Some days it’s painting, some days it’s writing, some days it’s sketching, other days designing.
Some days I feel like reading, some days I feel like photographing, some days I feel like scrapbooking, some days I feel like coloring.
Some days I feel like singing, other days I feel like dancing. In the spring I enjoy my gardening and in the summer time, my canning.
There are days I like to create with paper, other days colored glass. Some days I dabble in jewelry making, other days build homes in miniature size.
I’ve tried my hand at blacksmithing, crocheting and cross stitch, knitting, and clay creating – boy, what a mix!
While I may not be a pro at any of these, one thing is for sure. I’m not afraid to try new things, being creative is what I love. It brings a smile to my face and joy to my heart. It helps to heal me from the inside out to share it with those I love.
Not to long ago we began a brand new year. A time for new resolutions for more exercise, better eating habits, and creating a healthier self. We make these common promises year after year, only to find ourselves caving in to devour that piece of chocolate cake and feeling guilty for enjoying such pleasures. We then follow up with nearly identical resolutions the following year.
I too have made these resolutions over and over again. What I never realized is that I had always based them off of this looming fear that I had an expiration date earlier than most. I was allowing my heart condition to run my life. I saw it as a problem to be solved and the only way to fix it was by making those annual resolutions again and again to prevent that expiration date from approaching. If I veered off course and ate that chocolate cake, I felt like I let myself down and that because of those decisions, my expiration date was approaching faster. I never realized it, but these thoughts consumed me more-so than I’d like to admit. I never realized how much I haven’t been living life.
This year its time for a new resolution, a different resolution. I resolve to live. To live my life to the fullest. To live a life without fear of expiring. None of us know when we will die but I don’t want to live in fear of an approaching death. I want to enjoy that occasional slice of cake of life without feeling guilty. I want to enjoy my family and friends more, create more memories and experiences without the fear that those memories may be the last. This all consuming fear of expiring has consumed me for far too long. I always thought I was living life, but I wasn’t. That thought of that expiration date dictated my every thought, every move, every decision. I’ve lived my life very regimented and tried to be as prepared as I could be, knowing every single move I was going to make. I left little room for surprises or the unexpected. I may have heart disease, I may be waiting for my turn at a transplant, but I am done letting this heart condition dictate my every being anymore. I am now confident that I will live a long life despite these health problems. I can do this!
So my resolution for 2024 is simple. I simply resolve to live life to the absolute fullest!
“Life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced.” Soren Kierkegaard
If you’ve spent any time in the hospital, ER, or similar facility, chances are you’ve encountered all different types of patients awaiting care. Having spent so much time in and out of hospitals, I often found myself quietly observing fellow patients and listening to the conversations between staff members while I waited for my own care to take place. It didn’t take me long to realize that there were essentially seven types of patients that reminded me of the seven dwarves. Just like the dwarves, each have their own unique personality and each were cared for in slightly different ways.
Our first patient is one that is always found sleeping. No matter how much sleep they get, it never seems to be enough. Whether it is in the waiting room chair or the hospital bed, these individuals are always quiet and too lethargic to do much of anything else. Staff is often overheard calling out the patients names over and over again until finally the patient wakes. The staff doesn’t seem to mind caring for these individuals as their requests are minimal. These I refer to as our Sleepy patients.
Next, we have the patient that is constantly coming down with something, no matter what type of care they receive. When one problem is fixed, they are back in to have another addressed. Many times, the doctors can’t find anything wrong. They are also not afraid to share their long list of problems, the longer the better, and they compete with others in a contest of “Who is sicker”. Some may know these as the hypochondriac . These individuals I refer to as Sneezy.
Next, we have the patients more miserable than the rest. Seems like these patients are the least favorite of all and are avoided or passed along to another member of staff or minimal time is spent addressing their needs. They get annoyed with everything and everybody. Their complaints can be heard beds away, they insist that everything the staff is doing is wrong, they are incredibly impatient and the ones you don’t want to be around. Many times, they think they are the only patients with problems. Regardless of how fast the staff moves, it is never fast enough. They can be rude, loud, and somewhat obnoxious. Can you guess who I refer to these patients as? Grumpy of course!
