Death Shook Me...

A major life change shook my world this March, leaving me with only 2 choices - to 1) React in fear; or 2) Respond in faith. Allow me to walk you through 4 phases of transition as it all took place.

The Event: Friday March 30, 2018 I was in India when I was fatally electrocuted, along with my dear brother Yeabsira who tried to save me, only to lose his life. After being rushed to the hospital my heart flatlined for 30 minutes, only to be miraculously revived to live again, with no resuscitation. I spent 2 days in the hospital not knowing what had happened to me and Yeabsira, upon returning I was informed of what had happen 2 days earlier.

This is when denial, the first phase of transition took control of my heart, my thoughts, dreams, and my fears. The next few hours I spent denying this ever happening, afterall, I lost the closest human being I’ve ever known.

Quickly after I moved into the phase of resistance, I constantly looked for him, hoping to find him in the building, or see him walk into the room. I think I even tried sending him a message in Facebook (could be wrong). I wanted to believe that he’d raise from the dead too, because of this, I jumped back and forth between this phase, exploration, and commitment as I traveled to Thailand, to Canada, and to Edmonton for the funeral.

Thankfully, I was able to transition in to the 3rd phase, exploration when Rachel was feeding me and encouraging me. Telling me that I need to stay strong. Alyssa came in the room soon after and challenged to to stand in faith. Then Ps Matt arrived from Thailand, this meant so much to me, my big brother. The final event that happened before I transitioned to commitment was the Facebook video call we all had with Mom and Dad Purvis. Dad was so wise with his words and was able to help with how to move forward, what questions to answer, and which ones to leave unanswered, etc.

Now, the phase of commitment, fun and exciting as it is, also comes with its challenges. A big challenge being fear, fear of what happened, if it will happen again, and how much do I have left to live. Thankfully I have the greatest family on earth to guide me through it. I’m not stopping, I’m never giving up, I’m living my life walking out the rest of Yeabsira’s legacy. It’s a part of who I am now, was even before this all happened. My mindset has shifted so drastically from all that he’s taught me, now it’s my responsibility to mentor others as he mentored me.