Staying Alive!

On March 24th (last wednesday) at around 6PM as I was riding my bike home from work I was hit from behind by a green Ford F-150.

I started commuting to work by bicycle since Bike To Work Day 2007. I live in the Redwood Shores area and followed the SF2G route to get to Google and back. My least favorite part of that route was what is known as 'The Bridge to Nowhere' and in the evening the strong cross winds by the bay. Somewhere towards the end of 08 I discovered that taking Middlefield from San Carlos (it is known as Industrial/Winslow up here) all the way down was much nicer, no dismounts needed and it is mostly protected from the brutal winds. I've taken that route 2 to 3 days a week during the summer for the past year. I've thought it mostly safe except for around 'little mexico' in redwood city.

On this fateful day, I was almost home, the last hurdle was crossing the Holly street overpass to get into the Shores. The overpass has 3 lanes with lane 2 being designated as a bike/car lane (there is a picture of a bike on the lane) and lane 3 being a on/off ramp for getting on the interstate. I was on the right edge of lane 2 when I remember feeling a slight push... that was it. I was unconscious for minutes, no idea exactly how long. The next thing I remember was opening my eyes and trying to catch my breath, I had the wind knocked out of me and it was sunny. I remember people running around me saying, 'Did you see that?! It was a green Ford F150, did you get the number? He just took off' and another guy was on his iPhone calling 911. I recall raising my left hand up and someone grabbed it and gently helped me up. I had only one shoe on, my left shoe. The person helped me over to the side and I sat on the sidewalk. There were 3 strangers who had stopped to help, one guy was on the other side of the street. I always carry a phone, my driver's license and a credit card. I remember seeing my driver's license in the middle of the road, I told the person who helped me to grab that. He returned with that and my Droid, which look like it had been run over a bunch of times. Suddenly I remember being surrounded by Police cars and recall hearing one cop talking to an eye witness who told him the perpetrator had gotten back on the interstate. I remember a fire engine showing up next. The medics put me on a board and put my head in a neck brace. At that point I felt like my brain was going through a reboot sequence. I was trying to remember what day it was, I couldn't, what time it was, I knew it was evening and I was headed home. Then my wife's phone number flashed in my head, I kept repeating it and a police man took it down and asked if it was my wife's and asked me if I remembered her name, I did. The medic in the ambulance was very comforting and had a nice gentle voice. Just hearing her fuss over me was reassuring. By now I knew I would live, I just didn't know the extent of my injuries.

This was my first visit to an ER. It is nothing like Gray's Anatomy. The people were very nice and it was kind of amazing how for a minute or two I was surrounded by people all around, each doing something or the other and then they all disappeared and I was just with my nurse who kept an eye on my vitals and would not give me any water to drink until I had my neck CT scanned. Initially time flew by but after a while, it started to crawl. As I was waiting to be scanned it seemed to take forever. Once I was scanned, time slowed down even more as I waited for a doctor to review my scans. I wasn't given anything to eat or drink until my scans were cleared. It felt like eternity.

3 hours later, my wife finally made it to the ER with our 2 girls (ages 1 and 3), I felt really really bad for her. Thankfully, that was about the time my CT scans were cleared and I was able to drink 3 little boxes of Apple juice. That stuff never tasted that good before. I was declared fit with just road rash and cuts all over the place. We were sent home.

At 1:20AM, the phone rang. A second review of my CT scans had shown a fractured scapula that was missed the first time around. They asked if I could come to the ER right away, I couldn't. They asked if I experienced any chest pains, thankfully, I had none. They told me to come first thing in the morning. At 2:40AM, the phone rang again, it was pretty much the same message, just a different person calling. I googled scapula fractures on my phone. Turns out that the scapula (shoulder blade) is a very difficult bone to break and that it requires a lot of trauma to break it. There is a high correlation between fractured scapula's and internal organ damage, hence the fuss.

We finally made it to the ER the next morning. The waiting room was empty but that didn't imply a short visit. More chest x-rays were taken. The fact that I'd lived so long without any chest pain gave me hope that everything was OK. Thankfully, the x-rays didn't show anything out of the ordinary and my breathing and bowels sounded normal. The ER doctor was an avid biker and we spent a lot of time taking about his brand new Pegoretti and my future cycling plans.

The human body is amazing. My musclature was extremely sore at the beginning but with time most of the pain has ceased. My road rash and cuts are healing. My body tends to get stiff quite easily but after moving around a bit things move a lot smoother. I am in a cloth sling for now and have my first orthopedic consult tomorrow.

