Holy Cow (eBook)

You Were Born For Significance

Michael Warner, Shelly Warner (Autoren)

eBook Download: EPUB

2022 | 1. Auflage
268 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
978-1-6678-2932-6 (ISBN)

Infos

Holy Cow is the deeply personal story of one man's incredible struggle through illness and injury and the deep love story which transpires after he meets his wife Shelly. These challenging, life-altering events are the corner stones of a remarkable story of what it means to surrender to your purpose. It is a life-affirming tale of how love, hope, faith, and the power of the mind can help you not only move through adversity but thrive because of it.

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Authentic, inspiring, and infused with raw vulnerability, Holy Cow is the deeply personal story of one man's incredible struggles through illness and injury and the deep love story which transpires after he meets his wife Shelly. They have created a bond which allows them to face adversity head on with grit, determination, and an extraordinarily positive mindset. They share candidly about the many struggles they have endured together with Michael sharing details he has never shared publicly. It has opened the door wider to expose the weaknesses and struggles experienced through personal challenges with the intent to help others who may be facing their own difficult life challenges. The journey of writing this book has cemented their belief that each of us has been born for significance. In a world filled with uncertainties, this memoir is a story filled with hope, courage, and unfailing love. The vision and desire of this book is to help you face your own moments of adversity with strength, focus and unwavering faith. Their passion is to not only help you invigorate your own determination to overcome obstacles, but to show how to thrive through the journey.

Textauszug

PROLOGUE

April 16, 2021

If you have ever dealt with someone who has seizures, you will understand what I am talking about. They are scary and leave you feeling a bit haunted. How many times in your life have you witnessed someone go through something and you wonder, Will they make it back from this? Will they come out of this the same person, with the same personality and beautiful qualities that I love about them? Will they come out of this at all? These are some of the questions which run through my mind as I helplessly watch Michael go through a major seizure. These are questions which start racing through my mind not only during but also after he drives away in the back of an ambulance. The terror and panic and helplessness you feel during the period you witness someone you love having a seizure can be overwhelming. You are trying to juggle exactly what it is you are seeing. What is the first thing I need to do to help this person? Are they in a safe position? Where is my phone? Oh God, please don’t leave me, please don’t leave me! You call 911: “Hello! My husband is having a seizure!” And you begin answering all the basic questions:

What is his name?

Michael

How old is he?

55

What is your name?

Shelly

Is he breathing? 

I don’t know! I don’t know! His eyes are rolled back in his head!

Shelly… Shelly… watch his chest. Do you see it rising and falling?

Yes… yes… I think so….

Ok… every time you see it rise, I want you to say ‘now,’ ok?

Ok, ok…. Now… now…. Oh God, honey, stay with me, stay with me….

Shelly, Shelly… is he still breathing?

I don’t know! Yes, I think so. Oh God, where are they?! Why aren’t they here yet?! Michael, Michael, you are ok. You’re going to be fine. You are so beautiful. Where are they?!

What is he doing now, Shelly? Is he still breathing?

Yes

Ok. Has he had any strokes or heart attacks?

No

Can you get him on his side?

What? No! He is sitting on the couch, kind of reclined with his feet up. Ok, I’ll try…. Honey, honey, look at me. I can’t move him; I can’t move him!

What do you see? What is he doing?

He’s looking off into space. His breathing isn’t normal. It’s erratic. I’m trying to get him on his side, but I can’t do it.

Shelly… you must get him to the floor and try to get him on his side.

What?! I can’t get him to the floor. His eyes are rolling back! I don’t know what is happening! Where are they?!

Shelly… you must get him on the floor. Can you get him to the floor?

Ok… I’ll try again. Come on, honey. Come on. Slide to the floor with me. No, Michael, don’t try to stand up. It’s ok. Just slide down. (I kneel on the floor and sloppily slide him to the floor, paying extra attention to his head so he doesn’t fall over and hit his head on the tile. He is so stiff and fighting against me.) Ok! Ok! I got him to the floor.

Lay him down and try to get him on his side

I can’t get him on his side! He won’t turn that way!

Ok, Shelly. I need you to listen to me. Lay him back and ensure his chin is to the ceiling.

He is lying back, and his head is to the ceiling.

No, Shelly, I need you to ensure his chin is to the ceiling. Tilt his head back so his chin is to the ceiling. You want to keep his airway open and ensure he is not choking on his saliva or letting his tongue roll back.

Ok, ok. His chin is to the ceiling. Michael! Michael. You are ok. Where are they?! They are taking too long! Michael, I love you. You are so beautiful. You’re going to be ok. They are coming to help you.

