Just a fun story..

Thanks to a certain dear friend of mine, I've recently started watching Grey's Anatomy.  And even though I'm only four episodes in, I'm already hooked.

On this show, they do a lot of surgeries.  I think I've already seen at least three open heart surgeries, and that inspired me to share a little bit about my experience.

When I was five, I kept getting really really sick.  I got strep a lot, which sucked, and had to go to the doctor a butt load of times.  But, thanks to my tonsils being obnoxious little buggers, my PCP found something much more serious.  I had a hole in my heart, in the top part between my two Atria. (For all you fancy schmancy people, the actual diagnosis was ASD, Atrial Septal Defect)

So, at the tender age of five, I went under the knife, was clinically dead for a while, and now have a nice little patch in my heart and ribs that are being held together by industrial strength twisty-ties.  Sadly, though, I have never set off the metal detectors in airports.

I'm not telling this story to get pity or attention.  I'm telling it because it's so stinking cool! How many people can say they were clinically dead once? Also, I feel like if I'm going to be pouring my heart out to all you lovely readers Monday-Friday, I may as well start with.. my actual heart.

Anyway.  I don't really remember much about that time.  Except that the day I had my surgery was June 21, 2000.  Right before my 6th birthday.  And my mom had spent hours the night before doing my hair "so they will know how loved you are." It was a very emotional time full of a lot of tears. And I was a little upset too.

In fact, one thing I do remember is that on the day of the surgery, I was given a cup of red medicine that would start the whole going to sleep process, and I did not want to take it.

But I drank it! and then I cried and screamed for my mommy as they were rolling my bed down the hall.  Then we got to a double door, my mother wasn't allowed to follow, I was given a bunny doll, and woke up a few hours later to a nurse who I fell madly in love with. I was so determined to flirt with him, when asked how I wanted to be transported from the ICU to my little room, I very graciously offered to let him carry me.  What a sweetie I was!

Even though that was a tough time for all of us, I think it also brought my family together, even tighter. My parents were afraid of losing their baby, and my siblings were all hoping for one wrong move to take out their competition for favorite child (I promise I'm just kidding. No one was hoping that I would die.. that I know of :p)

It also turned out to be a pretty deep spiritual experience for my mom, but that's her story to tell.

I would like to say my heart surgery taught me some profound lesson about life and love and family and inner strength, but I think really the only things I took away from is are some pretty epic scars and awesome stories.

When B and I planned our wedding for June 21, I didn't even make the connection.  But, in my 20/20 hindsight it's kind of cool to know that that day is the day my heart was made whole.  Twice.

(This is where I would put a picture of the ultrasound showing the hole.. But I think that's hanging up on my parents' fridge.  So instead here's an informational illustration, courtesy of Google!