--- title: "Excruciating Pain & Extraordinary People – Intelisys" canonicalUrl: "https://intelisys.com/excruciating-pain-extraordinary-people/" excerpt: "2:15 a.m. PDT, Wednesday morning, it started. Sharp, searing pain on the lower right side of my abdomen…flipped on like a switch. This was not a foreign pain to me. I had been dragged through this field of broken glass twice before over the past 5 years. I knew what had just started and knew […]" metaDescription: "Andrew Pryfogle talks about his personal experience with an unexpected tragedy, and the extraordinary people who stepped in to help." datePublished: "2014-06-09T05:28:57-04:00" dateModified: "2025-03-03T12:49:36-05:00" --- - Excruciating Pain & Extraordinary People – Intelisys ** # Excruciating Pain & Extraordinary People June 9, 2014 2:15 a.m. PDT, Wednesday morning, it started. Sharp, searing pain on the lower right side of my abdomen…flipped on like a switch. This was not a foreign pain to me. I had been dragged through this field of broken glass twice before over the past 5 years. I knew what had just started and knew what I was in for. “Susie, wake up, time to get me to the hospital. I’m passing a kidney stone.” **** We called ahead to the emergency room to get them ready. “No fussing around. Have the good stuff ready when I get there.” I was scheduled to fly to Orange County at 8:00 a.m. to speak to 70 of our sales partners and to run another hugely impactful Intelisys Mindshare event. As they began pumping narcotics into my arm, I knew I was not going to make it…someone was going to have stand in that gap. **** It’s at times of crisis when the true character and talent of extraordinary people really shines. **This was one of those times. Jay Bradley, Mike McKenney, Dana Topping, Chuck Mache. It’s amazing what a deep bench of gifted leaders we have at Intelisys. They all stepped in and ran a world-class event. Sure, I’m guessing they made lots of jokes about me being stoned, but truth is always funny… I was completely wasted while they were helping our partners build their businesses. *** This experience reminds me of a really important business lesson. - Is there something you do in your company that you’ve felt only you can do? - Are you sure there aren’t others that could step up if asked? - How deep is your bench?** - How often do you test the capabilities of that bench? Today I am grateful for so many things. I’m grateful to be surrounded by extraordinary people who collectively make up the absolute best leadership team in the channel…truly awe-inspiring to be a part of this. I’m grateful that when my body said “no”, our team said “yes” and they hit it out of the park. And lastly, I’m grateful this little fella passed on through and I can get back to doing my part. And drugs…  I’m grateful for those, too. ![Pet Rock](https://0cdd42d8b8.nxcli.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Pet-Rock-1.png) Good selling. [*PrevPreviousIntelisys Surpasses $1M Billings Milestone](https://intelisys.com/intelisys-surpasses-1m-billings-milestone/) [NextSubsidium Technologies Achieves Platinum Status with Intelisys**Next](https://intelisys.com/subsidium-technologies-achieves-platinum-status-with-intelisys/) ## Related Posts [** VIEW ALL POSTS](https://intelisys.com/follow-us/) ### [5 Insights from the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report (DBIR)](https://intelisys.com/insights-verizon-data-breach-investigations-report/) This year’s DBIR hits at a moment of change in the larger security conversation. 2025 was all about securing network infrastructure, but despite those efforts, it’s become clear that preventing [Read More »](https://intelisys.com/insights-verizon-data-breach-investigations-report/) ### [Connectivity, Security, and AI: A Unified System for Distributed Banking](https://intelisys.com/connectivity-security-ai-banking/) The modern banking system is built on trust. When consumers deposit their money, invest in financial products, or agree to a loan, they need to know that the institution will [Read More »](https://intelisys.com/connectivity-security-ai-banking/) ### [How Banking Left the Branch — And What That Demands from Technology](https://intelisys.com/banking-demands-from-technology/) Thirty years ago, if you’d asked 100 people to describe how they did their banking, they likely would have described the same process: visiting a physical branch, speaking to tellers, [Read More »](https://intelisys.com/banking-demands-from-technology/)