For the past couple of years Thanksgiving has been a hard holiday to celebrate. I mean it used to be one of my favorite holidays, because it meant I get to see family that I don't normally see that often. But now a days Thanksgiving means remembering the tragic day I lost my best friend. It was just the day before I heard that my friend had been in an accident. The accident caused him to have severe brain damage. The outcome didn't look good. I went to see him at the hospital. I remember it being a surreal feeling. I saw my friend laying there, with a machine hooked up to him to help him breath. He looked like he was sleeping. I kept waiting for him to sit up with a smile on him face saying, "I'm okay." I went home thinking this can't be happening. I eventually fell asleep and received a phone call early in the morning saying that his brain was no longer functioning, and that I needed to come up to the hospital if I wanted to say goodbye to him. I dreaded that drive up there knowing this would be the last time I get to see my best friend. But saying goodbye to him, meant giving another person a chance at life.
Michael was an organ donor. And as a donor the doctors only have so much time to save the organs once your brain stops functioning. The sooner the doctors can retrieve the organs, the better, which is why I know his mom made the right choice. I know that Michael wouldn't have wanted to live the rest of his life in a bed, hooked up to a breathing machine. He made the choice to donate his organs and we wanted to fullfill his wishes. The doctors were able to use his lungs, heart, liver, kidney and eye tissue for transplants. As hard as it was to say good bye it made me feel a little better know that someone else was receiving a new organ and another chance at life.
Three years later and I still struggle with losing my best friend. But I try to look at it as a way to be extremely grateful. Michael was the oldest of 4, which meant that he is missed by 3 younger siblings. I can't imagine what it would be like to lose a brother. His mom lost a son. No parent should ever have to bury their child.
Cherish every moment and every person in your life, because you never know when it will be the last time you see someone.
I take this into consideration everyday. I always make sure to say my goodbyes to someone. Even if I'm only going to be gone for a short amount of time. I'm constantly telling Tyrel how much I love him and there is a rule in the house that you cant leave the house without saying goodbye and a kiss. It's a rule that I get from my mom. Every morning before I left for school I had to say goodbye to my mom and give her kiss. Whenever I had family over, I would go around the house kissing everyone goodnight before I went to bed.
Anyway, sorry about the long written and sad post. I just feel it's important to write about it. Gets things off my mind and puts things in a different perspective. I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving.
