15/10/2021
10 years ago today, I suffered Sudden Cardiac Arrest, also referred to as Sudden Cardiac Death. I was physically active and had no prior health problems. I had told my doctors several times over about a 10 year period that I felt a weird fluttering in my heart, but they just chalked it up to anxiety and my over-active imagination. It all came to a head on October 15, 2011. Gonzalo and I worked out and played a round of golf. That evening, I felt a little dizzy. I ended up making a âsnoring soundâ mid-sentence. Gonz called 9-1-1 and did CPR. Paso Robles Fire and paramedics arrived, dragged me to the floor and did compressions so hard I woke up with broken ribs. They eventually got me back with a shock. It would be the first of many shocks I would endure from a defibrillator (itâs not fun). A long road of 40 days in the hospital, 3 catheter ablations, discovery of a âfalse tendonâ, lots of medication and a hard fight against congestive heart failure, but Iâm still here. I do not take these extra years I have been gifted lightly. One of the first things I said when I was taken off the ventilator was âI havenât seen my grand kidsâ. Well, now I have my Felix and look forward to siblings and cousins to join him. Iâve been there for my sonâs wedding and my daughtersâ graduations from college and high school. Gonzalo and I are getting ready to celebrate our Silver Anniversary.
Thank you Gonzalo, Paul, Sandy, Lynda, Momma Esther and so many more friends and family for being there with I needed you and for giving me the opportunity to stick around for a while. Iâm so happy to be here.