Happy Anniversary

“It's been a year now and it's getting so much better.
You came home without a word.
We're walkin' out into the world tonight.
We'll do it all again until the break of light.
And the feelin' in your heart will soon be shinin' in your eyes”

Shine a Little Love—By Jeff Lynne of ELO

Happy Anniversary!

I guess this is my anniversary, and it is a darn good one. We celebrate Birthdays (an anniversary of our birth), Weddings, and Special Days. Today is anniversary of sorts for me—it falls under the Special Day section of anniversaries.

Today is my first annual anniversary of surviving open heart surgery to replace a birth-defected bicuspid aortic valve. I now have an artificial valve. Call me the $86,000.00 Man. October 4 of 2004, my valve was replaced.

Today is the day when a year ago I had a blood pressure of 140 of 98 which has dropped to 110 over 68. My pulse at rest has moved from 99 to 72. Life and my heart are good. And at heart, life is good, as well.

What a change this has been. Trust me.

Like a good anniversary, there are so many people to thank and remember.

I commend Dr. Wright for his surgical hands, Dr. McCrisken for his consistent care as my cardiologist, Dr. Duncan as my general care practitioner, and Dr. Mather as my professional counselor and spiritual consultant. Had it not been for these men and their expertise, I think I would have probably succumbed to some less positive demise. The cardiologist has always taken special care when dealing with me during the last ten years and I have always appreciated his true desire to see me do well. His children played for a rival school, so we make sure to keep each other apprised of which team won in football every given year. Looks like I will have bragging rights this year. The practitioner has a great understanding of my character and has dealt with me with kid gloves and with a sense of admonishing father at the same time. The surgeon was tough enough to be calmly awesome and had an incredible sense of irony and humor to keep me at ease. He also spoke to each person in the waiting room and answered questions. The councilor helped me eliminate anxiety attacks and has always lent a supportive ear while I shared some of my fears. Sometimes, as he understands, it is best to be a soundboard and listen.

I also thank the nurses and health care providers who I am more than confident I drove crazy with my worries and demands. Also the Cardio-rehab ladies were a constant source of comfort, even when they yelled at me for going too fast when on the bike when they played Stray Cats Music. Hey, it’s not my fault if I love the band and want to keep beat with Rock This Town.

I would like to thank some very special people for helping me in my quest of surviving and for being with me on this road to a healthy life.

I thank my parents for dropping everything to come to be with me for my surgery.

I thank my sister for also being there for me before, during and after surgery and for helping “baby-sit” me a few weeks later. I told Karen not to come, but I am glad she did. She asked me how I felt and I told her like I was hit by truck. I figured she could handle the accuracy.

I thank my brother Mark for his visit to the hospital and at my house afterwards. Mark and I have grown closer in the last few years—now Mom can rest comfortably that her sons are friends.

I also thank my sister’s husband Bud and her children Angela and Matthew for allowing her to visit; as I thank my sister-in-law Mary for allowing Mark to come down.

I thank my brother-in-law Jeff for his visit and staying with my wife and I while I was in the hospital and later on my first night at home. Jeff helped explain many things to me (Jeff is an ER Doctor) during my hospital stay and helped put me to ease. With Jeff, I thank my sister-in-law Sandy and their children Luke, Jenna, Issac, and Griffen for sacrificing their husband and father (respectfully) for a few days.

I thank my Uncle Dan and my Aunt Dar who live in our town who visited at the hospital and subsequently helped me through visits and took the time to offer my wife, Pamela aid.

I thank my in-laws Lois and Clarence for their support and continued concern for my condition. Clarence should convert from being a Dallas Cowboy fan, but that is another topic for another blog.

I thank Milt, among my best friends and my partner in crime at the school I am emplyed who visited me two days in a row and helped keep the staff up-to-date on my positive condition. He’s a brother of sorts and a confidant that I respect more and more as time goes on. Milt also commented on how good my color was when I know I would have been painted in an off-set mix of pale white, yellow, and green. You are a good liar Milt and one I respect.

I thank Butch, my superintendent, who took two days to visit me prior surgery and put my mind at rest and who visited the next day to check on my condition. How many bosses visit their employees in the hospital? He is a fine man to work for. Butch’s father went through a similar procedure years ago and he put me at ease.

In a similar light, former bosses Roger and Ron who also gave me words of encouragement. Also my Principal Jim spoke to me for an hour a few days before surgery to let me know how special I was to the school community and the staff.

