After overcoming personal and professional setbacks, he has found strength in adversity, embracing spirituality, self-respect and humor. Reynard has authored a new book, and he speaks publicly about his experiences.
Reynard’s book, “Stronger Than Before: Surviving Medical Tragedy and Discovering Life’s Second Act” is a memoir about survival and transformation after facing unimaginable medical crises. After a two-year struggle for a diagnosis, Reynard was hit with two Stage 4 cancer news, chronic pain and liver failure with only days to live.
“I spent six weeks in ICU, died twice, and they came back while I was in ICU, and said that the 2-inch mass in my liver was cancerous,” Reynard said.
After years of sobriety, he started drinking again to get through some of the challenges he faced, including caring for his father and the end of his marriage.
“It rocked me and my relationship. That was the starting point of the downfall of the relationship. By this time, I was on medical leave from work, because I was in and out of the hospital so much, and the pain had taken over,” said Reynard.
His family lived multiple hours away, but he had a few close friends nearby. He was bedridden for eight of the 12 months that he was in chronic pain.
As an employee at the Lebanon Walmart, community members and customers have rallied around Reynard, cheering him on along the way.
“My coworkers were incredibly supportive, and my customers were coming up giving me gentle hugs, saying, ‘When are you coming back? We miss you,’” Reynard said. “Before I came back, one boss told me, ‘You don’t realize how many people miss you.’”
Thousands of customers came into the store, called the store and called the corporate office, trying to get information about how Reynard was doing.
“I was only in customer service for four months. Prior to that, I was in the claims department in the back room, where no one saw me except for coworkers. Apparently, in four months, I had made such an impression that 11,000 customers knew who I was and they knew me by name, which blew me apart, because I always thought I was invisible and no one would care if something happened to me,” Reynard said.
The overwhelming support has made a tremendous difference in his healing and recovery process.
“I went back to work, and the first two to three weeks, every day, I heard people screaming my name, running down the hallway, picking me up, and swinging me around, almost knocking me over to give me a hug, saying how much they had missed me. These were customers,” Reynard said.
Getting healthy
Once he got back to work, he started working out and concentrating on a healthy diet.
It took getting sick to see how things were, he said, and after battling a life-threatening illness, he gained a new perspective.
“My motto is always forward, never backward, and I could not go back to the life that I had before I got sick, because I have a strong belief that is what contributed to me getting the cancer, and getting to the point my liver was so screwed up because of my drinking. I was drinking my emotions away in a crappy marriage because I was not being heard and I was not being respected,” Reynard said.
At that point, he started the journey in his “new life” and started the “second act.”
Customers kept telling him to share his story, do public speaking and author a book.
“My coworkers looked at me, and they said you have a huge burden lifted off of you. You can just tell by looking at you. You’re breathing easier, you have a lighter step walking around here,” he said.
Even with a recurrence of cancer, he beat it a second time “with a smile on his face, humor in the heart and fire in his gut.”
However, he didn’t want to do anything until after he had a successful liver transplant.
“I put the gown on, jumped on the gurney and said let’s do this,” said Reynard.
He put his fate in God’s hands and trusted Him to guide the doctors. Next thing he knew, he woke up in recovery.
“Two days later, I’m telling them to take out the drainage tubes, and they did. I did a flight of stairs and took myself off of the pain meds. The doctors and nurses were looking at me saying ‘People don’t do this.’ By day 10, I was outpacing the physical therapist,” he said.
In the book, Reynard not only recounts his own experiences, he encourages others about the importance of resilience and the power of community.
His coworkers and customers at Walmart have become family. Nurses and strangers have become part of the journey, too. He’s been able to touch people, not only in his work, but through the interactions and conversations with each person he meets.
“I love the interactions with the people,” Reynard said.
David knows customers by name, and he has more joy in his life now than he’s had in decades.
“I have thousands of people interact with me every day, and I’m able to be more open about who I am and what I’m going through,” said Reynard.
In December 2024, Reynard underwent a liver transplant. The surgery not only saved his life but gave him a new purpose to start a new chapter in life.
“I’ve climbed five mountains, I’ve been bowling, played adult kickball, I’ve flipped over in the air and landed on the ground. I run circles around everybody at work, and I do it with ease. Everybody’s looking at me, saying, ‘I’ve never seen somebody recover like you have,’ he said.
Reynard, a Middletown resident, shares a story about being strong and determined and telling people to believe in their own strengths and abilities.
“I was not doing this for attention or recognition. I was trying to survive, but people kept saying, ‘God has other plans for you. Otherwise, you would not still be here.’ They said, ‘Take your story and help others.’ So, that’s how I came to be where I’m at. I’m trying to get my story heard,” Reynard said. “My primary purpose is helping others.”
He is also living life to the fullest, greeting each day like it’s his last.
“Accomplish what you want to accomplish. As for me, I try to make a single person smile each day. I set out to do that every morning. And, if I can make them laugh, it’s a bonus,” said Reynard.
Reynard was recently part of the Rebirth International Summit and was interviewed by Logan Crawford for his YouTube channel. For more info, go to empoweredbydavidreynard.com and davidreynardauthor.com. “Stronger Than Before: Surviving Medical Tragedy and Discovering Life’s Second Act” is available on Amazon and other online retailers.
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