An Interruption in Time: A Chronicle of Life and Death, #1
By Tai Thomas and Vince Thomas
()
About this ebook
An Interruption in Time 1999. A Chronicle of Life and Death is a powerful chronicle of a family's struggle after a toxic illness claimed the well-being of her husband in the prime of his young adult life. It all started the year after they were married. Tai Thomas is refreshingly candid about her emotions for nearly eight months while an extreme health crisis plagued Vince's body like no other. It challenged them emotionally, spiritually, and physically. The continuous intermingling of struggles and triumphs that they endured on a daily basis would test their love, strength, and purpose for one another. This is their story.
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An Interruption in Time - Tai Thomas
An Interruption in Time 1999.
A Chronicle of Life and Death
Volume I
A Memoir by: Tai Thomas
Copyright © 2017
An Interruption in Time 1999. A Chronicle of Life and Death. Volume 1. A Memoir by Tai Thomas. Printed and bound in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this book, words and/or photographs, may be reproduced in any form or by any means including electronic, mechanical, recording, photocopying or stored in a retrieval system without permission in writing from the author – Tai Thomas except by a reviewer who may quote a brief passage to be included in a review.
Copyright © 2017 by 7 Ways of Thinking LLC
Published by 7 Ways of Thinking LLC
All Rights Reserved
ISBN: 978-1-64008-190-1
I have tried to recreate events, locales and conversations from my memories of them. In order to maintain their anonymity in some instance, I have changed some of the names and identifying details of individuals to protect the privacy of individuals.
This book is not intended as a replacement or substitute for the medical advice of physicians or health professionals. The reader should consult a physician or health professional in situations relating to his/her health and with respect to any symptoms that may require diagnosis or medical attention.
My life is not what has happened to me, but what I choose to become!!
Wife. Mother. Daughter. Friend.
This book is dedicated to my son, Justin, who endured so much at such a young age and still smiled.
My husband Vince...my rock, my laughter, my love...
mentally, physically, and spiritually,
We are One with the Other.
To my late parents, William and Elizabeth Langley, who shaped me in strength, generosity, compassion, humility, and love!! Their spirits will forever live within me.
To my late maternal Grandma, Elsie Foote, who was very influential through her smiles and continued encouragement at a most difficult time in my life.
To my Mom. You were with me lock, step, and key throughout this truly astonishing event. You first urged me to write this memoir in 2000, but I was not quite ready. Without your continued guidance and presence from then until now, this memoir would never have come to fruition. I honor you with humility and strength for giving me the mental fortitude to accomplish this.
Love, Your Daughter, Taiessa
image001.jpgDad and Mom
image002.jpgDad, Mom and Me...Mother’s Day!
image003.jpgJustin and Grandparents – 12/19/95
image004.jpgGrandma and Justin!
image005.jpgGreat-Grandma Elsie and Justin!
image006.jpgGrandma Elsie and Me - 9/6/98
image007.jpgVince and Mom - 9/6/98
image008.jpgDad, Mom and Me - 9/6/98
image009.jpgMy Parents 7/27/57 – 7/14/08
FOREWORD
THE FIRST TIME I NOTICED her, there was something about her. She was different. She had a style and a look of her own. A quiet and regal confidence, unlike anyone I had ever seen before. I could not stop thinking about her. On the days I would see her on campus, I could never find the words to speak to her, let alone approach her. So I resorted to staring at her at every opportunity that I got. She seemed so familiar to me, yet I had never met her and knew nothing about her. It took a few months for the universe to bring us together, but when it did, what a wonderful day it was.
The day before our paths crossed, I was hoping to see her. The next day, I went to campus even though I had no classes scheduled. I wanted to hang out and, in my heart, to see her. As I was walking through The Set
and approached the quadrangle area, also known as the Quad
, low and behold, there she was, walking in my direction. She was wearing light blue torn jeans, a short black jacket, and a low fitted baseball cap just barely hiding her face. Her long hair, pulled back in a ponytail, was blowing in the wind beneath her hat. As I approached her, I committed to memory the smile on her face as I introduced myself. She said hello back and told me her name — Taiessa. I asked her for her pager number, she gave it to me with ease and told me to put my number in to let her know that it was me.
