“ 78 Jan/Feb 2019


I pondered completely


leaving aviation.


Angry, sad, confused, and all the other emotions you can imagine; I have experienced them all since that day. But I am a firm believer that things happen for a reason, and you are who you are based on your reactions to those things. I had two choices: roll over into a bottle or pick myself up and become a better person. I choose the latter. I choose — not chose — because this is a constant struggle I find myself in, and I struggle every day to recreate the person I am.


I pondered completely leaving aviation. Maybe starting in real estate, maybe going to medical school or maybe I’d take my insurance money and buy a sailboat, just check out from life and go live in the Caribbean, living off of rum and whatever I caught in the ocean. This last thought brings me to the reason I write this letter and what motivates me to share what I have learned. I was fortunate to have the foresight to purchase a loss of medical certificate disability insurance policy on myself. Metro Aviation is kind enough to offer a company plan for long-term disability and I enrolled in it at the age of 30. It was the last thing I ever thought I would need, but thank the heavens above I listened to that little guy on my shoulder because in the end at least I am not going to have to live on the streets. My long-term disability was to pay my salary for two years. I ended up taking a lump sum payment that was equal to two years’ worth of work. Unfortunately, it is beyond


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