my disgusting hospital meals. He said he just wanted to tell me that and then grabbed his ladder and began to leave. On his way out he stopped and looked at me and said..”but you gotta fight man, you gotta fight!” I chalked it up as an over-zealous worker and went on with my day. The next evening, I became ill and I overheard the doctor telling my mom they did not think I would make it through the night. My mom never mentioned it, but I could see it in her eyes as she tried to hold back her tears. Later that evening I remember being all alone in my room thinking this is this the night I die. Then my mind started wandering and I began to wonder how do you die? Will it be pleasant? Will I have convulsions? I had no idea. I concluded it would come in my sleep and I just wouldn’t wake up the next morning. As I began to get tired, I remember thinking this was it and suddenly I had a moment of clarity and decided I didn’t want to die. Immediately I began to formulate strategies on how not to die. I turned to my favorite refuge, music, by turning on MTV and began watching music videos. I’m not gonna die, I thought, so I decided that would never sleep! The first video was Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics. Once again, I took the Sweet Dreams title it as a sign that I was supposed to die so I fought harder. As you may recall that video involved cows and umbrellas and I remember trying to come up with reasons why the cow was in the video to keep my mind sharp. Stay awake, I kept saying to myself. Fight like the drapes man told me to. I managed to stay up all night and the following night till I felt my body strong enough to take over. After that night I learned I could accomplish anything if I focused and put my mind to it. After a year and a half and a second less dramatic near-death experience later I completed my chemotherapy and enrolled in the University of Michigan. I spent my entire college career on crutches and wasn’t able to walk on my own till my second year of law school.
I just started telling my story recently to help others going through things to help them see there is light at the end of the tunnel. I try to tell people that no matter what you are going through if you take a step back and analyze it “It ain’t that serious” just focus and push through. If I can do it so can they.
Many people say I am a rock but in reality, my wife Amber is the rock of the family. She keeps me focused while setting a great example of what a strong woman looks like to my two lovely daughters. My immediate circle of Chicago friends all work together in unison to raise our kids, entertain each other and lift each other up when needed.