10 Years Ago,
I was a succsseful Master Sushi Chef trained by the student of the official Sushi Chef of the Empreor of Japan. I worked at the Bertram Inn and Conference Center in Aurora, Ohio for Bert and Iris Wolstein. I made $110,000.00 a year.
I quit that job and took a chance with a client of mine to open up my own business. Mrs. Toshi and I built in ground swimming pools as General Contractors. Our business was called; “Allan’s All American Services”. We made $150,00.00 in our first year. Our second year we were over $250,000.00. My forecast for our third year was over a million dollars. My son was eighteen years old and my daughter was thirteen.
Then the economy tanked in ‘08 and we lost the business. That didn‘t stop me from providing for my family. In four weeks, during this difficult time, I was a butcher, landscaper, and I worked for Walmart as a third shift shelf stocker. All the while I still opened pools and closed pools although I did not build pools anymore. I was a very busy individual.
I then took a job at a factory delivering ink to box making machines. On the afternoon of 5/5/10 I got hit by 250lbs. to 300lbs. of boards on my left side and fell on the concrete on my right side and was in a coma. I almost died. I was life flighted to Metro Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. I had TBI or Traumatic Brain Injury. I was and still am in therapy since then. I see a plethora of doctors, a Neurologist, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, and a PM&R (Pain Medication & Relief) doctors.
During this time, Mrs. Toshi took care of me while my now grown children successfully attended (My son) Youngstown State University as a Engineer and (My Daughter) attended Kent State University as a Photographer. They both graduated and are now on their own. I now am a proud grandfather of two grandson‘s from my son. My oldest grandson attends preschool and we watch my youngest grandson.
One day during physical therapy, a therapist purchased for me a Testors 1/72 F4U Corsair model kit. I refused and refused to build it. I was finally convinced into building it. The therapist said if I didn’t like building the kit I didn’t have to finish it and they would never ask me to do it again. Well, first off, one of my childhood favorite shows was “Baa Baa Blcksheep”. Second, the Corsair was my favorite aircraft of all time. So I finally built it.
During this point in therapy I was encouraged to join a model forum called FSM Forums. My avatar became my first therapy build of which was the Corsair, I finally completed after refusing to waste my time building it! I hated the forum as well as my building of model aircrafts at first. I then built my first WIP, a Revell 1/48 P-61 Black Widow. That was it!!! I was hooked!!! Now here I am almost three years later finishing up on another WIP, a 1974 sealed Monogram 1/48 P-61 Black Widow. I turn fifty in a few weeks, on November 15, 2017. Several weeks ago, Mrs. Toshi had a 7mm brain tumor removed from her frontal lobe area. The table has turned on me. I now care for Mrs. Toshi. She now goes to Proton Radiation treatment.
In the next 10 Years
We hope to buy a big huge home and have our children and grandchildren all living together in our home. I would like to start a non-pfofit organization for TBI patients. From that point on, we can only dream of what great things can happen as long as we stay positive in life! To live life to its fullest as life is too short to take for granted.
Mr. and Mrs. Allan Toshio Miura, Jr.