Andre Xavier's Blog, page 12
June 22, 2022
Day 285 | JUNE 22, 2022
Good evening, Friends, today is day 285 of our new and amazing life!
Today was an exciting day!
London was up early, 6 am he was by my bedside just standing there looking at me.
I was out of bed and in the shower shortly after waking up, Julien decided to sleep in today, a nice change for him at last!
London and I had breakfast together, he asked for French Toast , luckily, I had a few frozen pieces of French Toast and that made for a quick breakfast!
Charlie joined us shortly after we started, as did my mom and baby Julien.
After breakfast I made my way to my office and was at work by 8:30am.
Today I had something very special planned, Charlie had gifted me for Father’s Day, a 50 minutes Swedish massage at the very nice Spa at the Boars Head Inn, and I will be honest, this gift caused me some stress, because I just could not see how I was going to take time off from my limited work schedule, to enjoy a massage, plus I have been feeling incredible guilt, since the accident, I don’t feel worthy of enjoying myself, since Charlie is enduring so much pain.
As the hours went by, I continued to be nervous, but around 11am, Charlie texted me and said, I really hope you can enjoy today's self-care movement, at that second, I realized that, I needed to focus a little on me, I have been running on adrenaline since 9/10/21, maybe it was time to let myself relax even if it is for 1 hour, and since Charlie is the one telling me to do it, I was less guilty.
So, I made my way to the Spa, at the same time Charlie made her way to her PT.
It was amazing, for 50 minutes, and since the accident, my mind didn’t have to focus on anything, I was able to really unplug for that time, and for a second it was like I had no worries.
When I was finished, after a quick dip in the pool, shower. I was back home, one hour and thirty minutes after I left.
I am so grateful for this incredible opportunity to practice self-care, and I must say, I needed it, I really needed this break.
Thank you, Charlie!
Today was also the day, People magazine released the online preview of the exclusive interview that Charlie gave them, we are very grateful to People and their report and staff for telling Charlie’s story in a positive and inspiring way, you will want to pick up the new issue of People on newsstands nationwide Friday to read your full story.
This is the first time Charlie spoke to a reporter about her accident, they also talked with her doctor, it is an incredible interview.
The Cover and the first page of the interview is posted below.
I also would like to welcome several new friends that joined us today after seeing the online preview. Welcome and thank you for your prayers and support!
Please be sure to visit our blog, cheering on Charlie to read from day 1, Charlie’s incredible story of Survival, Faith and Love!
May God Bless You! And thank you for your continued support of our book.
André
June 21, 2022
Don't forget to grab your People Magazine copy this Friday.
Good Morning! We can finally share with you, Charlie's first interview, People Magazine has the exclusive story on their upcoming issue, here is a preview of that story, be sure to grab your copy of People Magazine this Friday, and you will see exclusive photos and the first time Charlie spoke about her accident.
June 20, 2022
Day 284 | JUNE 21, 2022
Good evening, Friends, today is day 284 of our new and amazing life.
Today I woke up and felt a little less overwhelmed, Actually I felt good.
When I got downstairs Charlie was not awake, so I went to check on her and she was not feeling well.
She had difficulty sleeping, and her stomach was cramping and she had a headache, poor Charlie was not well.
The first thing that came into my mind, withdraw, I remember once at rehabilitation the time she felt very sick with a cold like flu, and since then I have done extensive research on opioids and withdrawal, so it was clear that we had a problem.
After speaking with Charlie, we realized that she ran out of one of her medications last nights and that was the cause of her not feeling well.
Sadly, the reason why she ran out was because the pain management practice that Charlie went to never sent the prescription to the pharmacy as she was told on the day of her appointment.
Luckily Charlie’s rehab doctor is amazing and came in to her rescue and managed to call in a prescription and by 5pm, Charlie had her meds back and by 8pm, she was symptom free and feeling much better.
Charlie and I have had conversations about the Opioid crisis, it is absolutely heartbreaking to know how many people are exposed to very powerful pain meds, and so many does not have the support and resources to come off from the opioids, and today is an example of how things can go south if there is no support, we are beyond grateful for her doctors.
