We are midway through June and I can't believe we have already had nearly 3 full weeks of summer! The first week was completely packed with summer activities-just how I wanted it. We went camping, hit the zoo, the splash pad, got a lot of cleaning done, play dates, birthday parties...couldn't have been any busier. The second week we did just as much, but mostly around the house-a lot of swimming, games, movie nights, baking. This was also the week I made up our summer adventure list and was excited to start checking things off.
Week three, in other words the current week, was unexpected in so many ways and I admit that I have not done much in terms of summer activities with the kids. We have watched a lot of movies this week, done a lot of quiet time, and bedroom cleaning. Our time was unexpectedly dedicated to another cause and I am once again grateful that the kids are so reslient-and faithful at that.
On Tuesday morning we found out that Jared's Dad, Greg had a heart attack while playing a softball game. Despite the intense pain, he played through the game and diminished the severity of the incident, convincing Jared's mom, Andrea that he could wait until the morning to go to a regular doctor. The EKG he did the next morning showed he did indeed have a heart attack and he was rushed to Banner Baywood immediately thereafter. Testing showed the heart attack was a massive one and he actually had a 2nd heart attack while in the hospital. He had an angioplasty Wednesday morning, and we were dismayed when we got word that they couldn't do anything-multiple arteries were completely blocked, and there was no real reason Greg should have been alive. He was immediately scheduled for emergency quadruple bypass heart surgery that afternoon. Thankfully the surgery went well and only required a triple bypass. We got to go see Greg when he was being transferred back to the ICU. It was difficult seeing him under sedation with a ventilator breathing for him and a bandage covering up his incision-especially for Jared. Such a mountain of a man in such a position is overwhelming. He came through the night well and this morning Greg was able to sit up, walk around for a bit, come off his venilator, and talk. He is working on eating without throwing up right now, and his heart rythmns are a bit irregular, but that is to be expected. Overall he is doing amazingly well and we are so grateful for that.
So many thoughts have been running through my head this week as the events have unfolded. My immediate thoughts were geared towards Jared, his family, and his Dad. My number one goal was to support them as they worked through this tragedy-especially during the uncertain time period. My number two goal was to take care of the kids, the home, everything that would just allow Jared to concentrate on his family. My number three goal was to help our kids understand what was going on without scaring them. We said prayers for Grandpa, we drew pictures for him, and wrote him letters. The kids thought it was great that Grandpa has a scar exactly like James! Karianna was worried, and we had a couple of long conversations with her (past midnight) about many very serious topics that no 7 year old should really have to think about-I think talking to her helped though.
Beyond those three goals though, I had a completely different reel of thoughts racing through my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about the similarities between Jared's dad and my dad. Both were very active before their heart attacks. My dad ran 3 miles a day and had his heart attack after returning from a run. Both men were young-Jared's dad was 56, mine was 53. Both men also had signs of having had previous heart attacks. We only found that out about my dad after he passed away. When Jared's dad had his surgery, they saw scarring on his heart that indicated he had had a previous heart attack-and he never knew. Its difficult to think that if we had caught the previous heart attacks, perhaps my dad could have had surgery like Jared's dad-and perhaps he could have had more time. Now, I know there is no point comparing-I wbelieve the Lord has a plan for each one of us, and I am very content knowing where my dad is and when I will see him again. It is bittersweet, though, to consider these things. I am so glad Jared's dad has time. Such a blessing.
We are hoping and praying that Jared's dad continues to recover. The kids want to see him and we have plans to make him a good Father's Day video that he can watch in the hospital. Situations like these make you truly reflect on your family-and cherish them even more than ever.
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