The day the lightning stroke

Wednesday, July 27, 2011 by Niels Hartvig

While this blog post is more personal than the average posts on this blog, I'm posting it as it's impossible that what happened to my family won't have an impact on my level of commitment to the Umbraco project in the near future.

Yesterday August - my seven year lovely first born son - was diagnosed with Diabetes Type 1. He's ok. I'm lucky to live in a country with amazing health care and near a hospital with amazing knowledge on the subject. He's the most brave person I've met and thank god he doesn't appear to have inherited his father's fear of needles. Something which is clever when he'll need to prick himself more than ten times a day for the rest of his life.

As a parent there's a lot to learn in very little time. This means that August will naturally be my (almost) only concern in the next few weeks where my wife and I are given intense instructions on diabetes by doctors, dieticians, psychologists and other experts that I've been shaken hands with the past 24 hours but yet to remember what role they had. As crazy as it may sound, I've felt blessed numerous times of living in a country where I'm given these opportunities. I know that I'm more lucky than the average parent of a child with diabetes.

The side effect is naturally that my evolvement with Umbraco will be at an all time low. However, I feel blessed again. Even though there's never a good timing for an event like this, the project is at a stage where I'm not indispensable. The core team knows v5 better than I do, work is being done on getting 4.7.1 out of the door (albeit delayed until coming weeks), my wonderful coworkers at HQ (the Umbraco company) knows how to run it without me and the community ethos is stronger than ever.

So this doesn't mean that I'll go away - after all the Umbraco community is my second family. Please take as good care of it as I'll do of my number one in the coming weeks and months.

Love,
Niels…

21 comment(s) for “The day the lightning stroke”

  1. Gravatar ImageAdam Shallcross Says:

    Best wishes to you and your family.

    Don't worry, we'll look after Umbraco for you :)

    Your family is more important than anything else...so go and be with them...

    Cheers and speak soon

  2. Gravatar ImageSam Moore Says:

    Wow,

    I'm sorry to hear that Niels. I wish you, your son, and your family the best.

  3. Gravatar ImageAlex Morris Says:

    Take your time Niels. Your other baby is in good hands.

    All the best to you, August and the rest of your family.

    H5YR

  4. Gravatar ImageSimon Steed Says:

    Niels

    Sorry to hear the news, must be hard on you and the family. However flesh and blood is more important than bits and bytes, take time out, look after your son and wife (not forgetting the rest of the family of course :) ) and pave a pathway to better health for you all

    Umbraco will still be here no matter how long it takes, you have built a great team around the product, now it's time to sit back and let the others take the project.

    Take care, let us know if we can be of help, even if it's just words of comfort!

    Simon, Sharon, Georgina & William!...

  5. Gravatar Imagebob baty-barr Says:

    as a father, and fellow human being, i can only imagine the things you and your family are going through. Please know that the baty-barr family has you and your family in their thoughts.

    take your time getting back into the swing of things at HQ - we all got your back!

    much love,
    bob and the rest of the baty-barr family.

  6. Gravatar ImageKarl Kopp Says:

    All the best Niels & the entire Hartvig family! It's times like these that make you all stronger.

  7. Gravatar ImageThorsten Hoffmann Says:

    2008 Beijing Olympic Gold medalist Matthias Steiner - despite Diabetes the strongest man of the World: http://www.diabetes-eltern-journal.de/english/archive/archiv-022009/steiner-lifts-weights-with-diabetes.html

    All the Best to August !

  8. Gravatar ImageToni Becker Says:

    I wish your son and you the best things in life. I know from my family that it's not easy to life with. Also for children it's not easy. I know it from the mum of my wife. She's teacher in school and have a diabetes child to and it needs more explanation to peaople standing outside. My grandfather has Diabetes Type 2 after is kidney was shutdown to 95%. So it's not easy. Best wishes to you and your family. Everything that happens in life makes you and your family stronger. Greetings

  9. Gravatar ImageRichard Soeteman Says:

    All the best for you and your family. Take all the time you need, family is more important, Umbraco is in good hands.

    All the best,

    Richard

  10. Gravatar ImageJohn Scott Says:

    Niels - very sorry to hear this - We know you will do all the right things by your children and very kind and open of you to let us all know. My wife Jess has has type 1 diabetes since the age of 11, and whilst it hasn't all been easy at all, she's generally amazed by how normal life is for her. It's a daily reminder for us as we enjoy our family of just how amazing modern medical science is (even if I have the odd regular pot-shot at it) that we all get to enjoy this wonderful life together. God Bless, John.

  11. Gravatar ImageChris Roberts Says:

    All the best to you and your family - they are, after all, what it's all about.

    Take care, I'm sure Umbraco will be in safe hands!

  12. Gravatar ImageRoland Says:

    Take the time you and your family need! It will be ok, you will adopt en learn to live with this, though, as a parent I absolutly feel the lighting struck. I wish you all the medvind you can get.

  13. Gravatar ImageAnthony Candaele Says:

    Strength to you and your family Niels!

  14. Gravatar ImageMarkus Johansson Says:

    Family always comes first! What you have done with Umbraco is amazing! Now use the same power to do the best for your family!

  15. Gravatar ImageAlessio Montesi Says:

    Tanti auguri per tuo figlio e tutta la tua famiglia dalla comunità italiana

  16. Gravatar ImageJesper Ordrup Says:

    Hej Niels,

    Det er jeg meget ked af at høre. Jeg ved ikke meget om emnet men er dog helt klar over det kræver tilpasning. Heldigvis er behandlingen effektiv.

    All the Best,
    Jesper

  17. Gravatar ImageBijesh Tank Says:

    Im sorry to hear the news Niels. Wishing you, your son and your family all the best.

  18. Gravatar ImageLennart Stoop Says:

    Hi Niels,

    I am sorry to hear about this and I wish you and your family all the best. Such news is always hard at first but we are indeed very lucky to live in a society with good medical care and I am sure you, your family and friends will take good care of August and find a way to get through this.

    Warm regards
    Lennart

  19. Gravatar ImageBrendan Rice Says:

    Sorry to hear about your son Neils, I am sure he is in the best hands and it will work out.

  20. Gravatar Imagesun Says:

    Sorry to hear that. You must face all things. God will bless you.

  21. Gravatar ImageIndrakumar Says:

    Hi Niels,

    Don't worry , as we all are there for you and your family. Everything will be fine as God's blessing will always be there on you.

    Regards,
    Indra kumar
    From India

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