CMYK Thursday, August 27, 2015
features
1D
After today Ricky Fitzpatrick family is changing after ‘wake-up’ heart attack brings importance of everyone’s health into view June 27, 2015. A date that will live in infamy. At least it will for the Fitzpatrick family. The end of June would leave our family shocked and shaken, and change our lives…my life…in ways I had never imagined. That date marked not only a turning point for me, but a demarcation. An “aha moment”. A wake-up call. It ushered in an event that would forever divide my life into “before” and “after” halves. I had a heart attack. In this day, heart attacks are almost commonplace. Not to disrespect their severity, but they happen a lot. I’m 46, and it’s hard for me to think of one of my male friends who hasn’t suffered at least a mild one. “So what’s the big deal,” you might think. And I would agree. I’ve thought the same thing. “What’s the big deal?” For one, I’m for 46. You caught that, right? Well, if you’re in your 20s, then you’re probably thinking “Yeah, so you’re ancient.” My 9-year-old step-daughter refers to my childhood as “the olden days.” But in the world of heart attacks, or “Coronary Artery Disease,” as they so eloquently put it, I’m just a Spring Chicken. After my attack, we noticed right away that I was about half the age of all the other patients on my wing. I was a hot, young stud on that floor! But 46. In all seriousness, that’s young for a heart attack. Very young. It serves to remind us that none of us is exempt or safe from the dangers of a life-threatening heart issue. A heart attack was more than just a medical event for me. It was a shock to my system and a jolt to my core. It has changed every part of me, and I love it. I consider my heart attack to be the best thing that could’ve happened to me. Read on and I’ll tell you why. FIC…Ricky CHAPTER ONE: WORKING FOR A LIVING Work is work. I mean, for me it isn’t complicated, but it is rewarding. And I happen to love my job. I know that sounds like a cliché, but it’s true. I really love what I do. I’ve spent most of my life working for a living. At least one job, but usually two or three at the time. And with my level of formal education, coupled with my lack of time away from my job, I’m very fortunate to have one now that affords my family a lifestyle that we enjoy. We are a blessed family, in spite of myself. “Selling” was never something I dreamt of doing, and in other, previous selling ventures, I tolerated it at best. I’m so not built for negotiations and closings and pushing for the hard sale.
I’m no good at it. It’s the opposite of my personality. It’s just not my nature. But my current job has me selling books and media to schools and libraries. Something about the combination of that kind of product, and the typical nature of my clientele… it just clicks with me. I
Ricky Fitzpatrick Featured columnist might even say I almost feel called to do it. If I was ever in a perfect job, this might just be it. Still, even though I adore my work, it can be stressful. Very stressful. Excruciatingly so, at times. And it’s not so much the job, it’s just life. All jobs have a certain level of stress. One of my favorite quotes is “The most successful people are so, because of their ability to handle stressful situations.” I love that. And I believe it to be generally true. Most people believe I handle stressful situations well. And that’s flattering to me. I actually am generally a pretty even keeled guy. I never appear to get too worked-up about anything, and I’m usually regarded as a very calm-natured person. And I am…mostly. Contrary to popular belief, I do get stressed. I do get angry. I do get worried. And I do get worked-up. I hide my stress very, very well, but I manage it very, very poorly. That, mixed with the high-stress environment of selling can make for a very interesting outcome. And it isn’t a pretty one. Still, other people survive, even thrive, in highstress environments every day, right? So what’s wrong with me? I seem to be stuck in a world of stresses, but lack the traits to deal with those stresses effectively. That alone would put me on the fast track to health problems. But consider the fact that my dad, and his father, and my mother’s father, and my uncle, and two great uncles…all suffered from heart issues. Several suffered and never lived to tell about it. Consider the fact that hereditarily, I was a walking time bomb for a heart attack. It wasn’t a matter of if, it was genetically a matter of when. Add to that, the fact that I exercise rarely, and eat whatever I want, as often as I want, and as much as I want. I love food. Don’t get me wrong, I’m slightly overweight, but my size does not accurately reflect my eating habits. I’ve always been blessed to carry my weight, comfortably. But my life and my habits are cumulatively weighing against me. The odds are not in my favor. The deck is stacked. The game is rigged. I almost can’t win. But up to this point, I’ve worried virtually zero
See AFTER TODAY, 2D
The Fitzpatrick family clowns around but Ricky’s heart scare was anything but funny; it was a wakeup call.
