Earlier this week, my dad had a routine appointment with a cardiologist, who thought it might be a good idea to go in for a closer look and, possibly, a stent in one of his arteries. Not a big deal.
When they got in there, though, they instead found that three arteries were nearly completely blocked. While he had never had a heart attack nor shortness of breath nor any other symptoms, he seemingly had nearly no blood flow to his heart.
He was scheduled immediately for triple bypass surgery on Saturday afternoon. That's when my cycling plans went out the window. My mother, my siblings and I and our spouses spent the afternoon in the waiting room at Strong Memorial Hospital, staring at his number on the monitor and trying to keep ourselves distracted.
Everything went great. He's in recovery now and already back making stupid jokes, even though he's on doctor's orders not to laugh, lest he tear his open chest wound apart.
It was a blessing beyond description that my dad went to get checked out before he had a heart attack. So today, instead of bothering you all for a donation to my charity (though you can still do that if you want!), I have a different request: if you have some preventive health care you've been putting off, please stop putting it off and make a doctor's appointment in the morning. Please consider, at least for your family's sake, that it could save your life.
The riding begins again next Saturday, on Owasco Lake with my good friend Bob Harding.
You're a good son.
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