Kai’s Story
In 2011 I decided to sell everything I owned and move to China to document the emerging gap between the survivors of the Cultural Revolution and the mall-going, cell phone wielding youth of today. I studied Mandarin and Kung Fu as I prepared for the work. Then I almost died.
China is a beautiful and fascinating place, but also, in their race for modernization, sometimes toxic. I rode overnight in a faulty bus leaking carbon monoxide into the cab as we slept. Over the next two weeks my ability to function deteriorated to the point where I had all of the symptoms of advanced Parkinson’s disease. I couldn’t walk, think, or speak without tremendous effort. Time and again everything would slow, and slow, and slow until it all went away. The end.
Being face to face with the last minutes of my life was scary, humbling, and unexpectedly beautiful. As I watched the final door closing I was surprised to discover that what I had considered a “waste of time”, my hours spent developing and deepening relationships, was in fact far more important to me than anything I had built, written or done.
In the end I was left with one thought. If I had more time alive, if I was given anything extra, the one thing that remained was my desire to share what I’d seen. I wanted to help others find access to the richness of life and relationships in the tiny handful of moments we have left.
As I began the slow process of recovery I enrolled in a series of leadership and coach training programs to support that mission. I have deepened in ways I could not have imagined and I am fortunate to be helping people every day to build inner strength, visionary leadership, and deeper relationships.
