544: From the heart.

So, while I wrote that other post right before this, I didn't think it was fair to group these together. I'm about to tell a story that almost made me cry, because it felt so close to home.

Today, I had a family, Adam, his wife Amy and their daughter come into my store, and I noticed that Adam seemed very unresponsive.  Adam is in a wheelchair after an extensive brain injury, and today was his daughter's birthday. The family came in and as I took note to Adam's condition, I heard Amy state that this was their first time out in a long while and GameStop was one of Adam's favorite places to go, so she wanted to see him smile.

Adam's story goes back about 14 months ago, when he was in intensive care after a brain injury. He was flown to a facility in Massachusetts, where he went into a non-responsive coma for 9 months. When he finally did regain consciousness, they flew to Florida for another five months, as Adam was being rehabilitated.  Today, when the family came in, he could wheel his own wheelchair using his feet, and would speak very softly when he was spoken to.  Amy mentioned that she knows it's a good day when he remembers he's married.

Amy stated that just looking at him where he was, was a miracle. I believe her, though I drew strong similarities to my dad, and how he struggles everyday to be some semblance of what he was before his stroke, so many years ago.  While I don't pray often, I pray that Amy remains this strong forever, because to stick with him this long already, it takes a really, really strong soul.  Adam is a long way from where they want him to get to, and in time, I hope he gets to be the man he once was, as my father, unfortunately, was unable to. 

Their story blew me away...the hope, the care...it made me remember why I do what I do for a living, knowing that my store could be "one of his favorite places..." and feeling that I'm partly responsible for that.

I got choked up thinking about them, their daughter full of life, the wife full of hope, and the husband...full of fight.

While my previous post asked why should I continue where I am and not try to better myself elsewhere, this post made me realize that I can make a difference...at least every once in a while.