GT in Perspectiive

[Brombear]

Thanks for reminding us to keep things in perspective, we often forget how good our lives are and that we should be more grateful.

Hell of a story, thanks for sharing.

 

[Awsum GT]

Shawn, I knew when I met you there was something special about you. You are truly blessed. We have seen so many children with cancer over the past ten years since joining St. Jude Hospital's fight to save children with cancer. Our family visits the Hospital every year in Memphis. We are able to visit the kids undergoing cancer treatment and their parents. We also meet with the doctors and administrators to see where the funds we raise each year are being used.

It didn't take but one trip to the hospital our first year to help us change our prospective on life when you see what others have been dealt in life. We have raised just shy of $9,000,000 to date with the hopes of raising another million on our 10th donated home now under construction. Each visit to St. Jude refreshes our commitment to continue to help the kids and families with cancer. It also helps us to thank God for all that we have been blessed with.

We pray that you and your family will live long, happy and healthy lives. Thanks for sharing your story with your GT Family!

Look forward to visiting in Austin.

 

[FrankTheTank]

I feel you and can relate to your story. My son was stricken with a large Medula Blastoma when he was nine - he and our family went through a similar experience. He was also one of the few lucky ones and is 28 now. God bless you and your family and thanks for keeping it real and in a proper perspective.

Frank The Tank

 

[fjpikul]

Correct spelling: medulloblastoma. In case someone wants to google it.

 

[DakotaGT]

Correct spelling: medullablastoma. In case someone wants to google it.

Correction: medullOblastoma

 

[LOVE CHP]

TX: What a sensitive and wonderful story. God has you here for a reason! And we are all glad for it. I was chairman of our foundation board at the Valley Childrens Hospital and saw many similar cases, not all with the same fortunate outcome. You are blessed. Enjoy the cars, enjoy the forum, and enjoy your GTs! See you in Austin!

 

[DoctorV8]

Wow! Thanks for all the kind words and blessings everyone!

The intent of telling my story was to hopefully help people look back at their trials and triumphs in life and put things in perspective. But I knew if I didn't share mine it would probably go on deaf ears. I didn't expect to get such warm responses!

Truly an inspirational story, that I will have to share with my patients. I have radiated many GBM patients over the past 18 years, and I've never seen a success stories like yours.

If you ever come to Houston, I'm buying the drinks.

 

[txviper]

Shawn, I knew when I met you there was something special about you. You are truly blessed. We have seen so many children with cancer over the past ten years since joining St. Jude Hospital's fight to save children with cancer. Our family visits the Hospital every year in Memphis. We are able to visit the kids undergoing cancer treatment and their parents. We also meet with the doctors and administrators to see where the funds we raise each year are being used.

It didn't take but one trip to the hospital our first year to help us change our prospective on life when you see what others have been dealt in life. We have raised just shy of $9,000,000 to date with the hopes of raising another million on our 10th donated home now under construction. Each visit to St. Jude refreshes our commitment to continue to help the kids and families with cancer. It also helps us to thank God for all that we have been blessed with.

We pray that you and your family will live long, happy and healthy lives. Thanks for sharing your story with your GT Family!

Look forward to visiting in Austin.

That is so awesome Gerry! Let me know if I can ever help! And I appreciate the kind words....

 

[txviper]

Truly an inspirational story, that I will have to share with my patients. I have radiated many GBM patients over the past 18 years, and I've never seen a success stories like yours.

If you ever come to Houston, I'm buying the drinks.

If I can ever help let me know. I am supposed to be meeting with MD Anderson pretty soon if I can break away long enough. I want to help wherever I can. I got a call to talk to someone that was diagnosed with same thing I had. He is about my age, married with 3 children. I met with him and had a very good conversation. I am very glad and thank God to say that he is actually doing well after surgery and treatment. He still has a long ways to go, but he now has a positive attitude and a new perspective. I think me just showing up to talk to him said all that needed to be said. It proved he had a chance.

