A Day On
Two days later and I’m still stunned at my Friday turn of events. For an entire week I had worked non-stop to schedule what I thought was a life saving surgery and make sure I had the best hands possible doing the work. I spent time contemplating death, knowing no surgery is without risk. I spent time thinking about my new future, about how I would function with synthetic devices installed within my vital organs.
Then, in one phone call, everything changed. My life shifted back a week and all the planning, and stress went out the window. Of course, I’m still left with those thoughts of mortality and recovery, but now they’re simply thoughts, not action items. I can put them back into their baskets and call them forth on another day. What a relief.
The lesson I take from all of this? They are several. The love of friends and family is invaluable. When you’re in a time of trouble, talk to them. That’s how I found the doctor who saved me. Doctors are human, too. Trust them, but question everything, and definitely get second opinions. Finally, go for the best when your life is at stake, and when you’re asking for help, be kind, because kindness is one of those things that the more of it you give, the more you get. And it was a considerate lady scheduler who opened the door to the doctor who eventually gave me back my life.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale