my way. I got home and started vomiting like I had never done before in my life. Every little drop of water caused me to vomit.



After going through this all night, my mom woke up around 8:00 AM and noticed something different about me. I was talking funny and breathing extremely heavily. She said, "We're going to the ER." I fought it at first but decided that she was right. I walked into the ER, and since I was the only person in there, it only took a few seconds to fill out the chart and be taken into the back.



They checked my blood pressure and heart rate. My heart rate was at 185-190 that was just below the max heart rate of someone my age (22). After I had a chest X-ray, more nurses and doctors started coming in. They thought at first that it was pneumonia, that my lungs were filling with fluid. Next, my oxygen level was low, so the nice lady put me on oxygen but that wasn't working. They brought in another specialist. She came in with a mask for me to wear that looked something like what Bane wore in the last Batman movie. I couldn't breathe with it on, and though my oxygen level was improving, it wasn't by enough.



Soon they realized that I would need to be put on a ventilator. During the process of moving me to the other room, they had to take the mask off, and my oxygen level went way down again. I laid there for about a minute before the anesthesia kicked in.



While all of this was going on, the doctor talked with my mom. The doctor told my mom that my heart wasn't working and that they thought I had a massive heart attack. He told my mother that they could put a pump in my heart to help it work, but he thought I needed more. At this time, my heart had fallen down to functioning at maybe 5% and circulation to my feet and hands were cut off.



I woke up for a few seconds. They told me that I was on the ventilator and couldn't talk.



My mom, brother (Kevin, 26), and two sisters (Jaycie, 33, and Jessica, 11) were out in the waiting room. My mom called my other brother (Steve, 36), my dad, and other family members from Missouri to tell them the bad news. I was being life-flighted to the Nebraska Medical Center. I was given 30 minutes to live from the helicopter to the hospital. I believe I woke up briefly to hear "Thy Kingdom Come, Thy will be done..." being read to me but assumed it was being read to a person next to me. The doctors performed emergency surgery on me and put me on a device called ECMO. This machine works as a heart and lung. It pumps the blood in and out and resupplies the blood with oxygen.



My family was told that the first 48 hours would tell the story if I would make it or not. Now I was in a medically induced coma, so I don't remember any of this. This part of the story could have some gaps in it. My family told me that it was like a roller coaster with me, that they would get great news in the morning, bad news at lunch, and be in the lowest of lows at night. I had relatives I haven't seen in years come see me. Friends and my old boss, too.



There were many complications while on ECMO. I started bleeding from pretty much everywhere. They found blood in my stomach which turned out to be that I was swallowing blood from a cut on my tongue. One day there was blood in my urine. My kidneys had stopped working. They were about to put me on dialysis, but my kidneys started working again.



My heart, however, was still pumping at 5%. The doctors began giving forms for my parents to fill out and give consent for a heart transplant. It was decided while they searched for a heart they would give it a day or two. The next day my heart went up to about 10%. The following day, 20%. Soon enough back up to 50-55% the amount it needed to be to be taken off ECMO.



July 10th I had surgery to remove the ECMO tubes from my body. A three-and-a-half-hour surgery turned into about a five-hour surgery. My tongue began to bleed again, and my veins were hard to repair. This is when the drugs I was on had to be lowered, so I could wake up.



During this time I could hear my family talking, and I was having dreams, really weird dreams. In one, I was stuck in a simulator kind like the tube thing Homer Simpson went in with Lisa one episode. It was terrible. All I wanted was to be out.



On July 12th or 13th, the ventilator was removed. I was breathing on my own.



Right here is where you learn that since I was able to watch TV, I was watching Chiefs games and followed the Royals as best as possible. I've been to many Chiefs and Royals games. I used to call the penalties before the refs even threw the flag, and I knew the rules of baseball at a young age thanks to my older brothers.



I wanted to be starting catcher for the Kansas City Royals. I didn't care how bad they were. I loved them. I loved Dye, Damon, Carlos, Mike Sweeney, and Joe Randa, but what we loved most was Lima Time. Believe It! We had a piece of paper towel over the microwave clock for a few years that said "Lima Time."