I thank my friend Chris and his wife Jodi who took the time to visit me after surgery—candy corn was great. They are the type of people that will continue to restore my faith in humanity.

I also thank my friend and department chair Gene and his partner Pam for their visit and subsequent gifts after surgery. Gene is a good man and continues to mentor me in my professional development.

I thank my Uncle Dale for his support and positive emails.

I thank my good friends and fellow comic geeks Joe, John, Jim, and Dan for their positive comments –especially Jim and Joe for assuring that I had a ton of comics to read during my time off. I loved the Frankenstein Monster trade, just for the record.

There are so many folks to thank further who I work with, who I observed as student teachers, and friends who have taken time to call, send cards, or email. My good friends Mike; Joanne; Beth; Danny; Elston; the wonderful cooks; Amy; Craig; Shelia (a former student teacher who is kicking ass at a local school); Carrie H-S (former student teacher who stopped by just prior to surgery); Allison (my latest student teacher who was a daughter of sorts who gave me many positive comments and emails); Carrie S. (another student teacher who is knocking them dead at a different local school); Peter and Carol and Pete’s Folks; Tim; Alex; Keith, Tish and Alexia; the guys in my fantasy football league for the positive comments on the board; The Local United Way—led by our “advisor” Dee and Gary, and their many other board members; and so many other excellent educators I work with: Dee, Jolene, Lyn, Rita, Betty, Russ, Cory and Heather, Tom, Sharon, Kristie, Lisa, Tera, Dawn, Pearl, Joe, Susan, Chris, Laura (who gave a nice donation to the United Way on my behalf--thanks!), Lou Ann, two retired teachers in Andy and Fred; and our awesome secretaries in Nancy, Kitty, Nancy, Pam, Jane, and Kim; along with Board members Scott, Nancy, and Dale—whose son went through a similar experience. All sent cards or emails and asked on my condition. It was humbling and appreciated. In fact, Dale’s son Ryan (an excellent former student in his own right) told Dale to tell me that when I could put on my socks that I would be on the recovery road to better health (a chest muscle thing for all those non-cardiac patients).

I must give my thanks to my good friend and fellow educator Gary who did an excellent job as my substitute. He was a professional and an excellent educator. Without Gary, I would have worried much more, but because of Gary’s professional qualities, I was more than confident that the education for my students would not suffer. He did an exceptional job.

My students also deserve credit. They were well-behaved and gave positive responses to Gary in my time off. I also appreciated so many kind words from former students and the parents of my students in our district--as I hear I was on many of the prayer lists. I appreciated the support from the Community.

My cats, Pepto the Devil Cat and Foggy the Bold, were a constant source of comfort in my recovering days; so thanks to the cats who cannot read, but know that I appreciate them. We are a family, after all.

The person who I thank the most is my wife Pamela who was a tireless caregiver, supporter, loving confidant, nurse of sorts, and great friend. To the rest of you, you may think your spouse is the greatest--but I know mine is. Here is some advice: marry your best friend; it is a great feeling. I love Pamela more and more as each day passes. She is my foundation, she is my hope, and all I inspire to be. Without her; I am a void. She was incredible to me during this procedure, helping, often comfort, letting me know I was special, and offering solid advice and loving care. She can also kick my ass when I feel sorry for myself. She acted in kindness, in privacy, and in care as she took control of my homelife. This woman is nothing short of incredible. She is the sweetest person I have ever met and she is also, far and away, the most intelligent--and her intellect is only matched by her beauty. If there is one thing I did right in this world, it was marrying Pam. I may have screwed up so many other things, but marrying Pamela was a joy which I cannot find an equal. She is truly a beauty, a passionate person, a wonderful wife, and a best friend.

Sorry to be sentimental, but I love life, and I love it because of so many people who have supported me. I also believe that we can change and are in a constant state of evolution.

Often we are called to task when it comes to time of great stress and strife. I hope I have answered that task and will continue to grow as a person as my life continues.

Here’s to forty more years of jokes, annoyances, irritations, learning, growth, care, occasional pain, love, respect, grousing, standing up for that which is right, and living life to the fullest.

It is a great anniversary. Thanks to so many of you for being a meaningful part of my life.

We should celebrate with some diet soda and low fat chicken breasts. Although I sure miss my once high count of BEER. Then again, the path I am now traveling is so much more rewarding.

Even the Bears played hard for me, as a week prior to surgery they beat the Packers. Thanks guys--I'd like to think they did it for me.