04/13/2026
Parkway Medical will be celebrating on April 30th a “Joy in My Heart Day.” A year ago, my husband, Dr. Richard Cline, was life-flighted to St. Thomas in Nashville due to a dissection of his aorta from the root of his heart to the bifurcation of his legs, along with a carotid artery dissection to his brain. Fayetteville stepped in with prayers from churches and people I did not even know. I would like to invite the community to celebrate with us, as God has answered all of our prayers. Many have been confused about what actually happened to Rich. Per his surgeon, he has no cardiac disease or blockages at all, nor did he have a heart attack, stroke, or aneurysm. A dissection is when the inner and middle layers of the artery split. I am adding a picture of the aorta so you can see the impossible survival of this injury. They replaced the arch of his heart, but the carotid dissection and the arch down to his legs cannot be repaired by man due to sending him into multi-organ failure or sudden death. From the surgeon's words: “You should be dead; you are a miracle.” I feel it is imperative that we celebrate God and His impossible miracle handiwork. The staff will be wearing “I Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart” T-shirts, and I will be in Rich’s lobby with cookies. Last summer was so blasted hot that we had to walk in circles inside the house for his rehab. I would walk behind Rich, singing this childhood song to encourage him, with two confused dogs following. We were quite the sight. I will include the Amazon link for the T-shirts in the comments section if you want one. If you want to stop by and say “Hi,” that’s wonderful. If you can’t, I am asking you to tell this story to someone, not only to praise our God but also to encourage them that all these prayer chains in Fayetteville do work. God hears, and boy did He answer. Oh, and feel free to tell your miracle story on this day. The Joy of the Lord is our strength, so spread the joy on April 30th.