At one game I went to, my brother took a picture of Jim Thome--my favorite player for reasons I cannot recall--right as he swung at a 0-2 count. He told me he was going to get a picture of him striking out. Instead he got a picture of Jim Thome hitting a home run. I was excited for Thome, but mad because the Royals had just given up a run.



At another game, Flash Gordon gave me a high five during pre-game warm ups. I tried to get a Thome autograph a few times but never did. At Chiefs games I would go with my brothers and dad. Mighty Mouse was my favorite player on the Chiefs. He had an interception, and Steve went to tell me who it was that got the interception, but I was already flexing Mighty Mouse style. I love sports. Even if my teams weren't the best, I loved them and never gave up on them.



July 13, 2014, the World Cup final was being played, and Steve and Kevin were watching it on TV. The first thing I remember asking was if it was live. I thought it was a rerun because there was no Brazil. The second thing I asked? "How are the Royals doing? Did they get back in first?" I was told that the tigers were back in first. The third thing I asked was if Justin Houston had signed an extension. I was told no once again. In this hospital though. they didn't have FSN, so I was missing Royals games.



On July 21st, I was moved to a rehab hospital. Finally FSN. The Royals began a tear, and it was what I needed. I didn't care that my toes were going to be amputated, or that I was going to lose a few finger tips. I was alive, and I was watching the Royals play some of their best baseball of the season.



I left the rehab hospital on August 11th and spent a little over a month at home watching the boys in blue remain in first for some time. I was told the surgery date would be September 18th, but I couldn't remember if the hospital had FSN. I was worried I would miss my team clinch their first playoff appearance in my lifetime.



Friday September 26th, 2014. Kevin was trying to find a way to stream the game for me. He was on his way up to my room when he came in and saw the game on my iPad. I was Face Timing with Steve. He set his phone up close to the TV, so I could watch it. The final out was recorded, I celebrated with my brother in another state over wifi. It was one of the best sports event of my life.



Finally the playoffs. PLAYOFFS! I couldn't wait. My brothers watched the game with me in room 9856. It was tough to watch. After giving up those runs, Kevin had to leave because he was going to lose his mind, so he went to a bar to watch the game. Steve had to go downstairs to get a break while I tried not to watch, so I could calm down. We couldn't stay away though. We were watching and texting Kevin. Then the unthinkable happened. The Royals rallied to tie, and then won in extras. I couldn't believe it.



Then the Royals swept LAA. We watched those games together, and we watched the first two games of the ALCS together. Party in room 9856. Game 3 was here, and Steve was able to buy a ticket when the prices went down because of the rain. He made signs for me: one wishing me to get better, the other "PARTY IN ROOM 9856." I wanted the win, not for me, but for Steve who got me into sports and gave me my nickname "Pig." Of course the Royals won but I still hadn't seen the sign. Then while watching the TBS post-game, I saw Steve holding the sign above his head, clear as day as they go to commercial. It is my favorite sports moment, Kevin and I watching in the room and seeing our big brother at the game. I felt like I was there with him. Before any of this, my favorite memory from a sport event was seeing Jordan and the Wizards face the Nuggets with Steve, Brooke (sister-in-law), and Kevin, but it was nothing compared to seeing that sign "PARTY IN ROOM 9856!"



October 15th, ALCS game 4, was the only Postseason game I watched by myself, and the Royals did it. THE ROYALS WON THE PENNANT! I wanted to jump up and down, but I can't because my foot is attached to my leg helping grow new skin. Now on October 16th, 2014 on to the final stretch. Separating the foot from the leg and then the amputation below the knee on the left leg. There was miscommunication between the surgeons now I'm waiting for another day for the below knee amputation. This is all worth it for the amount of fun and joy I've had. June 28th changed my life for the better. Besides who needs toes, both legs, and all their finger tips? I know I certainly don't to be happy! Go Royals, go Chiefs, and keep on partying KC!