"It's the heart that really matters in the end..."

It's been a very, very, very long week here for my little family!

The best part of the week was that the weather became progressively nicer as each day went by! Today we enjoyed it at its pinnacle- 75 degree weather; perfect for playgrounds, open windows, and maybe just a long-sleeved tee shirt! It was rainy for a few of those days, but that rain just means that springtime is a'comin'!

And not soon enough.
We danced to our mutual favorite song, Tiny Dancer
by Elton John, at my wedding.
﻿ The hard part of my week was that my father had a heart attack. My mother called me on Wednesday to let me know that he had some chest pains and that they were getting them checked out. Initial testing put him in the clear, but then very late that night came word that the second round of testing showed that he did, indeed, have a heart attack. Our local hospital arranged for him to be transferred to a bigger-yet-still-local hospital for a cardiac catheterization Thursday morning. The procedure was performed on Thursday afternoon and the news was really as good as it could be. He did have a very, very small blockage that was removed with ease. His other major arteries were completely clear and it did not look like there was any permanent damage to his heart. It's not working at full capacity yet but some rest, followed by a return to exercise and a careful diet, will get it back in fighting shape.

The good news is that even though he did have a heart attack, my dad didn't ignore the pain. He got it checked out and now the blockage is gone. If he had ignored it, that "small" heart attack could have been followed later by one that was much worse and able to do more damage. His procedure was painless and quick, and he is feeling great! It all could have been much, much worse then it was and believe me. We are counting every last damn one of our lucky stars!

Still, it was really scary. Really fucking scary. My dad is in amazing shape (he's in WAY better shape then I am and that's not an exaggeration!) but he's not a young man, he will be 70 on his next birthday. Heart disease run in the family and it's what, ultimately, took our amazing Mom-Mom from us almost two years ago. By the time she was my father's age, Mom-Mom had already had a quadruple bypass. Her son has fared much better. But his heart attack suddenly made it very real that my father is aging. His mother died of massive heart failure at the age of 87. That wouldn't even get my father to PJ's college graduation. Which is pretty much unacceptable.

Being faced with the mortality of someone you love is a difficult thing. Yes, we are all born and we all die. This is life's constant truth and one that isn't likely to change. For now thought, in the face of mortality, I am going to give thanks in every way I know how that it's not my fathers time just yet.

He does, after all, have a grandkid he needs to enjoy!


Goodnight, friends!


Jenn said...

I'm so glad your dad is okay. Facing your parents mortality can be rough. I'm sure he has plenty of years ahead of him. He did the right thing taking care of it early. And BTW-you guys have great taste in music!

Meggan said...

Smart man for getting himself checked out. My grandfather could have run circles around anyone and never went to the Dr. He died on the couch from what we are all sure was a blood clot..which could have easily been fixed. But, it was his time I guess. It's those things in life that make you remember what's important and it's too bad after a little bit of "moving on" that it's forgotten again. I hope your Dad makes a fantastic and speedy recovery so he can enjoy his grandkids for many more years:)