Even when not feeling well, Charlie didn’t stop being the amazing mom that she is, she took the boys outside of our house and played with them for an hour or so.
The boys are loving having a mommy home and baby Julien is really connecting with her more and more each day.
Today for the first time, Julien became jealous when London was seated on Charlie’s lap. Just the cutest.
I am grateful for today, it was not easy to see Charlie suffering today, but I am so thankful that her doctor was able to help her with her meds.
Thank you for your continued support, and please pray for God to give us strength.
May God Bless You.
André
June 19, 2022
Day 283 | JUNE 20, 2022
Good evening, Friends, today is day 283 of our new and amazing life.
Today I woke up to a funny site, Julien woke up early today, 5:50am and vovó went to get him dressed, he came to my bedside around 6:20a and woke me up, and the moment I open my eyes, he threw his little bunny and it hit me right on my head, it was just too funny, a great way to wake up
As usual I made my way downstairs, got breakfast ready for the boys, and Charlie.
Vovó was a little under the weather today, so she had a slow start, and I didn’t get to my office until 10:30am, not a good move for a busy Monday morning, but the only choice I had.
I spent most of my morning dealing with insurance, attorney and editor, it was a busy day, with mostly things to be worried about.
Today was a day that I went over the last few chapters with my book editor, we are getting near the final stretch towards the final chapter, and boy I am telling you, it will be amazing, by now you have a good idea what the book will be, based in the first Chapter, I really hope it sparked your interest.
At 5pm, I had to stop work and made my way up to take over the care for the boys.
We played for a little while and soon it was time to prepare dinner. London enjoyed my famous Brazilian hot dog, and Julien had a PB&J with a side of fruits, they both loved their dinners!
Charlie and I had the Brazilian hot dogs, and it was delicious, if you are curious, google Brazilian hot dogs
After dinner, it was time to put the boys to bed.
Julien went first, bath then bed and London also had a bath and then bed.
As I write today’s journal, I am tired, and I also feel overwhelmed.
I have a lot of things that require my time and attention, the difficulty is there is not enough time in a day for all that I need to do.
When I feel overwhelmed, it is hard to even think, no matter how much I try, it is almost as if my mind freezes.
It is amazing how my mind has the incredible ability to go fast into dark places.
When I am not constantly aware of my thoughts, I had the most incredible weekend and Father’s Day celebration, and just because I was unable to work as much as I needed, because my time was dedicated to be with the kids for a long period today, my mind started to suggest that I am overwhelmed and I can’t do it all.
Well, here is the plan, when things get hard and I don’t want to do something, that is when I push harder and keep on pushing, when my mind wants to give up trying, I intentionally push in the opposite direction.
This entry is for myself, this is the advice I am telling myself.
On another note, now it is a great time to purchase your book, either the Kindle or Paper Copy.
The pre-sale price will be increasing a little very soon, I just want to give you heads up
I am very grateful for your support and prayers.
We do need your prayers, we need strength, it is not an easy Journey, but we are grateful for his help so far.
Have a good night and thank you!
Just a cute moment between London and Julien playing outside today.
André
June 18, 2022
Day 282 | JUNE 19, 2022
Good evening, Friends, today is day 282 of our new and amazing life!
Today was a very good day!
I woke up early and by 7:50am I was downstairs ready to start a fun Sunday with the family!
I made a special breakfast for Charlie, and the boys, French Toast with fruits, it was a delicious meal!
Charlie had wound care so I took the boys outside at 9am, and we stayed the whole day outside! Really!
We had a day filled with fun and gratitude, our neighbors grilled hamburgers and hot dogs, and we brought sides and dessert and had a great time!
By 6pm we made our way inside and dinner followed after.
Today the boys had a lot of fun playing outside with the neighborhood kids.
I am beyond grateful for today, this was the best Father’s Day, and the reason why was the best, is mainly because, Charlie is here to celebrate with us!
To be a father is a huge privilege and responsibility. I pray that I am a good example of honesty, integrity, faith and dedication to my boys.
I am so grateful to Charlie for making me a father!
The very kind folks at Sheltering Arms Physical Rehabilitation decided to create a very special video for Father’s Day, here is the video. I will post it on a different post today.
Thank you and May God Bless You!
