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| WHAT DO YOU EXPECT? :-) |
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Chicago Winter
 If you’re wondering how I ended up in Las Vegas a year ago, here's the story. It was raining when I
went to bed and when I awoke there was 18 inches of snow on the ground. Then it rained all
day, then it froze, and then snowed another 10 inches the next night. I called the realtor. |
Las Vegas Winter
On December 21st, 1999 I got on an airplane and arrived in Las Vegas alone...no family, no
friends, no one, just me. It’s been like heaven being here. I will be telling several
stories of the past 20 years so come back to visit.
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| Jake's Stories (Intro) |
 Hi, Jake here. I hope my stories will help everyone understand that you can do anything if you just try. I have been paralyzed twice in my lifetime, and I found my way back. In late October 1981, I opened my eyes one day and everything was different. My life would never be the same. "Why me"? I asked. My body was dead. Life was always full of ups and downs, but this was one step away from being dead, if you know what I mean. It was hard to believe that I could not move; I fell into a deep sleep and had dreams about glass breaking…the same dream over and over. When I woke up, I didn't know where I was. The nurse said, "Welcome back, you are in intensive care." I had 3 IV's in my arm, and I was in a striker frame. The doctor came in and informed that I was now a quadriplegic and would never move again below my neck. You think about a lot of things in your life, but never plan for this. Well, that's all I can talk about today, I'll tell you some more next time.
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| The first day was the longest... |
 Hi, I am back. The first day was the longest. I could only open my mouth and eyes. It was hard to breath. Every two hours they turn the striker frame; two hours on my back - two hours on my stomach. If you have ever been on a striker frame you will never forget it. The pain medicine helps you sleep. When waking up the next morning, this was not a dream it was real. When the doctor stopped in to check on me, he explained that I had a C2 - C3 spinal cord problem. At this level there is no chance of movement below the neck. He also told me that he didn't know what was wrong or why. He said I would be in the hospital 6 months to a year. THIS WAS THE WORST NEWS I EVER GOT IN MY LIFE. Hell on earth. What will my wife do and my daughter say? Who will take care of them?
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| All you do is daydream... |
Well things can't get any worse. Either I look at the ceiling or the floor. I would think about everything; when you can't move or feel, all you do is daydream. It's like being in math class in school - oh how I wished the bell would ring. I started listening to all the sounds around me. They were not good. I was in intensive care in a hospital next to the expressway, I-90 in Chicago. It was a large room with many beds. If I was going to die, this was the place. I had never been this close to death before. I could hear death, smell death, and feel death all around me. "Oh God, please I need help." To make things worse, the doctor stopped in. The striker frame was in the down position, so I could only see the floor. My doctor sat on the floor with tears in his eyes. He had on his surgery clothes. There was blood all over them. He told me he had lost 4 in the emergency room and 1 in surgery, just that day. This is when my story really began... So I don't have any more time to continue right now, but I'll be back.
Later, Jake.
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| I would rather sleep than be awake... |
Hi it's Jake. Sorry it took so long to tell the next story. The days and nights are all the same. I would rather sleep than be awake. When I sleep and dream I can walk, run, and everything is ok. When I am awake it's like being in hell. They feed you through a tube in your nose. If you catch a cold you do not even know you have one. You don't even have to go to the bathroom, the nurses take care of that. So I would try to sleep as much as I could. What kind of a life is this? I have to do something real soon. But when I opened my eyes, everything in view was a bright white light. I had never experienced anything like this before. I know I am dead. I guess this is it. You know, I thought that I was really dead. I never, even in my wildest dreams thought I would die like this. It seemed like I was in a large tunnel. It was real peaceful. I DIDN'T MIND BEING THERE. ALL I HAD TO DO IS LET GO OF LIFE BUT I COULDN'T. ALL I COULD DO WAS PRAY. I asked God if I was going to heaven. PLEASE LET ME LIVE A LITTLE LONGER. Why did it take death for me to talk to God? He heard me...because in a blink of an eye it was over, I was back. I looked up and the doctors were standing next to the bed. They said my heart had stopped but they were able to get working again. Jake's heart works again (just joking). Well the next week was tough, but I made it. I didn't remember much of that week. The doctor told me that I would be moving out of intensive care; this is real good news.
Well I have to go, but I'll tell more of my story soon. If you know anyone with any kind of problem tell them to check out my web site. I am only telling my story so I can help you understand that we can do anything if we just try - and always remember to say a prayer to thank the One up in heaven. I am just doing His work.
Jake
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| But I never gave up... |
The days went fast. I was getting a little feeling in my neck. This was the first sign of what was to
come. The doctor would visit me each morning, stick a pin in my toes,
and ask if I could feel it. "NO, NO, NO!" I said. But I never gave up. One
day in late October, the doctor told me that I could be moved to a room on the
Orthopedic floor. I made it, I really made it. I can't feel a thing below my
neck but this is a start. I have a long way to go and I've always wanted to be
free. It's funny in the world we live in how hard it is to be free. The nurses all said good-bye and I felt like I wanted to cry. I
believe that you always turn the page and move on so no tears, just good-byes. When they move you in a striker frame they just push it since it's on
wheels. So they pushed me out of intensive care and down the hall. I could only
see the top of doors. As we went down the hall, I read the names on the
doors, first being the morgue, second being the pathology lab. As we
stopped at the elevator, I saw a sign that read "Maternity Ward." The doctor had followed
us to the elevator. He gave me a real strange look and said "You are a special
person...strong." "You should have died...but YOU CAME BACK." As the door of the
elevator opened, my doctor let me know that my wife and daughter were waiting in my
room. I was really happy to hear that. The door of the elevator closed. I
DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WOULD SAY. Well, that's all I can talk about
now.
Later, Jake
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| A few weeks ago I went out to lunch with a friend... |
 Hi Jake here. I had an experience happen that I would like to share with you. A few weeks ago I went out to lunch with a friend of mine. Her name is Janice and she is a real cool person and treats me like nothing is wrong with me so it is fun to hang out with her. We went to a real international restaurant that has real good pancakes. The restaurant is in a nice house. (I don't want to say the name.) The hostess took us to our table. She moved a seat so my wheelchair would fit under the table. Then it happened; the hostess gave Janice a menu and then proceeded to give me a coloring book and crayons! Janice asked the hostess why she didn't give me a menu. She replied. "I thought he was mentally challenged." We all have the right to think what we want to...like the saying goes, "if you don't know, just ask." Things like that don't bother me. If I would have walked into the restaurant with my canes, that incident would not have happened. As I add to this page, I will have video of me starting to walk…without my wheelchair. When I leave my wheelchair at home, I'll have no choice but to walk. It's like learning to do everything I learned as a baby, and all over again. If I fall I have to be able to get up and walk away. The last time I had learned to walk again was at one of the best rehab centers in the world. Now I have to teach myself. If you are in a wheelchair or if not -- follow this page as I share with you everything I know. I think that I can help a lot of you.
Later, Jake
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