This is a big, fast world, and so much of your experience is determined by who you come in contact with. I always tell Tiff that my life will be defined by the fact that I met her and married her, and I’m grateful for that. I’ve met a lot of people through my running adventures over the past few years, especially last year. I feel pretty blessed to have been led down the roads I’ve been on and to have met all the people I’ve met.
One person who’s pretty high up on my list of people I’ve met is a friend of mine named Danielle in Maine. I met her in Boston last year and again this year. She was as supportive of what I did as anybody and I consider her a friend now.
On Tuesday morning, I barely knew that she had a brother-in-law. But by the time my lunch break rolled around, I was almost in tears thinking about him. Her brother-in-law Aaron has cystic fibrosis. There’s no real postivie way to spin that. It’s a terminal disease and he’s 30. According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the median life expectancy is mid-30s.
On Tuesday morning, I saw on Twitter that she was having a tough day. After a couple of us gave her a little bit of light-hearted teasing, she responded with a simple “prayers please” to us. That was the immediate red flag that something really bad was going on. So I immediately texted her to find out what was going on, which is when I found out about Aaron.
I’ve never met him, and maybe I never will, but my stomach immediately dropped. She told me he was going back on a ventilator, and when that happens, there’s a chance he’s not coming off. Her husband Ty is three years younger, but about a foot taller and a very protective brother. He was rushing down from Maine to North Carolina with their dad to get there on time.
From what Danielle tells me, Aaron was trying to wait for his brother to get there before he went on the ventilator. He was still two hours away and doctors told Aaron he couldn’t wait that long, so he was intubated. My heart broke for everyone involved. Aaron, his fiancee, his parents, Danielle, Ty, Ty and Aaron’s parents and plenty of others. I thought of a Tammy Cochran song I’ve always liked and I sent it to her. I also made the mistake of watching it at the office.
Here it is:
I was fighting back tears at my desk, just thinking about Aaron and Danielle and Ty and this whole situation. I was also texting one of her best friends, Sarah, another friend of mine I met last year. I found out Aaron was the best man in Danielle and Ty’s wedding on January 1 this year. He was sick and almost couldn’t make it, but he did. She switched her Facebook profile picture to a picture of the two of them from her wedding. Damnit Danielle, forcing me to fight back the tears again!
I sent out a prayer request on Twitter, asking people who pray to pray for strength for the two of them. I was on the treadmill thinking of a verse to include and the only one that really came to mind was Romans 8:28, one of my favorites:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
I think of that one a lot when it comes to my son Jack. The key to that one to me is the word all, which includes good and bad. It’s a reminder that while we may not always understand God’s plan, it’s a good plan. Even things that don’t make sense to us, like Aaron’s CF or Jack’s autism, have a good purpose.
I was thinking about how Danielle is a respiratory therapist. I asked her if she met Ty through Aaron, because I didn’t know and that would have been a logical leap for me to make. I found out she met Aaron through Ty, and switched into respiratory therapy while she was in nursing school because of him. He was her inspiration for that and now every time she helps somebody, it’s because of him. Maybe that’s all part of the plan. I don’t know. I just know that I pray that Aaron can fight through this round and that Danielle and her family can stay strong and remember to trust God through this difficult time.
She flew down to North Carolina on Wednesday and said he seemed to be doing better. He was writing notes to her and she was enjoying her visit. I hope things continue to progress in the right direction over the next few days.
So what’s the point of all this? I don’t know. At tough times like this, I feel grateful that I’ve been brought into someone’s life, even if it’s just in a really small role. I’m grateful for the experiences I have, the paths I’ve been led down and the people I’ve met. I might fuss about my hamstrings, but I’m grateful for my health. I’m grateful for the good in the world and the good people in the world. And I guess that’s about it. It’s my blog and sometimes I just want to ramble with a “Dear Diary” post, which I’m doing today.
Have a great weekend, everybody. Do something to make the world better.
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