I titled my blog 15 months of change b/c that is the amount of time it took me from death's doorstep to the day I was laid off and my life changed forever.
I am sure my story is not unlike many other people who have been thru something that completely changed their perspective on life and are now glad for each and every single day.
So here goes...
I met my husband in the Summer of 2007. He travels for work so we had dates all over the country in the first few months. One of our dates was on the West Coast. He had meetings in Carlsbad, CA and we were going to stay there for the week and drive up to Pebble Beach. In our very first phone conversation we talked about Pebble Beach being the most beautiful place on Earth and how we would love to watch sunset their together so that is what we were going to do.
The night of November 8, 2007, our lives changed forever. We were staying in a hotel (global chain) and had been for the entire week. We came home from dinner and got ready for bed b/c we were leaving early to drive up the coast. My husbands stomach started feeling bad and he got up and went to the bathroom to vomit. I went to check on him. He thought he had food poisoning and said he would be to bed in a minute. He came to bed and about 15 minutes later my stomach started to feel bad. I got up to go the bathroom and became a bit dizzy. I made it to the bathroom but then lost control of my bowels. I was mortified b/c we had not been dating long enough at this point for him to see this happen! The last thing I remember is grabbing the towel to try and clean up the mess.
14 hours later...I hear a voice in the distance. 'Can we come in?' I tried to lift my body but could not. 'Sure' I said. From that point on until we got to the hospital it was pretty much a blur. I do remember the paramedics asking me if I knew who the person on the floor was and told them my husband's name. He was still unconscious and very pale.
We had suffered carbon monoxide poisoning. It is odor less, it is clear and it is deadly. Most people who fall asleep do not wake up. We did.
We are still not sure to this day how we survived. Every doctor we have seen said it is a miracle we are alive. We are seeking legal counsel so I cannot go into too many specifics about our injuries or hospital visit but suffice to say, the paramedics saved our lives. We were the only ones in the hotel affected. Our room was directly over the water heater where the gas escaped from-there was another room that had trapped the gas but the guest in that room left while still coherent.
That was the beginning of 15 months of change.
Over the next few months, we worked hard to try to understand what happened, how we deal with it and what to do moving forward. We each went back to our jobs after a month. 30 days. How do I go back to my life that had not stopped since that night?
We got engaged 2 months later. We had already determined we were in love on our first date but we were planning on dating a year and then getting engaged. What a perspective this gave us on living in the moment. We decided to get married in the Fall. I wanted to get married in Bermuda but nothing was working out.
We talked about other places in February and he said, 'why not Pebble Beach?' I laughed. 'We cannot afford to get married at Pebble Beach.' I said. He asked me to look into it. So I did. I spoke with their event person and it turns out it was not as expensive as I had imagined. The only issue was they had 2 dates available for the rest of the year. July 5th and November 8th.
WOW. November 8th?! What is the chance? We decided to get married at Pebble Beach on November 8th. A year to the exact day that our lives had changed. It was only fitting. That is where we were supposed to be on that day. Watching the sunset. Together. In love. The day that had almost been our last became the day that we decided to commit ourselves to one another and spend the rest of our lives together. No matter how long or short. We will be together forever.
Let me back up a minute. 6 weeks before our wedding we found out that I was pregnant! I was not sure if I would be able to have children considering what our bodies had been thru with the poisoning. Was this possible? Holy cow!! What a blessing and a miracle.
Back to the wedding, 10 minutes before the ceremony was supposed to start the rain came. The ceremony had to be moved from the 18th lawn to the library at The Lodge. We were married in front of 65 family members and friends in front of a roaring fire and under a magnificent chandelier. Rain is good luck on your wedding day.
Fast forward to February 2009, 15 months later from the poisoning, engagement, pregnancy and wedding. I get laid off from my job. 6 months pregnant. I had been with the company 12 years.
My co-workers were shocked. I was a bit surprised. I am now elated.
I have been waiting to write my story and share it and now is the perfect time.
Adversity is what you make of it. Losing my job stinks but it does not compare to almost losing my life and not spending another moment with my husband...or looking forward to the birth of my son. Or walking my 13 year old dog that I have had since she was 8 weeks old.
I am and always have been an optimist. There are better things to come for me. I know it. I feel it.
What I would like you to do is go buy a carbon monoxide detector. Save your life. If you have a gas stove, gas grill, gas fireplace or gas heater-it can happen to you.
Do not move your gas grill into your garage b/c it is raining. You will get carbon monoxide poisoining.
When you stay at a hotel, see if they have carbon monoxide detectors. If not, sleep with the window cracked.
Life is too precious. Mine is and so is yours.