Next, we have, the clumsy patient who is young-at-heart. Sweet natured, they mean well, they simply can’t be left alone as they like to take care of business themselves. The “I can do it!” mentality when it’s something shouldn’t do. A bit absentminded but they mean well. These I refer to as the Dopey patients.
The cheerful patient who greets everyone with a smile and takes everything in stride. They refuse to let things get them down and they follow the orders given by their doctors and nurses. They have no problem asking questions, asking for clarification or requesting more medical help when it is needed. They’re not rude or disrespectful and they are pleasant to their fellow hospital mates. They make the best out of a bad situation. The staff enjoys interacting with them and they feel appreciated by these patients and are reminded of why they got into the medical field in the first place. These are our Happy patients!
Our next patients are those who shy away from asking nurses or doctors anything at all as they feel that their problems are unwarranted and staff have other more important things to do. Staff has no problems caring for these patients as their requests are typically few, however they do insist the patient ask when they need something as it is no inconvenience at all. It’s their job to take care of them. These are the Bashful patients.
Last, we have the patient most knowledgeable in the medical field or at least seemingly so. They spend a tremendous amount of time hunting down information on the internet as they head down the rabbit hole through their research while under the impression that they know more than all of the doctors and nurses combined. Unlike grumpy, they don’t have a temper nor do they feel like their concerns are constantly never met. They are simply the know-it-alls. I refer to these patients as the Doc’s.
The nurses, they are our Snow Whites. Like Snow White, they are providing care to us all, acting as mothers and tending to our needs.
Regardless of what type of patient you are, the fact is that you’ll likely face some of these other patients along the way. Which dwarf are you?
“I’m sure I’ll get along somehow. Everything’s going to be alright.” Snow White
I see the sunlight shining through the windows and can’t help but smile as I open my back door. My first full walk outdoors since my surgery and I couldn’t wait to feel the warm temperatures of Spring hit my face. The faint sound of my heavy metal windchimes can be heard, blowing gently in the breeze, creating a welcoming sound as I take my first steps off of the porch. Yards away, I can see the hens walking around, clucking their happy tune while their brother stands tall and crows as the hens walk by.
The bright yellow dandelions pop up among the luscious green grass that is desperate to be mowed for the first time while tiny bees buzz from one flower to the next, leaving traces of themselves along the way. The tall trees surrounding me dance gracefully as they show off their leaves, while their branches wave in unison to great me.
(C)Virginia Womelsdorf
I look over at the side of the house and notice how the hostas, with their verigated leaves, are popping up through the soil, stretching out after a long winters slumber, soaking up the warm sun.
I watch as a butterfly dances happily by itself as it flies by. In the distance, I can hear a mixture of lawnmowers and chainsaws, buzzing their own happy tunes – its clear that yardwork is on everyone’s mind. The faint sound of young children can be heard as they giggled and laughed their young souls enjoying the gifts nature has to offer.
A pair of birds begin chasing each other from tree branch to tree branch as if to play a game of tag, as other birds began chirping, and cheering the pair on as they fly by.
The flower garden is a mixture of old and new plant growth as they join together to create a beautiful canvas. The bleeding heart bush bears the only color in the garden right now – a bright shade of pink, with its heart shaped blooms dripping from their branches.
I look around, smile, and as I lift my head to the sky, I can’t help but to think to myself, Spring is here and so am I. So am I!!
I wish I could tell you what happened once I faded away in the ambulance, but it wasn’t until a week or two later that one of the nurses from the ICU explained what had happened that night I arrived.