I strongly believe that your heart, mind, and faith is the determining factor. After that you just got to fight. Fight so hard that you cant fight anymore that day. Then you get up fighting the next morning. Day after day.............

If you ever run across a patient that needs to talk to someone, I will hop on a plane.

 

[Blue Moose]

My God! The people on this Forum are extraordinarily awesome in so many ways!

 

[Gary]

When I was 15 years old I was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme 4 brain cancer. I was given 30 days to live without surgery, and 6 months max with surgery. That’s if I survived the 20hr surgery. We decided to prolong my life as much as possible and agreed on the surgery. They removed a tumor that was the size of a man’s fist. Below is my actual MRI. I was searching a couple years ago to see what improvements had been made and stumbled across it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glioblastoma_multiforme


This all came about because I went to a doctor for headaches and within 48 hours I was laying on a hospital bed waiting to go into surgery the next morning. That night I accepted death at the age of 15. It was a very cold, heartbreaking experience.
The next morning they wheeled me back and went to work. I made it out and after a few weeks I went straight to the next level of Hell….Chemo and Radiation treatments. Sick, frail, having seizures, and knew I was dying. The only thing I found peace in was car magazines. They were all I had. I didn’t want my friends to see me in the condition I was in, so I was alone…a lot. But the car magazines gave me an escape. I dreamed of a brand new Mustang and Camaro. It kept my spirits up and minimized the realty that I was going to be dead soon.

One evening after I was home for a few weeks in-between treatments I was lying in bed and my dad came into my room. He asked me to help him for a minute. I felt horrible but followed him to see what he needed. We went out the front door towards the driveway and my eyes were very sensitive to sunlight so I couldn’t see very well. But there was something very bright in the driveway that was blinding me and I finally was able to focus.

It was a brand new 1991 white Z28 Camaro! It was one of the cars that I dreamed of so many times in the hospital bed. For that brief moment I didn’t have Cancer……I wasn’t dying……..things in my world were perfect. My parents or other family members would take me for rides in it, even let me sneak in a short drive every now and again. It gave me a sense of pride and normality.
So weeks turned to months, and months to 1 year. There started to be hope that I may beat the odds and live longer than they thought. But it was still certain death. The doctor bills kept pilling up and my dad had to sell the Camaro to pay bills. It was hard for me but I understood.
Then one year turned into two…. and so on. The battle was long and hard but, I was beating the Cancer. It had taken my teenage years and a lot of my health, but it never broke my will to survive. I was so far behind in school I had to get my GED. Then I got a job in the Oilfield and worked through the ranks and eventually become a business owner. I now own several businesses and have achieved a lot of milestones in my life.

None more important than my marriage and two beautiful boys. One is 5 and he is starting kindergarten this year. The other is 8 months old. That is important for the obvious reasons, but much more to me. Beside the fact that I am supposed to be in a box, they told me many times after I was beating the odds that I would not be able to have children. Luckily for me it didn’t scare my wife away when I explained to her that I could not give her children.

All my life I have had a lust for cars. They have been my passion; they have kept me alive when I was dying. They have been my relief when stress was unbearable in business. So cars have been a part of who I am all my life. And ever since I have gotten involved with Ford GTs and this community, the GT has become just as special to me as that 1991 Z28. Obviously for different reasons, but still just as special.

Why am I telling my story on a car forum??

Maybe some have let their desire to get a new GT become so significant in their life…..they forgot about their many blessings. Even though getting the opportunity to purchase a new GT is the pinnacle of my car experience, its value in my life is safely tucked where it should be.
If you were denied and are so emotionally distraught that you feel you have to lash out at Ford, look around your life and take stock. Because you are missing out on a lot of important things. There are many things in life that are so simple, yet so precious that we take for granted. Health being one.

I am just happy to be here to enjoy the ride……….:thumbsup

If your experience doesn't put things in perspective nothing will.