11/03/2021
From Brad,
Perdition’s Flames...
After finishing the 666 Project on Halloween night, I returned home to my apartment in West Ghent where I have lived for 6 years. I debated on going to my bedroom to sleep, but I wasn’t ready/too lazy to go to my bedroom yet, so I got comfortable on my couch and watched an episode of Columbo. This lazy/impulsive move may have changed the outcome of my life.
I fell asleep on the couch. The next thing I remember was awakening not being able to breathe, perspiring more than I have ever in my life, and my eyes were burning. I was confused, and thought I was dreaming. Then I looked around the apartment and saw that my walls were on fire, the air was completely black from smoke and I knew I was in trouble of losing my life. I couldn’t catch my breath and I didn’t know what to do.
I was wearing an undershirt and boxers only. Then I felt like my shirt had caught fire, so I remembered my pre-school training from Court Street Academy: stop, drop and roll. I rolled on the ground and took my shirt off immediately. When I got to the ground I got a little bit of oxygen finally and realized my entire apartment was on fire. Everywhere. It is something I shall never, ever forget.
I crawled towards my back door, but while crawling I felt my wall (it was burning hot) and looked down the long hallway and it was completely immersed in flames. I improvised and went to my front door. Upon getting to the door, my doorknob broke off because my landlord hadn’t fixed it like he said he would a few weeks before. There was no exit by doorway at this point in time. To be candid, I remember thinking right then that I may die. I couldn’t breathe and I was fading.
I jumped back on the floor and stared at a window near my television set. I took one last breathe of smoky air and screamed out loud, “IF ANYONE CAN HEAR ME, I AM GOING TO JUMP OUT OF MY SECOND STORY WINDOW!” As soon as I said that very loudly and worked up my courage to do a Greg Louganis dive out my window, where I knew I’d break some bones but possibly live, I heard the most beautiful sound I have ever heard on my entire life. A Fireman screamed, “ARE YOU IN THERE?”
I yelled, “YES!!! I NEED HELP!!!” He screamed, “ARE YOU NEXT TO THE DOOR???” I said, “NO!!! BREAK THE MOTHER-BLEEPER DOWN!!! GET ME THE F OUTTA HERE BROTHER!!!” The next thing i remember was the door being busted down. I felt the air of the doorway hit me and I passed out in the hero fireman’s arms until he got me out into real air and away from danger. When I got to safety form the apartment I throw up multiple times and could not breathe. I coughed, and coughed and coughed more than I have ever before in my life.
Someone threw me into an ambulance or onto a stretcher (some details are blurry), and whoever/whomever got me into the ambulance said, which I’ll never forget, “help this man. He really wants to live with the way he was fighting to get out of that building.”
They placed me on oxygen immediately and pumped me full of a drug that helps with carbon monoxide. I was confused and they started sticking me with needles everywhere. As they drove me to Sentara (two blocks away), I looked back and saw my bedroom window with flames coming out the side. It’s a visual I shall never forget.
While driving to the hospital I said to the ems man, “this is like a bad dream. Thank god I am alive and fine.” He interrupted me and bluntly said, “sir you are not fine yet by a long shot. You have inhaled entirely too much hot smoke and we have to get you to the burn unit immediately.” I said, “but I’m talking to you? I should be okay right?” He said, “we have to get your numbers first, and just hope that you didn’t inhale too much. Your color is very bad (I was purple in color).” I shook my head and began focusing on my breathing for the next 20 hours. I kept saying to myself, I will not die today. I will not die today. I will not die today. I’m not kidding. .. I will not die today!
Upon getting to the hospital, I was put into the burn unit and of course, my Sisty ( Mary Russell) was there waiting for her baby brother. Poor thang and my brother had to listen to me bitch, moan and fight. But that’s the way I roll and she knows it. I wasn’t gonna die. That was my only thought whatsoever. I kept saying to myself, not today. Not today.
After being tested, my levels of carbon monoxide were extreme but not at the lethal rate. Having said that I was told if I had been on the building another 3 minutes I was a goner. They told me I had to have my numbers come down within the next 30 hours. And they did because I am lucky, play lots of basketball and from God’s Country, Portsmouth. Meaning always bet on red.
I left later on that day against medical advice and returned to my apartment for a brief moment where I learned that almost 100% of everything I own in life was destroyed. As of today I only own sweat pants, a new pair of tennis shoes, and a basketball. All my books, writings, sketches, Improv notes, history books, every single piece of clothing, 2,000 dollars cash, every Smurf I collected from my youth, my journal from when I drove my bicycle across the country, notebook, bed, furniture, poster, family pictures, my hats, and everything that has meant something to me in life is gone. Everything is gone.
I will not comment on my health right now except to say I am recovering every day and I have the grossest things clearing from my lungs. My cough is awful but I am slowly coming back to life physically. But not so much mentally yet. I am trying I promise. And all of your lovely words on social media and all those that have showered me with warmth have meant the world. It truly has my friends. From the bottom of my Portsmouth heart, thank you. But it may take a minute.
I won’t lie it’s a very odd feeling to own nothing in life but a basketball, a sweatshirt and sweat pants. It’s extremely odd. I will come to terms with it as soon as they let me back in my apartment to say goodbye to the ashes and retrieve whatever remains. I guess they are just materials but it still hurts.
The news stations have been asking for interviews and I Haven’t responded but I am begging any of my journalist friends from wavy, 3, or 13 to get in touch with me. I do want to do an interview and I have decided what I want to do. I have already contacted the Norfolk Fire Department (Pj Wilkins), and I want to find the brave souls that saved my life and I am giving them and the entire fire department free shows for life to the Push Comedy Theater. Stephanie Cooke can you help me? I want them to know without them I would be a dead man or at least with two broken legs from jumping out a window. Y’all are my heroes and I love y’all for helping this broken redhead get to safety. Seriously I would be dead without y’all.
To my family, my loved ones and to everyone else that helped me, thank you. I will survive this and I will be taking a hiatus for a second. But I shall return. I love all of you (even my landlords who I am angry with a bit ). To everyone who has helped me, thank you. I truly am lucky to be alive... even though I own nothing at all. I love you, I love the Norfolk Fire department and if I could I’d French kiss all of you for saving this chubby, redheaded pale skin comedian. Thank you.
Now I must find the laughs again. Because right now I am not in the best headspace. But I am still alive. I love this community, the Red Cross and all of your kindness shall never be forgotten. Ever.
One last thing, when I was choking, and thinking I may not live, the first thing that came to my mind was Tom Petty's song, I won’t back down. “You could stand me up at the gates of hell and I won’t back down.” And I didn’t.
I know Adam Paine, Greg Cooke, John Sharp, and Shaun Krueger were looking after me that night. It may sound corny, but I believe every word. I wasn’t ready to die yet. I had way too many audiences I needed to make giggle before I could do that. I will be off the radar for a while I recover with my wonderful parents. Please know I may not have anything left to my name at all but your kindness has meant the damn world. Survived and advance... Good talk
