Don't take your health for granted!

The phone call we all never want to get came late one day last week. A family member, my brother John collapsed suddenly while at the wheel of his vehicle. Retired and living in Florida he was in New Jersey with his wife burying his mother-in-law whom had recently died at the age of 92. The days had been long and the miles of travel kept adding up as they dropped off daughter & grand daughter near Binghamton, NY. As they began the journey south he had only traveled a couple blocks when he suddenly pulled over started coughing and suddenly slumped over the steering wheel.

A call to 911 . . .rescue breathing . . . .NY State Police . . . .CPR . . . .EMS . . . .local hospital ER and then a transfer to Albany Medical Center Cardiac Care Unit . . . .though I listened to my brother Jay's words as he explained the sequence of events it was hard to believe. You hear it, you understand the seriousness of it all, but your mind doesn't want to allow it to be true. Like all families you gather the wagons and some of the troops are dispatched while others standby. I became the scribe relaying every update that is fed to me to family members across the US and overseas.

CPR . . .its an acronym that's tossed about so freely and even elementary kids know it's meaning. Yet, how many really take the time to make sure they are trained. Being able to respond to an emergency even as a lay person can have life altering consequences. The brain cannot survive very long without oxygen and ones ability to react quickly can make a difference.

Fortunately John has survived an incident which could have been fatal. He remains in the CCU as more tests are being run to determine the cause of his episode. He has suffered some injury, but so far his heart, lungs and brain show no permanent damage. WE are so thankful and blessed that he is still with us. The recovery road ahead is going to be long and will provide many challenges for him and his wife. But, he has the determination and family support necessary to turn things around and eventually be back on his feet. We all know more tests are being run and it isn't all blue skies yet . . . .but our faith keeps us strong.