Don't Talk About It, Until You Can Laugh About It

Friends, I owe you an apology.

I’m sorry for my delay or non-responses to both your birthday and anniversary wishes.

On Monday, August 30th, my son David was hospitalized and fighting for his life.

Over that weekend, he had been invited to a bachelor party by one of his work colleagues.

One of the partyers (not the guest of honor) had become blackout drunk.

David?was encouraging this stranger to eat some food, drink water and take it easy.

The drunk greeted David with aggression.?

At that point, David decided to leave him alone and to leave the party.

Surprisingly, this inebriated individual shook my son’s hand and said, “We’re good.”

As David walked away, with his back turned, without provocation, the drunk tackled my son into a brick wall with a protruding windowsill.

David could neither brace nor protect himself.

As a result of this violence, David suffered three broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a punctured diaphragm, and internal bleeding.

Nothing prepares you for this call if you are a parent or have children that you care about.

Thankfully, the surgery was a success, and David was discharged from the hospital on September 4th.

Every day he is getting better. Today, he is back at work.

I want to thank my family and friends for their thoughts and prayers.

I especially want to thank David’s wife,?Maria. She simultaneously kept the family calm as she assertively advocated for her husband in the hospital.

Having a loved one hospitalized during a pandemic is a compounded layer of stress.

Maria is my hero.

I also want to thank the health workers of?RWJ Barnabas/Clara Maass Medical Center?who cared for my son. They are understaffed and overworked. Thank you to the doctors: Dr. Paulo (Attending), Dr. Marsaca (PA), Dr. Roger Stein (Thoracic/Vascular Surgeon), and Dr. Pontanero (Thoracic/Vascular Surgeon). Thank you to the PCU Nurses: Mariah, Marisa, Sarah, Ricardo, Luisa, and Sheeba.

If you must go to a hospital, be kind–be tolerant.

I’m with David and Maria, as I’m writing this post.

A few weekends ago, David surprised me with a belated birthday gift. We attended the New York Giants vs. Denver Broncos football game at Met Life Stadium in New Jersey. We had 5th-row seats, and the Bronco’s won!

My actual birthday gift was having my son alive by my side.?

In the social media era, it is common to share personal incidents like this as it happens.

I’m a private person. In our family, my wife Sarika does all the postings.

And I did not want to write while I was angry.

In the speaking business, there is an aphorism: “Don’t speak about it until you can laugh about it.”

I’m not ready to laugh about any of this!

However, spending time with both David and Maria has returned my joyfulness. And this, I’m ready to share.