I’m being wheeled in for a minor heart procedure. They say. I’m only supposed to be in there for about 30 minutes. They say. I should get to go home that evening. They say.
As I’m fully awake and the only one at the party with no pants on. I’m beyond freaked out. There are 4 sweet nurses wearing face masks that lift me to the slab where they will put a catheter in my groin to plug a hole in my heart. I know, weird and also very impressive of our medical advances. I nervously ask the nurses around me which one will give me the drugs to help me not remember this scary room. A nice lady says she shares the same birthday with me and we talk for a moment about how summer birthdays are nice because you get presents every six months.
I again ask where the drugs are.
I’m freaking out. Freezing as my legs shake and my arms have to be held up by arm rests because the slab is so thin. It’s the first time I really thought about dying.
Now, I know you probably think I’m being dramatic. Remember, I’m an artist. I am ALWAYS creating things in my head. You know on Alice in Wonderland where she talks about imagining 10 impossible things before breakfast… well that’s me in a nutshell. And I have a touch of ADHD. My husband says WAY more than a touch.
So, my brain is going crazy. I’m flat, laying on a cold slab, totally AWARE of all my surroundings and all I can think about is “What if this is it?” “What if something goes wrong?”
The nurse next to me says “Are you ok?” I tell her I’m freaking out. She says “Well, did you pray?” I said yes and about 1000 other people are praying too!
I then mention if things start to go south please feel free to pray! I am all for it!
A few minutes later the drug lady comes in. I am so happy to see her. She gives me something in my IV and I start to calm down. Throughout the procedure I was in and out, but when I was awake I can remember seeing the screen that the doctor was looking at and seeing my heart beating.
I can hear them talking and then I see kind of like an explosion go to the other side of my heart.
At that moment I think the worst. Oh no, here it comes. Open heart surgery. So I yell out to the doctor in my drug induced haze “Is everything okay??? Did it work???” The doctor says “Yes, we just got it in place, now for the easy part!” I’m awake as I hear the doctor say “That was a difficult case, but we were successful, good job everyone!” Then I hear clapping! All the doctors and nurses are clapping in the operating room.
I was the first person in Texas to have this new device put in my heart for smaller PFO’s. (AKA small hole in the heart) They say I wasn’t a guinea pig, it’s been tested, but the FDA had just released it on Oct 28th to be approved for smaller holes.
As I’m wheeled back into the room with my family, I have uncontrollable tears coming down my face. I’m totally drugged up, but I know what has just happened. They closed it. Then the doctor comes in and tells me just what a miracle it was.
He says that he tried for about 5 minutes, then the doctor that did the VERY first PFO closure in 2003 tried for about 40 minutes until he had to leave for another surgery. A nurse Angel named DeDe (The one that has the same B-day as me) suggested another way to try to get the device in place and my doctor tried 1 more time, this time with success!!!
So, a 20 minute procedure took over an hour, but WORKED! I went for a follow up to see the new device in my heart and to do another test and it shows that the hole is closed! I asked if Nurse DeDe was there so I could thank her in person and she was in surgery so I left her a message.
I said “This is Heidi Easley and you were in the operating room when you did the heart procedure last week. I just wanted to Thank….” I burst out in tears as I try to thank this lady that shares the same birthday as me. I can barely talk as I explain how much it means to me that she made that suggestion and that it could have possibly changed my life forever. The other sweet nurses hear me leaving the message and we all end up crying. I had no idea that I would burst into tears, but I think the reason I did is because I was so grateful.
Grateful for a whole heart.
Grateful for earth Angels like DeDe.
Grateful for such a loving husband and family.
Grateful that this past 3 months of constant doctors and endless hospital bills was ending.
Grateful that I don’t have to “stroke out” again.
Grateful for my next chapter.
I come home optimistic. I share the news with my family and think about my future. I think about my families future.
So, this got me thinking… which you know I’m ALWAYS doing… What about creating a new Artsy Vision Board for 2017?
YES, that’s it! What do I want for 2017!? What do I want to create in my life? So that’s what I did. I created a new vision for 2017 and I made it into a Create 2017 Artsy Workshop!
And the cool part is – I recorded it so you can be a part of this workshop FOR FREE! It’s called Let’s Create 2017! It’s my present to you for being such a great person! For reading my endless blabbing newsletters, for always coming to my painting events, for inspiring me, praying for me and my family and many other things! So thank you!
It’s a step-by-step online workshop that teaches you exactly how to create an Artsy Vision Board! Yes, we can all just cut out magazines and post on a poster board, but I wanted it to be Artsy. This workshop will show you how to create your very own 2017 Vision Board with Artsy touches so it’s meaningful and exciting to you! What’s the big secret in creating a Vision Board? It’s really about creating a board on how you want to feel! Yes, you can add material stuff as well, but the big secret is making it have the feeling that you want.
Do you want something to help remind you each day of what you want out of 2017?
It’s been proven time and time again that writing down our goals and looking at them each day creates inspired action which leads to success! Oh and it’s FREE as my gift to you!!!!
Join me as we Create a Wonderful 2017! Just click the link below for immediate access!
The entire workshop is FREE and includes video of me showing you Step-by-Step so that you can create a successful Artsy Vision Board! https://vimeo.com/194919979