WEBVTT 00:04.150 --> 00:06.372 Whatever it is that I am dealing with , 00:06.599 --> 00:08.821 whatever it is that I'm going through , 00:08.821 --> 00:10.988 when people ask me how I'm doing , I'm 00:10.988 --> 00:12.599 always better than amazing . 00:15.329 --> 00:17.889 Better than amazing came from my son 00:17.889 --> 00:20.000 who is currently 8 years old . 00:22.030 --> 00:23.919 Whenever I was going through tech 00:23.919 --> 00:26.309 school , I remember she went to go at 00:26.309 --> 00:28.780 20 weeks she went to go and figure out 00:28.780 --> 00:31.149 the of the baby and at 20 weeks they 00:31.149 --> 00:33.316 told her she was already 2 centimeters 00:33.316 --> 00:36.549 dilated and so , uh , getting that news 00:36.549 --> 00:37.990 was like whoa . 00:42.299 --> 00:44.650 He ended up being born January 17th , 00:44.799 --> 00:47.950 so he was still 3 months premature , uh , 00:47.959 --> 00:51.580 2 pounds , 3.2 ounces at birth . And 00:51.580 --> 00:53.413 instantly they said chronic lung 00:53.413 --> 00:57.130 disease . 3 00:57.130 --> 00:59.799 failed extubations after the 3rd failed 00:59.799 --> 01:01.759 time they said we have to do a 01:01.759 --> 01:02.639 tracheostomy . 01:06.629 --> 01:08.851 He was born in January . He didn't come 01:08.851 --> 01:11.073 home for the first time until September 01:11.690 --> 01:13.857 when he came home for the first time , 01:13.857 --> 01:16.134 he was on a ventilator 24/7 , you know , 01:16.180 --> 01:18.169 and the fact that it was below his 01:18.169 --> 01:20.620 voice box , he wasn't gonna be able to 01:20.919 --> 01:23.980 really push any air up past that hole 01:23.980 --> 01:26.202 to his voice box and out of his mouth . 01:26.202 --> 01:28.769 So therefore you wouldn't really hear 01:28.769 --> 01:30.209 sound anyway . 01:32.589 --> 01:34.769 He spent a lot of time laying in the 01:34.769 --> 01:37.970 bed and you know he wasn't able to talk . 01:38.699 --> 01:41.410 And as parents I think we kind of take 01:41.410 --> 01:45.000 stuff like that for granted . But 01:45.000 --> 01:47.199 despite everything that my son went 01:47.199 --> 01:49.680 through , despite all the challenges , 01:49.760 --> 01:52.279 all the setbacks , when you walk up to 01:52.279 --> 01:54.400 that crib every single morning my son 01:54.400 --> 01:57.239 smiled , and I said , man , if we as 01:57.239 --> 02:00.080 adults could learn how to harness just 02:00.080 --> 02:03.440 a little bit of that energy . This 02:03.440 --> 02:05.496 world would be such a better place . 02:08.119 --> 02:11.119 He taught me that life is a matter of 02:11.119 --> 02:15.119 perspective . I wake up every 02:15.119 --> 02:17.230 day and I'm better than amazing . I'm 02:17.230 --> 02:19.286 in this great attitude . I'm in this 02:19.286 --> 02:21.880 great head space to me it it helps to 02:21.880 --> 02:24.119 usher in kind of the expectation of the 02:24.119 --> 02:27.080 day . Hey , I understand you guys are 02:27.080 --> 02:29.800 tired . I understand you guys feel this 02:29.800 --> 02:31.911 way , you feel this way , but hey , I 02:31.911 --> 02:34.880 am that example , right ? Look here . 02:35.660 --> 02:37.549 It doesn't matter what it is that 02:37.549 --> 02:39.660 you're dealing with it doesn't matter 02:39.660 --> 02:41.938 what it is that you're struggling with . 02:41.938 --> 02:41.770 I need you guys to be here . I need you 02:41.770 --> 02:44.369 guys to be present . I need you guys to 02:44.369 --> 02:47.289 have an intentional mentality of the 02:47.289 --> 02:47.720 day . 02:53.589 --> 02:55.756 I , I will never forget the very first 02:55.756 --> 02:59.089 time I did hear him cry . He , he got 02:59.089 --> 03:01.200 to a place where his lungs got strong 03:01.200 --> 03:03.367 enough and I remember he was laying in 03:03.367 --> 03:06.919 my arms and I must have made him so mad 03:07.490 --> 03:09.610 because he was just crying and 03:09.610 --> 03:13.009 screaming , laying in my arms and he 03:13.009 --> 03:15.889 worked enough strength to push air up 03:15.889 --> 03:19.000 past that hole , hit his voice box , 03:19.009 --> 03:21.120 and it actually started coming out of 03:21.120 --> 03:23.342 his mouth and I , and then it's and I'm 03:23.342 --> 03:26.779 just like . I'm laughing and crying at 03:26.779 --> 03:30.580 the same time because I'm just like . I 03:30.580 --> 03:33.339 hear it like you're actually like I can 03:33.339 --> 03:35.610 hear you crying . I see you crying , 03:36.059 --> 03:38.170 but now I can hear you crying and now 03:38.170 --> 03:40.337 I'm crying because you're crying and I 03:40.337 --> 03:42.339 hear you , uh , but that that will 03:42.339 --> 03:45.979 forever be the probably the fondest 03:45.979 --> 03:48.300 memory , uh , and the best memory up to 03:48.300 --> 03:50.580 date , uh , that I have of my son . 03:53.429 --> 03:55.596 Oftentimes we as military members were 03:55.596 --> 03:58.509 looked at and referred to as heroes and 03:58.509 --> 04:01.270 as humbling as that is , I tell people 04:01.270 --> 04:03.160 all the time my son is my hero . 04:15.000 --> 04:18.390 Yeah Yeah , you almost , you almost got 04:18.390 --> 04:21.149 me . Almost got me with that one .