André
June 17, 2022
Day 281 | JUNE 18, 2022
Good evening, Friends, today is day 281 of our new and amazing life!
Today was truly a good day!
Well, I did start my day a little later than usual , I didn’t wake up until 9am! I guess my body just needed the rest after an intense day in the heat.
When I made my way downstairs, everyone seemed well and happy, and Charlie was waiting for me for breakfast, and I am so glad that she was. I made us eggs, bacon, toast and basic breakfast and it was so good!
As we started to enjoy our breakfast and each other’s company, Charlie spilled her iced coffee and it went all over her and her food, poor thing.
Here is a not so nice fact about me, in my previous life, an accident like that was a trigger for an outburst of anger and frustration, and I am very embarrassed to admit but that was me.
Today was different, when the coffee spilled, I grabbed napkins and without saying a word, I cleaned up Charlie’s lap, wheelchair seat, tire, and the table.
I didn’t feel upset, anger, nothing, and I just focused on how did this made Charlie feel? I wondered if she was mad or frustrated, so looking from the perspective of the other person was what I needed to feel compassion and not anger.
Charlie remained calm and also was not upset, she just asked for a new coffee and neither of us let this incident affect our mood in any negative way and for that I am so grateful.
After breakfast, we took the boys outside and one of our neighbors were having a Lemonade stand and London really wanted a Lemonade, we made our way down just few houses from our house, and I am glad that we did, the boys and we had such a great time talking with our neighbors, it was really good to catch up with few of them, we are beyond blessed to live in a incredible neighborhood, there is a true sense of community and we feel so much love and support towards our family! Thank you, Cascadia neighbors!
We made our way home after some time there and we stayed outside playing until 8pm, it was truly a fun day and the weather was very pleasant for Charlie. She really enjoyed being outside and seeing the boys having so much fun and playing with the neighborhood kids.
Today my bedtime was late, and that is ok because days like this are what creates memories and friendships. We are so blessed to have the opportunity to be together as a family! God’s miracle in preserving Charlie’s Life is something to be celebrated, our family is so grateful.
Yes, we had a late dinner before the boys went to bed
Tomorrow is Father’s Day; I wish all dad’s a fun and blessed day with the family!
Thank you for your continued support of our Book, and thank you for your prayers.
Have a Good Night!
Andre
June 16, 2022
Day 280 | JUNE 17, 2022
Good evening, Friends, today is day 280 of our new and amazing life!
Today I woke up around 6am, with London standing and staring at my bedside , he was so excited to show me his loose tooth.
Him and I went downstairs and had breakfast together, Charlie joined us shortly after, Julien slept inn and was up around 8am.
This morning, Charlie gave me a list of things that needed to be done for London’s half birthday celebration. Charlie wanted to have this celebration since she missed the boy's birthday last December.
Since it was a very huge day, we had an ice cream cake, sprinklers, water toys and pizza!
Before setting everything up, I had some work to do, and today was full of unexpected changes, lots of flights canceled and several clients in need of flights being re-booked, but that is the value of working with a Travel Advisor.
After lunch, I started the set up for the party, and Charlie went to her PT session, and today she broke a new record on her walk with the assistance of a walker and she did an incredible 865 feet! Wow! She continues to improve and impress me and her therapists! Keep on going Charlie!
Once she returned, she had wound care to be done, and I finished the setup up and around 3pm, the first friends arrived, the kids had so much fun! They played and had fun, it was a hot and humid day here in Virginia, and the water was cooling and then a storm rolled in, but it didn't last long, so the pizza arrived and everyone had a great dinner!
It was a fantastic day!
As I write today’s entry, I am tired, but I am also so grateful. To see London with his friends, having fun and just being a kid is just so worthy and to have Charlie home is also incredible and I am so grateful and blessed!
Please continue to pray for us, and thank you!
May God bless you.
André
June 15, 2022
Day 279 | JUNE 16, 2022
Good evening, friends, today is day 279 of our new and amazing life.
This morning started in a very undesirable way, but to shine a little clarity on this statement, we need to talk about last night.
We had to let our au pair go last night, and by 8 am this morning she was gone.
