First of all I would like to thank everyone for the
wonderful support. The feedback I have gotten from this is heartwarming.
It’s amazing how your life can go from being so busy you can
barely handle it to you have nothing else to do but sit at the hospital. I have
an extremely busy life, I have two children who are 4 years and 2 years old. I also
work a full time job and I am involved in a bible study with a group of close
friends and I am on a committee for a preschool where I live. The kids alone keep me very busy between the
needs of a 2 year old and a busy 4 year old who is in dance 9 months of the
year and occasionally does gymnastics and swimming lessons. I also have a
wonderful husband who need to be squeezed in there every once in a while!
Anyway enough about me there is a point to this post, well a
few actually. Andy went into the hospital on Tuesday, October 8th.
That week would have been a busy one for me, however I dropped it all. There
was no place in the world I would have rather been then at the hospital. I
called the people who I had made commitments to that week and told them what
happened, they were very understanding. As the two weeks I was at the hospital,
except for a couple that I went home to see my kids, I looked at my filled planner,
as the days and events that had filled it passed, life went on. Not only for me
but everyone it effected, we just figured it out.
Since these events took place it just blows my mind how
someone can go from having so many things going on to absolutely nothing, which
goes in to the second point. The people that you choose to surround yourself
with make such a profound impact on your life during these sort of events. We
had such amazing people who took action, we didn’t even have to worry about our
kids. They had a great place to sleep, they got brought to daycare and back to
preschool and other events. I didn’t have to worry where they were or what they
were doing or eating or if they were getting proper care. For those of you with
kids know how hard that can be. The people who took my kids would communicate
with each other so I could focus on being with my brother. I have a wonderful
support system between family, friends and daycare provider. This
not only lasted while in the hospital but after Andy had passed away and still
to this day. I have good friends that check in on me and a loving husband who
has stuck through my anger and sadness.
The main reason I wanted to post about this is because I
feel like Andy was one of these people. Andy would have been the person helping
someone if their loved one was in the hospital; he would mow your lawn, or lend
you money. He was the kind friend who cared and remembered to check in. Andy
had one of the kindest hearts you could imagine, and his smile could light up a
room. Andy was also one of the best
fathers his son, Brady (1 ½ years old), could ask for. He was absolutely in
love with Brady, and although Brady was unexpected Andy was all in and ready to
be the best daddy in the world. Andy took pride in everything he did both on a
personal level and a professional level, which is why he made it so far at such
a young age in both aspects. Andy was also an uncle to 1 niece and 2 nephews, with
who he was, coined the “fun uncle”. Always giving the best and the loudest toys
imaginable! But to me he was by little oldest brother. He and I were only 18 months
apart, we have an older brother, Josh, who was my “protector” and Andy was the
brother who would rough house me when we were younger and would get in trouble with
me as the years went on. He was there for me when I got pregnant at a young age
and for me to call when I was in a rage and all he would say is “Katie, you
just need to settle down, life is too short for all of this”. He unknowingly
knew how short life really was, it was 24 years short. To our brother Josh he
was his best friend and to our little sister Abby (6 years old) he was just her
cool big brother who she loved dearly.
He also has 2 step- sisters and 1 step- brother all much younger, but he
always took the time to talk with them and made them feel important.
I wanted you all to
know this so that when you think of Andy and his story that I previously posted
you really know the type of man Andy was and will be remembered for.
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