6 Years ... and Counting

Today, I am on the heels of another milestone - the 6th anniversary of my heart transplant. At approximately 8:30 PM CST time this evening, it will be 6 years since I "won the lottery" receiving the phone call my wife, myself, my family, and my friends had been praying, hoping, and waiting for. It was at that time that the nurse called and said, "A heart has become available for you." That moment in time marked the beginning of my "second life" and the beginning of "overtime," as I so often refer to it now.

On the beach in San Diego, CA - July 2011

After we got "the call," we rushed to the hospital and shortly after midnight, in the wee hours of the morning, on February 21, 2007, I told my wife, "I'll see ya later," and they rolled me to the operating room. At that point, I didn't know what would happen. When I woke up would it be with a new heart ? Or, would I wake up in the presence of the Lord ? Only He knew. I was o.k. with either.

I woke up on the 22nd. The first thing I saw was my wife leaning over me smiling. She said, "You've got a new heart." I will never forget it. The other thing that I noticed immediately was that my hands and feet felt warm for the first time in about four years. I looked down at my hands and they were even red !! I could feel my new heart pumping and pumping strongly. In fact, it was so strong it was a little spooky.

I have thanked a lot of people since then, including the doctors, nurses, my donor and his family, friends who helped out during my recovery, and many, many others. However, as I complete overtime #6 and begin #7, there is someone else I need to thoroughly thank publicly - my wife. She stayed by me through the 11-year long battle with heart disease. She was my nurse, my encourager, my advocate, and my helper. I wouldn't have made it without her.

Today's blog post is a combination of a Music Monday and a Transplant Tuesday / Thursday rolled into one. I am dedicating the song and music video embedded below (you can click here to watch, too) to my wonderful wife. It is Bad English's "When I See You Smile." It reminds me of the first time I awoke after my transplant and saw her smiling. I will never, ever forget it.