I got ten little miracles for Christmas this year. I already knew that life is full of them, I’ve just never had so many fall in my lap all at once. Since I’ve got an overwhelming number of friends, all of whom have been following my recent adventure and sharing prayers and thoughts for me I need to tie a bow on this get us started on tomorrow. God bless all of you, and thank you so much for your love and care. Here’s the scoop:
Thursday morning about 6:00 AM after a night of just not feeling well, I awoke with the proverbial elephant sitting on my chest and an achy, stinging pain in my jaw. I gave it a few minutes to go away but realized it wasn’t just another old age moan and groan pain thing. Miracle one. I didn’t just hang on stoically to let it pass. I had the presence of mind to wake my wife and get the EMT’s involved.
Miracle two, my daughter was home and she’s CPR trained and good at handling emergencies. She talked the helpers into the house, kept Randi moving in the right directions, held my hand, and fetched the things that need fetching under these circumstances.
Miracle three, the head EMT made a fast diagnosis and was adamant about not taking me to the local emergency room but getting me to a cardiac care center ASAP. No fooling around. They loaded me in an Ambulance and started to haul me to Frye Regional in Hickory.
Miracle four, about half way down Main Street we did a one-eighty. Frye was full and not taking any new cases so we headed for Caramont Cardiac Care in Gastonia. Why was this a miracle?
Miracle four amplified: One of the top heart surgeons in the state had just been finishing up an early morning operation there and said, “bring him in”. About fifteen minutes after the ambulance disgorged me at their ER I was on the operating table getting catheterization and a stent.
Miracle five was how that hospital treated my worried, stressed family. The Chaplain greeted them and prayed with them while I was being taken care of. The intake staff kept them informed and made them feel welcome, not disoriented. Right then I was a lot more worried about them than I was worried about me.
Miracle six was the absolutely top-flight, sincerely caring, overworked but always supportive and helpful bunch of nurses, med techs, and doctors on the CCU and (later) the PCCU that watched me like a hawk. Wow! Where do these people come from?
Miracle seven was the immediate response of my family and friends. No sooner had I been “fixed” and transferred to a bed than I saw my wife, Pastor, daughter, and whole bunch of friendly faces who dropped in to wish me well. Later, reading the brochures, I discovered that the best hospitals encourage friends and loved ones to see cardiac survivors as soon as possible. Now, I know why. That’s some seriously good medicine!
Miracle eight was inside me somewhere and a little hard to describe. I knew I was seriously sick and could die, but that this wasn’t my time. I just had this incredibly overwhelming faith. Not a wish to stay alive – but knowledge that I would. Eerie, but true. God and I grew a little closer.
Miracle nine became visible to me once I was able to get out of bed and walk the corridors of the PCCU. I felt fine. A little “tender” maybe, but absolutely fine. All the other patients I saw were a lot sicker and needed much more attention than I did. What a dose of humility. Nothing teaches one more than true perspective. God, am I blessed!
Miracle ten is you. My wife had told me about all the messages and posts that were showing up for me on Facebook and how Art had posted about me here on LTBBQ and even showed me some posts on her cell but I wasn’t ready for the deluge. I can feel the love. This is incredibly therapeutic.
Happy New Year, everybody! I’m on the mend and a having great friends is the best medicine in the world.
Hub