I’m not entirely sure whether my mind was playing tricks on me or what really happened, but the next thing I remember is looking down at myself on the gurney, somewhere inside a hospital I had never been to before, wrapped up in blankets, appearing to be sleeping. I watched as individuals I assume to be medical staff rush towards me, running out of various rooms, yelling to one another but I couldn’t hear their words. How was it possible that I could see what I was seeing? Was it simply my mind putting the pieces of the surroundings and the current situation together, making me think I was looking down at myself and seeing these people head towards me? I honestly couldn’t say. It was so incredibly strange! I wasn’t scared, I wasn’t anxious, I felt oddly calm as I waited to see what would happen next. I think I drifted off to sleep and when I opened my eyes, this time I could tell I was laying on the gurney, looking up and watching the ceiling lights fly by. I was no longer looking down at myself. Surrounding me, a commotion of doctors and nurses, along with the EMT’s whose voices I recognized, each grasping the bed, feet pounding against the floor as they ran me down the corridor. I drifted off once again, only to open my eyes what seemed like seconds later and found myself in a room packed with various medical professionals, working together, trying to start IV’s, trying to draw blood, hooking me up to monitors and machines and administering whatever else they needed to quickly. It was like a real life medical drama show, doctors and nurses talking over each other, deciding on what to do next. I just kept thinking to myself, “All this for me? Why are there so many people here? What is wrong with me? How long will I be here? What is going on? What is all this fuss about? I’m not in any pain.” My body just wanted to go back into that deep, deep sleep but my mind began playing tug of war with my body this time, preventing my eyelids from shutting. All I could do was lay there, flat on my back and observe what was going on around me. My body seemed like it wanted to give up and I felt helpless that I couldn’t do anything to stop the feeling at this point. I had no energy to move, all I could do is lie there and wait. I think perhaps my mind was afraid that if I did shut my eyes one more time, I wouldn’t wake up. I think another part of me had this thought that when a person dies, there’d be a crazy amount of pain but there wasn’t. Honestly, I didn’t know what to think really. It was all becoming just a blur. I was just so exhausted. Eventually the doctors and nurses did manage to get things under control and I must have zonked out because I could no longer stay awake. When I did wake up, I couldn’t help but think “what the hell just happened?” a few hours before. I was still trying to process everything. I watched as the time ticked by. Minutes, hours…clearly this was incredibly serious and I wasn’t going anywhere.
After a while in the ICU, I was eventually transferred down to the cardiac ward where I stayed for nearly the entire month of December. I looked forward to seeing the ICU nurses and the doctors who took care of me upstairs, who popped in to say hello and see how I was doing, but I thought it was strange that they took the extra time to come down just to see a patient who was no longer on the floor they were working on. To keep myself busy during the day, I worked on a miniature house model my parents had bought me for Christmas. I think the staff got a kick out of seeing someone doing something other than just laying in bed and watching tv. I was feeling better but still wasn’t well enough to go home. The doctors and nurses told me tid bits of what was happening with my heart but I didn’t understand the magnitude and seriousness of what had happened. One evening, one of the nurses who was present when I initially came to the hospital asked me if I remembered who she was and if I recalled everything that had happened the night that I arrived. I couldn’t be sure what was memory or just my imagination but I told her what I could recall. We sat there talking for a while and that is when she told me I had coded when I arrived. She looked at me and told me “we saved your life.” Essentially my heart was coming to a halt and no longer wanted to keep beating. She was the first one to actually tell me I had coded and perhaps that’s why it felt like I was looking down upon myself that night; I was approaching the brink of death. I had no idea until this point that I was so close to dying. It was trying to take me. Was I ready? Clearly, I was not. It was this nurse who ultimately saved my life.
I’d love to say that I am back to where I was (health wise) that I was before, but right now that is wishful thinking. Granted things have gotten better since last December, but I have yet another long road ahead of me. I see doctors more often now, take more medications than ever before, and ultimately a heart transplant will be what I’ll need, but I don’t let that deter me from setting new goals and continuing to dream new dreams. It’s true, death did try to take me, but I wasn’t ready. I’m not ready. I have so much more of life I want to live, so much more I want to give, and I know there is an even bigger purpose I need to fulfill here on earth.
