Life can change in the blink of an eye. In a heartbeat. We all know this but don’t expect it to happen. Not really. One minute things are customary and safe, the days filled with the familiar pattern of life, and suddenly nothing is ever the same again.

Tommy Van Zandt’s life changed on February 7, 2009. Trimming tree limbs on his property after a huge Northwest Arkansas ice storm, he fell from a ladder and suffered a severe neck injury which left him paralyzed from the shoulders down. In that one moment, his world was altered.

Tommy and my husband attended high school together in Ft. Smith, Arkansas. And college together at the University of Arkansas. Woo Pig Sooie! And we all three worked together in Dallas at the Bright Companies for several years until he moved back to Fayetteville to co-found a successful real estate company, Sage Partners.

He is an amazing spirit and still very much involved in the day-to-day activities of his company. But his daily struggles are significant, his journey difficult.

Tommy’s Nite Out III is scheduled for September 14, 2012 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It will be a fun gathering of friends to raise awareness and support for Tommy and his family. His medical needs are great and insurance covers very little. Everyone should visit the site and participate in some way.

Even if all you can do is send a prayer for his recovery.

Tommy is one of us.

Grace Grits and Gardening