Anniversary #3

Well, last Tuesday, August 23rd, was the anniversary of my dreaded episode and I would like to take time to thank my neighbor, we’ll call him George, for performing CPR on me as well as would I like to thank my wife of 12 years for regaining control in a very intense situation. But most of all I would like to thank God for not removing me from my family.

For those of you who do not know about my “episode” I’ll try to be brief and shed a bit of light on the subject. On the night of August 23rd, 2002 my wife and I had a couple over for dinner, we’ll call them Eric and Lisa. Eric is a great chief and that evening he made some pasta and some rice balls and some tiramisu. Now if I had the recipes for these meals I would so provide them, especially the rice balls, incredible. After dinner we all went out onto my backyard patio and sat and enjoyed a wonderful evening with a gorgeous full moon while my two children where inside the house watching TV or a movie. I had just popped the top off of my second beer of the evening. George, my neighbor, and his family where sitting outside around there patio table enjoying the same wonderful evening. As the night went on, I started to feel a bit week and light headed. I started to sweat profusely. I looked at my wife, who was sitting right beside me, and I told her “Baby, I’m not feeling too good right now.” She placed her drink on to the table, felt my forehead and said, “You do not look well. Something is wrong!” She then leaned her ear to my chest and then said, “I can barely hear your heart beating.” Eric, then said, “You need to get up and walk inside.” And that is the last thing I can recall consciously.

From talking with everyone there that evening, here is what transpired next. I stood up and started to take a few steps in the direction of my yard, before I could get off the porch, I vomited, took about 2 more steps and then “TIMBER!” Unprotected, face first, right down like a tree. As I hit the ground, my wife yelled out to me which in turn got the attention of my neighbor. Eric rolled me over and yelled out, “He’s not breathing!” George jumped our joining fence and instantly called out for someone to call 911 and then began CPR on me. My wife was frantic, yelling into the phone to the emergency operator. George’s wife grabbed my wife and told her to get a hold of herself and to take control. She told her “You need to make sense and stay level headed to help your husband.” Then next thing I remember is like someone had just turned a TV where you can hear the voices but you can not see the picture. Once I regained my sight, I realized that I could not move any of my extremities. And right then, someone hit the power button on the remote and turned my right off again. I then came to while the paramedic placed me onto their gurney and placed me into their ambulance…

The rest will have to come at a later time!
Gotta jet!