Not long ago, I was celebrating my 40th birthday, convinced that I was on the uphill side of combating my heart condition, looking forward to living many more years. I felt I was winning the battle with heart disease and was confident that the defibrillator inside me would never falter and would save my life just as it should or the doctors would be able to “fix” me again if something were to go wrong. The thought of dying was something I was able to finally push to the back of my mind – still there, but not something I was continuously stressing over anymore. Death would happen eventually (it happens to all of us) but figured I wouldn’t have to face it for a long, long time. I was confident that I had everything under control, but this past December, I learned that I was wrong. I was being pushed over the edge by death, holding on for dear life. Was it time to let go?
I was being pushed over the edge by death, holding on for dear life. Was it time to let go?
Last year began like no other…multiple checkups to start the year off to ensure everything with my heart was going alright. A balance of medications was found that helped my heart beat regularly. It had also grown a bit stronger and was pumping more efficiently. Granted, I still had other health issues that hadn’t disappeared and I was still trying different diets and exercises to loose more weight and stay fit, but overall, it seemed as though my heart was much better and I felt better than I had before, or so I thought. I was confident that it would be the year I wouldn’t have so many doctors to see and fewer tests would have to be run. Finally, less time taken up by health issues meant I could focus more on things I enjoyed and spending time with those I love.
As the months passed, I held on to that thinking. But by Fall, visits to the ER and doctors offices once again became the norm. It was issue after issue, literally one right after another. Each time, I just assumed it was something I’d have to deal with temporarily and then move on. Kidney stones, issues with the gallbladder, the liver, cellulitis, etc. ….these weren’t uncommon problems that couldn’t be fixed or handled with medication or surgery. Unfortunately, the issue was that one problem presented itself before the prior one was fixed. It was never a thought that these issues were tied to my heart issues at all. Normally, whenever I got sick, I could feel those crazy heartbeats happening and my heart going out of whack, but this time, there was no indication of trouble at all. But all that changed one night in December. After spending the morning in the ER (again), dealing with a reaction I was having to one of the medications I was given for another health issue, we came back home and were settling in for the night. My husband, son, and I had finished dinner and we were all looking forward to relaxing and watching a bit of HGTV. Compared to the morning, I was feeling great-perhaps a residual effect of the new medications they pumped me up with at the ER. And then it happened. Like a switch. One second I was full of energy, alert and speaking to my husband and the next, I was so tired and could hardly keep my eyes open or muster the strength to speak. I felt my pacemaker kick in and go straight to work. This wasn’t abnormal, but my gut was telling me something just wasn’t right this time. I laid down in bed as the pacing continued while I listened to my husband call out my name and ask if I was okay. I definitely wasn’t. Rather than waiting for an ambulance to arrive, we hopped into the car and my son drove us to the local hospital to seek medical attention.
Once we arrived, I was recognized by some of the staff (having seen them earlier in the day) and escorted to a room in the ER. Staff went to work – connecting me to monitors, drawing more blood, inserting IV’s and asking questions to try to determine exactly what was wrong. You know, the normal routine that every patient faces when they come in. My heart was still beating irregularly and the pacemaker was still trying to kick it back into a normal rhythm. My ICD (internal defibrillator) should have kicked in and administer a shock, but to everyone’s surprise, it didn’t. I was told that an external defibrillator had to be used. My mother, having been through similar events years ago, had always described a shock as feeling like a kick to the chest by a horse. She wasn’t wrong! They attached the pads to my chest and before I could slip my tongue back into my mouth, BAM!!! The shock was administered! I’m not sure which caused me to yell profanities, the kick or my sharp teeth piercing my tongue – either way, they both hurt!! Fortunately, it seemed to have helped snap my heart back into a normal rhythm for the time being. I knew I wouldn’t be going home, but I had no idea that this was just the beginning of one of the scariest nights of my life. I was a bit more awake and alert by now and was informed that I was being transferred to another hospital where my needs could be better met. Those who know me, know I tend to get the giggles and ask a lot of questions when I’m nervous. Needless to say, I seemed to be an exceptionally happy patient, eagerly