04/21/2024
Do you believe? If not come talk to me. Today is three years since I received a second chance at life. First before I tell my story, I want to thank and tell my friends and family that I Love Them. Krista Housman that never left my side and brought me Dairy Queen dbl cheeseburgers anytime I ask, took me to therapy, missed work, put up with me. (Although that’s pretty easy. 😂) All the prayers and text I received from people that I just thought were acquaintances, but reached out. My kids Mallory Housman & Isaac Housman that do anything for me. My best friends Allen Hair & Debbie Hair that lied to the EMT’s to get to me. All the thanks to the officers, paramedics, doctors, nurses. Police es**rt to the hospital etc.
So it began going to Anderson, in on April 20 2021 to watch Mallory play lacrosse at college. It had snowed that day so we decided to spend the night. Left the next day, slept ina little later then usual and drove home. Weird things I don’t normally sleep in and usually when we are traveling Krista drives, she might be a little controlling. Any way I was going to drive to my office on west side and go down Darmstadt road and turn at Orchard road couldn’t go that way since BFI was working on overpass on st. Joe. So decided to go down Mill road instead. So many things out the ordinary thinking back. Anyway we get to Mt. Pleasant and Darmstadt road and see a truck heading north traveling at high speed, I said to Jrista damn that truck is going to hit the car in front of him. At that time I remember my arms being heavy and holding the steering wheel in the 10-2 position and gradually turning off the road crossing the ditch. Gonna say we were probably driving around 40mph around the curve, the truck was traveling 75-80mph when he crossed our lane struck us head on. Now two thoughts I don’t ever drive in the 10-2 position and in a situation normally you would probably jerk the wheel not just gradually go. (Weird). Anyway it knocked me out and I must have been out for awhile, I wake up and notice my stadium chair out in a yard then remembered we were in an accident. Krista thought I was dead (her words). She was texting our kids and friends, amazing that her phone was still plugged into the charger because everything else in the car was scattered all over the yard. Instantly moved my legs and hands and all was good so I thought I was good. Remember the paramedics trying to get me on the body board and me saying if you just leave me alone I can get on the board. Not realizing internal injuries I get on the board and instantly start blacking in and out. They get me in the ambulance and are working on me and here is my brother/best friend in crime opens the paramedics doors which startled the hell out of the paramedics Allen Hair and asked if anyone had texted the kids. At this time I’m a little loopy and I said I don’t f #%%^ know. Allen looks at the paramedics pats them on the shoulder and says he’s going to be ok. 😂. Life flight was not available on another call do they did a police es**rt to the hospital, I do remember on the paramedics asking which hospital I wanted to go to and I said how about the closest #%%^% one. Krista in one ambulance me in another, in your mind thinking I am good. Now later in life you realize that could have been the last time you got to tel your wife, kids, friends that you love them. So we get to the ER I am whisked away still going in and out. I remember I nurse trying to get my boot off that I had jacked p the insole the day before, hell she probably didn’t weigh 100lbs. I was like here I’ll help using my other foot the boot came off then I blacked out again because when I came to again there were like 6-8 nurses and doctors moving around frantically and it was very bright in the room and then the next thing I know I woke up a day later or two days not sure. I found out the collision had ripped my mesenteric artery. So they had to fix that, weird because they don’t see you back up after surgery they put something on to cover do they can come back next day to make sure all is good. Learned that when your intestines lose blood they start to die off pretty quick. Do list a little over a foot of my intestines which makes eating out sometimes interesting because now you are like an expressway better find the bathroom quickly. Funny part I wasn’t awake for this but Krista was being wheelchaired to my room by Isaac and he was telling her how good he was at pushing her in a wheelchair. Then he came around the corner to my room and I guess he wasn’t prepared seeing me on a vent with all the tubes running in and out of me and he pushed Krista right into the wall. Wasn’t hurt but I wish I had been awake to give hi s**t. 😂 First person I seen when I was waking up was my baby girl, I thought damn how did she get here so quickly not realizing it was a day later. So on the road to recovery was in ICU for 7 days hospital room another 7 days. Krista by my side all the time. Nurses were great !!! Weird thing was I was never in really any pain even after I got out I didn’t take the pain meds and never really hurt bad. Ached yes but pain no. Weird thing one girl I coached in soccer had just graduated high school year before was now taking excellent care of me. I appreciate her checking in me as much as she did. Isabella Tiffany McCool.
So I had a ripped mescenteric artery.
Left side 5-11 broken ribs.
Right side 5-8 broken ribs.
2 fractured vertebrae in my neck
2 fractured vertebrae in middle of my back
4 fractured vertebrae in my lower back.
Took out 12” intestines took out my appendix.
So now onto therapy, no work got a long time. Thanks to Scott Voegel keeping customers happy by getting orders out.
Always felt nauseous even a month later, they said because I ha so much internal bleeding.
One say I was at my friends shop talking about building a machine and it was like someone flipped a switch. I felt like s**t I was hot,sweating, and throwing up. By the time I walked next door back to my shop I couldn’t quit throwing up. I went in told them I was going home and luckily Isaac was working that day and told Krista, she called the paramedics and I was at home I could hear them coming around the corner so I went out sat on the porch. As the guys is taking my vitals he said just keep talking with me I said what do you want to talk about he said how do you feel I replied I’m going to pass out, as I did as soon as I said that luckily Isaac had followed the paramedics and caught me before I slammed my head in the concrete. So it was back to the hospital we go apparently my spleen had been leaking the whole time and then it ruptured. Now funny but not funny is it was only going to be a 30 minute surgery where they go through your groin and put these coils around the arteries of your spleen. The doctor was a gateway so we had to wait for him to get there. We arrived at hospital around 10:00am, he got to Midtown around 9:00 pm. Now I have say for whatever reason when your spleen is leaking blood your body aches and hurts, not all the time but hits you out of nowhere and was like sticking your hand in a electrical socket. Any way doctor finally gets there we go into surgery I am awake the whole time, right groin numb he starts the procedure, first coil goes on fine, second coil goes on fine, third coil he can’t get in he can’t get it to release I’m watching all this on the big screen, he’s got the manufactures rep on the phone he says try to run another wire up in there as he does. Then I hear my little Indian doctor say oh s**t, not what you want to hear when your in surgery. 😂 looked at the big screen and now what was up by my spleen had come off and dropped down into my left leg. Doctor frantically switches sides starts curing a incision on the left side starts ramming this wire down in to my leg to retrieve the coil. Now remember this side is not numb and he hit a nerve. I was like son of a #%^**, he said oh sorry sorry sorry. Then they kicked up whatever I was on and I was asleep. Krista in the waiting room thinking it was going to be 30 minutes thought that they had forgot to come tell her since it was midnight now. She said she was getting ready to get up and heck on me when the surgeon came through the door still in his scrubs, had blood all over him and his mask. Apparently when he cut me on the left side it went everywhere. She said we really had to work tonight but he is fine now. So when I was in ICU I almost died three times, and I guess my second trip back the doctor said the coils have a powder on them to help clot the blood, so when it dropped in my left leg it got real serious, possibly blood clot that could kill you or they might have had to take my leg. Anyway my doctor did a great job, do remember the next day joking with him and we both were laughing, but the nurse taking the notes was not seeing our humor. All in all remember you never know, we think we are invincible but that can change very quickly. Never leave anything on the table that you want someone to know. Let your loved ones know how much they mean to you. Again thanks to my doctors nurses family and friends for giving me my second chance at life. Love you all.
Krista can’t tell you how much, appreciate you everyday putting up with me.
