I will explain to those who have been invited to read my blog who do not know my family that my oldest brother who is 5 1/2 years older than me and is now the patriarch of our family had open heart surgery on Monday, September 3rd. It was a very serious operation and the doctor found that many of his arteries had been blocked, one totally. He had four bypasses done. It was determined that he has suffered two heart attacks in the past, although he was not aware of them. Where the normal heart functions at 60 his heart was functioning at 20. The doctor told him that he could have had a massive heart attack at any time. This is especially frightening because he drove from California to Utah two weeks ago and even hiked up in the BYU stadium for the football game last Thursday.
When Mike and I went to visit him on Tuesday we were amazed how chipper and alert he was. He had four different IV bottles feeding fluids into his body and was attached to all kinds of equipment. The nurses told he that he was doing extremely well. His heart is up to 35, as it was at the completion of the surgery and possibly will be the best it can get because of the past damage. That will allow him to have a good life if he is wise about what he does.
He and Judy both feel that they were very blessed through this whole thing. They are extremely pleased with the surgeon. Although the surgery ended close to 8 PM he was there with him for a long time after they brought him back to his room in the ICU and came to check on him again at midnight. He slept at the hospital and was there again early in the morning and had returned once more before we got there in the early afternoon. They literally have to stop the heart to do this procedure so it is very precarious.
As we got up to leave Todd got tears in his eyes and touched his chest and said, "I felt your prayers. I have known of prayers for me in the past but I have never literally FELT prayers like I did yesterday. " I told him that I knew that at least some of my children were fasting for him and that there was lots of praying going on. He answered, "You have very special children." I told him that they all have a deep love for him and he said that he feels it.
Next he looked at Mike and was extremely tender in thanking him for being a good man, a good husband to his sister and a good father to my girls and our son. It was an emotional experience for me. He looked and sounded more like my father than I have ever experienced. The veil is very thin at a time like this. I'm not sure that he wasn't speaking for Dad, too. I'm not sure that Mike has ever really know how Dad or Todd felt about him. I'm not sure that I have completely known how they felt.
It is very difficult for me to put my feelings into words and express the sacredness that I felt as I left that room. I was and am so very grateful that the surgery was a success. I am very grateful that he didn't have a heart attack and leave us. I am extremely grateful that I had the opportunity to feel so close to the spirit and to hear and feel the things that I did yesterday.
No comments:
Post a Comment