“You should get some good stories and blog posts out of this,” my husband said. He was right. And the reason he made that comment is the same reason I didn’t get a blog post out at all last weekend.

Last Saturday morning, my husband had a heart attack.

He was at the health club working out, when he felt a tightness in his chest. Nothing serious, he thought. The kind of thing that happens every once in a while, for any number of reasons. It’s mild, and goes away in a few minutes. Except this one wasn’t, and it didn’t, even after he got home and sat down to rest for a bit. It continued to get worse, so we drove to the Emergency Room, where they took some blood and did some tests, including an EKG. Then the doctor came in, asked him a few questions, and said, “You, Sir, are having a heart attack.”

My husband was then flown by helicopter to a hospital about forty miles away that had a cath lab that could take him immediately. By the time I got there, he was already finished with the procedure that determined he needed open-heart surgery.

The surgery was successful, and we spent the next four days in the hospital as he recovered enough to come back home. Much of that time went by in a blur for both of us, but once we were on the way home, he was already on the way to recovery.

We’re at the point now where we can take a step back, breathe, and recognize how lucky he was. Not that a heart attack is considered a fortunate event, but even so, we both have a lot to be grateful for. Here are a few items from my list.

First and foremost, I’m thankful he’s alive! And I’m grateful for all the medical personnel that took such quick and good care of him. With many hospitals overcrowded and understaffed today, it’s not a given that medical help will be available when needed, even in emergency situations. So I’m thankful he was able to get the help and treatment he needed.

I’m grateful for the friends who dropped what they were doing to help me get from one hospital to another one over an hour’s drive away – when I was in no state of mind to make the drive myself – and who stayed there long enough to make sure I found my way through the hospital complex to the place I needed to be.

I’m grateful that even though it’s going to take a while, my husband can look forward to a full recovery and a return to most – if not all – of his normal activities.

I’m grateful for all the family and friends who called, texted, or emailed to offer their help, support, thoughts, and prayers for his recovery, and I’m more than grateful that their prayers – and mine – were heard and answered.

This doesn’t even begin to cover everyone and everything I am thankful for right now. The list is very, very long.

I’m grateful for that, too.

February 12, 2022
©Betty Liedtke, 2022

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