I am Marco Berrios, and this is a true page from my life. . .
On the night of February 27th, 1999, I went to sleep. I woke up in the hospital to find out I was in a fire. (I had a few shock moments where I actually walked around and stuff, but that'll throw us from the story)
I spent 19 days in the ICU, the first 8 were in coma. On the 8th day I flat lined for 5 minutes. I should be severely brain damaged. I'm a little weird, but fully functioning. You know the "bright white light" people talk about? Well, I've been there, done that too.
It was the most amazing experience ever. I knew of fear, but I knew it couldn't touch me, therefore it was irrelevant. I knew of pain, but I knew it could not touch me, therefore irrelevant. The same goes for any and every negative emotion; irrelevant.
While I was "on the other side" my mind flooded with knowledge. I knew anything and everything I ever wanted to know, EVER. I became a knowledge sponge and that knowledge turned into experience almost instantly. It was truly amazing.
You know the bright white light people talk about? I experienced that too. While I was staring at this light, I asked for a second chance to come back. I also asked if could not make music, to please keep me where I was because I would want to be alive without the ability to make music.
Eventually, I was given permission to come back down. While I was floating back to my body, I was shown the results of my mission and small clips on how I was to accomplish it. I was reminded to act fearlessly, not recklessly (very, very, fine line kids). I was also reminded me that I am not alone. This is what keeps me going every time I fall. Believe you me, I've fallen ALOT.
When I came back to my body, I had to deal with physical pain for the 1st time since the fire. My body was charred like an over cooked hot dog from the waist up. My ears were melted together. My nose literally peeled off my face. I had 13 machines plugged in through a hole they cut in my trachea. You know those little grease blisters from cooking? Imagine your whole body from the waist up feeling like that times 10 million. That's what I felt.
Right before I pulled out of coma, I heard the doctors tell my mother she should start making plans for the worst. There's nothing like hearing a doctor say you're not going to make it.
Since smoke inhalation was my worst sympton, they had to remove the machines a few times a day, put a thin vacuum tube down the trachea opening while I helped them cough up as much charred lung as possible. Buckets and buckets of black crap came out of my lungs. The cough stayed for 6 years.Imagine staring at your hands 3 times their normal size and crispy as pork rinds. Even though I tried with all of my mental strength, I could not move a single finger. I cried like a little girl. For a little while, I thought I was betrayed and sent back without functioning hands. With the exception of my childhood, I never cried so much.
To make things a little more interesting, this is when my father finally decided to introduce himself. Nothing like staring at your father for the 1st time in your life when you're 2 weeks away from turning 23 IF you actually survive. Welcome to my World.
Somehow all of my skin healed without any grafting whatsoever except for my right hand. Ironically, the scar on my hand is the shape of a music note. Every day the scar reminds me of what I could have been; ash. It also reminds me of my purpose. Better stated it is a reminder of how I am supposed to complete my mission.
I could have chosen to not fight and simply die. I could have chosen to make myself miserable in pain and complain forever. Instead I looked at the glass as half full. The fire cleared up my sinuses. It also cleared up my acne and gave me new smooth skin.. Instead of acting as if someone owed me something, I became even more motivated to prove we can do ANYTHING so long as we put our minds to it.
The next time you find yourself at a roadblock, think about what I went through and how I handled it. Maybe your problems won't seem so bad. . . Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to those things.
Yes I have a whole new appreciation to the time we have on Earth. Although life goes far beyond our time on Earth, what we have here is something special. I preach it day in, day out "Live life Productively. The World gives back what you put in." More importantly, please be polite to those around you, they just might be an angel.
Have a Spectacular Day,
Marco A. Berrios
