Good Friday

By James D. Rightnowar

My 6 year journey battling Acute Myloid Lukemia Flt3 ITd ,A deadly rare form of Luekemia with a survival rate of 8-10 % My younger brother died suddenly 2 weeks earlier of sepsis. Over 250 days in the hospital long stays. 280 hrs of IV Chemo.45 days of Oral chemo . 40 hrs of dialysis. Bone marrow transplant. 5 near death experiences . Encephalitis of the bran , 3 severe bouts of GVHD , Rejection of the bone marrow transplant . Paralysis of left leg from knee down for 2 years. Heart failure ,Liver damage ,Kidney Damage 2 heart attacks, 2 back surgeries, wound care for 6 months. Most of the glands in my body are damaged or destoyed . Tears ,Saliva , Sweat,Adrenal glands all damaged. Esophagus. Spent over 5000 hrs of therapy trying to walk again. Daily maintenance. 18 pills a day 4 sets of eye drops 4 times a day ,nasal flush 4 sets of nasal spray just to exist. After all this i feel like Im the luckiest man in the world. Always a positive ,No quit attitude. My renewed Journey of faith. Im truly blessed. During my journey,I never questioned GoD or asked why. I thought,"If you don't question the daily blessings of your life you can't question the hard stuff." Along the way conversations and circumstances with strangers. Seemingly random . Turned into faith based conversations that were life changing for them and myself. When they 1st started happening. I thought it was strange,but gave you a nice feeling. With subsequent conversations.They were getting more profound and the odds of the people I met , the connections were too great to be random. Miracles. The ripple effect of these conversations would emotionally shake you to your core. Truly examples of the power of prayer and God. Today 6 years laterI I look very healthy and fit to most outsiders. I still have hours of daily maintenance. To make it through my day. I counsel many people as well as cancer patients and families on their journey. I am truly blessed to be with you. The big lesson:Time is the most important thing. Don't waste.it.Be Aligned not comflicted with your faith and your actions. Spendit with people you love, family and friends. Its really all you have. From the beginning to the nect beginning.God Bless you.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jun 20, 2024
• ISBN: 9798218422936

James D. Rightnowar

James D Rightnowar Born and lives in Nw Ohio.Married ,3 sons , Outgoing, very athletic , Enjoys music and spending time with family and friends. Active in community coached Baseball, Basketball ,Football for 25 years. Finance advisor for 34 years. Cancer survivor and advocate. Counselor to patients and families, Man of God.

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Cover of Good Friday by James D. RightnowarA person wearing sunglasses and holding his chin Description automatically generated

Good Friday

©2024 James D. Rightnowar

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

print ISBN: 979-8-21842-294-3

ebook ISBN: 979-8-21842-293-6

Dedication

To my wife Laurie and my sons, Arin, Corey, and Austin for all their love and support during this long journey.

To my family and friends who prayed, supported, and spent time with me during difficult times.

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

Preface

Good Friday is the day that Jesus was crucified and died on the cross. Although it’s a sad day, he died to take away our sins. His sacrifice gave us the opportunity for eternal life. From this point forward, everything changed.

Good Friday, 2018 changed everything for me in ways that no one could have anticipated. Miraculous is the only word to describe what would become my journey of extreme pain, faith, blessings, and transformation.

Good Friday.

James Rightnowar

Good Friday—March 29, 2024

Chapter 1

March 2018

I had been battling a frustrating sinus infection for weeks. My job requires me to present to employee groups weekly, but I had an all-consuming cough about every third sentence I spoke.

I wasn’t the only person in my family not feeling well. Rick, my younger brother by ten years, was also struggling in a way that I wasn’t aware of at the time.

My family is dynamic and strong-willed; always has been. I have two older sisters and two younger brothers. My parents have both passed. Rick was a fun, smart, mischievous, and charming man. Standing tall at 6’7", he led his high school basketball team to state tournaments in back-to-back years. He was recruited and played for four years on the University of Toledo basketball team. He played every position on the floor at one point or another.

Saturday, March 3, 2018

The phone rang. It was Rick’s wife.

Rick isn’t feeling well. He stayed home from work today, she said.

Rick was a new car sales manager at the local Ford dealership for over twenty years. He never missed work, no matter how sick he felt.

Well, can I talk to him? I asked.

He’s sleeping. I really don’t want to wake him.

Sunday, March 4, 2018

I tried calling Rick a few of times. No answer. Later that night, his wife called:

I’m taking Rick to the hospital, she said.

I’ll meet you there.

No, she replied. It’s late, Jim. Wait until tomorrow. It’ll be fine.

Okay. I’ll be there first thing tomorrow.

Monday, March 5, 2018

I arrived at the hospital promptly at 7:30 a.m., surprised to find my brother in the ICU. They said he was septic. The initial shock only intensified as the day wore on. At 9 a.m., my brother had a heart attack, followed by another at 11 a.m. After the second attack, he had no brain activity and was on life support. Chances were high that he would never wake again. How could something like this happen so suddenly? We held onto hope as best we could.

