Time & time again

I originally messaged Craig just to tell him that I try to inspire the caring mentality of my workmates as he does, and shared what the last 6 years has had in store for my wife and I. He suggested i put an entry here. Here goes…

I’m the jovial kinda guy at work, who lucky for me, everyone thinks well of. See, for the last 6 years, I watched my wife and daughter struggle through health issues, that if it wasn’t for my jovial nature and my work mates, and my great wife’s support, I’m not sure how I would have got on.

My wife and I had a stillbirth in 2016, Austin was his name, he was 28 weeks old.

My wife fought bowel disease in varying degrees of seriousness from then until 2021, through 2 pregnancies, then she lost her large intestine entirely and ended up with an ileostomy stoma.

Then our daughter, born in 2020 with a serious heart defect called hyperplastic right heart syndrome, where the right side of her heart never formed and had 2 open surgeries at 5 months old. She will have more when she is 4 to 5 years old, And to cap it off, Feb 2021 my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, but recently got full clearance after chemo and mastectomy.

Sad for a girl who has just turned 31. It was difficult, watching her be so sick and losing her hair, but she took it so well.

Through it all, I’m always asking my mates how they're doing, and genuinely giving a shit. And they're asking me. It’s not a conversation starter just asking "how are ya?". I hear a lot, guys at work say, "oh its nothing like what you're going through Benny", but everyones struggle is their own, no matter how big or small. I’ve cried with guys at work, and laughed.

Life’s hard guys. Take the blows, cause fuck, some hurt, and keep moving on.

Craig, what you're doing mate. You're a legend.