I picked up my bike from the Police Dept. a couple of days after the accident. The rear triangle is broken in 3 places and the rear wheel completely destroyed. The helmet is the most amazing bit of equipment, from the outside it looks a bit damaged but inside it is completely broken into 3 or 4 separate sections. The police officer on my case who spoke to the eyewitnesses didn't give me a lot of information about the accident other than the fact that they didn't catch the guy. I got the phone number of an eye witness who filled me in with more details.

He was on the other side of the street traveling in the opposite direction. He first saw me as I was flying in midair. I landed on my head/back towards towards the left edge of lane 2. The Ford truck, slowed down, went around me and then accelerated back on the on ramp and took off. I was unconscious for minutes, 2 other people stopped, one person got my bike to the side of the road while the other directed traffic around me. This person was also a roadie and encouraged me to take my time to heal but to get back on a bike.

The silver lining: Nice people rock! You never know when you'll need help or when you will be in a state of helplessness but thankfully there will be a Samaritan who will stop.

For now, I've decided to stop commuting to work due it being peak traffic hours and will instead focus on weekend rides. I suspect it will be a while before I start bike shopping again but I have my eyes on a Pinarello... Biking is an addiction :)

I am sharing this story because crashes I think are inevitable as a cyclist and I have learned so much from the experiences of others that giving back seems natural. I am very very glad to be on my second life, things could have gone quite differently...

Baby Peanut.... is here!!

Ella Grace entered this crazy world at 11:25 am on 03/09/09. Her mother is now a woman who has gone through the Ring of Fire (not by choice ;)). I'm proud and delighted to say that both are doing incredibly well. Maya and I are absolutely thrilled with all that God has blessed us with in the past couple of weeks including some awesome Friends.

Thank You Jesus!

Baby Peanut is a....Girl!!

My apologies, our ultrasound was on Monday but I haven't had a chance to write about it until now. As some of you can imagine, life is just not the same with a little bundle of joy (burst of energy, to be honest) running around.

For me, this pregnancy has been a blur. I remember just the highlights; the night we were laying in bed when Elizabeth told me she was pregnant. The first time I saw Baby Peanut during an Ultrasound, she was very active in there. The first time I heard her heart beating. The first time I felt a kick on the outside as E and I were sitting on the couch watching TV (last night). Even though these are all firsts, they are second firsts... and yet they are just as special. One of the concepts of life that has become so clear to me these past couple of months has been it's brevity, it all started with Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. These days are so special, especially because they are soon coming to an end... since August 24th, 2006, our family has been three, but soon we will welcome a new member and then, the days of just three will be a memory.

God, in His infinite Wisdom, has blessed us with another girl. We are both very thankful for this blessing and relieved that the blood clot has been absorbed by Elizabeth's body. Elizabeth has always hoped for two girls, and I am thrilled that her desire has been fulfilled. Life is not fair, and I have gained a lot while she has sacrificed much. This is one of those delicious little blessings that, hopefully, evens it all out ;)

Happy Halloween!!

Dearest Maya,

Today was your second Halloween. I came home from work and you had a runny nose. We had some nice warm soup (Pasta fagioli) and then put on your Monkey suit. When we left home, we were quite the family; Mommy and I were in our black hoodies looking like thugs, while you were a cute little monkey with a banana sticking out of your pocket. As we walked up to the first door of the evening, you weren't quite sure what was going to happen, neither were we. I rang the doorbell and you hid behind me and peeked out. A lady opened the door with a bowl of candy and in a flash your fears vanished. You were a brave girl. You said, "Trick or Treat" and "Can I have some candy please" and as we left, you told her and many others "Happy Halloweeeeen". You said your lines with such emotion and emphasis, you made a lot of people very happy. After that door, you kept sending me or mommy on scouting missions to find other doors that had their light on. And when we found them, you would excitedly march up and ring the doorbell. You got a lot of candy, and when we offered to carry your heavy, candy filled pumpkin, you said, "I'm good". It started to sprinkle, but we didn't stop, we kept looking for doors and enjoying the rain. I hope you don't catch a nasty cold tomorrow (if you do, don't worry, we've got some yummy medicine).

As I'm writing this, you are doing "beauty shop" with mommy. You made mommy sit on the floor by the bedroom window and are brushing her hair saying "Maya brushing hair" and "so shiny" and "Maya doing beauty shop". You are such a cutie pie. Thank you for the wonderful evening.

A New Chapter...

