My Dad

This is my dad.  Hudson and Cooper call him GT (Grampa Tim).  We love him ... a lot!  On Friday he gave us the scare of a lifetime as he had a heart attack and double bypass surgery.  We're so thankful that he's home already, recovering and doing great.  God was with him through this terrible weekend and brought him through with not much more than a really big scar.  We're so very thankful.  

Now for the full story ...

It was Friday afternoon.  The boys were watching a movie.  I was busy in the kitchen making a huge batch of cinnamon rolls.  Jeff was on a plane headed back home from a business trip.  Around 4:30 my mom called me to ask me to pray for Dad.  She was driving him to the hospital because he was experiencing pain and tightness in his chest.  She also said he looked extremely pale.  I immediately called my brothers to fill them in on the situation and also called Tom, my father-in-law.  I wasn't really sure what else I could do as I was home alone with the boys so I continued making my cinnamon rolls as I cried and prayed for my dad.  Then a few minutes later Jordan called me to say he was headed to the hospital.  He offered to pick me up and his fiance, Rachel, graciously stayed with the boys.  I left everything just as it was ... a gooey doughy mess covered my kitchen, I frantically changed clothes, threw some goldfish on a plate for the boys and rushed out.

When we got to the hospital everything seemed fine.  Dad was in the ER hooked up to whatever they hook you up to when they're just checking you out.  He said he was still uncomfortable but they had given him some meds and he didn't seem like anything that major was happening.  They took some x-rays and did some blood work.  Tom was already up at the hospital to be with my mom and dad as was another friend.  We sat and chatted and waited to see what would come of all this.  Then our friend and my dad's cardiologist, Dr. Brown showed up despite it being his day off.  My dad had recently had an EKG as a checkup and Dr. Brown didn't like that the results from Friday's EKG weren't matching up.  He recommended an angiogram and went to scrub up.  At that point the on-call doctor (and one of Brown's colleagues) came in to continue questioning my dad about what had happened that day.  I stepped out to call my grandparents and all of a sudden I started hearing a lot of commotion.  I wasn't really sure what was going on until I heard someone yelling for a crash cart.  My dad's heart was in fibrillation and they were going to have to shock him to level it back out.  Tom was by my side and immediately had me in a giant bear hug as I sobbed and he prayed.  It felt like an eternity, but thankfully it wasn't long before they were calling us back in.  He was fine and talking and oblivious to what had just happened.  The nurses were so gracious to us, telling us that we could come close and talk to him while they worked around us.  My dad was curious what had just happened and also said that he felt a lot better.  It seemed like good news to me.  He had his heart attack, made it through, and was going to get his angiogram so that we could fix whatever was wrong.  Then it happened again, as my mom and I were talking to him.  My mom could tell right away that it was coming and started telling the nurses.  He lost consciousness again as I watched.  It was the most horrible thing to see my dad lying there helpless.  We fled the room and my mom, brother and I huddled together and cried.  

This whole scenario happened again for a third time.  This time they shocked him once, got no pulse and had to shock him again.  Each time we left the room we felt scared and more and more worried about what was going to happen.  Finally, they had him prepped for his angiogram and they wheeled him down the hall and we were left to wait.  At this point I was so worried for my dad, and starting to getting worried about myself.  Eight and half months pregnant, I started getting concerned about going into labor.  I found some water and a chair and tried my best to not become too stressed.

Word spread quickly about my dad.  Tom was keeping the prayer chain at church updated with the latest information.  We felt those prayers.  We also felt so loved as so many people made their way up to the hospital to sit with us as we awaited news.  Jeff made it into town and up to the hospital which was such a relief to me.  He became a rock for our family taking care of so many details.  He got our boys all set up at home with Dana, made countless calls to extended family, made sure Evan was safely on his way home from Ft. Worth, stayed at the hospital late into the night even after taking me home, made sure my mom was taken care of, and updated the prayer chain.  He was amazing!

I don't remember how long we waited on the angiogram.  It seemed like forever.  I think it was about an hour.  Dr. Brown came out and told us that my dad would require double bypass surgery.  He introduced us to the surgeon who then explained the whole procedure.  Dr. Awtry had just completed another heart surgery and they needed time to get the OR ready for my dad.  In the meantime they would let us go in a see him.  Although it was rough to see my dad getting prepped for surgery I didn't feel overly scared.  I was so glad that they were able to stabilize him and that they were going to fix the problem.  We all definitely felt the peace of so many prayer warriors praying for us.  Evan was able to talk to my dad via phone and Jordan, Mom and I all had a chance to chat with my dad.  Though a bit sedate my dad was still able to crack a few jokes.  We told him that we loved him and again watched him get wheeled away.  

It was a long wait at the hospital.  It took them 3-4 hours before they were done.  We were so thankful to all the friends and family who came and sat with us.  The hospital was a packed house that night.  What a neat sight to see so many people who were concerned for my dad and there to support my mom and the rest of us.  At 11:30 we heard the wonderful news that everything had gone well.  They had fixed the problem with no complications!  Praise the Lord!

I went home and crashed into bed while Evan (who had just pulled into town) and my Mom stayed the night with my dad in the hospital.  Though I was physically and emotionally exhausted, sleep didn't come easily.  My brain wasn't racing with thoughts, but I think I was still just stunned from the day's events.  

The next morning Jeff and I returned to the hospital while friends and Tom and Dana kindly took care of our boys.  We stayed at the hospital for the remainder of the day so that my mom could try and get some rest and leave the hospital for a bit.  My dad was in CCU and was doing really well.  He was very tired and weak and so spent the majority of the day in and out of sleep.  He still enjoyed receiving visitors and would open his eyes to chat with whoever stopped by.  The doctors all had good news for us throughout the day.  The blockages had been fixed and his heart showed no signs of damage from the heart attack.  What an amazing praise!

In talking with my dad on Saturday he told me how proud he was of me and that he loved me.  He said that in the midst of coming in and out of consciousness the previous day he didn't feel scared of dying but sad at the things that he would miss ... the birth of Garrett and the marriage of Jordan and Rachel and so many other things in coming years.  I try not to think about if things had gone differently on that Friday.  It's too painful.  I love both of my parents so much and I want them to be around for a long time and watch these sweet boys of ours grow up. 

My dad is home now.  He spent a short 4 days in the hospital and is recovering remarkably well!  He'll still be out of commission for the next 4-6 weeks but he's home and for that we're all so incredibly thankful.  Thanks to everyone who prayed for us and came along side us in our time of need.  We feel so loved!