Our storm begins on the evening of Sunday, February 12th of 2017.
My husband left our home to attend a football meeting with other area football coaches. Two-hours later I received a phone call from another coach from another coach’s cell-phone, “hurry quick, Eric’s not breathing.”
As a well respected, successful and young head high-school football coach in the Kansas City Metro, our story was being followed by the news media. Many people were curious how we were. Therefore I started sharing our grief and healing story publicly via Facebook.
But this blog post only shares the Facebook posts of that first week… from the very early mornings of Feb 13th until Feb 20th when I am reflecting upon our traumatic week.
This is the beginning of the end of our story:
February 13, 2017
Coach Driskell Update: Thank you for the many texts, calls, posts, messages, thoughts, prayers, and even food at the hospital. The best man in the entire world suffered a ruptured brain anerysm tonight while doing what he loved - talking football. He is currently in the ICU. To be honest, it’s not good. He needs a miracle. Please pray for Eric and our children, Rachel & Laurel.
February 14, 2017
Coach Driskell Update: I cannot imagine the positive impact and reach my husband has had on so many lives in his 43 years. The texts, messages, posts, tweets, videos, prayers, and pictures are overwhelming. We are hearing from coaches and programs from all over. Thank you, everyone, for reaching out to our family in this time of need; for the support, food, tears, hugs, prayers, and kindness. Eric survived the night, I went home and got some rest. I’m with him now. He is my everything, my rock. A great man of faith, honor, of love and compassion, and is always striving to be better. A transformational coach. Please continue to pray for us, especially our children, while we are in our most difficult of times.
February 15, 2017
COACH DRISKELL UPDATE:
The world is a better place because Coach Eric Driskell was a part of it.
It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share that Eric Driskell has officially left this world on February 15th at 4:53pm.
Even in his passing he still is giving to others; giving the gift of life through organ donation. The outpouring of love has been overwhelming and felt by all. Stories of his impact on your lives have been so uplifting in this difficult time. Thank you for those.
Please continue to pray for our children, Rachel & Laurel.
February 16, 2017
Coach Eric Driskell’s Celebration of Life will be on Saturday, February 18th at 11:00am at the Church of Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas. In true Eric Driskell fashion, please wear your tiger gear.
February 20, 2017
I have been blessed to not have known pain and suffering of this magnitude until this past week. There is no way to describe the emptiness and heartbreak when you lose the love of your life so abruptly.
What a gift those coaches of the GKCFCA (Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association) gave us by performing CPR on my husband, Eric Driskell. They gave us time to say goodbye, even though he really wasn’t there. It was precious and priceless time for all of us. Thank you.
Chief Mike Woolery was the calm in my storm. As he spoke to me quietly, slowly, consoling me, taking me from 810 to Menorah and then to Research, coming back when he didn’t have to, and even buckling me up. And in the blurry faces of this experience, he was a constant. There is no way for me to ever repay you for your kindness. He and his team were amazing. Thank you.
I heard Sunday night there were up to 40 people in Menorah’s emergency waiting room for Eric. I heard you circled around in prayer. Thank you for that. I remember walking through a sea of people lining the halls, but I saw no faces. I cannot thank you all for being there. I do not know who you are.
Much of this week has been a blur.
But I have felt love. Your support and encouragement. Your pictures, stories, comments, messages, and hashtags. I’ve felt them all. I haven’t liked or commented - but I’ve read them and I found them very comforting.
Menorah was amazing. The ICU unit at Research Medical; incredible people work there. There were so many connections to Eric in those places… it was a God Wink. Thank you for taking such good care of all of us, especially our nurses Kira & Jamie, and to Lisa with Midwest Transplant Network.
Our family and friends who stayed at the hospital with me overnight, who lived in my house this week, took care of things for us, organized services, brought up food and more, contacted whoever needed to be contacted… I do not even know the half of it. I was consumed by my own grief and you all came to my rescue. Thank you. All of you.
For the t-shirts sales, the vigils, the football field, the fund me pages, and for all the other things I don’t know what’s going on. I am awestruck by your support and love. I thank you.
Eric’s Celebration of Life was beautiful. I’m sure he loved seeing our church packed with black & gold.
Thank you for loving Eric, and in turn, loving us. Please continue your prayers, especially for our girls.
I know at the beginning of this post I write:
“This is the beginning of the end of our story.”
But really, what I didn’t know was that it was merely the closing of a chapter –
THERE IS LIFE AGAIN AFTER SIGNIFICANT LOSS.
You just might not feel it or want it in those dark moments, because you just want your life the way that it was before…
And it was a very fucking painful awful end of such a beautiful chapter.
♥️ Miss and love you, E, always and forever.
You are supposed to grieve when you suffer significant loss. And I’m sorry because I know from personal experience just how incredibly painful it is… BUT YOU’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO GRIEVE FOREVER!
I can help… and it starts here:
