Bryan...

Some of you may remember me talking about my brother's best friend Bryan, his wife Ashley, and their infant son Owen a couple of months ago. It breaks my heart to say this but Bryan passed away suddenly yesterday in a freak accident. He was working part time this summer washing windows while looking for work as a nurse (he graduated from Augustana this past May), and yesterday he had been washing windows at the same hospital where our son Gavin was born. Their scaffolding collapsed and he and his coworker fell 3 stories to the concrete sidewalk below. Bryan died instantly and his coworker was talking to emergency workers when they arrived at the scene, but that is all we know about his coworker at this point. Not many more details are known since the accident is currently under investigation.

Bryan was another brother to me. I've known him and his family almost my entire life. Today my heart just feels heavy and it's such a horrible and helpless feeling. I still can't comprehend how the world will continue going on without his smiling face in it. He and his wife have been together since the 9th grade, and I have never ever met a couple more in love. Their 2nd anniversary would have been on the 22nd of this month. She is already proving to be an amazingly strong young woman and I know that she will do a fabulous job raising that little guy Owen, and will always him how amazing his daddy was.

All of this has really put Gavin's CF into perspective. Not one of us is guaranteed a tomorrow. The average life expectany for CF these days is 37, but who is to say that any "healthy" individual will make it there. Bryan was an extremely healthy 24 year old individual. He ate right, exercised and lived a very happy and fulfilling life. This all is a reminder to tell your loved ones "I love you" every single day, don't go sleep angry with one another and never get too busy/lazy in the morning as you seperate to start your days to say goodbye and I love you.

I'm numb, overwhelmed and in shock. I don't know if my mind will ever fully comprehend all of this. I cannot even imagine what his family is going through...

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