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| Daddy and I circa 1977 |
So Monday morning at 7:45am, while I was enjoying my much needed "sleeping in time" before having to fly to Maine in the afternoon, I was awakened by a phone call from my baby brother. After another phone call from my mother, I realized I was half asleep and didn't catch the "Dad just had a major heart attack and we're not sure if he's going to make it through the night" statement that Jason said. By 8:10am, I had showered quickly, grabbed two t-shirts, my toiletries and my phone charger and was on my way sobbing as I drove to Gainesville.
I don't think anyone ever wants to get that kind of a call. It was heart breaking and very difficult. He made it through the first 24 hours, the ones that the doctors told us on Friday they were "surprised to see him live through", and I can't imagine that it has anything to do with just pure luck but by all the gracious friends and family that were very concerned and praying for him. God is a gracious one! He pulled my father through something the doctors didn't expect!
It has been an extremely long week. Many hours were spent inside that hospital, every day, but this afternoon, on the Cardiac ICU floor. Let me tell you, the CICU floor has the BEST nurses up there, they made my father smile and laugh and he listened to them! I should probably repeat that part...HE LISTENED TO THEM! He heard from friends he had known through AGH who had sleep apnea and a nurse who had a bypass surgery previously. They gave him advice and after sitting in a bed for 6 days straight, a lot of the information has started to sink in. Even when I kept telling him to uncross his legs (not good for circulation for him) he would immediately uncross them.
I'm still emotionally spent and physically exhausted. I know until I see him come out on the other side of that bypass surgery that when he does go in, I'll be nervous again. I mean who wouldn't be!!??
I'm thankful for all of the prayers, the great doctors,especially Dr. Gupta, and the amazing nurses and of course God. Without these, he would not be with us today.
It will be extremely difficult to not see any family tomorrow as Easter comes, and especially not to see my father as he'll spend it in the hospital. But he is alive, and I am grateful for that!
Please continue to pray for him, pray for a softening of his heart as the weeks go on as he will not have much more to do but to cook a little dinner and really listen to what God would tell him. I love him so and hope he opens his heart to hear more!
