Love for Ben

This blog is entirely dedicated to Ben Olsem, as he is fighting for his life and is close to my heart. For those who know Ben, he is the most charismatic, outgoing, caring, and funniest person I know. I've created this blog to keep people updated on Ben's condition/progress and to express my feelings and memories of him.

For those who don't know what happened, I will give you a somewhat short version. On Friday, April 30th, 2010 Ben and his friend, Talitha, were on their way to Mission, TX to see a Deftones concert (Ben's favorite band). Before they had gotten to the venue, they were hit head on by a 17 year old driver (he and his passenger had been huffing power duster.) Both Ben and Talitha were rushed to the hospital in McAllen, where after a few quick surgeries, Ben was life flighted to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX to get better care for his serious injuries. The two in the car that hit Ben were released from the hospital the same night with some scratches. I won't get too graphic for the sake of he and his family, but Ben is currently in the ICU with several broken bones, internal injuries and a brain injury that has caused him to be in a coma. Although it is touch and go when it comes to progress, Ben is hanging in there and is continuing to fight. No one is giving up on him and we all have hope that he will come out of this. Talitha remained at McAllen hospital and received treatment for her many broken bones. She should be transferred to Austin soon to continue healing and begin physical therapy.

A little back story of how I got to know this wonderful person. My husband, Cody, and Ben have been best friends for over 16 years. When Cody and I started dating in 2006, he and Ben hadn't really been talking, but I was continuously hearing about this person and all these hilarious stories and adventures they had together. Just before our 1 year anniversary, I finally met this person. I was somewhat nervous because I had been told that Ben kind of had a sarcastic sense of humor that may, at times, offend me. Walking to his apartment door, I was hoping he wouldn't look at his best friends girl and make some outlandish comment that would make me feel completely uncomfortable. But when that door opened, I was welcomed with a "nice to finally meet you," and a big hug. Whew!

From then on, we all began spending more time with each other. Having each other over for dinner, and spending long, loud, endless nights playing Guitar Hero. When Cody and I found out we were pregnant with Connor, Ben was overjoyed! I remember the night we asked him to be the godfather of our son and he was so thrilled and honored. He was willing to be there for us if we ever needed anything and was even at the hospital the day Connor was born. In the last two years, he has been a huge part of Connor's life. He's even been kind enough to babysit for us.

This last year has been a bumpy one for Ben, and before the accident, he's come out on top. So I have no reason to believe this will stop him. He will continue to fight and I have faith he will make it through this stronger than he was before.