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- ⏳ Optimism in the face of tragedy
Meet my uncle Jake:
18 years ago, Jake taught me how to wakeboard at Lake Powell.
He was so cool the way he wakeboarded… I wanted to be just like him.
10 years ago, Jake was there when I broke my knee wakeboarding at Bear Lake. He carried me from the boat to his truck, and drove me 4 hours back to Salt Lake City, cutting his own camping trip short, without a single complaint.
Since starting my own family, I’ve lost count of the number of times Jake’s hopped on Facetime with me to help me fix a plumbing issue, teach me how to install a new toilet or put in a new vanity.
He’s always there when you need him. You call, he’s there. And he never complains.
7 days ago, Jake was in a tragic accident.
The crash resulted in:
2 broken vertebrae in his neck
8 broken ribs
collapsed lung
compound wrist fracture (on his dominant hand)
multiple broken fingers
broken hip
shattered hip socket
the list goes on…
All on the night before he and his beautiful fiancé were supposed to move into their new home together.
Looking at the picture of his truck, I cant fathom how anyone could have survived the crash. It’s absolutely a miracle he’s even alive.
Doctors say it could be 8-10 months or more before he’s even semi-normal again… which means almost a year out of work on a new mortgage.
But you know what?
Yesterday he was laughing and joking with my mom at the hospital.
Light hearted. Optimistic.
In a voice recording sent to the family, he said “This will only be a speed bump”.
How can he have such a good attitude?
Cause Jake’s basically a superhero.
He survived another traumatic motorcycle accident many years ago that left him in a coma. He came back from it.
He survived 2 challenging marriages and painful divorces. One ex-wife passing away. He came back from it.
He survived alcoholism. Over 3 years sober now. He came back from it.
It’s the strength he’s gained from overcoming his own challenges that gives him the ability now to laugh and joke, while laid out on a hospital bed staring at several months of recovery ahead.
Here’s a few of my personal takeaways watching Jake’s updates this last week:
Be so so so grateful for your body. No matter your state of health, there’s someone else somewhere in a catastrophically worse state, praying for your exact level of health. So, love your body and take good care of it. You only get one.
Find the blessings in your struggles. Every single one is both preparing you to handle future struggles, as well as preparing you to love and serve others struggling with the same things. There’s always a silver lining.
Choose joy. You literally cannot change things that have already happened. They’re done. But you 100% can choose your attitude and how you’ll handle what comes next.
One more thing:
In 126 Habit Examples emails I’ve written over 29 months, I’ve never asked you for a single dollar. Not once. For anything.
Today I kindly ask that you consider donating to Jake’s cause and help us reach our goal of raising $10,000 to cover a tiny portion of his medical expenses as he’ll be out of work for several months.
If donating money is out of the question for you right now, please share the facebook post to help it reach more people.
Thank you so much for anything you’re able to do, including your prayers. It means the world...
- Kody
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