We are pregnant!! This news is as much of a surprise to you as it was to me :)

Getting pregnant when you are just 'having fun' is such a blessing. You go from feeling shell shocked and scared to utter excitement. This pregnancy promises just as much drama as the last one. Baby Peanut, as we like to call this kid, has been growing and developing for the past 14 weeks. There is a blood clot on Elizabeth's uterus that causes some concern. For now we just take it one day at a time and hope and pray that Elizabeth doesn't end up on bed rest too soon. Bed rest with a toddler is impossible.

Today is Elizabeth's birthday and my gift to her is the revival of this blog. I hope to update it more frequently than I have been (last post was almost a year ago!!)

A poem by Elizabeth

Welcome Fall!!

Maple leaves
Oak trees
Sweater weather
October breeze
Steaming coffee
Pumpkin pie
Harvest moon
Way up high
Snuggle covers
Cold nose
Holding hands
The wind blows
Favorite season
most of all
Join with me
Welcome Fall!!

Happy Birthday Maya!!

What a year! Confucius says: Try your best to avoid doing all that we have done in the past year and you will have much less gray hair.

Wow! Time seems to fly by faster when you are a parent. We can't believe that it has been a year since Maya was born and Elizabeth has had an undisturbed 8 hours of sleep. For me, it has been an amazing experience as a dad to watch my daughter grow and my wife blossom into an amazing mom.... and all this amidst a tumultuous year of drastic change.

Maya has been a great daughter, Praise God! and has adapted quite well to all the changes we have gone through in the past year. It has been a privilege to watch her grow and develop from a sleepy baby to an active toddler with a serious personality, a flair for mischief (inherited from her mom, of course), a hint of shyness (from me) and a stubbornness (from both of us) that keeps us praying every night.

To be honest, my life has certainly changed but not as dramatically as Elizabeth's. I, thankfully, sleep like a bear in winter (probably snore just as loud as well) and have not lost a lot of sleep. In the morning, I usually wake up with a tiny hand or a smelly butt in my face. If I'm up early enough, I get to change the first diaper of the morning and then head off to catch my shuttle to work. In the evening, as I pull into the garage and step into the house I am usually welcomed by an excited 'grunt' and really the only time she ever raises her arms at me to carry her... my heart absolutely melts when she does that. We play around a bit before bedtime and then it is off to bed for the little princess, where she is on what we call 'vibrate mode' for about 30 to 40 minutes before falling asleep. 'Vibrate mode' is where she sits or lays still like she is asleep but makes a buzzing noise like a cell phone on vibrate. Yes, we know it sounds weird but it always puts a smile on our face no matter how long the day has been. Weekends are especially exhausting. I have no idea how Elizabeth has the energy to keep up with Maya the entire day, every day. I am convinced that I could never be a stay-at-home dad.

Being a dad is a huge responsibility, one that requires patience, an openness to change and the ability to let go of self. I don't have any of those qualities. My life continues to change daily and sometimes I feel like I'm miserably failing as a husband, a dad and a professional. Thank God my wife and daughter are so patient with me! I just keep telling myself, one day at a time. One year down, another one to look forward to...

Uh oh! My princess is up from her nap and I have to go get her... God Bless!

We're moving to Mountain View, CA!!

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived

what God has prepared for those who love him" - 1 Corinthians 2:9

Yup! Elizabeth & I have accepted a position at Google (though, only I will be showing up for work!) and will be relocating there towards the end of March. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine the day when I would be a Googler!!

On the outset, it would appear that the decision to work at what Fortune Magazine considers to be "The Best Company to Work For" would be an easy one... well, for us it wasn't. It was a very difficult and painful decision for both of us to make for different reasons. For Elizabeth, it meant an indefinite delay in her dreams to move to the Midwest (and giving up her "dream kitchen") and for me it meant leaving my beloved San Diego. We ask that you please keep us in your prayers as everything is so overwhelming and scary. We just put our condo up for sale and have no idea what our next home is going to be like. We know that God has done a lot to bring us this far and that He will carry us through to the end. It is amazing to stop for a moment and look back at all the things that have happened over the past year.

5 weeks later...

Time flies when you are a parent. It is hard to believe that 5 weeks ago we came home with another person, our daughter. She has been a source of great joy with moments (who am I kidding, hours is more accurate...) of frustration. The first couple of days when we were in the hospital, she didn't really scream. She would be fussy during breast feeding but otherwise she slept most of the time. The first day we came home, that night, was the first time she screamed her lungs out... it was a long night. Breast feeding is more challenging than it looks or what the books say. It took a while for Maya and Elizabeth to get used to one another. Seeing a Lactation Consultant was very helpful and it also has inspired Elizabeth with the idea of a possible career path in the future.

