ALIVE POSTER

“If you are reading this, you are dead” That’s the sign my Girlfriend read in the OR ceiling during her Near Death Experience on August 3rd, 2012. Last August, my Girlfriend Pao and I experienced one of the hardest tests Life has given us so far. On August 2nd, Pao was admitted to the hospital with a severe pain in her back and legs. The first diagnosis: Kidney Stones. In reality she was dying of a severe cause of Pseudomonas infection in her blood. During the late hours of August 3 (coinciding with our 12th Anniversary) she developed a fatal case of Septic Shock, triggering an emergency code at the Hospital. During the chaos of the Medical Response team, Pao slipped away on her way to the Operation Room. After frenetic efforts of the doctors, Pao came back to life (she experience what is widely known as a Near Death Experience or NDE, she died, left her body and came back) leaving the doctors unable to understand how in the name of God she was able to resuscitate after having a massive infection on her Kidneys, Heart and Lungs, as well as cardiac arrest. They call her a Miracle Patient. What she saw, whom she talked to and what she is trying to remember, profoundly altered her views on life, death and especially the "after-life." She spent 4 weeks recuperating between the Hospital, Home Care and doctor appointments, leaving her weak and confused. On a funny note: She was "stuck" on "tuesday the 13th." For whatever reason, either we would ask her or she would be persistently asking for the date, whatever the answer, she'd think we were lying to her, because in her mind, it was "tuesday, 13th." It turns out her birthday this year falls on a Tuesday 13th, who knows if that's the reason she was so obsessed with that date. For my part, I was doing enormous efforts to take care of her as best as I could, I stopped working on the site and dedicated my entire time to her. To this day, Pao is still not fully aware of the time she was gone, and is taking some time to put the whole experience into perspective. The entire month of August has been an ongoing physical, emotional and economical test for both of us.  And all this has happened a few month before many events will start happening in our lives on the next few months, events that will solidify as a couple and open us the doors to a more prosperous and secure future. Pao is going back to work, but it won’t be soon enough for us to recuperate from the 5 weeks without  salary. I humbly recognise that we can’t do it alone, we need your help So, as a way to recover from this economical gap that August has left us with and to be able to reach our life goals, The Alive Campaign idea was born. When Pao had her NDE, she saw a sign that read "if you're reading this, you are dead." What better way to celebrate her coming back than by changing "dead" for "alive." Through this Unique design, I have something to offer in exchange for your help. In purchasing one of these products, you will help us to get on our feet. We need your help. Thank you.