This Thursday is the day before the Easter holidays for us, but it’s also a notable day for two of our work colleagues, who have been struck down by severe illnesses.
Imagine waking up with no memory of anything prior to this moment, to be told you have been in a horror car accident and you’ve been left disfigured and nearly blind. With no memory of past relationships, friendships or even direct family, our workmate Andrew had to rebuild his life literally from scratch at the age of 18, and admirably has never let his disability stop him from achieving his own goals, finding love and, as it happens, working with Bing Lee in a variety of positions including at head office, in stores, even taking an opportunity to help manage one.
Andrew is totally blind in one eye and has a small percentage of vision in the other. After being told of the discovery of cataract in his remaining (somewhat) working eye, he now has to make the decision as to whether he should risk surgery or leave the eye as is. Both scenarios are risky, and either way could leave him completely blind. Understandably, Andrew has decided to leave Bing Lee and focus on the next big decision of his life. His last day is on this Thursday.
On this day, we’ll also be welcoming one of our old friends and colleagues back for a pre-Easter BBQ. Nick was overseas early last year at a consumer electronics exhibition when he suffered a severe heart attack. He had to be revived multiple times and as a result, suffered further damage. He is still slowly recuperating to this day, wheelchair-bound but receiving intense physiotherapy to help him one day get back on his own two feet.
Seeing the struggles that these two colleagues are going through puts my own challenges in perspective. I’m a healthy guy with a great young family and I’m not beset by anything even close to what these workmates must rise to every day. It really does make the basics in life even more appreciated.
So even though my blogs are predominantly about the latest techy gadget, or a great gig that I watched, and I may get frustrated by small things at work which are ultimately solvable, days like this definitely give pause to consider that tomorrow may present an entirely new set of circumstances to deal with.
Seeing Nick and Andrew in their current predicaments, and how they approach their daily challenges, is an inspiration and I wish them both the best. Their battle to improve their quality of life reminds me of how good I really do have it, and I should take none of it for granted.