spacemarine83
2017 Grabber Blue GT
- Thread starter
- #1
Today my Mustang is coming home from a final track pack alignment. Skittles has 11,134 miles on her and is being driven for the first time in a long, long time
Three years ago, I started building my car that my wife bought for me upon my retirement from the Army. I took a vacation to Ireland as well, and on my way home contracted a virus in my left inner ear on the flight. Two weeks later, it wrecked the labyrinth of my ear. I was in the ICU for five days, I lost my balance, ability to walk, ability to hear, and my ability eat. I lost 22 lbs in 4 days. I was released and sent home a shell of a man at 36. I was told that I may not heal, that I might not walk again. My troubles were thankfully not that bad. You see, I came home. I couldnt walk, eat, much less drive. Upon my release, my wife rolled me in a wheelchair into our garage, past my Mustang and I began to the attempt the recover if I could.
Time slowly passed. At first, I would be gingerly brought here to my garage where I would vomit for hours, scream at the top of my lungs in pain due to my recurrent migraines. I had bought at the time of my illness, some 3k in parts to build this one with my kids. No luck, I was too damn sick. This went on for 4 months straight, every day as I learned basic tasks again.
So, here is where you all come in. I began reading here on earnest. Truly reading, not just , mainly in the suspension forum where I would read and long to drive again. Oh, I tried it. Once I was given the ok after 6 months of physical therapy, 4 in which to learn to walk again, I tried it. Made it a whole 2 blocks in a straight line before it got bad. Back in the garage the car went and my condition stabilized at that. So, I kept reading. At 12m in, despite no major change in my condition beyond that slow crawl I went ahead and tried to do my suspension swap. It took me another year of work physically to try again at either of thing, more on that later.
So, I kept reading this forum through that first year and into the second. I learned and began to plan, I couldn't just give up, I was hooked. As I improved, I would work in here the garage alone after my wife went to sleep. She worried so much, that she wouldn't let me work on the car. But as a teat during learning basic skills again, I did it. One bolt turn at a time. Any leftward and up head movement would induce migraines and all the above. So I learned quick to not do that.
I struggled, but kept reading. Kept learning. I slowly bought tools, air tools, a toolbox, etc. Read about upkeep, maintaining, detailing, power adders, common problems, how to fix them and learned about a the S550 platform.
In doing this, ALL of you gave me hope. From innocuous questions that were asked a literal hundred times before to a newbie in suspension on this alien platform, I soaked it in.
Silently, I found community. 3 months ago, my inner ear began to stabilize. I was able to drive more, well the truck entirely. 2 months ago, my wife and I were broadsided in the truck. Totalled. (Funny story later and the Merlin the New One as told by my son Seth, age 11.) . About a month ago, my symptoms cleared entirely and my brain and inner ear had fully recovered after time and a lot of work. Today, I am back in the saddle again as soon as the 4 wheel alignment is done at the dealership. I cannot begin to express how thankful I am to each and every one of you. You guys gave me hope when I was in a dark place and the push I needed to heal and get back to living. Pics inbound as soon as I get to the dealership.
Thank you all again.
Sincerely,
John
Three years ago, I started building my car that my wife bought for me upon my retirement from the Army. I took a vacation to Ireland as well, and on my way home contracted a virus in my left inner ear on the flight. Two weeks later, it wrecked the labyrinth of my ear. I was in the ICU for five days, I lost my balance, ability to walk, ability to hear, and my ability eat. I lost 22 lbs in 4 days. I was released and sent home a shell of a man at 36. I was told that I may not heal, that I might not walk again. My troubles were thankfully not that bad. You see, I came home. I couldnt walk, eat, much less drive. Upon my release, my wife rolled me in a wheelchair into our garage, past my Mustang and I began to the attempt the recover if I could.
Time slowly passed. At first, I would be gingerly brought here to my garage where I would vomit for hours, scream at the top of my lungs in pain due to my recurrent migraines. I had bought at the time of my illness, some 3k in parts to build this one with my kids. No luck, I was too damn sick. This went on for 4 months straight, every day as I learned basic tasks again.
So, here is where you all come in. I began reading here on earnest. Truly reading, not just , mainly in the suspension forum where I would read and long to drive again. Oh, I tried it. Once I was given the ok after 6 months of physical therapy, 4 in which to learn to walk again, I tried it. Made it a whole 2 blocks in a straight line before it got bad. Back in the garage the car went and my condition stabilized at that. So, I kept reading. At 12m in, despite no major change in my condition beyond that slow crawl I went ahead and tried to do my suspension swap. It took me another year of work physically to try again at either of thing, more on that later.
So, I kept reading this forum through that first year and into the second. I learned and began to plan, I couldn't just give up, I was hooked. As I improved, I would work in here the garage alone after my wife went to sleep. She worried so much, that she wouldn't let me work on the car. But as a teat during learning basic skills again, I did it. One bolt turn at a time. Any leftward and up head movement would induce migraines and all the above. So I learned quick to not do that.
I struggled, but kept reading. Kept learning. I slowly bought tools, air tools, a toolbox, etc. Read about upkeep, maintaining, detailing, power adders, common problems, how to fix them and learned about a the S550 platform.
In doing this, ALL of you gave me hope. From innocuous questions that were asked a literal hundred times before to a newbie in suspension on this alien platform, I soaked it in.
Silently, I found community. 3 months ago, my inner ear began to stabilize. I was able to drive more, well the truck entirely. 2 months ago, my wife and I were broadsided in the truck. Totalled. (Funny story later and the Merlin the New One as told by my son Seth, age 11.) . About a month ago, my symptoms cleared entirely and my brain and inner ear had fully recovered after time and a lot of work. Today, I am back in the saddle again as soon as the 4 wheel alignment is done at the dealership. I cannot begin to express how thankful I am to each and every one of you. You guys gave me hope when I was in a dark place and the push I needed to heal and get back to living. Pics inbound as soon as I get to the dealership.
Thank you all again.
Sincerely,
John
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