How we got here...

I'm not a blogger... except, I guess I will blog.  At least for a short time.  I decided to do this because I know there are so many of you who care about me and my family.  I've been asked by many, how we got to the point of me needing open heart surgery and so I figured this would be an efficient way of telling our "story".  In addition, I know that there are many who will want to have updates on surgery and the outcome and to make things easier and more efficient I figured this would be the best way to keep peopled updated.  So, I'll give you the "how we got here" story now and then we will keep you updated on things leading up to and through the surgery.  

First, let me clear something up.  A handful of people have assumed that this surgery is because of a failure to care for myself.  Not true.  Granted, I'm not a physical specimen of Chuck Norris caliber, but this situation has nothing to do with exercise.  I've stayed relatively fit and to this day still run around 10-15 miles per week.  The reality is that I was born with a bi-cuspid aortic valve in my heart.... two leaflets to the valve instead of three like normal.  As a result the valve doesn't seal properly and there is a leak of blood back into the heart.  This is something we never knew about until around 12 years ago.  It was at that time that I was out running and wearing a heart rate monitor.  I used to wear it just to keep track of fitness level.  One day the monitor read around 220 beats per minute for the whole run.  As a result, I went to the doctor to make sure everything was okay.  The regular doctor did some tests and said everything looked good.  At the last minute he decided that I should see a cardiologist.  So, off I went and at that visit they did an echocardiogram.  That's when they found the bicuspid valve which was causing aortic regurgitation (a leak back through the valve into the heart).  At this point it was determined that the proper course of action would be to monitor things and look for certain "markers".  From that point on, once or twice a year I went for tests and they took all the measurements they needed to determine when something needed to be done.  Basically, the leaky valve eventually created a couple of problems.  One, it causes the heart chamber to enlarge which left uncorrected could damage the heart muscle.  Praise God, no damage to my heart has occurred.   Two, it caused an aneurysm in the aorta.  Frankly speaking, if the aortic aneurysm ruptures, it's lights out... quickly.  So, in May, when we went back to Cleveland Clinic for a checkup, it was determined by the surgeon that the aortic aneurysm was at the size now where it needed to be fixed because the chance of rupture increases exponentially from this point on.  And that brings us to now... surgery to fix the aorta and either repair or replace the valve depending on what the surgeon determines best once he gets in there and puts eyes on the valve.  The surgery is being done at the Cleveland Clinic.  It's the best in the world and the type of surgery they are doing isn't done everywhere.  We will be staying in a hotel for the 4 nights leading up to the surgery because we need to be there for pretests on those days and then the surgery is scheduled for October 13.  My wife and kids will stay in the hotel two more nights after the surgery so that the kids can see me before they head home while Ana and I finish out the week or so of recovery in the Cleveland Clinic.  All in all we hope to only be out there at the clinic for around 10-11 days. 

But, let me make something clear... even though a bi-cuspid aortic valve is a "defect" it did not escape the notice of God.  Even in this God knew what He was doing.  This was not a mistake. Frankly, I'm blessed to know about this. Many people who have this never know it until they have an aneurysm rupture or dissect and they die.  The doctors have said that the high heart rate I experience that day 12 years ago when I was running , had nothing to do with this condition... yet that is what God used to reveal it to us.  Some people say "Wow, you're lucky to have found out".  No, I'm blessed.  God is good and He is in control.  Technically speaking, it is a defect in the eyes of the medical world.  But spiritually speaking, this was by the design of God.  In His wisdom and sovereignty, He decided that my family and I were able to walk through this and do it in such a way that He is glorified by it.  I pray that we do that well.  We trust Him.  He is good, He loves us and He is in control.  It is my, and my family's, sincere effort to bring God glory even in the midst of a difficult road.  The thing is, that's why we are alive.  God created us to bring Him glory through our personal relationship with Him.  In the beginning of creation, God walked with Adam and Eve in the garden "in the cool of the day".  In the most refreshing time of the day, God walked with them and He was glorified most when they were most satisfied and involved in a relationship with Him.  A lot went wrong since that day, with sin and death because of it.  In order to restore that relationship with God, Jesus Christ had to lay down His life on a cross to pay for our sin. Justice requires payment and God is just.  But the beautiful thing is that since Jesus Christ paid the price of the penalty for sin, we can have that relationship again, through Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross at Calvary.  We can see Him being most glorified by us being most satisfied in a relationship with Him.  So, in the big picture, this drives us closer to Him to find comfort, strength, contentment and satisfaction which we benefit from and He is glorified by.   We have always tried to make sure our kids see the life giving joy of loving Jesus Christ with all of your heart, and soul, and strength and mind and to let that love for Him and desire to please Him in all we do saturate every breath of life. We have not done that perfectly... believe me I'm often painfully aware of my imperfections.  But this sovereignty controlled situation allows us to to truly live out our faith like Deuteronomy 6:5-9 directs us. God is good.

One more thing for now.  Thank you.  Thank you to all of you who have helped us in some way shape or form.  Some of you have given us things for after the surgery, some of you have given to us financially to help with the expenses of staying in a hotel, food and travel, some of you have prayed with us and for us, some of you have added us to your prayer list and many of you have done more than one of these things.  This doesn't even consider of all you who have offered your help in anyway we need it.  Many of you we have never met but you have still helped us and shown us love and support.  So in all sincerity and with all of our heart, we thank each of  you.  We are blessed by God to have all of you as a part of our life in big and small ways.  

Above all, we covet your prayers for us, the surgery, the surgeons and that God is honored by the way we walk this road.  

We will keep you posted...