Hey y’all,
That’s how we say “hey you all” down yonder. I wanted to introduce myself. My name is Trey Flynn. Actually…it’s Joseph Flynn, but growing up in a house with two Josephs was a tea kettle of trouble. As a result, I was handed a nickname that has stuck with me through the years and despite having no legal basis, is listed on a lot of legal documents.
I’m excited that Tommy has invited me to contribute to “Life of Dad” as I’ve found myself surfing through your various stories the last week or so. It is an honor to be able to share my own via the site.
Myself? I am newbie to the world of fatherhood; my wife and I welcomed our son Holden on October 11, 2011.
I am also a child of the 70s, born September 9, 1979 in the beautiful city of Orlando, Florida (some of you might have been fortunate enough to levy a lien on your house or cash in you child’s college fund for a visit). I’m what you’d call a wee bit undersized at 5 feet 4 inches. In my family, that is an accomplishment, I usually get the start at center when we play pickup basketball.
I’m a ginger. I didn’t grow hair until I was three and I started to lose it when I was 23. It was a heck of a 20 year run.
I married a Canadian. It’s not as tough as you’d think. Just know that Congress is Parliament. President is Prime Minister. “You punt on 4th down” is “You punt on 3rd down”. And most importantly, moonshine is beer.
I was born with orange and blue pumping through my veins. I grew up living on the campus of the University of Florida, and I later graduated from there. I’m a proud Gator, and as such I’m also comfortable enough proclaim my man crush on Tim Tebow. (Although he’s a Jet now and that precludes me from ever rooting for him again.)
I love sports, even though the mere mention most of my teams is prefixed with a bad word. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend every major sporting event outside of the Super Bowl.
I’m obsessed with fireworks. I was drinking craft beer before it was cool to drink craft beer, although everyone says I’m full of it when I tell them that. (Hiiiiiiiiiiiipsters!!!!) I’m 32 years old and still listen to ska. I put hot sauce on everything. I still can’t make it through the monorail episode of The Simpsons without belly laughing. I legitimately beat Mike Tyson via decision on Punch-Out. I am the law (the criminal defense side at least). I drink my coffee black. I like the movie Saving Silverman. I am a proud Floridian who sports flip-flops during those chilly Orlando winters.
All that takes a backseat to my newest trait. I’m a dad.
I discovered this site after reading and watching Tommy’s story. Like Barbara, my son was born with a congenital heart defect. We were lucky, he didn’t need surgery until he was 3 months old. Since then he’s had two operations in his 6 months on Earth, and is due in mid-May for what should be the last for a long time. Simply put, Holden is my hero.
Myyyyyyyy Hero.
We were fortunate enough to learn about this defect before he was born. It was certainly jaw-dropping, devastating, and a sucker punch to my whole being. To be honest, I’m still not sure how to exactly describe it. I’ve always been able to roll through everything, armed with a positive attitude and my good sense of humor. I found it tough in this situation. Really tough.
We remained guarded, and didn’t tell anyone. Not that we didn’t want to, we just didn’t know how. One night, I decided enough was enough, I rubbed my wife’s belly and called our unborn son “The Tin Man.” The nickname stuck and has been our positive rallying cry through all of this.
Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children in Orlando caught wind of this nickname, and asked us to share our story. We, like many CHD families, noticed the lack of awareness, as we were admittedly naïve ourselves. We didn’t hesitate to say yes, allowing them to film every aspect of our lives. The film was released a few weeks ago and is linked below for your viewing pleasure.
I’ve been lucky enough to have a lot of cool jobs in my day, but nothing has been as fun or rewarding as being a dad. I look forward to reading your stories and sharing my own. (And I also pinky swear to not be as long winded and a tad bit more Holden oriented in the future.)
Thanks for having me.
– Trey Flynn