The Someday philosophy really hits home
- Bob Hanna: Someday
- December 29, 2021
- 854
I know maybe I sound like a broken record teaching the Someday philosophy of chasing your dreams while you are able rather than “wait until I have time” or “maybe tomorrow.” My point is we are not promised tomorrow, and God can help you achieve those dreams if you put yourself in his hands.
That philosophy has come home as I unexpectedly had a mild heart attack on Dec. 15. They say diet and exercise will help fend off attacks like this, and y’all know I’m constantly on the move with my part-time job and we are building Sanctuary Hill to be a special place to honor God.
The diet part? I have to admit probably not so much, especially as I have reached the retired phase of my life.
I will never forget that day.
Taryn was getting her second cataract surgery at St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead, Kentucky. When they called me to come get her, we drove a few blocks to get some lunch at Cracker Barrel. While we were waiting for our food, I mentioned to Taryn that my upper chest/throat area felt kinda heavy and warm. She told me to call right away to the doctor to get their opinion.
Of course our first thoughts were COVID symptoms, and the nurse on the phone, after asking me a list of questions, suggested we head directly to their urgent care to get checked out.
Looking back, we realized we weren’t “on the ball” as we had just come from the hospital a few blocks away. The closest urgent care was in Grayson, which was 30 minutes up I-64. So when we got there, the heaviness had subsided somewhat, and they tested me for COVID and checked my vitals. This is the strange part: My EKG was fine, temperature normal, blood pressure was pretty high, which is an everyday battle for me.
I had some indigestion also, so they gave me a prescription for acid reflux, told us to check back for the COVID results and go to the emergency room if it got worse.
We drove home, which took another 30 minutes. When we walked in the door, it hit.
I couldn’t sit down; I couldn’t stand up. It was like someone was sitting on my chest. As I leaned over the kitchen counter, Taryn asked me if she should call 911. I knew she couldn’t drive with her eye patch, so I told her to call, and I put on my shoes.
It only took about 10 minutes for them to get there, and I jumped in the back of the squad. They gave me oxygen on the way, which helped, but riding in the back while the driver negotiated a curvy road was like the Tilt-O-Whirl at the fair.
At the emergency room, they once again took all my vitals. Same results. It wasn’t until they took blood draw and found my enzyme level, which is normally 6-8, was near 70 that they said a major heart attack would reveal a count in the 1000’s.
They took numerous blood samples over the next couple hours, and when it reached 120, the doctor said he was skipping a stress test and set me up for a heart catheter.
I said the same thing on the way to the OR I say boarding an airplane — “In your hands, Lord!”
They ran the tube in through my wrist, and when they got to my heart, it revealed three major blockages. Two were in the LAD artery — or as it’s referred to, “the widow maker.”
Three stents were placed in my arteries, and after two days, the team of doctors said I could go home under orders of five days of rest.
I tell you this story not to boast of what I’ve done, but that God has saved me to continue to tell others about his mercies and loving grace.
I thank him continuously for healing me, and I challenge you now to seek his blessings the remainder of your earthly life, showing others what he can do if you allow him to take control.
Make the New Year a special one. God bless y’all!