Chapter 1
(In the beginning)
Jarow Holloman was born to Martin and Eva Holloman of Bozeman, Montana, on June 23, 2010. He was diagnosed while still inside the womb with a ventricular septal defect, commonly called (VSD), which in general terms is a large hole in his heart.
For several years prior to Jarow’s birth, Martin and Eva had tried to conceive. Through multiple miscarriages and an ectopic pregnancy, the couple had nothing but bad luck in their attempts. When at last they were able to conceive, and they learned the embryo looked to be alive and viable they didn’t waiver in their determination to have a child; they knew deep within their hearts that they needed to have this child, no matter the disability.
Eva’s pregnancy with her unborn son was not without complications though. At thirty two weeks, she was forced to surgically deliver her son prematurely because his umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck several times.
Another discouraging development was during the cesarean section to remove Jarow, when the doctors found scarring and trauma from Eva’s previous unviable attempts, and they unfortunately, had to completely remove her uterus in order to keep her alive. This abruptly ended the couple's plans to have more children.
Once born, Jarow was immediately moved to the newborn intensive care unit, where he spent several weeks under close supervision. Even though he was unlikely to see his first birthday, the small infant underwent multiple surgeries in an attempt to increase his chances of survival: which luckily worked. Through the doctor’s surgical skills, the Holloman’s determination, and a lot of luck: Jarow continued to survive and grow.
Through the next few years, despite all the odds stacked against him, Jarow persevered. He even outlived the most optimistic doctors' expectations and grew into a smart and friendly young man. Through it all, his parents were by his side, encouraging him to continue to do the things that brought him joy and comforting him through the many challenges he faced.
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As Jarow continued to grow, he found that he had an ever growing interest in almost every type of sporting event. It turned into a way for Jarow and his father to bond. He and Martin would sit and watch all manner of sporting events, cheering on their favorite team and betting on the outcome. The camaraderie and shared love of the games created a strong bond between the two of them.
Although some of Jarow's earliest memories were of him rooting for his own father as he played the game he loved the most: Baseball.
Martin was the starting pitcher for the Bozeman Brahmas, which is only minor league baseball team, but Jarow’s father had at one time been one of the most feared pitchers in all of the American League, leading the Oakland A's to two World Series. Sadly, a devastating elbow injury forced him to retire much earlier than he wanted.
Still, after years of therapy and rehabilitation, Despite all the setbacks, Martin was determined to make a comeback, and once healed up began trying out for the major league once again. Unfortunately he was unable to regain his former pitching velocity and was never picked up.
However, during his search for a place in the majors, a minor league team was forming right under his nose in the city he called home; Bozeman. It didn’t take long before he was offered a contract by the Brahmas, and Martin accepted the offer eagerly. He was overjoyed to return to the mound and play the game he loved. He wasn’t making the money he once had, but the joy of playing the game was enough to make up for that.
The Brahmas did not have the most winningest record, but that didn’t discourage Martin who would always tell Jarow, "We play with all our heart, and that's what matters." To Jarow, the statement was even more significant due to his VSD and his inability to play anything due to his heart. It cemented, in his opinion, that no matter the outcome of the Brahma’s season, his father's team was always the best because they played with all of their heart, something he would never be able to do.
Over the years, Jarow gathered several balls while sitting in his favorite seat at the Brahma’s field, or the stable as it was locally referred. He had a specific wheelchair-accessible spot held just for him along the third base foul line. But one of the balls he had been able to catch meant more to him than most. It was a foul ball his father hit that fell directly into Jarow's outstretched glove, as if his father had hit it directly to him. Martin's face beamed with pride as he watched the ball land perfectly in Jarow’s hand.
Those were the good times in their family's life, but sadly those times became fewer and farther between than any of them preferred. The sad truth was that Jarow had difficulty with any physical effort, even moving his own body caused tightness and pain in his chest and made him gasp for breath. He was unable to do even the simplest of physical activity as he grew into a tween, relying more and more on the chair which he was bound to.
By this time, Jarow’s life was lived almost exclusively in his wheelchair. A custom-painted ride, matte black, adorned with a glossy jet-black bull skull logo featuring two wide horns extending from both sides of the skull, followed by pearlescent blue flames. Notably, this design also served as the logo for the Bozeman Brahmas.
Jarow had always adored the logo, and in his young and innocent mind, the paint seemed to make his wheelchair move faster. Despite this, in the end, it remained just a chair. Jarow found himself perpetually seated, unable to run and play like the other kids his age; a significant source of depression in his life.
As Jarow left his boyhood behind and entered into his teenage years, his life was anything but easy. He was constantly in and out of hospitals for numerous surgeries and physical therapies. Even with all the added movement the therapists prescribed for him, his leg muscles still atrophied due to disuse. The complications didn't stop with his heart and muscles either. He developed multiple crippling conditions related to his digestive system and food allergies. This required him to watch his diet closely and eat very little, adding to his lack of weight and musculature.
His body couldn't tolerate any form of dairy or gluten. He couldn't eat any nuts and very few legumes. In fact he almost died once after accidentally eating shellfish, so he couldn't eat shrimp, lobster, or most other seafood either.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
Jarow also had to limit his salt intake due to his heart issues. Essentially, his diet consisted mainly of plain rice and grains, tofu, and chicken breast for protein, along with green smoothies. He quickly discovered his distaste kale but found it slightly more palatable when blended into smoothies with plenty of berries and other fruits, making the taste sweeter. Although he would have preferred a simple protein shake, Jarow dutifully gulped down the drink daily to make his mother happy.
One of the few delicacies Jarow enjoyed and could eat was found at the Brahmas' field. He was well-known by all the workers and team members, so as soon as he arrived with his mother, they would hand him a large bucket of freshly popped popcorn flavored with only olive oil and smoked paprika. At first, the combination was made specifically for him, but as people started seeing the red-colored snack and inquiring about what Jarow was always munching on, it quickly became a crowd favorite and the Bozeman field's specialty. Although most people preferred it with salt and butter.
Even though Jarow was never able to go outside and play games with kids his age, he never felt lonely. He had made several good friends online who he communicated with often and played a variety of video games with. Sometimes, his friends would even come over to his house to play video games IRL.
The one game that Jarow and his friends loved most of all was Madden NFL, they had played all the games in the series, and often challenged each other online or in person. They played many other sports games as well, including series from FIFA and NBA. And of course, they all enjoyed the MLB associated games.
While he and his friends generally played sports-affiliated games, Jarow also had a soft spot for RPGs and wasn't opposed to first-person shooters from time to time either. In his vivid imagination, he dreamed of being a sports superstar. However, if given the opportunity, he thought he could enjoy swinging a sword or staring down the barrel of a rifle while fighting bad guys and monsters; anything where he wasn’t stuck in a chair all the time.
Video games quickly became a major part of Jarow's life as they were one of the few forms of competition at which he could excel. In fact, his hand-eye coordination almost landed him a spot on the Big-Bears team.
The Bozeman Big-Bears were an up-and-coming Madden NFL esports team. They held an open tryout for a position, and Jarow eagerly jumped at the chance to apply. He was already well-known to the other players on the team and seemed like a shoo-in. Sadly, on the day of the tryout, his digestive issues prevented him from attending. He had to be passed over for the spot, pushing him into a deep depression.
One of the few goals in Jarow’s life had been to be part of a competitive team, but those dreams were crushed due to his continually deteriorating health. Thus, the depression set in; he felt lost and hopeless, even contemplating suicide. He knew he had access to an abundance of his own medications and could easily overdose on them to end his life. He even began to ideate himself drifting off to sleep and never waking up after downing a bottle or two of his pills.
Luckily, before he could lose himself to his dark fantasies, his father Martin helped him push through and out of his depression. Martin's never-ending exuberance and love of life, his upbeat attitude, and his never-say-no lifestyle kept Jarow always wanting to see what would happen next and brought him back from the depths of his sorrow.
After missing the tryout, once the team started playing in earnest, Martin took Jarow on a road trip to see the Big-Bears compete. To Jarow's amazement and joy, the team members greeted him warmly. They expressed their condolences for his lost opportunity and wished they had the chance to have him on their team.
Even the kid who had gotten the spot Jarow was going to try out for apologized to him and said, 'I'm sure you could kick my ass all over this field.' The team's thoughtfulness and sentiments lifted Jarow's spirits, and he made some new friends that day as well as a new team to root for.
As Jarow turned sixteen and was studying for his driver's license exam, his dad told him of a secret special birthday gift he would be receiving. Martin made it sound like something truly epic from his description, and Jarow's imagination went wild. It did not turn out to be what Jarow had been secretly hoping for; it wasn't a supercar like a McLaren or even a Corvette, but his dad did get a vehicle especially for him.
It turned out his special vehicle was a souped-up Toyota Sienna. 😮💨
While a minivan wasn't Jarow's first choice of vehicle, with his special needs, he knew it would probably be the best choice. But before he actually got to drive it, his father was getting it modified, 'to make it special just for you,' he told Jarow, in order to build the anticipation even more.
Jarow didn't mind, though. He was extremely excited and happy just to receive something so amazing; the van represented the singular most important thing to him at his age: his independence. Knowing his father, Jarow knew the modifications he was having done would not only be stylish but also functional, and hopefully make the minivan much 'cooler' as well.
The van was currently at the shop being modified, Jarow hadn't gotten the chance to drive it yet, but they were on their way to pick it up and talking along the way. The huge grin on his dad's face as they drove to the shop let Jarow know just how extreme his father had gone into making this present special. Martin wouldn't say exactly what he had the shop do to it, but from the looks he gave Jarow, the modifications had to be extensive.
Dad, how am I going to drive the car home?" Jarow asked, his typical teenage sarcasm clearly evident in his voice. He had wondered, when they left, why it was only he and his father going to pick up the van; his mother had suspiciously been absent as they left.
"I'm sure you'll figure it out. After all, you've been driving ‘that’ thing since you were three! You have more driving experience than anyone else your age," Martin said as he pointed with his thumb to Jarow's wheelchair in the back of the van.
"Well, not that exact chair, Dad. You only got me that one a year ago when I turned fifteen. And I'm sure driving a car is completely different than a wheelchair," Jarow stated with an audible eye roll.
He began to daydream about driving his new van. In his mind, the van was covered in blue flames with the Bozeman Brahmas' logo flying along the side, similar to how his dad always had his wheelchairs painted. He was almost certain his dad would carry the same motif over to this van, but secretly hoped to be surprised. He would really like something red or silver, or maybe even just black without the logo. His mental smile widened as he thought of driving a jet black lowered van with color-changing LED lights glowing from the bottom.
The light at the intersection ahead of them turned yellow, and Martin pressed down on the gas, determined to make it through before it turned red. "Honestly, son, I'll bet it takes more coordination to..." he began to say, but before he could finish his sentence, their world was turned upside down.
Jarow watched as a large white truck barreled toward the side of the van as they moved through the intersection. It was being closely followed by a number of police cars with their sirens blaring and lights flashing. He couldn't believe neither he nor his father had noticed the now obviously glaring sirens and flashing lights. They had been so involved in their discussion and imagination that the outside world had seemed unimportant.
The large bearded man driving the truck was clearly only thinking about one thing: getting away from whatever crime he had committed. He didn't care about the risk he was putting other people's lives in as he sped through the city streets.
Jarow saw his dad's eyes widen in horror as he belatedly realized what was happening. Martin jerked the steering wheel to the right and slammed on the van's brakes, but it was too late. The truck hit them hard with a sickening crash and squeal of tires.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Jarow watched the window shatter into a million little pieces. The large silver bumper with the familiar blue and white Montana license plate broke through the driver's side window, right at the height of Martin’s. The entire door frame bent and the roof crumpled as the truck plunged into and over their van.
Jarow’s world then began spinning, becoming a kaleidoscope of pain and blurred colors, sharp cuts and blunt impacts accompanied by the liquid crimson of blood that hung seemingly weightless in midair. The asphalt gray of the road and the green of the grass along the side spun in Jarow's view as he felt his body twirling end over end, as though spinning in the drum of a clothes dryer.
Then everything abruptly stopped. Jarow's vision tunneled quickly, darkness encroaching from the sides until all the colors of the world looked faded. In this state, Jarow saw his father's lifeless form before him, hanging loosely from what was left of the misshapen roof of the van. His father's eyes had lost their spark; their mischievous glint was gone. They stared at Jarow, lifeless and unmoving.
His father's blood pooled on the grass below his now lifeless body. Jarow could still hear sirens in the distance, but their blaring song faded as did his eyesight. Jarow stared, his world closing in, his mind blank with shock. The darkness closed in completely, no more sound or pain, just darkness. And Jarow knew no more.
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In this story though, the end is just the beginning.