Friday, March 9, 2018

Rick did not improve, and his wife decided to pull the plug and end my little brother’s life. I couldn’t fathom why she was in such a hurry. We knew he had no cognitive activity, but we had hope, even if, at times, it seemed far-fetched.

He needed someone in his corner—and we were there—but ultimately, the decision was not up to me or my family.

My brother Rick died on Friday, March 9th, 2018, at 48 years old, leaving behind his wife and three wonderful children: sons Ricky and Ryan, and daughter Nicole.

Losing Rick rocked me to my core. Our father worked long hours, and with Rick being ten years younger than me, he was part brother and part son. I was his authority figure alongside my mom as he grew up.

You always think you have more time. Until you don’t.

And you never think about planning a funeral for your little brother. Until you must.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

My cold wasn’t getting any better. I saw my family doctor, Dr. Todd, whom my family has been seeing for over 20 years. I trust and confide in him.

He prescribed me the standard Z-pack antibiotic for my sinus infection. I finished my pack and waited for a week to begin feeling better, but nothing was improving.

Friday, March 30, 2018

I called Dr. Todd and asked him if he could call in another prescription for me.

You need to come into the office for another exam, Jim, he insisted.

No! I said stubbornly. Can’t you just call it in?

Sorry, Jim. I need to see you.

So, at 4:30 p.m. on Good Friday, there I was in his office again, every bit as annoyed as I was on the phone.

Maybe after this appointment I can buy you a beer, I teased as we walked to his office.

Dr. Todd examined me and noted I was pale and short of breath. He also noticed nickel- and dime-sized bruises on my hand and arm.

Jim, as a precaution, I want you to go over to the lab right now for blood work and a chest x-ray.

No, I said. I’m meeting my family for dinner.

If I have to walk you to the lab myself, I will, he insisted. So, I agreed.

I’ll call you later with the results. I’m sure it’s nothing, he reassured me.

Famous last words.

Afterwards, I went home and picked up my wife. Our sons met us at the local Mexican restaurant. We had a great time, as we always do.

I am blessed in this life with a beautiful wife and three amazing sons: Arin, 27, Corey, 25, and Austin, 22. My bond with them is my greatest joy. They are the basis of everything good in my life.

After dinner, we returned home and gathered in the kitchen, as we often do, laughing and having a great time enjoying each other’s company. At 9:30 p.m., my phone rang. Caller ID showed that it was Dr. Todd. I stepped out of the room to answer.

I knew by the shaking of his voice that something was terribly wrong.

It’s bad. Very bad, he shared, his voice breaking. "The normal range for blood platelet count is between 150,000 and 450,000. You’re at 8,000.

"Jim, listen to me. You must go immediately to the emergency room. Right now. I called ahead and they’re expecting you. Then he added, Also, do not bump into anything or fall. It can cause serious internal bleeding. Be extremely careful." We hung up.

Shocked. Numb. I felt like I was tumbling down a cliff. Or better yet, I was like that cartoon character standing on the sidewalk when an anvil or piano falls from the sky, hits me on the head, and my eyes spin endlessly in circles.

Stunned, I walked back into the laughter-filled kitchen. One look and everyone fell silent.

That was Dr. Todd, I began in a trembling voice. My blood work came back. My platelets are dangerously low. He said I need to get to the hospital immediately, that they’re waiting for me.

With those few sentences, our lives changed forever. We all hugged tighter than ever before, not knowing what would come next. I packed my bag, and we headed to the hospital.

Chapter 2

Friday, March 30, 2018—The Hospital

Everything was a blur to me, but I tried to act as normal as possible for my family. My next three hours consisted of endless tests and blood draws. My family stayed with me through the night.

Saturday, March 31, 2018

In the morning, I was moved to a private room. This is where I met my first angel, Miranda, a petite 4’11", 90 pounds, with a dainty little voice to match. Miranda made regular check-ins on me and my family, and I introduced her to everyone who came by.

You have a wonderful family, she said. You care a lot for each other.

Probably just like other families, I replied.

She shook her head. I don’t see many families like yours. I wish I did, but I don’t.

It was 11 a.m. and I still had heard nothing about my test results. No doctors had come by. I knew in my heart that they were not good at all, but I had no choice but to wait. And so I waited.

Miranda swung by my room. Have you spoken to the doctor yet?

No, I replied.

She stared at me, dumbfounded and furious.

Can you please find the oncologists and find out what’s going on? I pleaded.

She hustled out and returned a few minutes later saying, The doctors were arguing about whose patient you are and said they’re not coming in for another day or two.

There was a pause; we were speechless. Then Miranda snapped, I may get fired for this, but one of those damn doctors is going to see you today! She turned and stomped out of my room.

From my bed, I could hear her tiny voice on the phone at the nurse’s station. She asked the first doctor if he’s coming in. She hung up. She asked the second doctor. She hung up again.

Then, my angel mustered her courage, called both doctors on a three-way conference call, and in her strongest voice said, I don’t care which one of you is coming in today, but that nice man is not going to die because you two can’t make a decision. Call me when you figure out who it’s gonna be! And, without waiting for an answer, she slammed the phone down.

A few moments later, she slipped