Man with dark hair and a gray beard

Michael Dale O'Connor was born to Lewis and Meredith O'Connor on February 12, 1980. He was the oldest child, followed by his brother, George, and then his sister, Sasha. Their parents worked hard to provide well for their three children.

During Michael's elementary and middle school years, he was a good student and maintained an A- average. He was involved in sports and especially liked basketball, which he excelled at. He was popular with his classmates, unlike his brother George, who was shy and not very outgoing. Michael felt he had to protect his little brother from bullies, and he often wound up in detention for fighting George's battles.

During Michael's high school years, things changed. George made his own friends and didn't need Michael to stand up for him anymore. Even though the brothers remained close, they had their own lives. Michael graduated from high school in 1998 and was accepted by several colleges but decided to join the Air Force and see the world instead.

Michael loved his life as an Air Force medic. He enjoyed traveling to different places and hanging out with his friends. During his second tour of duty, he decided to buckle down and get a college degree. He took classes through the CCAF and earned an AAS degree in Allied Health.

In 2008, after ten years of service, Michael was injured on duty and given a medical discharge. He returned home and decided to use the medical skills and training he'd obtained in the military to further his education, first earning a bachelor's degree at Ole Miss and then completing the Anesthesiology Program at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi.

In 2015, Michael moved to Miami, Florida, to pursue a one-year Pediatric Anesthesia Fellowship Program at Jackson Memorial Hospital. While there, he met Veronica Smith in 2016. For Michael, it was love at first sight. Veronica introduced him to her daughter Haley, and they became instant friends.

After dating for a while, he decided to take Veronica home to meet his parents in Oxford, Mississippi. He planned to ask her to marry him after the visit. He was very excited about the trip and phoned his brother George and asked him to come home to meet Veronica.

Upon meeting, George and Veronica had a strong connection. They hid their relationship for a while but finally told Michael they had fallen in love. Michael was heartbroken and angry at his brother for stealing the woman he loved. He has never quite forgiven him.

Despite those feelings, or perhaps because of them, Michael accepted a job at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Oxford after his one-year fellowship in Miami ended.

In the years since his split with Veronica, Michael has dated several women but never found anyone he loved more than Veronica. He has remained single, and some claim he was still hoping to win Veronica back someday.