I won’t get into details, but all I will say is, no one will ever make my kids or anyone in my family feel afraid, don’t ever mistake my kindness for weakness.
Now, we are back to the original team, me and my mom taking care of the boys, and we are in search of a local nanny this time around.
Charlie and I just can’t believe how unlucky we are with our child care, we had 3 au pair in 6 months! Just hard to believe.
We even joked this morning that, in our life we seem to always have the extra hard way.
After taking care of business in the morning, we had a very good day.
Charlie went to the dentist today and to our surprise her teeth are in great shape! No cavities! Surprising because it has been almost a year and half since her last visit to the dentist, she was so happy!
On the way back home, we stopped by the Cold Stone Creamery to pick up an ice cream cake, Charlie has a plan for it tomorrow, I won’t spoil her surprise to London , and we grabbed lunch at Popeyes to go, Charlie first drink after months at the ICU unable to drink was, Popeyes Iced tea:).
After Lunch, I went to work and I had so much to do and not much time now.
Charlie had an OT appointment today, and for her medical appointments she has a transportation company that takes her, but today when she was ready to come home, her driver was almost 1 hour away, so she called and I was there to pick her up in 15 minutes, just grateful to have our own accessible van for moments like this.
Tonight, Charlie and I had a date! That is right, our first fun outing since the accident, we went to the movie theater, we watched Top Gun - Maverick and it was amazing!! Such a well-done movie, we both enjoyed it so much! But the best part of the movie was to have Charlie there, by my side.
You have no idea how much joy and gratitude it felt to be in that movie theater with Charlie, the love of my life, the mother of my children, holding my hand as Tom Cruise flies at 9.8G.
It is amazing that the smallest and the simplest things are the ones that bring the most joy lately.
I also felt so special because I was able to help Charlie with her food, and the simple act of me cutting her sandwich in smaller pieces is such an act of love, and I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be there for Charlie.
Truly our trip to the movie theater was such a privilege, and we cherished every minute of it! Thanks to my mom, for getting the boys to bed and allowing us to have a few hours of normalcy.
Also, this was the first time I was alone with Charlie. Well, kind of, there were people in the theater, but during the movie, Charlie’s aid was outside, so I could talk with her without someone around her, again it is the little things.
This day had everything ingredients to be an awful day, but we purposely chose to make it a good day, and I am so glad we made that choice.
We are grateful to God and his grace towards us, yes life is full of challenges and boy we get those a lot recently, but it is how we respond to it that determines how we will feel about it.
Tonight, I am going to bed feeling accomplished. We remain strong and United as a family, and there is nothing more important than family and God.
I wish you a good night, and May God bless you!
André
June 14, 2022
Day 278 | JUNE 15, 2022
Good evening, Friends, today is day 278 of our new and amazing life.
Today I was up early and well rested.
I made my way to Patch and had a meeting with my business partner and some of our team members, I am making a conscious effort to be more present at Patch and help the team.
After my meeting I came home and had lunch with Charlie. She had a busy day today, she started her wound care at 10am and Hand therapy at 2:30pm, wound care makes her very tired.
After work, I spend some time with my mom and the boys. Julien is just adorable and London is so sweet, I am beyond blessed to have the family that I have.
Today, I was thinking about a very specific moment, the moment I arrived at the hospital and when I entered the private room with the doctor and his team, right when I asked him, Dr. Is my wife alive?
I think maybe 3 seconds went by before he answered, but in that very moment, time stood still, and I remember how empty and desperate I felt, because at that moment, I believed that Charlie was gone, I really thought that I had lost her!
When he answered back and said she was alive I felt this incredible sense of relief, I was wrong! She was alive!!
This was the moment the book title, I Almost Lost Her, came to be.
Tonight, when I placed the boys in bed, I gave an extra hug and just held them a little tighter. It is incredible how much appreciation comes out of the idea of loss.
Charlie and I had dinner together and the boys loved book reading with mommy.
Life is not easy, but life is so worth it. Every tear, every pain melts away when I look at Charlie and the boys together, smiling and laughing together, that is what life is all about!
Tonight, hug, kiss and love your loved ones.
Thank you for your continued support, please continue to purchase your book and share Charlie’s story.
May God Bless You.
André
