6 years

Today is a very important anniversary for me. Everyone has moments in their life that are milestones. These are the days that you refer to as before or after. Today is most definitely one for me. 6 years ago right now, I was in surgery at UAB hospital. I was having a huge carotid body tumor taken out of my neck. It was a very very scary time. The Drs had scared me and my parents. They had prepared us for the fact that I could very well be blind or deaf when it was over. There was also a great possibility that I could have a stroke during the surgery. The tumor was so large twisted around everything that they had to cut out a large section of my main carotid artery on that side. It was replaced with an artificial graft. There was also a lot of nerve damage on the right side of my face and down my right arm. I had no feeling in my face from my eye down into my chest on that side. The worst complication though was that all the nerves that controlled my vocal chords on the right side had to be cut. This meant that I couldn't swallow and I could hardly talk. I was in ICU for 2 days after the surgery and then in a regular room for 3 more days. I went home for one day but then I had to go back and have a feeding tube put in my stomach. I was in the hospital that time for 3 more days. Luckily, I only had to have that feeding tube for 2 months. It was horrible !!!

Needless to say, this was the most difficult test of my faith in my life. It is not fun to look death in the eye at 28. It is only by the grace of God that I was able to come through all that. I know it sounds odd, but I could literally feel all the prayers that were coming my way both in the hospital and after I came home. I remember flipping through the channels one Sunday morning and I stopped at one of the random church services that was on. It was some church in Montgomery I had never heard of. It just so happened they were doing their prayer requests right then and somehow, they had gotten my name. That was so surreal. I also have to thank my wonderful surgeon, Dr. William Carroll. He was so nice and really took time to answer all my questions and explain everything that was going on. Later, he called me his "poster child" because he honestly didn't think I would survive everything. Of course I also have to thank my awesome parents. Without them, I would have never made it. I don't think either of them slept for about 10 days during all the madness. It was the third time in my whole life that I saw my Daddy cry. The only other times were when my grandparents died. That really tore me up. I couldn't stand the thought of him crying over me. It was a very difficult time for all of us.

I have to give a quick good luck to my friend Amanda. She is going into the hospital tomorrow to have little Camden. I can't wait to meet him!!! I am also think about my sweet Papa today. It would have been his 98th birthday today. That is hard to imagine. I hope everyone has a fab weekend.