A Change in Plans

I shoot for a date night with Mrs. Tex once a month. Between life with two young boys, work, and even Extra Life, that mark serves as a great baseline for us to get a break for just us.

We planned October’s date night nearly a year ago when I bought John Mayer tickets. As someone that’s dabbled in guitar, I’ve had Mayer on my bucket list to see for some time.

I sold the tickets last minute, eating the Ticketmaster fees both ways just to unload them. Our youngest woke us up at 5 AM screaming for a breathing treatment. When he begged and screamed for another one before the four hour window expired, I knew Mayer and date night were toast.

What I didn’t know was that the lunch-time trip to an urgent care would spiral into an overnight stay at a children’s hospital.

Once the little guy learned he wouldn’t come home on Saturday night, he, understandably, got very upset. This culminated in the most heart breaking FaceTime I’ve ever participated in. At the end, he cried because he couldn’t come home to see his older brother and I. His older brother choked back his own tears, telling him it would be okay as I melted into a puddle of my own.

The wonderful hospital staff, knowing he was sad and didn’t have the comfort items of home, gave him a stuffed dinosaur (it came home with us—his name is Steve). While waiting for admission from the E.R., no one mentioned to my wife that the cafeteria had closed. No worries, a couple of meal vouchers arrived to get my wife and my son a meal even though they weren’t yet on the books to have a provided meal through room service.

These two simple acts reminded me of why I raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network through Extra Life. In fact, I was so thrilled, I made sure to wear my Extra Life gear up to the hospital.

This ended up being somewhat awkward as I drove up and quickly realized I wasn’t at a CMN hospital, but a completely different network. Oh well, we’re all on the same team at the end of the day, right?

But it stuck me that my son had options that kids in Oklahoma don’t. Not only do we have multiple free-standing children’s hospitals in the DFW area, we have multiple full-blown charitable networks that run these hospitals. Oklahoma has OU Children’s, which is run by the Children’s Health Foundation of Oklahoma, who I raise money for.

That’s it.

I raise money for CHF’s cancer research fund, not only to honor Aven, but so that kids in Oklahoma needing cancer care end up in the absolute best, first-class facility in the state and not just by default. These families are fighting a nightmare that I can’t even comprehend. I want them to have every possible tool and resource at their disposal to have their children win.

Hell, I want doctors that get recruited to come work for the Foundation not just be told about this fund that Blake Shelton founded, but that there is some crazy guy in Texas who refreshes this fund every year by playing games, eating spicy nightmares, and destroying his liver.

This past weekend was, without a doubt, the absolute opposite of relaxing and one of the worst I’ve ever had in my life. Yet, I’m out the other end ready to make the following weekend one of the best through Extra Life as we all change kids’ health together.

Weekly Schedule

We’re gonna have multiple posts to help promote Game Day, so buckle up (this will also help me have links during the event).

Also, for that last section, the YouTube and Twitch logos aren’t a mistake. Twitch has officially dropped the simulcasting ban, meaning I am going to attempt to simulcast the entire event on both platforms and possibly Facebook as well if I can figure it all out.