This is Part 2 of my notes about my recent open heart surgery. To start at the beginning try this link: Part 1
It has been 3 weeks since I had my open heart surgery. I am writing these notes to help me process what I’ve gone through, and to remember this chapter of my life. In the first part I wrote about the process up until Wednesday night, the night before the quadruple bypass surgery.
My wife Farima is my best friend and biggest cheerleader. There was never any doubt in her mind that I was going to do what was necessary to recover. We enjoy our marriage rooted in faith. We read the bible together for an hour or so every night. We worship together. And we often talk through issues and values from our daily lives together in light of our beliefs. So my wife’s love and our faith played a really big role in my surrender the night before surgery.
On the one hand I didn’t know if I would survive the surgery and aftermath. Some don’t. On the other hand I didn’t think I could endure the pain and discomfort of the recovery process – particularly the first few days. I have had friends and family go through it and I know it isn’t any fun. I am a complete wimp when it comes to pain.
That is where Farima’s mantra came to play: “It will be alright. You will get through this. God’s got this. You will be fine.” She never wavered or doubted that it would be ok. And there was never any doubt in my mind that whatever happened she would be right there with me. A good wife is worth far more than any worldly treasure or bank account.
Another element of my surrender and determination to get through this is tied to my children. My two older children, David and Tina have always been there for me. From the moment they found out I was in the hospital their concern for me, prayers, and constant monitoring of my situation was something I sensed personally inside of me. Even though they are 2,817 miles away from me in Medford, Oregon, their presence with me in the room was very real. I knew they weren’t ready to lose their father and the intensity of their prayer and concern was real.
I am very blessed in the children department. I also have 4 step children who wanted me to get through this, 5 grandchildren who echoed that desire, and one great grandchild I haven’t visited yet. Aware of this vast support system I had many many reasons to suck it up, do the deal, and get well again.
I surrendered to the process completely and vowed to soldier through the pain and recovery with everything I could muster. “Damn the Torpedoes, Full Speed Ahead!” The next morning I was going to have four arteries in my heart bypassed with veins from my leg and chest. I will continue writing about that Thursday morning in my next post.