Our long distance phone bills were outrageous. The support of family and friends helped us get through it all. And most importantly, our faith held the family together. We never gave up hope. Dad's strong love of life and strong will to live was a large part of the recovery process, not that it was easy-going, but it helped get through the really tough days of being a hospital resident for so long.
D ad is truly a miracle to be here.
The doctors told us that smoking and high blood pressure are leading causes of vascular disease. Dad smoked for over 40 years, but had quit 8 years ago. He had high blood pressure and was on medication for that. Now he is on several medications as he developed a heart arrhythmia while in the hospital, and stomach ulcers. But now, in the aftermath of this event, he faces four more surgeries - two aneurysms, a large incisional hernia from the original aortic repair, and a possible rerouting of his small bowel to his rectum, left intact.