The Story of Iron Man

OK, those of yall who know who the Iron Man is I want to get one thing straight. I am not talking about a Marvel Super Hero.
I am talking about one of my dear friends, Dakota Abernathy. I have been meaning to write a blog for him for awhile now, and never really knew any sites that I could do this. I am just lucky that I have some friends that finally got off their behinds and found me this site.

This is why we call Dakota Gray Abernathy the 'Iron Man'!

Dakota Abernathy was injured on one of those moon Jump type ride. You all know the one: The hook you to this harness, you run out as far as you can, and it pulls you back. Well, he and many other people wanted to try it. I am not sure if he had done it before but when he hit the bounce something went terribly wrong!
He had internal bleeding in his skull, his brain was swelling and the pressure was just too great.
He said that he was dizzy and got off the ride. He passed out after vomiting, with slight convulsions. He had to be rushed by Life Light to the Sacred Heart Hospital that was several hours away by car. If they had waited for an ambulance he wouldn't be alive today.

When he got to the Hospital they immediately performed and extensive surgery that lasted hours. Hardly anyone that hadn't been there knew of the until later
that evening (his family excluded), and when I found out i was in total shock.

Like I had learned from reading an entry in Readers Digest about Will Smith I went running. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon, and I had been running for several months since my right hand developed tremors. My hand was shaking worse than it had in quite awhile, worse than it had when it started at the beginning of October, 2006.

Through the rain I was crying. Dakota and I had started out as rivals, nearly enemy's, because we both desired the affection of my now best friend Katrina. He had her, I wanted her. But even though I wanted to be hers I helped them out as best I could when ever their relationship got a little rocky, which may be what helped me and him to become friends. We become one of those friendships that just pushes both sides to the limit, with a cause that is eventually forgotten, but the truth still remains that we pushed each other to our limits.

Thank you Mr. Paul Harris for not stepping between us and stopping those slug fests in Jazz Band.

Anyway, after the incident I went running. I was crying in the rain and I went over to Katrina's (only 6 blocks form my house) but she wasn't home. I went over to my friend Michael, and told him what had happened. He told me it would be alright, and although I didn't truly believe him I tried to calm myself.

The next day I just ran. I ran for 7 hours straight, I needed to do something, but I couldn't come up with anything.

Monday came and I went to school, half expecting to see him in 4th period Symphonic band. No Dakota. I found out that he was in a Coma the day before, the chances of him surviving, even after the surgery was unlikely at best. He had about a 14% chance of survival, even less with out mental or physical handicaps. I couldn't concentrate on anything at school. After I got home, my Kanstul Trumpet in hand, I walked down to the local convenient store (Kelly's Market) with a laminated poster and my friend Michael. We wrote on the sign this message:

"Please Help by Donating money for medical expenses for Dakota Abernathy/ He is a Meigs student that was critically injured Saturday."

It was a short message, and what really surprised us was the reaction of the community. I played for about 3 hours, barely taking brakes to take a sip of water. I played songs with out music sheets, I played what I felt. People from as far as 16 blocks away heard what I was doing and they came down to buy something at the store and to give us what ever they had left. I left about 6:30 PM that day, with over $100 in my trumpet case in change and bills as big as a $20.

The next morning the vice principle took my wallet and held on to it for the whole school day because he thought I was gonna spend the money on myself.

The next day with the help of Tania (flute player), Michael (still holding the sign and talking to people, telling them what happened), and Kristen (Violin player) we earned another $80!We were even interviewed by one of the local papers for what we were doing.
We could have made more but the owner of Kelly's came and told us we had to leave. I told her we had gotten permission from the people inside and that it was OK. She told me who I was and I said "OK, We'll leave." I started packing up my stuff, and just to make sure I didn't leave there with her too angry I told her what we were doing. Apparently this was not a wise thing to do. She came over, shouting at me and pushing me, making me stumble (and I couldn't help but notice there was lots of dirt under her longs nails). We left, some of us angrier than other (Kristen was so mad that she had pushed me, I was just noisily frustrated.) I had to go home and begin packing, otherwise I would have stayed to help them get more money.

The next day I went to school, half packed for the band trip that would last through the weekend. Kristen presented me with an envelope that had another $20 in it. I was so happy, in just 2 days we had earned over $200! That night after I got home I asked my mother if we could go see Dakota. She hesitated, wondering if it was a good idea for me to see Dakota if he was going to die, she didn't want me to see him hooked up to all those machines. But I pressed the issue and she finally agreed to take me. She suggested that I take my friend Michael too. I did of course, and when we got there is mother refused to see us. I was talking to his grand father about this, and I thought he was the Doctor, he just looks like one 0_o, anyway: She finally agreed to come out, and I could tell she had been crying. her eyes were still red and puffy, and I would see the drying tears on her cheeks. She gave me a hug and so did his grand mother when I presented the bag full of $200 and a new gold dollar. The gold Dollar was for Dakota. She was just so over whelmed and surprised by my actions. She knew me and Dakota had an antagonizing relationship. (especially since the night before I had gotten a tie-dye silk sheet and tied it around my head like a bandanna. He had told me I looked gay and I hugged him telling him he knew he liked it. He was pushing me off in a hurry, it was so fun! XD)
She knew that others at the school had raised over $1,500 in only 2 days by selling these homemade wristbands, just strings braided together in the colors of our middle school. Black, white, and Gold. I have one too. I haven't taken it off since I got it. I will never take it off until it breaks.
She took the money, after I argued with her over who should have it. She kept telling me I should keep it, I worked hard for it. I had to tell her I did work hard for it, but I worked hard to bring it to her too. When she took it me and Michael told her how we had acquired such a large amount so soon. She had seen the paper that day too. Me, Michael, Kristen, and Tania made the front page of the Locals. Only me and Michael were named, but the others were told as "Other students from Meigs". I had also made the new after someone called the channel 3 news crew and I was interviewed again. I told them my story, and that I didn't think I deserved as much credit as everyone thought I did, and that I believed that my friend, Michael, Tania, and Kristen, should get just as much credit or more. I couldn't say why, but it just felt wrong for me to get so much credit.

The band left for Gatlinburg, TN. We were there from Thursday to Sunday. We won the competition for him. His representative was a rubber duck with his name on it. it sat in his seat with a French horn. Everyone bought him something, me buying him a knew wrist band and a coin. I have yet to give him the coin, but I know Katrina has already given him the band. I have some other coins to give him now too, and another wrist band that used to belong to me.

They say that its a miracle that Dakota Gray Abernathy survived, and he is still recovering with little to no physical and mental handicaps. The doctors say those small handicaps will go away soon. I just hope that this time they are right. I am not sure if he is home yet, but he spent over 2 months away from home.
ON the band awards night they let him in, and everyone began to cry. But none more so than me and Katrina, his best friends. After that night he had to return to Atlanta for one last surgery. The surgery to get that missing piece of his skull put back in, the one that they had taken out to release the pressure in his brain.

This is the Story of Dakota Gray "Iron Man" Abernathy. My friend, my brother, my band. Even if he had not lived as so many had speculated he would still be living on in our hearts.

In tribute to Dakota Gray Abernathy. The "Iron Man".