Cesar's Recovery

The following explains Cesar Perez accident through the voices of our sister Carolina Perez and his girlfriend Chelsea O’hara Rodriguez. Needless to say we would not be doing this were it not urgent or extremely necessary. Lord willing we can go past this goal with all of your help. Please spread the word. Every little bit helps. Be warned that this is long, but please read to the end. This is what happened: Cesar Perez, a name many people have heard, a smiling face many recognize, a person who has touched many people’s life, person who many consider a friend, a person who I consider my baby, my bro, my hero, my brother. I can write a whole book about him, but where do I even start?! I will start from the beginning of this nightmare/miracle. Friday January 12, 2018, will forever be embedded in my head and heart as the day I lost my brother twice and as the day that he fought and came back to life. Cesar was excited to go visit his family and girlfriend Chelsea for the long MLK Holiday weekend. He has always been an excellent and cautious driver, therefore the idea of him being near death never crossed our minds that day. I received a call from my sister asking if I had heard from our brother Cesar. Both my sister, Alicia, and Chelsea were both worried because it is not like Cesar to not answer. I started to call him, but it went straight to voicemail. I called friends and the last time they heard from him was earlier that day. He had last called his Chelsea to around 6:15 saying he was about an hour from Statesboro and would be there when she got off work. He never arrived. Something inside each one of us said that something was not right. My sister headed to Statesboro to meet with Chelsea, while my parents took off without really knowing where they were going. They just followed a feeling that said, “Go. Now.” I was in Atlanta, and all I could do was look for accidents on I16 that were about an hour away from Statesboro. I called hospitals from Statesboro, Metter, Swainsboro, etc. asking about accidents on I16 that I really did not know of. While I dialed, I told myself, “you are overreacting.” But, my gut feeling told me to keep dialing, something was awfully wrong, and I felt something sink in to the pit of my stomach. And then, I called the hospital in Dublin. “Hello, I am calling to see if there have been people brought in from an accident on I16. I am looking for my brother Cesar Perez.” “I am sorry I can not give information out. But, yes he is here. That is all I can say.” “Just tell me is he alive?!” “…He is…he is stable… at the moment.” “Thank you! I am on my way!” I could not breath. This was not real. I called my sister and Chelsea and they grabbed what they had in hand and took off for Dublin. My parents were already somewhere on I16, so they finally knew where they were headed. My sister and Chelsea kept calling, until my sister finally got a hold of the Doctor where he explained the extent of the injuries and that he was to be immediately transported by helicopter to the trauma center in Macon, Ga. At that moment, she called everyone and told us to change route to Navicent Health Hospital in Macon…the Trauma center. I arrived at 11:10pm, my parents shortly followed at 11:35 pm, and then my sister and Chelsea came at around 12:10am. We were all there before my brother arrived on the helicopter. We waited until 4 or 5am to finally see him. They had to sew him up, clean him, and make him “presentable.” Like I said, I can write a whole book just on these past 4 days. They have been endless. Amidst seeing my brother in a state that I would have never imagined, I must focus on the good I have seen. We really had no idea what happened until recently. My brother was traveling on I16 Eastbound, when a maniac who was driving westbound on the eastbound lane crashed into my brother’s car making the car spin over 300 ft into the westbound lanes where he was hit a second time by an 18 wheeler and thrown into the trees. We later found out that Cesar was conscious and held his own head while the first responders cut away at the car to get him out. It took over 40 minutes. It is a miracle he survived. Once we told him Cesar was stable, the officer said he could now tell us that they had to revive him twice. The officer said that he is a fighter; he is a miracle. He IS a miracle. He has been our miracle ever since he was born. Cesar has always been my partner, my bro, the one that could make me laugh even when I was angry, the one that would start making jokes to ease up situations, the one who would talk non stop, sometimes pure nonsense, but still made so much sense. This tragic event has shown my family and I, that Cesar has not only impacted our lives but others as well. I am amazed at how many have come out to visit my brother from far away, I am amazed at how many people have offered their help and prayed for us, and I am amazed at how even unconscious in a hospital bed, he has brought everyone together and has made us stronger for that. He has done so much for so many without asking anything back. He has always been a giver, a helper, a reasonable man with a huge heart, a family man, and a man of faith. It is for him that we are being strong. God brought him back to life twice, and God does not do things half way. God will make him well like before, even better. God has shown his love and power to us, and we know it will be alright in the end. I just pray for the strength to keep going down this road, for it is a long and arduous road with many obstacles that lie ahead. This has been the hardest thing I have ever gone through in my life, and I would not hesitate twice and trade places with him. So even though I may be breaking inside and the sight of him prostrated in a bed with all his fractures and tubes kills me, I am staying strong for him. He is the strongest man I know. He is my hero. ~ By Carolina Perez
Due to the accident, Cesar had to undergo surgery to realign and stabilize his femur bone. In addition, he will need multiple operations to reconstruct his facial bones and teeth. He has been knocked out with so many sedatives and painkillers at the moment, so it will take a little while for him to reach full consciousness. The car is completely destroyed, and multiple bills will be piling up soon. People in these accidents typically don’t survive, and God has Cesar alive and well with us for a reason. Cesar was only coming to visit me from Atlanta, and as always, both of us were ecstatic to be seeing each other. Sometimes I wish I could have prevented this by telling him not to come down for some reason that popped up, but it was just one of those “wrong place at the wrong time” scenarios. I do not believe this was a coincidence, for I believe something immensely good will eventually come out of this. I know God has a plan for Cesar, everyone involved, his friends, and his family in the grand scheme of things. This will be a huge test for Cesar, and I’m asking, from the kindness of your hearts, to help however much you can with bills. Keep in mind, there is also his rent, utilities, card payments, and the cost of the car crash in case the person responsible won’t be able to cover it. Cesar is a fighting spirit and has impacted the lives of hundreds throughout this country and throughout other corners of the world. He is a dreamer, a believer, and a man of faith. We all just want him to bounce back from this tragedy and resume back to his civilian life as quickly as possible. Please continue keeping him in your prayers. Like I said, there are no coincidences and God is in the works of something greater. I thank you all so much, from the bottom of my heart.  ~ By Chelsea Rodriguez