1. Sweet Tea
2. Biscuits and Gravy
3. Their daddies
Perhaps I should have put Dads first because my dad is at the top of my list. I love both of my parents dearly, but I am a daddy's girl at heart. This doesn't mean that we never had any arguments...Lord only knows how my parents survived my teenage years (I was HORRID)! But I also know how fortunate I am to have 2 men in my life who love me unconditionally. My daddy is the first, and my "dad approved" husband is the 2nd. I also love knowing that if my husband ever did anything to hurt me...my daddy would kill him...for reals.
So with my dad being the topic, I wanted to share the miracle God has recently worked in my family...more specifically...in my dad's body. Just wait till you read this.....
My dad had been having some pain that felt like digestion issues/heartburn, etc. After some time, they decided to head to the doctor. His family doctor sent him to Sanger Clinic (which was closed)...who sent him back to his family doctor (which was also closed by then)...so he ended up at Urgent Care. They did some blood work, mentioned gall bladder issues, and sent him home. I don't remember all the ins and outs from there, but somehow dad ended up having a stress test last Friday. I was surprised when I got a call from Matt at work saying that they had seen the results of the stress test and had taken dad immediately to the hospital. Now...I wouldn't consider myself an extremely emotional person, but when it comes to matters of my parents...I am a big ol' baby.
That Friday afternoon was horrible...sitting and waiting on news from my mom...wondering what was going on...and feeling like I should be there. I knew I couldn't do anything, but I just wanted to be there. Those are the moments that I hate living away from home.
When we got the phone call, mom had found out the details from the doctor.
Here are the FACTS:
1. My dad has suffered from several (# unknown) "silent heart attacks". This means that he doesn't have the typical symptoms of a heart attack.
2. My dad's main artery is 100% blocked...yep...you read that right...totally blocked...MAIN artery.
3. His other 4 arteries are each 25% blocked.
Here is the MIRACLE:
My dad's body miraculously MADE ITS OWN BYPASS. We saw it with our own eyes on his "tree" that the doctor printed for us. Had his body not done that, our family's reality would be a lot different now. The doctor says it is not impossible for this to happen...but it's very rare. He could not explain it. Of course not. Miracles are hard to explain.
The Aftermath:
Dad is on several medications and starts a rehab type program this next week. They are hoping with medicines and monitored exercise that the arteries will begin to expand and blood flow will be better. The next big date is June 22nd. If by this point, there is still pain happening, open heart surgery may become necessary. We are praying that this does not have to happen.
A lot of people have asked me why I didn't post all of this on Facebook, and I really don't have an answer to that. I guess it was just one of those personal things that I didn't want to quickly "air" and have 750 comments of "I'm sorry" and "I'm praying for you"...I think I felt like that would be just too overwhelming. Of course, I let those close to me know what was going on so that they could begin to pray, but sometimes FB just seems like too much of people airing out their dirty laundry for sympathetic comments. I wanted to take the time to process and understand what happened, so I could make sure ALL the details were shared.
I do hope you will continue to pray for my dad. Not because all of you know him, but because you know me. And not because you all love my dad, but because you love me. Daddy always told me that GOD told him at a very early age that HE would bless our family. HE has...and HE continues to...in ways just like this.
And here's a face to remember when those prayers are going up....
