The Day A Piece of Me Died.

2010-12-01T15:25:00.000-08:00

My little brother..
Stephen Matthew Acevedo

August 22, 2010.

It was about 3:40 in the morning when I heard my phone ring. Normally I have it on silent but this night it wasnt. Oddly it woke me up, usualy when someone calls that late I never hear it. I seen it was my brother Russell so I picked it up, we lost signal so I tried calling him back but it went strait to voicemail becuase he was trying to call me at the same time. About 5 minutes passed by befor we talked. He called and I answered and I will never forget the way he sounded. He was crying saying, "Casie.... Casieeee... man oh my god Hes dead man hes dead. Ohhh my god man hes dead" I was so lost I mean automatically for some reason I had throught maybe he wrecked his car and somebody got hurt so I asked "Who??? Russell calllm down and talk to me" then he said "Stephen man our brother is dead!" Right then I felt a sharp pain in my chest, I couldnt believe it. It was such a shock I remember telling Russell "Hes not dead he cant be dead" and I just started yelling "omg what ..... what he cant be" I woke my fiance up from yelling and he grabbed the phone out of my hand and got on asking "whos this what happend." I ran into the closet got dressed so we could go to Kaufman.

I live in Dallas and we were in Kaufman within 15 minutes, and the whole way there I just kept telling my self "this isnt real, this cant be happening... maybe hes just in a coma or somthing and hes not reacting.... they are just makein assupmtions..". Once we got to the Kaufman hospital I got out and ran to the Emergency door because I had seen my uncle standing there, I asked where he was and as I was asking him a Police officer that I knew had walked up to me. I started asking "where is he at where is he!" and he told me, "Now Casie, im going to need you to be there and help your mom. Shes in a big state of denial right now, and im sorry but he is gone." I couldnt help but think to myself "man he doesnt know what the hell hes talking about my brother is not dead!!!!!" As he was talking to me I seen my mother run out the hospital screaming and yelling "this is not happening.. no no this is not real" So I walked to where they told me he was... I walked in the hospital, all the nurses and the doctor were just watching me, then I see the room with alot of my family in it. I turn around the corner and there he was. I seen my little baby Stephen.. or as we called him, Tink. Just laying there on this hospital bed. Tubes coming out of his mouth and nose... eyes wide open. He just layed there. He was so cold. I looked at him, expecting him to wake up any minute. Begging him to wake up. Praying that this was all just a very bad dream. But it wasnt... It was all to real. To this day it still doesnt seem real to me.

The funeral came and went, and everybodys life is still going on... but mine and my families is forever at a hault. Of course our lifes are moving forward, but not completely. You see we, and when I say we I mean my mother, Russell, Stephen, and myself, are used to it being just us 4. And now there is and only will be 3 of us. Physically. The pain is infinate.

Stephen lived with my mother and our other brother Russell down in Kaufman and I lived with my fiance and little boy in Dallas, Tx. So sometimes I kinda feel like i'm just up here working, doing my own thing and hes down in Kaufman with mom and yaya (Russell) and hes going to text me any minute asking me to buy him some shoes.. or asking when im going to come down and stay the night. But then I see his picture and reality hits.... it hits reallyyyy hardddd, and I know hes not coming back. I did some christmas shopping the other day and caught myself saying "Im gonna get stephen that for christmas..."

Im pretty sure if your reading this the main question at the top of your head is "How did Stephen die???"

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy or HCM for short.

Below is a link you can go to to read about it.

HCM

But basicaly it is a thickening of the heart walls that doesnt allow the right amount of blood to be pumped to the body. In some cases like Stephens, causing death. We found out Stephen had it by accident really, alot of people go their whole lifes without knowing they have it. He complained about chest pain one day so mom took him to the doctor, and the rest is history. Tink was a big sports person, but when we found out about the HCM we had to take him out of EVERYTHING completely. He couldnt do anything that would make his heart rate increase.

He had just turned 14 on June 13, 2010 befor he passed away. He passed away August 22, 2010. Exactly 10 days after I had my second child. The last time I had gotten to see him was when I had her at the hospital in the picture above.. =(

Im not really sure if anybody will take the time to read this, but hopefully someone does. And please look into HCM and make sure you or your children do not have it. I will blog a little more about this later on...

Untill next time....

-Casie.j

from left to right

Stephen, me, Russell

In Loving Memory of Stephen M. Acevedo

2010-12-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

This is a video I made for Tink.
I wrote and recorded the first song for him....

R.I.P bby ily

-Remembering You Always.. ily Tinnk(=

The Day A Piece of Me Died.

In Loving Memory of Stephen M. Acevedo