This is my first blog entry in over a year. Many times I tried to motivate myself to write but couldn't quite bring it to the page. As I looked back over older posts I see I often wrote about special events or trips or an unfortunate loss of a friend or family member of which there have been several in the past 10 years. I stopped writing because I felt I was repeating similar themes and wasn't receiving much feedback. Although, I would hear from folks that they missed my blog and ask why wasn't I writing anymore.
It is my approaching 60th birthday and a life changing event that has finally brought me to take time and put something down on the page.
Of course much has happened in the past year and a half that I have not blogged. One thing that hasn't changed is the passing of a few more friends. Several my age, some quite a bit older. My high-school sweetheart and young ex-wife, Betsy(58) passed from health issues and complications, a friends' brother Paul(58) and fellow golfer from cancer and heart issues, Fred (58), an old college chum from a sudden heart attack, Neale (52), long time friend and former Garage Band member from heart and other health problems, and most recently my friend Franz, The Walking Man, who I had written about and befriended back 10 years ago passed away at 91. I do not mean to dwell on death but at a time when I see my parents turn 80 and deal with advanced age, watch my children mature and move on in their lives I was struck with an event that has made me face my own mortality.
As many of you know on 9/11/2012 I suffered a major heart attack from a blocked LAD, a major artery. It was a warm September Tuesday, I had just cut the front lawn and started to notice an unusual sensation in my jaw. I took a shower, made a sandwich, and started feeling some indigestion. What followed happened rather quickly. Pain began increasing in my chest, I tried deep breathing it away. For some reason I took a low dose aspirin which I wasn't ordinarily taking. Pain kept increasing, and then I started sweating. I said to myself, "Dang!, I think I am having a heart attack". I grabbed my wallet w/ insurance card, etc., picked up land line, laid down on couch and called 911 on 9/11 and waited for the festivities to begin.
My neighbor, a first responder was the first to respond providing me with oxygen, followed by other first responders and the EMTs within minutes, dispatch stayed on the line til they arrived and asked me if I wanted them to call my wife, Mary, was at work, and I said yes and gave them her cell number. Being wheeled out of my house I remember looking up at clear blue sky and thinking how surreal it all was. As I was being fed nitro tablets on way to hospital EMT Mark told me I was having a heart attack and time was of the essence, One notable moment was when I didn't hear a siren as we went down Gull Rd. so I asked Mark if you couldn't hear them from inside never having made this ride before, he asked me if I felt worse and as I was experiencing increased crushing chest pain and sweating profusely I said yes, he instructed Nicole, the EMT driving, to speed up and turn on sirens. It was about this time that I said a quick prayer, "Lord, let me be able to attend my daughters wedding next summer".
We surpassed Emergency and headed straight to Catheter Lab, which being wheeled down the back hall to what even the EMT's said seemed like a long way. By this time my pain was intense and I was cold but drenched in sweat. When we arrived I had a sense of calm relief as the cardiac staff was waiting for me and began the process of taking off my clothes, which they saved all, shaving my hairy domain and saving my life. Stay tuned for Part Two.....www.solorenosworld.blospot.com
It is my approaching 60th birthday and a life changing event that has finally brought me to take time and put something down on the page.
Of course much has happened in the past year and a half that I have not blogged. One thing that hasn't changed is the passing of a few more friends. Several my age, some quite a bit older. My high-school sweetheart and young ex-wife, Betsy(58) passed from health issues and complications, a friends' brother Paul(58) and fellow golfer from cancer and heart issues, Fred (58), an old college chum from a sudden heart attack, Neale (52), long time friend and former Garage Band member from heart and other health problems, and most recently my friend Franz, The Walking Man, who I had written about and befriended back 10 years ago passed away at 91. I do not mean to dwell on death but at a time when I see my parents turn 80 and deal with advanced age, watch my children mature and move on in their lives I was struck with an event that has made me face my own mortality.
My neighbor, a first responder was the first to respond providing me with oxygen, followed by other first responders and the EMTs within minutes, dispatch stayed on the line til they arrived and asked me if I wanted them to call my wife, Mary, was at work, and I said yes and gave them her cell number. Being wheeled out of my house I remember looking up at clear blue sky and thinking how surreal it all was. As I was being fed nitro tablets on way to hospital EMT Mark told me I was having a heart attack and time was of the essence, One notable moment was when I didn't hear a siren as we went down Gull Rd. so I asked Mark if you couldn't hear them from inside never having made this ride before, he asked me if I felt worse and as I was experiencing increased crushing chest pain and sweating profusely I said yes, he instructed Nicole, the EMT driving, to speed up and turn on sirens. It was about this time that I said a quick prayer, "Lord, let me be able to attend my daughters wedding next summer".
We surpassed Emergency and headed straight to Catheter Lab, which being wheeled down the back hall to what even the EMT's said seemed like a long way. By this time my pain was intense and I was cold but drenched in sweat. When we arrived I had a sense of calm relief as the cardiac staff was waiting for me and began the process of taking off my clothes, which they saved all, shaving my hairy domain and saving my life. Stay tuned for Part Two.....www.solorenosworld.blospot.com
5 comments:
WHEW!! CLOSE!
Thankfully a Happy Ending my dear ole friend..
(NO! not that kind of Happy Ending!)
Steve, my friend, I'm speechless. Thank you for sharing this. Thank you for surviving this. Thank you thank you
I'm glad you're here, Steve, glad you survived. Keep on writing and sharing your story. Many people read blogs and few comment, for many reasons (lack of the 'right' kind of ID being one; matter of fact, I'm commenting as my nonprofit because it's too time-consuming to sign out-in another Google account! How was Boston? XOX Lucinda, btw
comments appreciated dear ones;) movin on to part two>
I almost made it through the post without choking up. Then I read this: It was about this time that I said a quick prayer, "Lord, let me be able to attend my daughters wedding next summer".
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