Cheer on Camp Hooray Watkinsville-based nonprofit Extra Special People has officially joined the Jackson County community. ESP held its first public event at their new camp property in Jefferson on Aug. 8. The Tug of Love began bright and early as teams began to trickle in, and teams of local businesses, community members and enforcement officers pulled it out against each other with the losers landing in the mud. Spectators young and old cheered the winning teams on to victory and some even ended up in the mud with them. Younger visitors enjoyed music, face painting and a bounce house and Jackson County Sheriff Janis Mangum braved the dunk tank finally getting dunked by ESP participant Rod Smith. Tugging ended with the Georgia Power team, which included several members of the Braselton Rotary Club, taking the win for the Lug category. The Lightweight winners came from Athens Academy, and Team Princess Avery took home the prize for the ladies. Each winning team was presented with handmade ESP art by ESP participants. The tugging events were followed by lunch donated by Wayne Poultry and Whole Foods. All proceeds of the day will help to facilitate ESP’s dreams for the future of the property. Those dreams were fully revealed during the Tug of Love. Before digging into lunch, the crowd gathered as ESP unveiled Jackson’s identity: Camp Hooray. The unveiling included a logo and a conceptual layout of the camp as it will look one day. It is ESP’s dream to make Camp Hooray the site of future overnight camps and weekend outings for the more than 250 individuals served. It is also envisioned that the camp will be a resource for the community as a venue for events and retreats. ESP’s participants and board gathered together to complete the announcement with the official Jackson County Area Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting. “It was such a special moment to share with our families and the Jackson County community. Announcing the name and revealing the long-term concept makes this dream feel real,” said ESP executive director Laura
Camp Hooray was the beneficiary of $13,000 raised during the recent Tug of Love. Braselton Rotary Club president Leigh Carroll captured these images. Whitaker. And real indeed as ESP camper Colin Allen exclaimed after the reveal, “It’s official, Camp Hooray is alive!” This was the second annual Tug of Love. Last year’s was put on by Leadership Jackson for Wellspring Camp which previously occupied the camp property. As Camp Hooray property manager Brianne Baine, put it, “We’re so excited by how well the day went. The Jackson County community was so supportive and enthusiastic, the teams were so full of energy and our sponsors were extraordinarily generous. The Tug of Love can only get better from here.” Raising $13,000 for Camp Hooray and bringing together 300 people, that certainly seems true. To learn more about Extra Special People, visit www.extraspecialpeople.com.
*** Extra Special People, Inc., (ESP), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit serving the eight-county area surrounding Watkinsville, was established in 1987 by Martha Wyllie. The first program, summer camp, was created to provide a place for kids with developmental disabilities to spend just a couple of weeks among children with the same special needs and talents as them. From that first 21-person summer camp session, Wyllie’s dream grew into a nonprofit with a year-round mission to offer social, functional and recreational activities that educate and engage children and young adults with disabilities ranging from cerebral palsy, Autism spectrum, traumatic brain injury, Down syndrome and other developmental delays. After Wyllie’s passing in 2005, the ESP Board of Directors selected one-time counselor and camp director Laura Whitaker, M. Ed., to lead the organization. With ever-expanding after-school programs, weekend clubs, an eightweek long summer camp and family resources, ESP now reaches more than 250 children, with an ongoing dream of reaching every Northeast Georgia family that has a need and a desire to help their special child grow and thrive. Contributing to this dream was the addition of 70 acres in Jackson County. With the support of the Strickland Family Foundation, ESP purchased the property from Wellspring Camp in December 2014. Camp Hooray, as the Jackson County property has been named, will one day continue the ESP mission by hosting overnight camps, weekend retreats and events.