The Story of a Hero

     Hello everyone. I hope everyone is having a great weekend. If you have looked at the site recently, you read about how my cousin Michael would be getting heart surgery on March 28th. If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I posted his story several times. Well I can't fit how I feel about this past couple weeks in 140 characters, so I have to make this article to express how I feel about everything.


     I took a trip to my home state Michigan last Tuesday to be at Michael's surgery on Wednesday. The trip went smooth, but as anyone can imagine nerves were crazy. I did my best to take my family's mind off of it. I managed to crack a few smiles as I always do, but the surgery was on everyone's mind. I spent the whole day with Michael even the ride to Ann Arbor where he would be getting his surgery at the University of Michigan Hospital. We ate dinner, shared some laughs, and went to the hotel. The family gathered around and prayed for Michael before everyone went to bed, and right there is when it hit home for everyone. That was the most emotional prayer I have ever been apart of. Tears were in everyone's eyes, as I held Michael's hand. After, I just gave him a big hug and told him I loved him.

     I have been thinking a lot about life and how precious just one person makes it. My family would not be the same without Michael in it. My family would not be the same without just one of us in it. Every single one of them are very special to me and would completely change my life if something happened to one of them. Michael's life changed little by little during this whole process. Things kept getting taken away from him. Football, basketball, and baseball. All the way down to playing with his little brother. He acted like nothing in his life changed though. He still put a smile on his face through the whole process. He held up a lot better than I could of. I looked at him and thought to myself how does he do it? I would be depressed, but not Michael. That wasn't in his mind at all.

     As Wednesday rolled around, it was time to get it over with. It was time to get Michael's life back. The day felt like it lasted forever. Three hours into the surgery, and we found out that Michael was holding up well and doing good. A bit later we found out that his heart was good and that the surgery went well. Again, very emotional for the whole family. As time rolled on, we finally got to see Michael. He was still sleeping from the surgery, and before I go any further, I do not want to see anyone like that again. Tears were in my eyes seeing someone so close to me in a hospital bed and knowing earlier that morning we were just loafing around. It was so scary looking at him like that. Putting a shock through the whole family. Soon after, Michael opened his eyes, and the road to recovery began!

     Now Michael is already walking around and out of ICU. He is a fast tracker, but that's not all he is. He is a hero. He is my hero. The way he held up in this whole process and knowing that better days were ahead showed that he was strong and ready for the challenge ahead of him. He doesn't really complain about the pain. He is just happy to have his life back and is ready to beat me in basketball which will not happen Michael. I love you. You show us to remain calm and put your faith into every challenge. The whole world could learn a lesson off of you and your whole story.

     Before I close this, I have to thank everyone who spread the word about Michael and his condition. The whole family thanks you for keeping Michael in your thoughts and prayers. Without you guys, we would have had fewer prayers and every prayer mattered in this situation. I owe you guys. I am thinking of how I can reward you all. Until then, I hope you guys all stay strong and learned a lesson from my hero. Bye and God Bless.
Follow Michael - @__ItsWethy