Have you ever had the experience of setting yourself up for great success in the new year, but something happened that punched you in the face? Something that challenged your emotions and made you think, “I didn’t expect this at all”?
Well, the start of 2020 punched me in the face badly! On the first day of the new year, my mom called from Iran and said that my niece, who recently turned 16 was in a coma! She had the symptoms of mild flu for a couple of weeks, but suddenly the virus attacked her brain and caused a seizure, which put her into the state of coma. To prevent her brain from further damage, the doctors put her into sleep for seven days in ICU.
Lots of samples were taken from her spinal cord and blood to monitor the change in her brain’s water chemistry and the health of her internal organs. CT Scans and MRI did not show the damage to the brain. Being far from them was hard. We didn’t know what to do or how to help.
The virus that infected her brain is a rare one that may cause damage and result in a slow recovery. Our emotions were tested. I experienced the roller coaster effect. My brother and his wife were desperate. The best doctors in the city were doing their best to help her survive. The hospital did not allow anyone to visit her except her parents.
After 7 days, they brought her back from sleep to check her state of consciousness. Her state of consciousness was still low but slowly improving. On January 7th we heard the good news that she had opened her eyes, but the road to recovery is long. More on this later.
Happy with the good news, we went back to our plans for the year. However, that night something happened that I will never forget!
I am sure you’ve heard that news too! The crash of the Ukrainian airplane on January 8th! 176 people vanished that night, most of them Iranian-Canadians.
We were not ready for another bad news. But I got another punch in the face that was harder than the first one!
One of our best family friends of 4 were on that flight. We knew them for over 10 years. Both husband and wife were professors at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. Their two daughters, 9 and 14, were each one year older than my kids. When we were living in Edmonton, our kids grew up together. We were very close.
That crash that was the result of a missile strike took their lives too early.
This family was super nice, funny, friendly, smart, and dedicated. They were dream achievers! They had accomplished a lot. We loved to be around them. The last time we were with them was in August 2018 when we traveled to Canada for 3 weeks to visit our best friends. We stayed with them overnight.
It is hard to believe that they are gone. It is hard to believe that we will not see their happy faces again. We will miss them, but we will never forget them. I am sure that their souls are with us, supporting their families and friends. And I am sure that they fulfilled their mission.
You can watch the video that I made in their tribute here.
Although these two incidents were very hard to deal with mentally and emotionally, they taught me some good lessons. They taught me that we should be ever ready. They taught me that challenges could appear out of nowhere. They taught me that life is too short to waste.
Although I am emotionally drained, I am gradually restoring my positive emotions. These two punches were strong and made me dizzy, but I am getting back up.
It is January 14th today, two weeks after I heard the news about my niece and one week after the loss of our best friends. It is still the beginning of the year. It is still the beginning of the decade.
Although my niece has not recovered yet and the doctors had to put her back to sleep for a few more days, I know that she is going to be alright. I know that she is strong enough because she has passed the worst part. The road to recovery is long for her but I know that with her parents and the rest of the family beside her, she’ll get back to normal in the near future.
Life can be tough sometimes. Our faith is tested when we claim that we are ready to fight the challenges we face. The key is to be resilient, to take the punch, but not to fall. And even if you fall, be resilient enough to get back up and move forward.
It may take some time to get back on track but never lose sight of your destination. Never give up on your vision. Find ways to stop the downward spiral and recharge your batteries with positive energy to return to the upward spiral.
I am ready to move on. I am ready to lead the way to higher levels of success. I am ready to make this year and this decade my best ever.
What about you?