To my surprise, a few years later, I learned that the reason why she was happy and smiling that day was that she received an A on her math exam. I later found out that math was not her best subject. However, being a civil engineering major, math was my best subject, so the math gods were on my side that day. Little did I know, that day, my life's trajectory would forever be changed. Never could I have imagined the beautiful young woman, whom I could not stop thinking about, would become a friend, wife, mother, advocate, counselor, comforter, adviser, and so much more to me.
An Interruption in Time 1999 is a detailed account of what unconditional love truly means. Taiessa’s inner beauty resonates from my wife’s heart, her strong spirit and actions and, thus, her character resonates throughout this memoir. My illness was sudden and there was no time for my wife to prepare for what came with my diagnosis. But Taiessa's love knew no boundaries, and her strength and confidence astonished me. It still does. My wife kept our family together.
She endured one of the most difficult periods of my life; my rare diagnosis and subsequently my near death, all within a seven-and-a-half month period.
Taiessa’s strength and resilience truly put her wedding vows to the test: through sickness and in health. She never wavered.
Vincent
Husband. Father. Friend.
INTRODUCTION
I WAS BORN NGUYEN THI Hong Thu or Nguyen Thi Hoai Thu in October of 1972 in Saigon, Vietnam, to an unknown Vietnamese mother and African-American US Serviceman. In April 1975, at the age of two, I began my travels to America. On May 2, 1975, I entered Kennedy Airport in New York City and into the arms of my parents, William and Elizabeth Langley. This was the beginning of my amazing journey with my extraordinary parents, my older brother and large extended family. My erudite, black historian and nurturant mother named me Taiessa, which was primarily taken from the international social services agency, TAISSA, which played a huge part of my journey from Vietnam to America. For years I thought she came up with the e
because of my maternal grandmother Elsie. She didn’t, I found out, but I never inquired about its origin again.
I GREW UP IN THE BRONX in the northeast area of New York City called The Valley. There was a perfect balance of attached and detached houses, small and large families, children always playing outside, vast neighborhoods, a baseball park, swimming pools, basketball courts, arguments, laughter, and a plethora of people with different nationalities all in one area. My parents were two strong, loving, giving, hard working, and family-oriented people who instilled in me the need for compassion, strength, empathy, focus, and humility. Due to their steady values, my moral compass would become stronger and more focused as I entered into adulthood.
It all started in 1993 on the Quad
at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. This is where I met my friend of 24 years and my husband of 19 years. Here I am, an inherent New Yorker falling for the unconventional southern guy from Florida. I was the quick tongued, always on the alert, fast-paced, and feisty as hell northern girl. He was the laid-back, funny, logical, and always quietly assessing everything Floridian. Although we came from different backgrounds and were polar opposites, we were essentially one and the same. To some, this was an oxymoron. To us, this was perfectly described. I was the extrovert with a calmness sitting quietly beneath the surface, and he was the introvert with a need to arouse an animated personality that sat quietly beneath his surface.
This is where my happiness began. Two years after we met, we had a beautiful baby boy, and in the fall of 1998, we became husband and wife. We went on trips and many family outings. We were constantly on the go, enjoying life to the fullest with our son, Justin.
In late 1999, our family was hit with a sudden and severe health crisis. My husband would be confined to the hospital ICU and ventilation rehabilitation unit for seven-and-a-half long months. The course of this event led to a constant wave of shifting emotions: sadness, joy, uncertainty, anger, and laughter.
This medical ordeal and many of its events were of life and death, which challenged us emotionally and spiritually.
This is our story...Part 1.
CONTENTS
FOREWORD
INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1: US
Chapter 2: The Day
Chapter 3: IT Began
Chapter 4: OUR SON
Chapter 5: the ICU
Chapter 6: death's door again
Chapter 7: My Parents’ Impact
Chapter 8: Stable Again
Chapter 9: the Vent Unit
Chapter 10: Daily Rituals
Chapter 11: OUR SON
Chapter 12: a dark day
Chapter 13: The Difference
Chapter 14: Going HOME
Chapter 15: HOME
1
US
NOBODY IN LIFE SAYS, Give me the most difficult challenges, along with all of the trials and tribulations that come with it.
But in our life, this became our reality.