J-Si’s Blog: 22 Minutes
J-Si’s Blog: 22 Minutes

Is it possible to feel that your entire life has changed in 22 minutes… while sitting on your couch? Yes. In fact, I give that an emphatic “YES!” I came across a video yesterday before work. Yeah, it was early, but the tittle of the blog containing this 22 minute documentary caught my eye. It read: “This kid just died. What he left behind was wondtacular.” Mostly, I didn’t know if “wondtacular” was really a word so I had to watch the video to find out. Yes, I could have searched online, but I like to figure things out organically from time to time.

I ended up finding out that “wondtacular” was not an actual word. So why did this website use it? I believe it’s because, after watching the video, there are no words to explain what an extraordinary young man the world had lost. His name was Zach Sobiech and he passed away on May 20th from cancer. He had just turned 18 but his death was not unexpected either. He found out he had cancer at 14, was treated, and at 17 ended up with terminal cancer in his lungs. He was told how long (estimated) he had to live. Take that in. I know this has happened before to many people but the way he handled his situation was heart wrenching, uplifting, and incredible.wondtacularHe faced reality with the most upbeat attitude one could imagine. How? I have no idea. The only way to understand how great this guy was is to watch the video. I can’t do it justice with words.

If you didn’t see the link on my Facebook yesterday, I really suggest watching it right here today. On the site they have links to his fund and to the song he wrote on there as well.

For me, this video put everything in perspective. What reeled me in, was a quote he said in the very beginning of the video… and yes, I quoted an 18 year old guy. That’s how inspirational he was and still is: “You don’t have to find out you are dying to start living.” It’s that simple. It really is our choice to be happy, grateful, humble, and likable. We can choose whether things get to us, get us down, or stop us. We completely control how we want to be remembered.

I watched the video three times yesterday. Once alone, once with Kinsey, and once again before bed, as I held a sleeping Cason in my arms. I cried each and every single time. It was that powerful. I went to sleep thinking about it and woke up thinking about it. Suddenly, the girl who accidentally chipped my tooth at the gym was not what I kept angrily thinking about…because a chipped tooth is something I can fix. Something I can control. Thank you Zach. Thank you for teaching this 30 year old man how wonderful the gift of life is!