September 18, 20188 yr It happened 19 years ago on September 18th, 1999, at 10:12 pm. It's weird because it feels like I've been this way all my life, but, at the same time, it feels like just yesterday I was laying in the hospital. Anyways, I can't think of a better reason to celebrate being alive, so raise a glass today to being alive! Cry later but for now let's enjoy the laughter!
September 18, 20188 yr Author Cheers...... [ATTACH=CONFIG]67123[/ATTACH] lol.......... how'd you know?!
September 19, 20188 yr I remember it well. Shook the entire community up. If it is any consolation, you have undoubtedly saved dozens of lives by sharing your experience in your presentations. You could have just shut down and felt sorry for yourself, but you worked harder than I can imagine and made what seems like a happy, meaningful life for yourself. That kind of courage and selflessness is truly inspirational.
September 19, 20188 yr Author We have a mutual friend. :confused: Kind of smells like a Jon Long reference! (I could be wrong, though :idunno:) I remember it well. Shook the entire community up. If it is any consolation, you have undoubtedly saved dozens of lives by sharing your experience in your presentations. You could have just shut down and felt sorry for yourself, but you worked harder than I can imagine and made what seems like a happy, meaningful life for yourself. That kind of courage and selflessness is truly inspirational. My family and friends played a big part in keeping me going and always fighting, although they all say that they were able to because of my attitude and ability to be happy, so who knows. I continue to work hard and push myself in the gym with weights, just trying to improve myself physically and even with things like running on the treadmill. I know that I'm fighting a battle that I can't "win" because I'm missing parts of my brain and they don't grow back, so I'll never be able to function "normally" (unless maybe stem cells, but that's likely a long way off and I'm not holding my breath), but that only makes me fight harder. The community has been great in rallying around me and helping my family and I through everything, but I know that it also had its negative effects with how drugs became widespread in the area among people around my age and all of the people that were depressed. I'm just hoping that I can continue to help kids (and adults) in the area by making them think twice about dangerous decisions, helping them face life's struggles, treating others with respect, or anything else that they can take from my story! Thank you for your kind words!
September 20, 20188 yr :confused: Kind of smells like a Jon Long reference! (I could be wrong, though :idunno:) :sssh:
October 6, 20187 yr Author May I ask what this is referring to? Maybe someone could PM me. When I was 15, my best friend got drunk and drove me and my other best friend to a party at our friend's house in the cemetery. He went joy riding, sped around a corner, clipped a headstone, and hit a tree right where I was sitting, leaving me with a traumatic brain injury in a three month coma, during which I was declared brain dead. That's the basics without any details, but you can see more of the full story on my website at bradfritz.org. (It's on PowerPoint since I can't talk much, and I answer questions with a small computer that talks when I type into it.) The story I give doesn't even give the entire story, like how I wanted to leave the cemetery to go pick up my girlfriend, but the driver did a 180 and took us speeding through the cemetery, which then we wrecked. I don't like that part because I think it makes me look like a victim, so I leave it out of the presentation that I give to schools.
October 6, 20187 yr Author May I ask what this is referring to? Maybe someone could PM me. When I was 15, my best friend got drunk and drove me and my other best friend to a party at our friend's house in the cemetery. He went joy riding, sped around a corner, clipped a headstone, and hit a tree right where I was sitting, leaving me with a traumatic brain injury in a three month coma, during which I was declared brain dead. That's the basics without any details, but you can see more of the full story on my website at bradfritz.org. (It's on PowerPoint since I can't talk much, and I answer questions with a small computer that talks when I type into it.) The story I give doesn't even give the entire story, like how I wanted to leave the cemetery to go pick up my girlfriend, but the driver did a 180 and took us speeding through the cemetery, which then we wrecked. I don't like that part because I think it makes me look like a victim, so I leave it out of the presentation that I give to schools.
December 17, 20187 yr Author Of course! Do you mean you're happy that I'm a member on this board or that you're happy that I'm alive?
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