Shelly, is your dog secured in a room? Is your door unlocked so they can come into the house? When they get there, just call out to them and let them know where you are.

Yes, my dog is secured. Let me double-check to ensure I unlocked the front door. I have the lights on for them. Honey, honey! Look at me! I’ve got you. You’re going to be ok. No! Don’t stand up. Michael! Stop! He is trying to stand up! And he is fighting me. He is trying to take his shirt off. (We struggle a bit as I try to stop him and then I just give in and help him take it off.)

What is he doing now, Shelly? Is he getting violent with you?

What? No. He is just aggravated and uncomfortable. He is telling me I poisoned him. Michael, Michael… you’re ok. No, honey, I didn’t poison you. I hear them! I think they are finally here. Hello?! We’re back here!

Are they there now, Shelly?

Yes, they’re here.

Ok, I am hanging up now.

Ok. Ok. Thank you!

I go through many similar questions with the EMS crew as they come into the room and try to assess the situation and what is happening with Michael. I can concentrate on the head crew member as he asks me questions while others attend to Michael. I frantically look between the guy and Michael. More than 20 minutes has elapsed since the seizure began. Michael is starting to come out of it, calming down and starting to clear with his vision. He does not know what is going on yet, but he is starting to focus on me as I talk to him. He did not know who I was or recognize we had EMS in the house until minutes after they arrived. It takes many minutes for him to start coming around. He notices there are many people around him, but he keeps asking where they all came from. He now knows who I am but does not know what day, month or time it is. He is trying to get back on the couch and lie back with the blanket to go to sleep. He no longer has his shirt on, only his shorts and no socks. They ask him if he wants to go to the hospital and he tells them, “No, I am fine.” We all agree he needs to be taken by them to get checked out at the ER. They tell me to pack a bag for him. I ask them, “Will they keep him overnight?” They don’t know but say to pack it just in case. I run into our bedroom and start throwing things into a backpack. I pack a new set of underwear, new shorts, his sweatpants (it’s gotten colder outside), his medicine and toothbrush. I don’t even think about his feet for shoes or socks, and I forget to throw a long-sleeved shirt for him into the bag. I race back into the room. Michael is confused and starting to look worried. He is coming around and beginning to recognize he had a seizure and is worried about me. They gently help him to the stretcher, and I tell him all will be ok, that he needs to go see the doctor. I assure him I will be following right behind them and will see him at the hospital. The group of five to six responders wheel him out the front door. I see multiple vehicles with flashing lights lighting up our street in the dark. I have no idea how many vehicles there are. I see a fire truck, a pickup with flashing lights and an ambulance. I stop looking as I don’t really care how many are out there. I start running around in circles for a minute not sure what to do next. I run to the front room and let Nevo, our dog, out. He has been barking furiously this entire time and is going nuts, not sure what is happening and why all these people are at our house or who the voices are he has heard, and he’s agitated with all of the commotion outside. I try to settle him with my words as I start racing in circles again trying to think. Think, Shelly, think! What do I do next? I go to the front door again and grab the box of dog food, which has somehow been delivered during all of this. I bring it into the house, close the front door and race to the bedroom again to change my clothes and get ready to leave for the hospital. Nevo is still barking and racing around me, following me from place to place. I talk to him the entire time I am trying to focus and settle my nerves. Should I call someone? Should I call now or wait until I get in the car? Where are the kitties? Oh… I am sure they are fine and still in the house. Hopefully they are just hiding somewhere. Where are my keys anyway? Should Nevo come with me? Maybe he should stay here at the house. But I feel like I need him with me. He can keep me company in the jeep on the drive and if I must wait in the parking lot. Will they let me in the hospital? Due to Covid? What if I can go in? Will Nevo be safe in the jeep in the parking lot? Maybe I should leave him at home. He needs to go out. Let me take him out. I must clean the cat box before I go. Oh… I must throw those items in the washing machine before I go too. I take Nevo out through the garage so I can get the jeep ready and throw the trash out on the way. I start to panic about Covid. Maybe I should not have let Michael go to the hospital. Maybe he would have been just fine at home. Did I need them to take him? Will he get Covid now that he is going into the hospital? Oh no! How will Covid affect him with seizures? What if they get worse? Should we have gotten the vaccine already? Why didn’t we get the vaccine yet? What if the vaccine causes him to have an adverse reaction? Oh God, I should not have sent him to the hospital! I need to call his mom. “Nevo! Stop...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 15.4.2022
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Biografien / Erfahrungsberichte
• ISBN-10: 1-6678-2932-7 / 1667829327
• ISBN-13: 978-1-6678-2932-6 / 9781667829326