“A 1,000 Ways To Die” Chapter 96

Psalm 121:5-8

“The Lord watches over you — the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm — he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

When you reflect back on your life, do you think about how many times you could have died?

I've recently been thinking about it after reading an article about ALS stating service members are twice as likely to get ALS than civilians. Since 2001 more Veterans died from ALS than from acts of war.

Military service: Research indicates a higher risk of ALS among military personnel, likely due to exposure to intense physical exertion, trauma, and environmental contaminants. This increased risk is especially noted in veterans of World War II and the Gulf War, although the exact reasons remain unclear.

As I read the risk factors, I reflected back on if any applied to me, and I was surprised. I always thought I would die jumping in front of a bullet, even though I could have died 1,000 different ways in my lifetime.

When I was seven, I went to open a window in our apartment. The window was a single pane of plate glass and we lived on the fourth floor. As I pushed on the window the glass broke and I thrusted forward. If my brother Greg wasn’t there to stop me, I surely could have died.

We also lived near the train tracks where my friends and I played. We used to put coins on the tracks and wait for the train to flatten them. All it would take was one wrong move being hit and I surely could have died.

I was eight when I was walking to school with friends and instead of crossing the street at the crosswalk, I ran across the road between two cars. I didn’t see any cars, but I was hit by the side of one throwing me up in the air. I spun around in the air better than a gymnast during a floor exercise, but I didn’t stick the landing. Surprisingly, I was not hurt. I remember being so scared that I was going to get in trouble with my dad, so I jumped up and ran to school without telling anyone. If I had ran out a second earlier I would have been crushed and I surely could have died.

Still around the same age, we had a guy in the building who had a mean German Shepherd. He told us if we stand still when they passed, the dog would be ok and leave us alone. One day my brother Jeff and I were in the hallway when the man was walking by with his dog. On that day I don’t know what happened that scared me, but I ran and hid behind the hallway door and the dog bit my brother. I thought if that dog got a hold of me surely I could have died.

I was around nine when I was living with my foster family, and they owned a horse as well as other animals. Pegasus was a beautiful horse, and I helped take care of him and rode him when I could. He didn’t like my sister Sabine, and would buck her off, but my brother Frank and I had no problems riding him. One day when I was riding him something spooked him and he suddenly went galloping and bucking towards the fence where my friends were, and all I could do was hold onto the horn of the saddle. If not for the horn I surely could have fell off and died.

As a teenager I would ride my bicycle everywhere. I was a bit reckless as well - always going fast and not stopping at intersections when I didn’t see any cars. On my way to school on my normal route, I would go along a path by the football field. There was a gate that had a single coil wire painted yellow that would be open on most days. I would always ride fast through it until the day I didn’t see the wire and it hit me right across my throat slamming me to the ground. I was luckily not decapitated, but surely I could have died.

Between the ages of 18 - 26 I had five car accidents. The first was when I was coming back from the Bronx with my friend Laurie. As I was exiting off the highway pretty fast I ran into the back of a car stopped at an intersection I was not aware of. The second time my friend Jim and I were driving back to the barracks at Ft. Lewis, WA from a late night out. I wasn’t paying attention when my exit was near, and instead of passing it and getting off the next exit, I shot over the curb with my back wheel and ran into the retaining wall at 60 mph. My last big crash happened in Germany while driving 100 mph on the Autobahn. I was in the fast lane when another car pulled in front of me causing me to swerve hitting the guardrail. Fortunately for me I walked away from every one of them with only some bumps and bruises, but surely I could have died each time.

Between the ages of 20 - 28 I was married three times. Surely I COULD HAVE DIED.

When I was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds (APG) MD we were tasked to clean up trash and 55 gallon drums along the river. APG has both chemical and nuclear testing facilities and we had no personal protective equipment during cleanup. Who knows what I were exposed to while cleaning and moving the drums, but if exposed to the wrong chemicals, surely I could have died.

In California I bungee jumped from a sketchy looking rig at the state fair and later did the same over the Great Gorge in Colorado. Shark diving and sky diving in Hawaii. White water rafting in the Grand Canyon. Slid down ropes from helicopters and repelled off towers while in the Army. If any one of the safety devices failed, surely I could have died.

As a Soldier with the best job in the Army, we all conducted rigorous physical exercise and training. Far more than others in the Army, ask any Military Police Soldier and I am sure they would agree. Once while stationed at Schofield Barracks, HI, we had to complete a four mile road march with gear. This was a timed event and I took some Vivarin caffeine pills for a little boost. When I crossed the finish line I was so dehydrated that I needed an IV, and after the fourth bag the medic told me I couldn’t have any more. Without the IV surely I could have died.

Also while still in Hawaii I was driving home on the highway after work around midnight when I saw a person laying on the ground. His legs were in the fast lane and his body was across the line closer to the median. I quickly pulled over and as I was playing live action Frogger crossing the three lanes to get to him, two more cars ran over his legs. To my surprise he was still alive. I pulled him closer to the median away from the speeding cars and while flagging down cars for help almost got hit as well. Eventually emergency services came and he survived. However, if I hadn't been careful enough, I could have been hit and surely I could have died.

Even though I believe my ALS was caused from taking the Covid shot, looking back at my life and the effects of my past, I could see how it may have caused my ALS. So when people ask me, “how do I stay so positive when I am LIVING with ALS?” I say my strength in God grows stronger everyday. I could have died a 1,000 other ways in the past, but God had my six, so why would I worry about dying this time?

So remember - the next time something happens to you and you wonder how you didn't die, thank God for protecting you.

Love and Blessings

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