It's the last day before surgery; today I'll find out what time to come in (probably 5:30 a.m.), I'll take two antibacterial showers (and two more in the early morning), and I'll stop eating. My last regular meal was an everything bagel with lox -- a personal favorite! I'll get my hair cut, and I mean REALLY cut, since it will be hard to get my arms above my shoulders for a while. I call this my "camping cut." It scares Leslie a bit but she is ready for it.
Pastor Mark Fowler from church is planning to stop by this afternoon to chat and pray with Leslie and me, so that will be nice of him to do. Speaking of praying, if you have an inclination, the person to pray for tomorrow is the surgeon, Dr. Nilto De Oliveira. I only have to show up; he has to do all the work! There are probably a few hundred tiny stitches that he has to do, so I am all in favor that he and the surgical team are ready and excited to see me tomorrow.
Also pray for Leslie and Abby and Andrew and all the family, who have to sit and wait for however long this takes. (They say maybe 10 hours.) It is probably harder to watch your loved one do this than it is to do it yourself, so please be thinking of them. I'll be taking a nap. ;-)
Today seems pretty mundane in a way, but on the other hand, tomorrow is going to be a unique day in my life. When you think about it, it is an amazing thing -- a miracle -- that your heart beats every minute of every day of your entire life. Tomorrow, for me that won't happen for a time. A machine will keep the blood and oxygen flowing instead of my own muscle. After the repairs, I'll get a restart and put everything back on the right track, for another 20 or 30 years without another rest. It takes a lot of people and technology and prayer support and science and love from family and friends to make all of this happen.
Thanks as always for all your support!
Pastor Mark Fowler from church is planning to stop by this afternoon to chat and pray with Leslie and me, so that will be nice of him to do. Speaking of praying, if you have an inclination, the person to pray for tomorrow is the surgeon, Dr. Nilto De Oliveira. I only have to show up; he has to do all the work! There are probably a few hundred tiny stitches that he has to do, so I am all in favor that he and the surgical team are ready and excited to see me tomorrow.
Also pray for Leslie and Abby and Andrew and all the family, who have to sit and wait for however long this takes. (They say maybe 10 hours.) It is probably harder to watch your loved one do this than it is to do it yourself, so please be thinking of them. I'll be taking a nap. ;-)
Today seems pretty mundane in a way, but on the other hand, tomorrow is going to be a unique day in my life. When you think about it, it is an amazing thing -- a miracle -- that your heart beats every minute of every day of your entire life. Tomorrow, for me that won't happen for a time. A machine will keep the blood and oxygen flowing instead of my own muscle. After the repairs, I'll get a restart and put everything back on the right track, for another 20 or 30 years without another rest. It takes a lot of people and technology and prayer support and science and love from family and friends to make all of this happen.
Thanks as always for all your support!