Life Is Precious

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Lastnight my husband and I went to the funeral home for a showing, one of the last things anyone wants to do and certainly not something a person thinks about right before Christmas. Over the past few days it's made me think even more about just how precious our lives really are.

Jess was 25 years old with his whole life ahead of him, his new business had just started to take off and all seemed to be right with the world. He also suffered from severe asthma, had throughout his lifetime and always took precautions to make sure he was never far from his medications or breathing machine.

Two days ago at 5:30 a.m. while at home Jess had an asthma attack, so bad that he called 911 from his cell phone, he was able to only tell them that he was in trouble, his name and the numbers of his address but not the street name before the line went dead. Our 911 center spent the next few minutes trying to locate Jess by the GPS coordinates his phone had given as well as running his name through their system to try and find an address.

Many people are under the misconception that their cell phone, since equipped with GPS will give emergency workers an exact location which is NOT true! In this case Jess' phone gave them a 2 mile square radius to begin their search for him which can be fine if your out in the middle of nowhere hunting, you'll be easier to find but no good if your in a house with hundreds of other homes around you.

Making things even worse, Jess had just moved two months prior to this and hadn't updated his driver's license to reflect the new address. It wasn't until about an hour after his call for help that a K9 officer coming on duty recognized Jess' name and knew that he was the son of one of our local veterinarians, the very same vet that cares for all of our working K9 dogs and was able to make contact with his parents to get a correct address for Jess.

Jess was pronounced dead after officers kicked in his back door to gain entry into his home. There are many reasons why this didn't have to happen and why it's so VERY important to not only hug your loved ones and tell them how much you love them today but to also make sure that you've made it possible for emergency responders to find you if needed.

Make sure you update your drivers license when you move, never assume that your cell phone will direct emergency responders to your exact location, STAY on the phone for as long as you possibly can and make SURE that the very first thing you tell that 911 operator is your full address, it may very well be the only chance you'll have and your life or that of a loved one may depend on it.

Rest in peace Jess

[gaddylovesdogs]

I'm so sorry.

[DarknessDivine]

Omg, my prayers are with his family and with you for also going through this at this time of year. I have a 14 yr old son with asthma and this time of year with flu season and all I can't help but worry constantly about it. I am so sorry for his family,

[puppylove]

That is so sad So sorry to hear of that.my father in law also has trouble breathing we worry about him all the time he sometimes blacks out .

[Global Paw]

Life is so short...and it can end so fast. http://www.globalpaw.com/showthread.php?t=2470 (Tell your loved ones what you think of them)

I'm very sorry..

[PitBullie09]

Awe my Prayers are with you and his family.

[sheltiepups]

aww I am so sorrry.

[poodlesmom]

My heart goes out to his family & friends!

[LabLuver22]

I'm so sorry. My prayers are with you and his family.

[IceyBlueSibes]

I'm sorry ! His family and friends will be in my prayers... sorry that you had to deal with such a thing at this time of the year Certainly not the best gift..

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Thanks all, it has been really difficult the past few days and it's been soooo hard on the family.