Miracle #1

I was awakened the next morning by an orderly with a wheelchair.  “Time to go downstairs,” he mumbled.  “Let me check your I.D.”

I gave him my arm.  “It’s me,” I said, adding “can I brush my teeth first?”

“Sure,” he responded, “I’ll wait in the hall.”  He turned to leave.

“You don’t have to go,” I said.  “This’ll only take a minute.”

I finished at the sink and plopped into the chair.  “Ready to go – let’s hit it.”  He rolled me into the hall, downstairs, and locked the wheels.  “I’ll be back for you shortly,” he said, walking away from me.

The x-ray went well; I was back in the room within 30 minutes.  As I started my morning clean-up, the phone rang.  It was John.

“Hey, there, how’re you doing this morning?”

“I didn’t sleep much, but I’m fine,” I said.  “I have no idea what’s on the agenda today.”

“Well, before you get too busy, I’m coming in and and I want you to do me a favor,” he said, a little hesitation in his voice.

“What’s that?”

“I’m going to be bringing a bunch of your checks with me, and I want you to sign them.”

I laughed.  “Sure, I’ll sign them, but there’s nothing in the account, so I wouldn’t plan a trip to the Bahamas.”

“It’s not for that, and I can’t explain it to you now.  Just trust me.  I’m not going to be there much today, but I’ll explain everything when I get back sometime this afternoon.”

“O.K.,” I said.  “If I have to leave the room, I’ll give you a call and let you know.”

Sure enough, it hadn’t been a half hour before the cardiologist came bouncing in.  “I’ve scheduled a heart catherization for 1:00 today, so we can find out what’s going on with you and how blocked your system is,” he explained.  “You won’t be asleep; we’ll have you in ‘twilight’ for most of the procedure.”

“I know this is a stupid question, but how much will it hurt?” I asked, sounding like an 8 year old.

“You’ll probably be sore for a couple of days,” he replied.  “I’ll go in through the groin area and move all the way up to your heart to check things out.  You’ll be back in the room in no time.”  He checked my breathing and walked to the door.  “Don’t worry, you’re going to be fine,” he assured me.

Another nurse came in to prep me and ready me for the cath.  “‘Ever had one of these before?” she asked, trying to establish some conversation.

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“Nope,” I said, “this is all new to me.”  She quickly finished up, and it wasn’t long before I was on a gurney heading to cardiac surgery.  I don’t recall any pain throughout the procedure, though the doctor had problems seeing all he needed.  Apparently, the veins in my legs were also clogged, and he had found it necessary to try one leg, then the other, and finally my wrist to complete the cath.  I had bandages all over me by the time I reached the room.

John was waiting on me.  “Everything go o.k.?” he asked.  He helped me put some sweats on and onto the bed.  “I’ve got great news,” he said, and then he started to cry.

“What’s going on?” I asked.  “I’m o.k.”  I paused.  “Don’t worry about me.  They haven’t even started yet.

“No, it’s not that,” he stumbled.   He paused.  “As you know, the hospital has a department for Patient Services.  I went to see them today to ask for help.”  Another pause.  “They’re going to look at your situation, and there’s a chance they may write-off the whole hospital bill.”

Then I started crying.  “That’s wonderful!” I shouted. 

He continued.  “Well, even if they don’t write off the whole thing, it will at least give you a lower bill.”  He walked to the window.  “And another thing,” he continued.  “I’ve been to each doctor’s office and negotiated their fees.  Apparently with the economy the way it is, they’re seeing a lot of this.”  He walked back to the bed and hugged me.  “See there?  We’ll find a way, somehow.  Oh, by the way,” he remembered, “I called Belinda and asked her to come tomorrow, when I thought you’d be feeling better.”

“I can’t believe what you’ve told me,” I said.  “I’m on Cloud 9 after that news.”