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[Curtis]

64. April 10, 2009

I suffered a TBI from a propane explosion at a stupid job while waiting to be hired on at my local Sheriff's Department.

I was working for a local NAPA Auto Parts store and was filling a propane tank on a camper for a customer when something ignited and exploded. I was on fire for a little over a minute, but, being a trained LEO, EMT and fire fighter, my first concern was the customer and getting her to safety. I remember her screaming that I was on fire while I was trying to urge her to move to a safer area. Once we were in a safe area, I moved to the ground as I patted myself and started to roll as the fire went out.

The adrenaline kept me going for a few hours through the ER visit, but that night the headaches began in earnest that sent me back to the ER. They did scans and saw the bruising on the brain and kept me for a few days. I also ended up with blistering to my airway (first and second degree burns) and lung damage. All-in-all I was in the hospital for over 30 days and even had to undergo oro-pharyngeal surgery to take out tonsils and adenoids and reshape the soft pallet. I also lost O2 absorption and am at risk for pneumonia all the time now. And, the best part is I suffer from a rare type of migraine now that presents itself as a stroke thanks to the TBI, which is (thankfully) controlled with medication mostly. However, I do have night terrors and some other really fun psychological issues that make life really fun. And, I had to step aside from law enforcement and fire fighting careers. But, the best part? What the GOP governors did to Worker's Comp here in California over the last few decades before 2009 really screwed people in my position. The settlement wasn't great. We're semi-comfortable, but no where near what it should be for what I lost.

The bottom line though is that Trump's statement of a "little headache" is beyond the pale. These kids will have life-long problems because of the danger his direct irresponsible actions put them through. Too bad Trump himself doesn't suffer one of these "little headaches" as that would be true justice when world leaders are the first to suffer for their irresponsible actions.