My Daddy

My dad had a heart attack on Sunday. He is doing okay now, after two stents were inserted to open his arteries. The right side was 100% blocked, and the left side 70%. The heart specialist will monitor him closely, and will decide in a few months if bypass surgery is needed.

Dad was at my house when the heart attack happened. He and Richard were working on a project in our backyard when Dad came inside and called for me. He didn't have the typical heart attack symptoms, no tightness or shortness of breath, no real pain, just a woozy feeling. "What does woozy mean?" I repeatedly asked him in my state of panic. Not what I had imagined when someone is experiencing a heart attack! Thank God he was aware that something serious was going on, despite the lack of symptoms. He asked for Aspirin, and didn't object when I mentioned calling 911. For those of you that know my dad, him admitting that something was wrong is HUGE. Luckily, our neighbors had some Aspirin, which Richard ran next door to retrieve. The paramedics said that the Aspirin most likely lessened the severity of the heart attack. He was rushed to Baylor Hospital, where a team of medical staff was ready and waiting for him upon arrival. The paramedics explained how crucial that first hour is, and we are all so thankful that he was able to get to the hospital within that one hour time frame. Praise God!

Dad was actually released from the hospital a few hours ago. We were initially told that he would return back to CCU/ICU after the second stint was inserted yesterday morning, but he was able to go straight into a room after a few hours in recovery. The surgeon was impressed by how well he is doing, and gave him the green light to go home this morning. Dad was beyond thrilled.

Mom and Dad stopped by the house about an hour ago to see their grandbabies. Tucker has been asking about his Papaw, so he was so excited to see that he was well. Tucker was in the mix of things on Sunday as they happened, thus he has been worried about his Papaw getting sick and going to the hospital. It's pretty sad when a two year old knows all about the hospital, but I guess that's to be expected when you have close family members in and out of the hospital like we have had lately.

Thanks to all of you who have been sending up prayers for my dad. It was an incredibly frightening experience for all of us, such a close call, and we are so relieved that he is doing well and is in the comforts of home now. Please continue to pray for his healing, and for patience and peace for he and my mom as they embark upon life with a new perspective. And hopefully a life of no smoking, which will certainly be a struggle.

We now have Aspirin in our house, and will carry it with us at all times. We plan on getting one of these to attach to our keychains. The Aspirin quite possibly saved my dad's life. Thanks to his quick thinking, and our next door neighbors for actually having some when we didn't, we are able to enjoy our Dad/Papaw for years and years to come! I love you, Daddy!