Since her birth, I've found it hard to be away from my family. The best way I can think of describing it is the way one feels when they are first married. You can't bear to be away from the other person and continually look forward to being with them.

37 weeks and 6 days... the end of a story, the beginning of a book...

On Thursday, August 24, 2006 at 6:16PM Maya Jasmine D'lima took her first breath of air in this world, she was 6 pounds 4.7 ounces and 19 inches tall. The events leading up to this moment were just as exciting as this entire pregnancy has been. Last week, at the 37 week check-up, Elizabeth was 3 cms. dialated and at station zero (the leading bony part of the fetus is level with the maternal ischial spines...plain english..at the entrance of the birth canal). Because of Maya's location, weight and the fact that we live 45 mins. away from the hospital (with no traffic) the doctor decided that if Maya was still in the womb by the next appt. she would induce her on Friday, August 25 at 7AM. The thought of an induction seemed scary and wrong at first. We prayed about it that weekend and spoke to friends who had been induced. After a while, we got comfortable with the idea and began preparing ourselves for it. On Thursday, the 24th, we had our last doctor's appt. before the induction. On the way to the clinic, we prayed in the car. I really wanted her to be born on an even day (hey, don't laugh, we all have our silly quirks) . When we got to the doctor's office, she was suprised that Maya was still hanging out in the womb. When she felt Elizabeth's cervix, her jaw dropped (well, not literally), Elizabeth was between 6-7cms dialated and had not experienced a tinge of pain just the tightness of contractions. She sent us to the hospital at once. We got to the hospital at 11AM, the nurses at their station were surprised that Elizabeth wasn't in pain for being so dialated, they expected her to be in a wheel chair screaming her lungs out, but instead, she had her usual smirk. They admitted us in and we went through tons of paperwork (if she was in pain, I wonder if they would still have us fill all that out at that time??). At 12:30PM, the epidural was administered and Elizabeth felt warm and fuzzy...similar to the feeling experienced after drinking a nice strong magarita. At 1PM, the doctor broke her water and we settled in and watched cable TV. At the 3PM check-up, Elizabeth was 7-8cms dialated. She could feel the pressure of contractions, but that was it. At 5:10PM, while we were watching TV, 4 nurses rushed into the room, they had been monitoring Maya's heartrate and Elizabeth's contractions and an alarm went off because Maya's heartrate was around 80bpm (usually around 130bpm). They checked Elizabeth and lo and behold, there was her head!! Elizabeth had completely dialated and Maya had slipped down into the +2 station. Like magic the room around us converted from a normal hospital room into a birthing room. The bed converted, a table with implements appeared and computer monitors started flashing pertinent graphs. We could not attend any of the birthing classes because of Elizabeth's bed rest, but that really didn't seem to matter. We just did what our nurse told us (who was from Scottland and had the cutest scottish accent). Whenever a contraction started Elizabeth would take a deep breath and push while I counted down from 10, we did 3 sets for each contraction. Maya would have come a lot sooner if the contractions were on time every time, we would get about 2 or 3 contractions 3 minutes apart and then wait for about 10 mins. for the next set. I had initial reservations about watching my beloved wife painfully giving birth to our traumatized child, but when the moment came and Elizabeth wasn't in pain, I was excited!! Any minute now!!!!

48 hours later...we feel so blessed to have a healthy baby girl in our arms. She is an Angel when she's quiet... and she makes us feel terrible when she screams. We love her. For the two days in the hospital things went pretty smooth, she didn't throw a lot of fits and it took a while to get her to breast feed. Last night was our first night at home with her. She threw a screaming fit each of the two times we tried to breast feed. She does eventually feed but it takes some drama. We have now officially entered parenthood, we only got 3~4 hours of sleep last night.

I want to thank all of our readers who have followed our Baby Story each week. At this point, I don't know if I am going to continue to post an article each week. This commitment has been an exercise of discipline and a labor of love. I hope you've experienced a teeny bit of the emotions that we've gone through. Life is not a bed of roses, it is hard and painful at times but oh so rewarding. As we look at Maya, we can't help but feel scared and overwhelmed. But thankfully, we remember that she is an Angel of God on loan to us. He will take good care of her through us, we just have to be obedient and willing. God Bless.

The photo album has been updated with our daughter's pictures :)