Sixth anniversary- from the heart

Long-time readers of jkOnTheRun probably get tired of seeing posts like this one today marking my sixth anniversary of open-heart surgery.  It seems like yesterday that I went through that life-changing ordeal and like I do every year I am linking to my personal chronicle of it.  If you haven't read "from the heart" you might find it interesting, if not just skip over it and there will be more mobile tech news to come.  Here's a brief excerpt of "from the heart".

"Mr. Kendrick, can you hear me? I'm Mrs. Reinhard, the patient care facilitator here at Methodist hospital. Are you comfortable? I'll be making sure your wife and family are OK while you're in surgery as you'll be there for a while. Do you want to tell me anything before they take you back?"

I have to think about that one. I'm so cold, it's so cold in here. How should I respond that won't conflict with my Southern upbringing. You must be stoic when confronted with the most terrifying thing in your entire life. Scared beyond words that you will never wake up. Scared that they won't be able to fix your problem. Scared that you'll never, ever see your beautiful wife and wonderful children again. Terrified that you'll be an invalid after the surgery.

"Thank you but I'm fine."

"You understand the procedure you're about to undergo, right Mr. Kendrick? Would you like to talk about it or ask me any questions?"

"No, I'm fine. Tell my wife that I love her and I'll see her shortly. She doesn't handle upsetting things very well."

"Well, OK, Mr. Kendrick. Don't you worry- Dr. Lawrie is one of the best surgeons in the world and you'll be just fine. I'll sit with your wife for a while and make sure she knows what's going on with your procedure. They'll be coming to take you into surgery in a few minutes. I'll see you in the recovery room." (What I didn't know then is that Dr. Lawrie worked for 20 years on the personal surgical team of Dr. DeBakey, the pioneer of cardiac surgery. Sometimes you just get lucky.)

As she walked away I hoped that Sheri would be OK. A single tear trickled involuntarily down my cheek. I suppose it was still there when the doctors and nurses started their work.

Continue reading from the heart.

Comments

[Patrick]

Hey James, I think that its great that you celebrate this time in your life - its certainly a time to reflect on one's life, and get a bit of perspective - that's certainly what I've gotten from reading your story a few years ago. Happy anniversary, and here's to many more :)

[Eric]

James - what a great story and celebration of life.. I've found your blog interesting. Thanks for the personal views too.

[Mike Cane]

Hey, all you yutzes still eating at McD, BK, and Wendy's -- better read this account NOW! You're gonna need it.

In fact, just don't read it -- put in your damned PDA or phone to read in the ER!

[Jamie Poster]

Hi James, Major congrats on this milestone. I experienced this, almost exactly, but from a daughter's POV. My father (at 52) had quintuple bypass surgery (I guess he didn't have any self-fixing arteries as you did -- and one of his arteries was blocked in two places) and it was, without question, life changing for him and everybody close to him. Like you, my dad came out of it all very healthy and with a new outlook. His surgery was in 1992 and he's had almost no new buildup on the rerouted arteries. Isn't that amazing? It's been almost 15 years! I'm so proud of him.
Anyway, your story moves me in a very familiar (literally) way and I'm very thankful that you shared this anniversary with all of us in jkontherunland.
Best, Jamie

[Tory Larson]

James, I can't thank you enough for sharing this. I have a history of heart disease in my family, so I keep a vigilant eye on things. I hve a wife and 4 kids to worry about, now. I appreciate the insight you've shared reganding your experience.

[Charlotte Cardiac Resource Center]

Cardiac Care wellness plan at our Cardiac Resource Center - Heart Bright Foundation. Empowers the individual to be an integral and active participant in their individual wellness plan.