Today is the one year anniversary of the passing of my friend David. Its truly amazing how quickly time passes, and how much life can change in a year.
I remember sitting miserably at my desk at the mortgage company and getting an email from another friend informing me that David needed a liver. I knew he had been sick but was unaware that his illness had escalated so rapidly. I remember heading to the hospital after work with a friend and seeing Dave lying there unconscious with extremely labored breathing and a rising fever. Despite efforts beyond comprehension, the medical team at INOVA Fairfax Hospital in Fairfax, VA could not get Dave stabilized.
On March 3, 2006 Dave passed away due to acute liver failure; a side effect of a medicine he had been prescribed for a positive TB test. He will not be forgotten.
A month after Dave passed I was laid off from my work at the mortgage company. It was obvious that I was leaving eventually, but I was hoping to have a couple extra months of income. The way things worked out was uncanny. I immediately started teaching at the flight school. Filled my schedule full of students, and made my way to Florida to fly twins. When I came back all my students were waiting for me. I got my time in my logbook, and got a good job with an airline I am excited to fly for. Timing in this industry is everything, and I cant help to think that Dave had something to do with my brilliant successes.
Ground school has not been easy. I worked about as hard as I could have to learn the material I needed to learn. I passed indoc and systems. Breezed through the FTD's, and am working my way through the sims. For some this has been a struggle, but for me its been not so bad. Dont get me wrong, its been hard, but it has always worked out to this point.
So, on the eve of the biggest checkride of my life.......I dedicate this post and my performance tonite and tommorrow in the sim to Dave. He has been with us all since his passing, and hes been hard at work making the lives of each individual in our circle of friends a little better. He was, is, and always will be a great man, a true friend, and will live on forever in spirit.
3 comments:
Best of luck on your ride, and what a great memorial.
-C.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!
Sean, great post. As I'm sitting here preparing (read: stressing) over an impending MEI checkride, I took a moment to pass through your blog (as I have done in the past to give me a little nudge to keep at it), and settled on this post. No doubt it's help set things back in the proper perspective for me. I doubt I'll stop stressing, but I know that no matter what, the ability to fly and to teach are both privileges, and neither should be taken for granted.
Thanks-
D
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