Shortly after eating my favorite vegetarian sandwich at Which Wich in a suburb near Dallas…
…I approached my car with a goal to get in, turn on the A/C and cool it off from the fierce summer heat — something I've gotten accustomed to on a daily basis. However, life always surprises us from time-to-time and the normally mundane routine was about to be displaced.
As I opened the door to my car, I heard someone say, "Excuse me!" I naturally ignored the plea as there were a few people around me and thought they were talking amongst themselves. I heard it again, this time a little louder. "Excuse me," exclaimed a boyish gentleman standing about 10 yards away.
He was holding a tiny slip of paper. I looked over my left shoulder and saw a woman sitting in the passenger side of a gold-colored van with the window slightly cracked. I was confused. I still didn't know if the gentleman was trying to get my attention or the lady sitting in the van.
Then, I quickly noticed him coming towards me. Seeing the slip of paper in his hand, I figured he was going to ask for directions or maybe even talk to me about a fundraising opportunity. Kids, during the summer in suburbia, often raise money for sports, band, Church and the such, so I thought it could be a solicitation of funds.
When a stranger approaches us…
…a million thoughts run through our heads. What does he/she want? Does this person need help? Will this person try to ask for money or another favor? And yes, sometimes we ask: Am I going to get robbed?
In this instance, the man slowly came up to me and told me that he had just rear-ended my car while he was trying to reverse his blue Ford F150 truck. So there it was. He didn't want directions nor did he want any fundraising. It was a simple act of honesty and integrity. He had waited for me to get back to my car so he could tell me what happened. The slip of paper was his insurance information. He was slow and nervous approaching me. It was because he felt bad. I would have felt the same way. He had the courage to stick around and wait for me. In situations like these, 90% of the culprits take-off without leaving a note or insurance information. He didn't.
After taking pictures of his insurance, vehicle and drivers license, I noticed he was just 4 days shy of his 21st birthday on the 27th of July. My 28th birthday was exactly a week prior to the incident, so I felt an uncanny connection with the honest and seemingly-good kid.
However, this "connection" was all just merely a side-thought. It wasn't like I was having some sort of revelation. Our brains randomly establish pseudo-connections with strangers by finding similarities between "us" and "them." I suppose we do this to familiarize ourselves with the unfamiliar and to make strangers less "strange" and that's what I did.
Shortly before we went our separate ways…
…I told Austin (his name as I discovered from his license) that I deeply appreciated his act of kindness. I told him not to feel bad and reassured him it was merely an accident without malicious intent. I could tell Austin was nervous, apologetic and fairly quiet throughout my brief interaction with him. I drive a company car, a Mercedes. I have been blessed to be able to drive the car, especially at my relatively young age. Obviously, Austin knew that his insurance premium would rise after hitting such a car. Despite the situation, I looked past it and figured that, an accident is an accident and someone has to pay for it. So, I collected his insurance information and filed a claim.
After the insurance claim was filed…
I texted Austin to let him know I had set everything into motion. The main reason I wanted to message him was to reiterate my gratitude for his honest and respect for a stranger's property. After reading my text, he responded with an "okay." That's it? Just "okay?" I wasn't mad at all. Instead, I assumed Austin was bummed out that he had backed into my car. I left it at that.
Later that evening, I realized he was the same age as my younger cousin, Dharmesh…
My cousin was also born in 1992 and lived in the same city as Austin. Out of curiosity, I asked Dharmesh if he knew Austin or knew of him. Turns out, Dharmesh had been classmates with him since elementary school. They weren't close, but Dharmesh said Austin was a nice guy. Dharmesh also added that Austin was an innocent passenger in a car accident a couple of years ago that resulted in a horrific of brain injury that prevented him from playing football and the such. Austin came out of a coma weeks after the accident and luckily pulled through. His high school community, family and friends aided him to a speedy recovery.
When I had seen Austin's pickup truck earlier, I noticed a Jiu-Jitsu sticker on the bumper. I automatically assumed he was a Jiu-Jitsu martial artist. I was not able to tell the young man had suffered any sort of head or bodily injury. Nonetheless, I started to empathize with Dharmesh about Austin's situation. I felt bad for him.
I began to reason with myself and came to the conclusion that Austin was still alive and well. It was OK for me to move on from my feelings of sympathy and guilt. It couldn't get worse, anyway, right? Wrong.
Shortly after midnight…
…I received a text from Dharmesh. It was a screenshot of Austin's Facebook post from the previous day (July 22, 2013). It hurt. Even though I didn't know Austin, seeing the post sent me into a melancholic mood. Austin had was diagnosed with cancer in May and had surgery for it. While awaiting his results from the surgery, he was given more bad news — another cancerous outbreak in his lower back.
Despite Austin's medical situation, from the brain injury to the multiple occurrences of cancer, he was still polite, respectful and showed no emotion regarding his health during my few minutes with him. He didn't ask me to cut him some slack even though he was bearing the weight of his ailing health on his shoulders.
When some people hit a car, and they're able to run, they do. Why? Because they don't want to deal with it. In Austin's case, he was dealing with much more than the average person. He could have easily taken off after hitting my car while telling himself he had bigger problems on his plate. Yet, he didn't. Such a level of maturity and integrity must not be forgotten. It's tragic that a great guy is exposed to such a perilous set of events at a young age. It must be daunting for him and his family.
Austin's Facebook post a day before the fender-bender
So why am I writing this?
After experiencing the aforementioned experiences, Austin must be very discouraged or anxious about the outlook on life. I truly hope he's staying positive, but it's naturally difficult to keep your head up in times like these. Hitting my car was probably the "cherry on top" or the "icing on the cake." Austin must have thought, "Wow, what else could go wrong in my life?" I do not want the fender-bender with my car to be a negative event in Austin's life. In fact, I am seeking for it to be a blessing in disguise.
Because Austin showed a great sense of character despite his situation, I want to help him in any way that I can. So, I've set up a fundraiser in hope to raise money for him in honor of his 21st birthday. He has no idea or clue that I am related to or know Dharmesh let alone the condition of his health. I am doing this as a completely altruistic gesture as Austin's kindness has touched me. I am a big believer in Karma and feel that Austin's recent positive act will be reciprocated by the BuzzFeed and global community.
Please visit the fundraising page and donate to Austin's cancer fund:
Support Austin and pray for his return to good health.
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