A Complete Guide To Surviving Through The Worst Of Times

Dec 26, 2018 by apost team

Do you make each day count as though it could be your last? Do you make each day count as if it could be your loved one’s last? If the answer wasn’t an immediate and absolute, then this story may put things in perspective and help spur you to rearrange your priorities by what really matters in life.

In an epic and gritty video gone viral, titled “How to Fight Through the Worst of Times,” Michael Crossland shares his amazing journey of surviving the impossible, coming back from it, getting knocked down again and again, and all he learned along the way.

When Crossland was just a baby, he was diagnosed with a terminal cancer of the central nervous system. The incurable cancer was called neuroblastoma, and it was already in stage four. His prognosis was about as poor as it gets - almost certain death. The Crosslands were told there was nothing medical they could do for the young boy. The doctors told the Crossland family to bring Micheal home and make the most of what little time they’d have with him on earth.

Each and every day we are faced with choices. Some are benign - what do you wear or do you want lemons in your water today? Others are more serious and life-altering, and they ultimately can redefine and reshape your future. Crossland’s mom faced just such a decision.

She was told that her son had a 96 percent chance of death. So, she asked one question: what chance does he have to survive? She didn’t want to focus on the glass half empty, or 96 percent empty in this case. Instead, she wanted the focus to be on that four percent chance of survival.

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Within a day, Crossland’s mom would face another choice. Doctors came to her describing a new drug called DTIC, which was still in the animal trial phase. Crossland would be one of the first 25 involved in its human trail. Despite not being vetted, its very existence gave the family hope.

A month into the trial, only five of the kids remained alive, of which Micheal was one. After 90 days, Micheal was the only survivor left. Crossland described the excruciation of his mom watching the other deceased kids being taken away as she thought about her choice to put Micheal on the drug. Micheal even went so far to say that he didn’t feel lucky to be the one survivor; he just felt lucky he wasn’t his mom. Yet, his mom put on a brave face and told him it would be okay.

Micheal continued to survive, and the doctors eventually told his mom she could bring him home. They cautioned that reaching puberty would be a miracle and that there had never been a hope of sports, school, and so on. Good thing his mom believed in miracles.

As they had sat in the hospital with little to do, Micheal’s mom had brought a ball and Velcro gloves to pass the time. He described them lobbing the ball back and forth endlessly. One day, Micheal told her that his dream was to play American baseball. Of course, everyone wants to say what can’t be done, but few will say what can be done. Hardly anyone believed this was a reachable dream. His mom did, though.

By the time Micheal was 12, he had his first heart attack. Other medical emergencies, like bacterial meningitis and glandular fever, followed. But, all these setbacks, just made the young fella work harder toward his dream. Others came in to tell him it was impossible, which ultimately just made him work harder.

By 17-years-old, Micheal realized his dream and had a professional baseball contract signed in the U.S. It was short-lived, however. He was knocked out for three days after a slider, and, at just 18-years-old, he suffered a career-ending heart attack that resulting in him returning to his native Australia. Of course, he felt it unfair and battled depression.

Even when he no longer even wanted to wake up in the morning, he did. Day-after-day, he woke up, and he’d think of the old adage his mom had told him about it how it didn't matter how many times he was knocked down so long as he got back up. Plus, his loving mom was there to tell him it would be okay.

Crossland took his knocks, and he found a different path in life. He decided to go into the banking industry. Three days into it, his boss came to him and sat him down for a talk. Thoughts of his mom’s advice to shoot for the moon and possibly end up at the stars came to mind when he was asked by the CEO where he saw himself in half a decade. Crossfire told the CEO that he saw himself in that very boss’s job, which is a mistake he doesn’t recommend since the boss hated him thereafter.

Yet, by the end of his first year, he was Australia’s youngest bank manager; at the end of two years, he was Australia’s youngest area bank manager; by the end of three years, he was the youngest state manager; and by the end of year four, he was the youngest national sales development manager.

A kid who was told he would never reach puberty was now 23-years-old and running one of the largest banks in Australia, supervising 600 staff, and overseeing 23 Australian and New Zealand banks. Both he and his bank account were on top of the world. He was able to buy himself a million dollar home, and he was able to buy the person always in his corner and sacrificing everything for him -his mom - a new home, too.

Again, his successes would be overshadowed with more obstacles to overcome. This time, though, when doctors told him he had four tumors in his throat, it was him that was telling his wife and mom that it would be okay. Doctors once again reminded him that tomorrow isn’t a guarantee for anyone.

From all of Micheal’s journey, there are so many lessons to be learned - look at the full, not empty, portion of life; don’t let anyone say what you’ll never do, and live each day as if it might indeed be your last. Micheal’s challenge is to understand that each day is a blessing complete with innumerable opportunities. It’s up to you to get out there and seize them in ways that would please the future version of yourself.

So, are you really making each day count? What are you doing? What obstacles have you faced? Do you know someone with seemingly insurmountable obstacles who needs to hear Micheal’s story? Feel free to let us know your questions, stories, and ideas in the comment section.