Getting up and going to work can be so repetitive. For some people there’s comfort in knowing what their day is going to be like. The great John Wooden once said, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. I am one who likes to be prepared for as much as possible to start one’s day, especially a work day.

In September 2016 my work day started out very much the same here in Northeast Ohio. Many of us were still riding the wave of happiness and joy from our Cleveland Cavaliers just doing the unthinkable by coming back from a 3-1 series deficit and winning the NBA Championship on Father’s Day in June. I had been getting up and going to work for months with a higher energy level and a sense of belief that as a business we can overcome anything because like LeBron James said, “Nothing is given”. “Everything is earned”. As a manufacturer we were earning our day like any other by putting quality work into our products to take care of our valued customers. That’s what our sales manager with 40 plus years experience had ingrained in us. That afternoon he came to me to let me know that one of our customers had given permission to ship them their product. As I sat down in our shipping department computer to prepare the shipment the sales manager remained there to help prepare the boxes. As I was starting to finish up my responsibility I noticed the box prepping behind me was quite and I didn’t hear the process finish from beginning to end. Something wasn’t right. I turned around and said, “Are you ok”? He had his back to me, sitting on the box and began to slouch to his side. I jumped up and grabbed him only to realize he was having a heart attack. I quickly called for help in our facility and immediately called 911 and put them on speaker. It was time to put the years of CPR training in use but it was most difficult to remain calm and focused. Thankfully the paramedics were there in minutes as I struggled to keep my emotions in check. They couldn’t find his pulse and that led to multiple shocks and adrenaline shots being performed. I finally let out, “COME ON DAD”! “LETS GO, DON’T GIVE UP” multiple times. This man who is the sales manager, my coworker who is fighting for his life on the floor of my job is also my Father.

After what seemed like 10 minutes of working on him ,somehow they finally got a pulse. They immediately rushed him to the hospital where they put him in a medically-induced coma. He remained in that state for the rest of the week due to the concerns over blood flow loss to the brain. In the meantime I had a small business to run as the owner was out of the country and my father needed his customers taken care of. I’d visit him in the evenings hoping and praying that somehow he’d be OK, but the doctors didn’t promise anything. By the weekend the decision was to take him out of the coma and to see what his brain functioning level was at. With all of us still concerned just waiting for the news the doctor finally gave us his test results. He said that the test results came back normal.

James with his father and his family.

At that point with a huge sense of relief I told the doctor, “Thank you Doc because my Dad hasn’t been normal his whole life”!

Yes I went right to my sense of humor after hearing the news we all had been waiting to hear because that’s the kind of relationship my dad and I have. After another heart procedure at the Cleveland Clinic he was back to work in weeks not months because of his dedication to his customers, the business and our family. He continues to work today doing what he loves. Taking care of people who happen to be customers.

In 2016, I saw a comeback on the basketball court that had never been seen before in the NBA Finals only to “Witness” my father stage a greater and more impactful comeback of his own life right before my eyes.

I use that day as a reminder anytime I think to myself, “Are you having a bad day at work”?

The answer now is never yes. It’s a challenge that is being presented to you. Most work situations aren’t life or death and it took this one with my father to put that into perspective and I feel blessed and fortunate enough to share it with all of you.

Thank you Lauren and The Unsealed Community.