April 23, 2016 was like any other day. 

I woke up and headed to Port Fourchon, LA. I had a pretty awesome job offshore and it was crew change day. While driving on the twin span in New Orleans I got a call to head home. They put crew change off until the next day. Little did I know that call would save my life. When I got back to Gulfport I had a headache and soon after I was on the floor in the worst pain I had ever experienced. 

The next thing I remember was waking up from a coma after a week. They told my I had a brain aneurysm. I was not able to speak or walk or remember anything. I had two brain surgeries and months of rehabilitation to re-learn how to live. During this time I didn’t realize how sick my mom was. She was taking care of me. 

Although I was alive, I lost everything. The job, my home, and all my possessions. On top of all that, I lost my mom. After all of that loss I eventually starting living on the streets. I knew I had people who loved me but I was very broken and wanted to deal with things on my own terms.  While I was on the streets my friend Justin showed me how to sail. I felt free again on those days even though I was homeless. 

Through all of this I was talking with my ex girlfriend, Melissa. She had moved away and had gotten her life together. She asked me if I wanted to come check out where she lived to see if I liked it. I moved to Laure, MS. I got a job almost immediately and started going to church. 

Melissa and I got married. I started to get back to having a normal life. It was very hard to lose everything. Some days are still really rough to get through. On the hard days I look back at what I have in my life now. I look back at what God did in my life and my wife’s. I’m thankful to be a survivor of a brain aneurysm. I enjoy being a husband and a dog dad to our little dog, Waffles.

- Jeffrey