wanting to chit chat with the staff. “It’s no big deal” I kept saying. “The doctors will fix me up and I’ll be home before I know it.” It wasn’t long before the ambulance arrived to transport me to my next location. I was wrapped up like a burrito and secured with belts to the gurney, all while, chatting and joking around with the nurses and EMT’s as they rolled me away. Secured into the ambulance, the EMT’s jumped in and we were on our way. At this point, I still didn’t think things were that bad. I figured I would probably have to spend a few days in the hospital and then would be sent home with some changes to medication and a few restrictions. It’d be a long drive to my next destination, so I tried to keep myself calm and my mind from wandering and worrying by chatting and joking with the EMT that was sitting besides me. This meant I was alert and awake and could speak to him if I felt that anything was wrong. Unfortunately, before we had reached our final destination, that overly tired feeling, forcing me to close my eyes, began washing over me again. My heart was slowing down, my breathing was growing shallower and I no longer felt like I could speak. It was a tired feeling I had never felt, stronger than the one I had felt a few hours before. I wanted so much to open my eyes, but they felt glued shut. I could hear the EMT calling out my name, but my mouth still wouldn’t speak. I could hear the sirens ringing and felt the ambulance picking up speed as I began to fade away – I was crashing and they wanted to get to the hospital fast! Looking back, what I found interesting was that at the moment this event was happening, the moment I thought I would be taking my last breath, I wasn’t scared or anxious. It was so strange. I was at ease. Time seemed to slow down as thoughts of my life, my family, and friends, passed through my mind. What seemed like hours of streaming memories probably happened in a matter of seconds. I said a prayer to myself and questioned whether my time had come. Was I ready for this? Were my family and friends ready for this? If death takes me now, does that mean I am weak and have lost the will to fight? I was so tired and thought that I could fight no more. These were the final thoughts I can remember as I continued to slip away…
“Just a small town girl, living in a COVID world!!” – Belting out the lyrics to Journey’s Don’t Stop Believing, as I top off my mug of iced tea, getting ready to take a break. Occasionally I like to amuse myself (and others) by adding words to the songs streaming from the speakers in my living room. I couldn’t help but realize it has been over a year since my professional life had changed. The owner of the company I worked for had to make some really tough decisions; unfortunately, my position as well as others, had to be cut. It was only natural to be upset. Who wouldn’t be, right? So many emotions tend to come flooding in at that single moment. Immediately you begin to ask yourself a series of questions. What was I going to do next? Where was I going to start looking for a new job? Should I start my own business now or wait? I essentially had two choices – find another job or start my own business. Then it hit me – it was time for me to start my own business, combining multiple things that I love to do most. My health seemed to be under control; new medication started and it seemed as though my heart was on the mend and I was feeling so much better. My original 5-10 year plan had suddenly turned into my 5-10 month plan. Although a bit nervous, I was looking forward to a new adventure and naturally up for the challenges I was about to face. Some changes had to be occur, some sacrifices made, but my family and friends were behind me all the way. I am a total health & safety geek; motivating, educating, and inspiring others to be healthier and safer is what I do best. Now I had the chance to turn it into a business that I could run out of my home and so, by Christmas last year, my LLC was born and I was preparing to open after the new year began.
I learned quickly that some things happen that you may not have necessarily been fully prepared for. I had officially opened my clothing and merchandise shop earlier this year, then BAM! A worldwide pandemic hit us all. Like so many others, lockdowns began just after we opened our doors. It is moments like this when you begin to question whether you made the right decision or not. Should I have focused on another job opportunity rather than starting my own business? Should I have waited to work towards my future goals and dreams? Should I have waited until the “perfect” timing to start? What if I don’t succeed?What if I don’t make it through this pandemic? It’s amazing how many questions can quickly fill your head, trying to derail you from the things you are trying to achieve. If I learned anything over the years of dealing with heart disease and moments when things got worse and I yearned to get better, its that it will take hard work, dedication, perseverance and the help of just 3 little words to help me to get to where I wanted to be. Those three little words I so often repeated to myself (even to this day) – YES I CAN!!
