Based on the comments and PMs I've received about this photo, it seems a number of people connected to it, which gives me all sorts of warm fuzzies inside. I almost didn't enter it, because I figured if it wasn't well received or people obsessed over irrelevant details it'd just make me mad.
Anyway, the short version of a long story:
The guy in the photo is one of my best friends. His name is Randy. Growing up he was one of the best athletes I knew; a football star, track star...he even spent three years in the military as a Peacekeeper in Cyprus.
About 10 years ago he was in a horrific car accident, and has been in the chair since. He's spent cumulatively 4 of the last 10 years in the hospital, thanks to a ridiculous medical oversight that left him with a series of infections and open wounds, a contiuous flow of antibiotics and painkillers, even a heart attack at the age of 33.
The good news: Currently he's fairly healthy (relatively speaking of course), and throughout the course of those past ten years, he married a wonderful girl and they have a hilarious 5-year old named Nicholas.
Mostly I just wanted to say thanks for all of the thoughtful comments. He hasn't read all of them yet, but he will. I know reading them will make his day.
here are a few others from that day...
  
oh yeah...and one of Nico :)
P-ness |
