I'm Not Sure How To Write This...
Hello. I know it’s been a while, but a lot has happened. Some of it good. I completed my third semester at Goddard College and am close to being done with my thesis. In fact that’s mostly what I’ve been working on over the past few weeks in between freelance writing gigs.
But two nights ago, my world changed. I woke up to a call at 2:24am from my 23-year-old son, Gabe. He said, “Dad, this isn’t a joke. I’ve been stabbed. I’m at the hospital. They don’t think I’m going to die.”
He told me what hospital he was at and that thanks to Covid, I would not be allowed to visit. This did not stop me from immediately driving to the hospital.
When I arrived, I talked to the admitting nurse who confirmed that he was there and also confirmed I could not see him. A security guard overheard me and said, “I cannot tell you that your son’s car is currently parked in the ambulance bay.”
I understood what he was saying and walked over to the ambulance bay where my son’s car sat with the doors open and a uniformed police officer standing watch over it. I identified myself. He explained that the car was being treated as a crime scene and I could not touch it. I took a few photos. I noticed the blood in both seats.
By the time I returned to the lobby of the emergency room, I was told my son had been transferred to another nearby hospital due to it being that hospital’s night for trauma victims.
What I would eventually learn is that my son and a friend of his went to the 7-Eleven about two blocks from where we used to live at around 2:00am. Upon exiting, a man attacked them, stabbing them both. My son’s wound was across his lower chest.
My son was bleeding profusely. His lung was collapsing. He got his friend into his car and drove the few blocks to the hospital, holding his bleeding gut as he drove.
As I write this he remains in the hospital. His friend is recovering. They expect my son to recover also. He has a chest tube and they are going to perform surgery on him to stop some bleeding tomorrow.
I know he’s going to need financial assistance to get back on his feet. So I’ve set up a GoFundMe page for him. The link is below.
http://gf.me/u/zayq5c
I promise you that the next newsletter will be back to our regular scheduled programming.
I know many of you are already aware of what’s happening and have already sent messages of support and donations and I appreciate that more than I can say.
Jack