Unexpected kindnesses provide blessings during stressful week

Sometimes, our blessings come through unexpected experiences; even a weeklong stay at a hospital.

My husband Cary has just completed his evaluation at Duke University Medical Center in Durham for candidacy as a heart transplant recipient.

Four days filled with extensive testing and meetings with varying division heads had us up daily by 6 a.m., if not before, and tied up in clinic visits until well into the afternoon hours.

The evaluation process began in a large meeting room at Duke with the transplant coordinator. There were four other candidates besides Cary who were present.

Most heart-wrenching was a 19-year-old who was seeking his second transplant. His mother told us he had acquired Myocarditis when he was 12, and had received his first transplant then.

I don’t know his current circumstances, but I’m praying for a miracle for this nice young man.

The other transplant candidates included two other men and a woman. We crossed paths often with these folks as they had virtually the same required appointments at different times.

It was nice to see a familiar face and share a smile or encouraging word in passing.

In roughly a two-hour meeting, the coordinator gave us the rundown of the days ahead. She additionally discussed the donor process, including the windows of time involved in a transplant event.

There have been vast medical advancements in the field throughout the years that allow the heart recipient more flexibility in regard to their proximity to the hospital.

In other words, should a matching donor heart become available, the patient has more time than in years past to report for transplant surgery as the heart can be maintained as viable for a longer period of time.

Transplant recipients previously were required to remain practically around the corner in case a match became available.

That bit of information in itself was a huge relief to know that we could remain at home if Cary is placed on the waiting list.

Following the meeting with the coordinator, Cary began with the clinic visits. We met with a nutritionist who set us straight on salt substitutes. With heart failure, salt is one of the primary enemies to watch out for.

Mom and I for years have been counting salt milligrams and using salt substitutes. And it turns out that the substitutes are worse for you than the real thing!

We met with a social worker (originally from Morganton!), with a financial advisor, a psychologist, a cardiologist and surgeon.

These discussion-type appointments were interspersed with loads of tests; an echocardiogram, stress test, abdominal scan, bilateral carotid scan, etc.

And everyone involved was super nice, although Cary confesses the lab work was the least enjoyable, as they extracted 25 vials of blood at one whack.

The majority of the clinic visits were conducted between a couple or three locations. We became relatively familiar with clinics 2F and 2G. And he had a couple of tests at 2K.

The second day was the worst as we had to leave familiar territory and venture to another part of the hospital. Of course, they transported Cary by wheelchair as the patient, and we had requested transport for mom who’s still recovering from a femur fracture.

This ole girl though had to hoof it down those endless hallways behind those 20-something year-old guys wheeling at breakneck speed for what seemed to be at least a mile!

Whew! I was feeling like I was the one needing a heart transplant after that jaunt!

Through the entire week though, we were so blessed to have such wonderful and hospitable people placed in our path. Cary chose a motel that provided us with a shuttle service to and from the hospital so we wouldn’t have to worry about parking.

The motel staff was more than welcoming, and accommodated our every need. We had taken a box of coffee pods knowing the motel room had a Keurig.

Finding out quickly that I didn’t pack enough coffee, my supply ran cold – only to be so kindly refilled several times by the sweet ladies at the front desk.

It was actually a tearful moment whenever we checked out, because they had been “our dear family” for the week.

Our shuttle driver, Harry, was another blessing we didn’t anticipate. He took care of us like a mother hen looking after a brood of chicks. His van was always warm and when we called, he was Johnny-on-the-spot in three minutes or less.

Our times riding with Harry were good-humored moments full of laughter and joy. Plus he clued us in on the best barbecue restaurant in town!

As intimidating as the evaluation process could have been, we could never have imagined how blessed we would be, or the many godly people we would encounter along the way.

1 Peter 4:8-9 says, “Above all, love each other deeply…Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.”

Thank you, God, for the unexpected blessings – and the extra coffee pods!

Until we read again…