A minute into my conversation with Lawrence Lewis, I realize I witnessed a miracle: the simple act of Lawrence walking into the restaurant we've met at.
“June 2nd, 2016.” Lawrence begins with the date, the way people often do recalling a day their lives changed.
"My son Troy and I are at a restaurant, eating outside on the patio. My back was to the parking lot, and my son was sitting across from me, kind of like you and I are right now,” Lawrence tells me.
“And the car hit me.”
A car drove right into Lawrence’s back, while 11-year-old Troy watched in horror.
“Literally out of nowhere, I heard tires squealing and then this car, I just remember seeing this car," Troy recalls. "It all happened in such a split second.”
Troy managed to blurt out a warning.
“I said ‘Move! Run!,’ and this car just bulldozed right through the patio and right through our table. And he's just laying there like he was…”
Troy trails off.
“He thought I was dead,” Lawrence says.
“I remember hearing the lady behind me screaming,” Troy continues. “All I saw was my dad under this car. And so…that’s like…it's over, it's done.”
“I was unconscious for some period of time,” Lawrence says. “I have no idea how long.” Troy guesses a couple of minutes.
“I froze,” Troy recalls. “I was just getting out of 5th grade. You don't know what to do. It was terrifying."
Suddenly, miraculously, Lawrence woke up and got up.
“Suffered a lot of injuries from that,” Lawrence says. “Concussion, slurred speech, closed head injury, torn rotator, herniated discs, bulging discs, tears.”
“He immediately went straight to the hospital,” says Troy. “And ever since that first day, it was just constant in and out of physical therapy appointments, surgeries, doctor’s appointments.”
“It changed the trajectory of our life, not just mine,” Lawrence says. “He's used to seeing a figure in his life that's strong, that's going to work, that’s doing these activities.”
Troy agrees. “At that age, he was always taking me to do stuff, movies, go-karting. It was definitely a hard adjustment for me. I would come home to my dad and he would be there, but it was just a completely different person, rehabilitating himself.”
Lawrence persevered through grueling physical therapy, but it didn’t come quickly.
“There were some dark days. I was a very independent person, very active. All that was taken away. I gained a lot of weight, I was depressed, I developed anxiety. I mean, I had a near-death experience, right?
“Thank God for my mother. Had some good people around me. And the man upstairs decided that it wasn't my time to go yet.”
I wonder if Lawrence remembers a moment where the clouds lifted.
“In one of my doctor's offices," he recalls, "there was this lady, always joyous when I saw her. A car accident had left her wheelchair-bound the rest of her life at the age of 20. So when I met her, it's 20 years later. And I was like, 'If she can find a way to move forward, so can I.'"
Lawrence sought out group counseling and began counting his blessings.
“I started looking at what I can do versus what I can't do," Lawrence says.
In addition to healing psychologically, Lawrence substantially recovered physically.
“He went from 100 to zero and zero to 100,” Troy adds. “He’s the busiest man ever now. Man, seeing everything my dad has been through, and pushing through that…that makes me work so much harder, in school, in my job, in everything I do."
As you’d expect from a person as resilient as Lawrence, he has put himself in the best possible position to succeed for his real estate clients.
"I hold two designations. Sellers’ Representative Specialist means that I have more knowledge than the average agent on selling homes. Accredited Buyer's Representative means I know more than the average buying agent.
“I’m also a certified Pricing Strategy Adviser. I have more knowledge in evaluating a home's value. I'm not an appraiser, but I can get you close. There's more to it than just looking on Zillow."
Lawrence has also done home inspections for many fellow Realtors.
“I did like, 15, 20 home inspections in my first year. So that gives you a huge advantage too.”
In addition, Lawrence has a fair housing certification.
“I don't discriminate," Lawrence says. "So as long as you qualify for a home, I can help you."
When it comes to helping his clients, Lawrence is quick to recognize his team: Chelsea Thomas, Rachel Farabee and broker Ron Rocz.
"They're a huge part of my success and I’m extremely grateful for their support, knowledge and responsiveness," Lawrence says. "Ron has created a positive, healthy environment where an agent can thrive, and next-level tools that allow me to move quickly for my clients."
The hard-earned wisdom from having survived pain is perhaps Lawrence's biggest advantage: he has compassion for what his clients may be going through.
“It’s important to me to have a deep understanding of you as a client. Your wants, your needs, are different than someone else's. So part of my role is the communication, listening, bringing up things that you may not think of.”
Lawrence pauses, and I see from his face that he understands other people’s challenges. Because he’s had his own.
“That’s what I'm really trying to convey,” Lawrence says softly.
"So, yeah, I…I care.”
My son and I are eating outside on the patio…and the car hit me.