Regardless of what your goal is; whether it’s related to your health, your relationships or your professional life; in those moments of uncertainty, while you’re having difficulty seeing things through, repeat to yourself, YES I CAN! When you face some hard times and find it a struggle to make it through; repeat to yourself, YES I CAN! There will be obstacles and challenges to overcome, moments you may not want to face; repeat to yourself, YES I CAN! In some instances, something or someone may try to stop you from reaching your goals; in those moments, repeat to yourself – YES I CAN!
Anything is possible when you say to yourself, YES I CAN!!
Making my goals and dreams come true…feel free to stop by and check out my new shop!
This year, for Rock the Red, I brought on fellow survivors who were willing to share their stories. Ladies whom I crossed paths with in an online support group for Women with heart disease. For years, I didn’t participate in any sort of support group; always thought I had things under control. But like anyone with a chronic illness or disease, it helps to have that extra support from others going through similar situations – a reminder that you to are not alone in the fight. I’d like to introduce Andrea. Andrea has recently begun her journey dealing with heart disease, but with her positive attitude and children by her side, she’s tackling this challenge one day at a time.
I would love to share my story!!! I am a 41yo women recently diagnosed with stress induced cardiomyopathy on December 6th, 2019. This is my third round of fighting CHF due to cardiomyopathy with my current EF at 20-25%. I will never quit fighting and plan to be around for my children as long as I can! The hardest part was not being able to work (as a 17 year veteran teacher) and bring my own kids to school with me. CHF is a condition that does change your life, but it does not define who you are or can be!!! It is a part of my daily life with medication, diet, and limited activity. I am even wearing a Life Vest while the medicine is working to heal my heart. I am strong, positive, and surviving CHF one beat at a time!
Wishing you well, Andrea!! Thank you for sharing your story!! Stay strong, girl!!
This year, for Rock the Red, I brought on fellow survivors who were willing to share their stories. Ladies whom I crossed paths with in an online support group for Women with heart disease. For years, I didn’t participate in any sort of support group; always thought I had things under control. But like anyone with a chronic illness or disease, it helps to have that extra support from others going through similar situations – a reminder that you to are not alone in the fight. I’d like to introduce Ali. Ali, like myself, has been dealing with heart disease for over a decade now. Ali has faced many aliments over the years, but she continues to live her life and turn to faith for additional support. No matter what life has thrown at her, she’s fought back! Here’s Ali’s story…
Hi everyone my name is Ali Arthur . This is my story of me and my heart:-)
In May 2001 I was in northern Maine, driving my school bus like I did every day. I was in the middle of my route when I started to feel sick, had to pull several times before I got the kids to school. Asked my boss if I could go home said yes. For three days I was weak, sick and had a massive headache. Called family doctor got in the same day. Blood pressure was off the charts, he took some tests and told me he was calling my husband. When he arrived, he said that I was having a silent heart attack. When all tests were confirmed, I had a massive heart attack, lowed part of my right muscle out of heart. They shipped me to Bangor Maine, 150 miles away to where there was the only place that could work on me. When I got there, they found out that my thyroid was bad and I had hyperthyroidism. They figured that is what caused the heart attack. They had to fix my thyroid 1st before they could fix my heart. 17 days later, I finally had open heart surgery, had a triple bypass, and remained in the ICU for many more days after. I did not come out of it very well. When I finally got home, I wasn’t home but a day or 2 and developed pneumonia and ended up being put in the hospital again for another 2 weeks, followed by a nursing home to do rehab and to learn how to do other things with my left arm. Yes, time kept going but I wasn’t getting any better. I ended up havinglymphedema and my left side and part of my stomach had to be wrapped. This was very painful and I had to stay wrapped in these bandages for many weeks until the water come out of my leg and stomach. When I was in Bangor, they attempted to do another catheterization to check things and when I was taken back to my room, the cart pusher was messing around and the sandbag fell off my leg and I ended up with a blood clot in my right leg. I couldn’t hardly walk because my leg was so swollen. For the next few years, I was constantly in and out of the hospital with water retention, unstable angina, and