01/08/2025
I have so much to be thankful for this past year.
One of the things I’m most thankful for is my Apple watch. (Which may sound strange if you don’t know what’s been happening over the last few months.) In August, my watch alerted me to possible atrial fibrillation. At first, I thought it was a mistake or a malfunction of my older Apple watch. I wasn’t having any symptoms and probably wouldn’t have known for a while. But, after some testing and a few days in the hospital, it turns out I had a heart valve that needed repair (and apparently it was probably this way my whole life but I’ve never known about it.) It was also to the point where there is a 50% mortality rate within 2 years (yikes!). After some more testing, it was discovered that I also had a 70-75% blockage in one of my arteries. Both needed surgery in order to repair, plus they decided to do a couple of other procedures while they were in there (described below).
In mid-October, we went down to Baylor Scott & White in Fort Worth to do what I’m calling my 50,000 mile service (open heart surgery). They did a mitral valve repair, a single bypass, an ablation (for the a-fib) and an atrial ligation (helps prevent blood clot formation in the heart). The surgery went well and other than a couple of minor bumps in the road, they were able to do all they wanted to. Really thankful for the surgeon and the medical team who took care of me both during and after the surgery. Everyone was truly amazing, and we experienced first-class care at BSW.
I am thankful for my watch that caught what could have been a much more serious health event. I am grateful to have this past holiday season with my family, for my health that is consistently improving and will return to normal (as well as normal activities down the road); and, to the surgeon and staff of BSW and my cardiologist who all have been great during this unexpected time for my family and I. I am also grateful to so many of you that have prayed for us, supported us, brought us food and/or gift cards for food, and visited during my early recovery days.
We are truly blessed by you and may your 2025 be blessed!
