This is a date that I've never forgotten. I happened to be home from college the week-end that Mt. St. Helens blew on May 18th, 1980. Our family watched it from a hill near our house in Vancouver, Washington.
Now, thirty years later, May 18th will hold another, much more significant, memory for our family. Dave will have his heart surgery on this day.
He will enter the hospital Monday morning to get prepped, and then be in OR by 7:30 AM Tuesday morning.
While this is major surgery (still can't wrap my mind around the fact that they actually stop his heart and bypass it to a machine while they do the surgery...how do they do that?? Amazing!), we know a peace that passes understanding right now. I don't know how to explain it except that our good, loving Father has given this to us. We are thankful.
Though the surgeon can't guarantee it 100%, it looks like Dave will be able to have the less invasive surgery rather than a full sternotomy (opening him up in the chest). The surgery takes the same amount of time (about 4-5 hours), but it saves him from having the scar down his chest and is generally easier to recover from, we've been told.
We are praying for great skill and wisdom for the surgeon and his team (there are 8 in the operating room assisting him), for a successful repair of Dave's mitral valve, for a full recovery and return to health for Dave.
We're also praying for continued peace in our hearts, for a sweet time as a family in the midst of his time in the hospital and recovery (Tyler "happens" to be flying home from Moody on Saturday - how good is the Lord to arrange for him to be here for Dave's surgery on Tuesday?!), and for eyes to see what the Lord has for us to learn and grow in throughout this experience.
Bless you for joining with us in praying for these things too. We're so thankful for our family and friends who are rallying behind us to pray!
No comments:
Post a Comment