Re: Where were you/what were you doing when you heard the news?
Some of you all might think Im crazy, but I dont care, this is what happened to me when I had found out.
I work at the Mirage hotel/casino in Vegas. I had been out of work for a week due to strep throat. It was my first day that I was going back to work. While I was driving to work I got a call on my cell from a friend who is a fellow fan. This was about 1:45pm pacific time. She told me she had just spoken to a mutual friend that told her Michael had just gone into cardiac arrest and was being transported by ambulance to UCLA Medical Center. This was BEFORE the media had found out. I was shocked! So, I walk into my work where my co-workers and I gathered daily for a pre-shift meeting. Now, keep in mind EVERYONE I work with knows that I am a HUGE MJ fan! They also knew I was going to see MJ outside his Vegas home almost daily last Sept/Oct and would speak to him alot! Anyway, as my pre shift meeting was about to start I was checking for updates on my phone. My co workers were asking me what was going on and I told them. Seconds later I read on my phone that it had been confimed that Michael had passed. I started screaming, "No, no" and was crying uncontrollably. I then collapsed in shock & grief. Everyone was surrounding me and security had to pick me up off the floor. I was crying so bad and uncontrollably that they had to call my family to give me a ride home. They wouldnt even let me drive. When I got home, my son walked in the house right after me. He also was sent home from work due to grief & shock. Me, my son, and my daughter huddled on the floor together just hugging each other and crying uncontrollably. We then decided that we HAD to drive to LA/Encino. We didnt know why, but we all just felt we had to go, so we did! My daughter was the calmest out of us, so she drove. So, we spent two nights standing outside of Hayvenhurst with fellow MJ fans & friends. It gave us a small bit of comfort to be with others that loved Michael just as much as we did.
Later on that same evening I started to get this severe pain in the back of my head. It scared me and it was the worst pain I ever felt. I didnt know what was happening to me. I thought at times I might even collapse because the pain was so severe. So, after a day & a half, my daughter drove me back home to Vegas and took me to see my doctor. While the doctor was examing me, I got another pain attack in the back of my head. The pain was unbearable. The doctor saw what was happening and gave me further tests. Turns out, the stress & the grief I was experiencing was so severe that I was getting extreme muscle spasms in the back of my head! I had to be put on muscle relaxers & anxiety medication to stop the pain. The doctor had to put me out of work for three weeks until the pain stopped. It was the WORST time of my life. It was a nightmare! Although the muscle spasms have stopped, I still feel Im living a nightmare. Its still hard to believe Michael is gone. Its so surreal. Although Im getting through day to day life, I feel like all days are dark and the sunshine is gone. Life is dark and empty.................................