Friday night last week the world came to a jarring halt. I got a phone call late evening from my mom on my aunt's cell phone...never a good sign. My father was in the hospital having a heart attack. Something in the atmosphere cracked open and the sound was deafening.
My dad is one of those kind of men that daughters use as a model to find their future husband. Not perfect. But so pure in heart and so sincere in life that it makes it almost impossible to find another man who can measure up. My parents have never spoken the word divorce; not once in almost 40 years of marriage. I have watched my father serve Christ and my mother for 32 years. He is a Superman who works overtime in his job, maintains 5 acres of land and a 100 year old house, serves in the ministry of the Church, and takes care of a wife who is chronically ill. His employers admire his work ethic, his children admire his integrity, and his peers admire his strength. He has been example to his older brothers, his family, and his co-workers.
Superman.
My dad was riding in the car with my mom, on his way to the chiropractor because he had been having severe shoulder/back pain all day. He came home from work early, which is rare. My mom was driving, which almost never happens.
Thank God it did on Friday.
My father passed out cold with his eyes wide open, and mom struggled to drive and search for his pulse at the same time. He came to and passed out 2 more times before they got to the Dr's office, all the while mom is beating on his chest with one hand and steering the car with the other. He was taken to the first hospital in a squad from the Chiropractor's office, and was stabilized there. Blood work confirmed it had been a heart attack. He was transported to a larger hospital, and there it was confirmed that four of his main arteries were blocked. He had severe issues and we never even knew it.
My dad lost about 65 pounds four or five years ago and has kept it off. He eats healthy, he walks on his lunch breaks, he gets regular physicals and stress tests. He brought his cholesterol down 40 points. All this and he still had a heart attack. He was taking care of himself because he knew heart disease was prominent in his family. And yet here he was, age 59 and lying in a hospital bed and facing possible quadruple bypass surgery.
Kryptonite.
I spent the first three days and 2 nights in hospital, barely sleeping in the waiting room. I couldn't imagine leaving him there alone. The thought of losing him was too great. The thought of him possibly dying there alone was unbearable. So I stayed.
And God was good. He bounced back almost immediately. His color returned, his eyes lit back up. He was bored just sitting there in the hospital bed. Seeing him look like himself so quickly was such a blessing. And so were the people who lined up to visit him all weekend long; family and friends showing their love and support. My dad, slightly embarrassed at all the attention, was able to see for just a moment how truly important he was to all of us. I hope that it sticks with him.
My Superman is not out of the woods yet. There is surgery and recovery yet to come to repair the damage done. But God has shown His sovereignty and his protection. I will trust in Him to continue to watch over my father and preserve his life. And I will give thanks to Him that in our weakness, He is made strong.
I love you, daddy.
