Why I Sing... -- NEWS FROM YOUR CHURCH

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Date Posted: 03:32:48 08/09/07 Thu
Author: Anonymous
Subject:

Why I Sing...

July 10th, 2007

Today as I was having lunch with my son, daughter and grandson at the local mini-mart- a classmate (and cousin) came by with her daughter and grandchild. She looked at my youngest son, Isaac who is a rambunctious 17 month old lil' one, and said with a smile, "Time for another one!" "Oh no." I replied "No more." She giggled and smiled as I continued, "The doctor said that my heart isn't strong enough to handle another pregnancy."

Her look changed immediately and repentantly said, "Oh yeah, that's right." She stood there as we Ooood and aw'd over the babies that surrounded us and as her little ones were getting wrestless she bid us good-bye and left."

My mind flashed back to Monday, February 6th, 2006 at Ketchikan General Hospital. I had whined to my husband that day before (Sunday) that I had wanted to go home because we had been in Ktn. for what seemed like forever! I just wanted to go home and enjoy our new son and let him meet the rest of the family. "The doctor just wants us here for one more day to make sure everything is okay." Knowing that I wouldn't win that argument, I settled my mind to staying another night in the hospital.

5:15 AM Monday came as I was woken with a small cry - Isaac was awake. Still having my IV poll and not moving around too easily, I woke my husband up who was sleeping soundly (as he could) on the hospital chair. We tended to Isaac's needs, changed him, cuddled him, played with him, studied him to see who he looked more like and before I knew it, it was 7 AM! "I'm tired and want to sleep for a bit now that Isaac is asleep." I told Sam. "Just let the baby sleep with me." So Sam gently placed Isaac at my side, sound asleep and soon I was asleep too.

The next thing I remember is feeling a sharp JAB in my left arm, but I couldn't open my eyes. I felt myself being moved rapidly on a gurney and hearing my husband say, "I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere!" Struggling as hard as I could, I tried to open my eyes to tell them I could feel what they were doing. That's the last thing I remember.

The room was quiet as I opened my eyes and studied my surroundings. I was in a different room, different views, different nurses. I had a tube in my throat so the machine could breath for me and I was unable to speak. My eyes quickly found my husband who was watching me intently. Doctors and nurses were in and out of my room explaining a whole stream of information that i had a hard time comprehending but having confidence that Sam was listening and understood. After the tube was removed I asked Sam what had happened.

He explained that shortly after I had fallen asleep in Ketchikan, I made a gasping sound like I was choking and he immediately knew something was wrong. He picked up the baby and loudly called for nurse while hitting the call button. My heart had suddenly arrested and was rapidly "fluttering" to no rhythm. The first nurse ran into the room and began CPR as a team of every available medical personnal in that hospital rushed to my room. They brought out the crash cart and shocked my heart twice to get it beating again and flew me up to the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage that stormy, snowy day. As I was en route to Anchorage, my youngest daughter had come to pick up her new brother and take him home.

The next few days continued a stream of specialists and doctors who explained that the pregnancy had put too great a strain on my heart and it couldn't take it. I had experienced "Sudden Death" of my heart valves and muscles damaging the left ventricle and weakening it's beat. The Cardiac specialist explained my options on Tuesday and on that Thursday I was on my way to another Hospital to have a Cardia Defibrilator placed to help my heart function. He explained that I had only 30% of my heart function and that people don't generally recover much heart function after such an event. "If you hadn't been in the hospital when it happend, you would have died."

Monday the 6th I arrived in Anchorage, Thursday the 10th I had the ICD placement and Sunday, the 12th (my birthday) I was on a plane flying home.

A few months later I had a follow up appointment with the Doctor who had operated on me and much to his surprise, I had regained 20% function back! As I walked back to my husband and son who was now toddling on the floor, I looked at him and hugged him and told him, 'I regained 20% heart function and they didn't expect it!" We both hugged and cried there in the waiting room of the KIC building, dressed our son and came back home.

And that's why I sing today

I shared all that with you because I KNOW that only a gracious God in all His mercy and love could have helped our little family through such traumatic a situation. If you struggle with life issues or experience pain - there's a God who still saves and heals today, call on Him, He's waiting to hear from you. If you've read this far, allow yourself a moment and thank GOD for the good things that you experienced today and share them with others.

Alaska_songbird@yahoo.com

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