Strength Through Adversity

[SunnyDazStormyNitz]

She's a very pretty little girl Andy. Glad everything worked out for her.

[andymooseman]

Thanks guys :)

[bugsinrug]

Andy, thankyou so much for sharing this heartfelt story with all of us. When it's time to step up to the plate as they say, it's amazing how strong our batting arm becomes. hugs, Chris

[andymooseman]

Thanks Chris.

Yes, that inner strength is something i didn't realise i had, but i'm glad i found.

I think it's in all of us if we need it :)

[UpDownMostly]

HAHAH the only real adversity I've had in my life is here on YouTube. Go figure. :)

[andymooseman]

Virtual adversity can be just as bad as 'real' adversity Tim, as i'm sure you're aware. Hopefully your time here has made you a stronger person :)

[petuniabelle650]

I'm so glad she was allright. I can't even imagine how scared you and your wife had to be. She looked SO tiny in the hospital picture. Loved the picture of the two of you together. She's beautiful.

[andymooseman]

Strange as it may seem. I think we coped better than some of our families. We were so tied up in what was going on, we didn't always have an opportunity to think about it too much. Also we still had our son to consider. Which helped to focus our minds on something else :)

[Pippilly]

Thankfully your daughters condition was detected. I can't imagine those 10 minutes, must have seemed like a lifetime! Worst time in my life was when my Mother passed away in 1986. The world stood still but the birds kept singing. I was young, I couldn't figure out why the world was still going? Didn't they realize I had just lost my Mum? Was the worst thing I went through and ever will go through. It made me VERY strong. Maybe too strong if there is such a thing. I then started skydiving = )

[andymooseman]

Luckily we only found out about those 10 minutes, after they happened. But, it's probably the longest night i've ever spent. These things always seem to happen in the middle of night don't they?

Was the skydiving a reaction to the death of your mother, do you think? :)

[TamHickey67]

I'm so glad that everything worked out for the best Andy. The whole family must have felt kinda numb at the time, every second that passed must have seemed like an hour. Good to see she's doing so well now.

[andymooseman]

Thanks mate. She still has to have regular check-ups etc. But that's for monitoring purposes as much as anything :)

[americannamor]

Thanks for sharing this story. I think I must have been lucky so far that I haven't had to deal with much tragedy. The biggest thing I had to deal with was my grandmother dying of cancer. She was living with us at the time and wanted to die at home so me, my brother and sister was around for the long process. Thankfully my grandmother was very aware of our feelings and talked with us and guided us through the whole thing.

[americannamor]

Being the oldest, I found myself shifting into a more parental role when it came to my bother and sister and I think I was able to find comfort by looking after them as my mother dealt with her own feelings. I think that played a major role in how I get along with my siblings today.

[andymooseman]

You seem to have had a similar experience to mine. In so much as you started to adapt to what was going on around you, without maybe realising it.

As you say, that experience has helped you in your future life. Some good can come out of bad times :)

[kenrg]

Thanks for sharing that story, and best to all of you. It's amazing what we're all capable of when the time really comes. We hope that most of us won't ever have to find out just how strong they really could be.

[andymooseman]

Thanks Ken. After the experience was over, i wrote a little piece for a charity telling our story. In that i said that these events are things that are supposed to happen to other people, not us :)

[flydarling]

It was a great story Andy because it was so intimate I feel I know more about you and your family and also because ultimately it's positive. My boyfriend was killed (motorbike) when I was 23 and I screamed like something left my body when I was told. For a while I didn't know if I could survive the shock and loss. But you got 2 choices - you survive, or you don't. All these experiences make us who we are and colour our future decisions. I carried on though I think of him still. Cheers, Lesley x

[andymooseman]

Thanks Lesley. It's amazing & very sad, how many people have their own story to tell.

I agree that these experiences make us who we are & help mould us. As you say, we do have a choice. You, like me, chose to use that experience to make us a better & stronger person :)

[Hippiefied1]

Oh Andy,

what a great story! I'm so glad to hear that your daughter came through all of that ok. What a champion fighter! I can't imagine having to mentally prepare myself for the death of one of my children that's just beyond comprehension to me and lord willing I will never have to tread in those waters. I so hope other people post their stories as replies to this. I loved this story and I would truly enjoy hearing others.

Great video as always!

[andymooseman]

Thanks Lisa. She's a fighter all right.

That mental preparation for her death wasn't done consciously. Although very hard to explain, it was something i was doing without really noticing until afterwards. Maybe it's a natural defence mechanism? :)

[anakin1814]

Great Beatles quote. Thank you so much for sharing this story with us. I've been through a similar thing with a 15 month old cousin who unfortunately passed away after complications. It was the worst and hardest thing my family and I have ever had to deal with. It was hard to see that picture of your daughter in the hospital, knowing the sad outcome for my cousin Michael. What year did this happen? Michael had his surgery and passed away on June 15, 1995. Thanks for sharing your story. :)

[andymooseman]

Thanks Gary. I couldn't resist the Beatles quote.

I'm sorry to hear your story Gary & i hope this didn't bring back too many bad memories for you.

My daughter had her problems in April 1994 & there is a lot more to her story than i mentioned here. Her surgery was corrective, so she's ok now. Although she still has to have check ups :)

[anakin1814]

Thanks Andy...it's just something that's part of our lives now, you know?

In Nashville we'll have to talk about this more in depth. :)

[andymooseman]

Ditto. It's something in our family that will never be forgotten either.

Bring on Nashville & not forgetting, Chicago ;)

[andydroo1957]

What an amazing story. 20 years ago my son fell backwards off a swing and fractured his skull, thankfully he recovered but it was a terrifying time for both myself and my wife. Take care.

[andymooseman]

I can relate to your own experience. I'm glad it worked out ok for you as well :)

[NuttersClub]

A very moving story Andy, so glad your daughter is fine now, she looks lovely :-)

x hugs x

[andymooseman]

Thank you. She is lovely, but them i'm just a little biased :)