The Way We Were

I am in the final 2 weeks of prep for surgery and tomorrow is my angiogram, CT scan and pre-op blood workup.

I have been thinking about creative ways to use my time during my 2 months off of work and the butterfly sculpture I wrote about yesterday will be one project.

I am also exploring the possibility of interviewing fellow members of the 1969 Penn Freshmen Football Team and putting together a reunion book about who we were in 1969, our senior year in High School. About 15 of those old classmates are getting together in Utah in August, and although I won't be able to attend, I might have the book ready to send to them.

It's interesting to observe where one's mind goes when you find out you need major surgery at 61 years old. My first reaction, was to call my son and tell him where my Will was. It wasn't a negative, morbid moment, it just seemed like the practical thing to do.  

I have been swimming every weekday morning for 4 years. I had no indication that anything was wrong with me until I moved to Fire Mountain and started walking Lola uphill for her daily constitutionals. I would find myself out of breath in a way that seemed sudden and abnormal. When I first went to the Doc he prescribed an inhaler. When that didn't help I went back and he sent me for an echocardiogram.

The Cardiologist was quite surprised to see the "numbers" on the read-out; the amount of pressure inside my left ventricle, the limited functioning of my bicuspid aortic valve. It is a congenital birth defect that has "calcified" over 60 years and is not opening or closing very well.

Everyone agrees that the mind and body that got me to the top of the depth chart back in 1970, from the #4 linebacker and #6 running back, to starting against Lafayette my Sophomore year, is the same mind and body that will find me better than ever by August 1st.