This is the story of my heart.
She deserves every Purple Heart I can find and with every open heart surgery she has, in my thoughts at least, received one. The scoreboard at the moment is my heart 6, Andrew 0. My heart is purple.
Where a friend or ally can’t be described any other way than as a ‘lifeline’, she has been that throughout my life. Although it’s been hard, she’s stayed faithful and strong. She beat weakly when no one expected her to. She is my constant companion.
We have another companion now. A pacemaker. It has given her the strength to keep beating when she might have given up. It has kept her in check when, railing against the injustice of it all, she speeds up to frightening proportions. It calms her down and picks her up. It is her companion but he is now working 92% of the time and I fear he too could get tired of the constant battle. I believe we will need re-inforcements shortly and until I see them coming over the hill, we will continue to fight to the last moment.
Six times in all. Six times, my chest has been opened up, six times she has been cut open to be repaired and six times it could so easily have been the end. And six times, we have fought to live.
Having a heart complaint whether it’s a blocked artery, high cholesterol or if you’ve suffered a heart attack is a life and death situation. You can fold up and take pity on yourself or you can take it on the chin and fight.
Until then, this blog is about life and how I see it. Life may never last long for someone like me. It may be short but it is about the attitude. About how you manage, about how you can laugh at things and find the gems that make life bearable and positive. Here is where I retell experiences that I have fortunately, or unfortunately, undergone and however stupid and entertaining they may be, I hope it may aid you in your day.
By sharing my story, I hope that other people find the courage and persistence to live and go on when faced with death, because within the human spirit, optimism and courage are bred. We don’t always know how to easily access it. But it’s there.