other small things that would happened to me. I decided to move to Indiana and while I was here, I began having some minor heart attacks and ended up going back to the hospital again, where they did another catheterization and ended up having to put 3 stents into my chest. In order because 1 of them went thru one side to the other so in order to save my life, they had to put 2 more in for 3 stents total in my heart This was all in 2007. In 2008, I developed anemia, which did not help with my heart because when you have a anemia, you have a very hard time breathing. In 2013, I had a small stroke that went through my eye and it caused some problems with my vision and that’s when I got my defibrillator put in. I have a Metatronic defibrillator and I have not had any problems with it yet. In another few months, I will be getting a replacement, having the batteries changed out. I also have asthma, which I have had all my life, so between my thyroid and my anemia, and my heart, you can’t win because you everything together this you not to be able to breathe and you’re tired all the time and you feel like you run a race when you haven’t. In 2014, I was diagnosed with afib and heart failure. I had to quit working because of constant fatigue. I have a wonderful cardiologist who calls me one of his special children. The medicine I take are better than the ones I took at the beginning. I don’t use salt and I rinse canned vegetables and I watch portions. My diagnosis is as follows Extreme right muscle heartattack . 3bypass also called cabbage 3stents Coronary artery disease also called cad Chronic systolic chf nyha class 2 Ischemic cardiomyopathy Iron deficient anemia asmama Unstable angina Acute hypodermic respiratory failure Acute systolic heart failure Afib I just wanted to say in closing that’s women’s heart attacks are not always the same as men’s. We don’t always have classic chest and left arm pain, but we can have right wrist pain. Jaw pain, like a really bad toothache, and pain in the middle back between shoulders can be felt. I learned a long time ago not to worry so much about numbers and things that have already happened. I gave myself to God. One thing about not worrying so much is that you will live longer. Live for you, your family, and those who love and care about you. If you feel like you are depressed, ask doctor for medication; it’s nothing to be ashamed of. It is a tragic thing to go through.
Remember…LIVE FOR YOU, LIVE TO BE STRONG, IT’S NOT A DEATH SENTENCE! Love, Ali
We wish you well, Ali!! Thank you for sharing your story and letting others know that they are not alone in the fight!!
Standing on the shores of a still pond, pebble in hand, you admire the mirror like reflection bouncing off of the top of the water. You toss the pebble in, and a series of small ripples flow outward from where the pebble just landed. Slowly but surely, the entire body of water is touched by the movement of this single pebble, ripples eventually making their way to the shore.
As I handed out red ribbons a few days ago to a group of individuals and began explaining the Rock the Red event coming up next month, one of the young men spoke up,
“There’s no way that 1 person can make a big difference?” He said as he examined the red ribbon in his hand. “So why do this?” The young man was puzzled and unsure how wearing a simple red ribbon could have any kind of impact at all.
“We’re spreading awareness!” is what I told him. “Someone is bound to ask you what you are wearing red for and you will tell them that you’re Rocking the Red for Women with Heart Disease.”
“But why only women?” he asked. And so began a brief conversation of why the focus was on the ladies and why it was important to discuss heart disease. Through maybe 10 minutes of speaking, I was able to offer some facts, some resources he could research online, as well as some personal tips I’ve learned from my own experiences-all of which he could take home and share with others. Later that evening, this individual reached out to me on messenger, thanked me for the information and shared with me the conversation he had with his mom. It was at this moment he realized that distributing a simple red ribbon sparked a conversation between us that ultimately resulted, in this case, him speaking to a loved one and encouraging her to seek out the medical care she needed because of the symptoms she had recently been experiencing. It was his “Ah-ha!” moment and he realized how a single person and a single red ribbon could create such a ripple effect and touch so many others. Needless to say, he was pumped when I told him I was able to mail him some ribbons he could share with his family and friends.
If you ever have doubts about how you can reach out and have an impact on the lives of others, remember, you to can be that tiny pebble creating ripples in the water.
“Just as ripples spread out when a single pebble is dropped in the water, the actions of individuals can have far reaching effects.” Dalai Lama
Heart, Hopes, and Dreams 