Ben

Hello, Everyone.

We arrived in Cleveland this afternoon around 3:30. I knew Max would be a jet-setter, but I didn’t expect his first trip to be at 6 weeks, let alone to Cleveland. Our driver took us from the airport on the west side of Cleveland to the Clinic which is on the east side of the city. Ben, our driver who was about 65 years old and wore very comfortable shoes paired with a very uncomfortable suit said he moved here from Massachusetts 35 years ago. He pointed out the “sites” along the way. He showed us the theater where Tom Hanks got his start and then pointed out Jacobs’s field. With this I gave him my condolences on the Indians collapse. He was appreciative and then he said he was now rooting for the Red Sox. It was at this point that I realized that I need to conceal my fervor for the Yankees until AFTER my surgery. You never know who is rooting for whom.

Ben asked who wasn’t well. Allison and I looked at each other a little confused and then we realized that our hotel was on the Cleveland Clinic campus. Allison shared with Ben the upcoming events we had planned. Ben was quiet, pensive and then said, “I’ll be thinking about you on Friday morning.” We smiled and said, “thank you.” 5 minutes later we arrived at the hotel…5 very quiet minutes. After the bellhop took the bags and Allison and Max were making their way through the revolving door, Ben stepped up to me, shook my hand firmly and looked at me deeply with his steely grey eyes. “I’ll be praying for you, Joe.” “Thank you, Ben.” And then Ben closed his trunk and said, “I knew I was waiting for someone today, I just didn’t know who until now.” I looked back at him momentarily and said “I’m glad it was us, Ben.”

Tomorrow is the day of tests…a lot of tests. Here is my schedule for Wednesday:

8:30 AM Sign in at Desk F12, Floor 1
9:00 AM CatScan
10:00 AM Echocardiogram
11:00 AM Chest X-Ray
11:10 AM Blood work
12:45 PM Meeting with Dr. Hammer, Cardiologist to review tests and get clearance for surgery.
2:30 PM 1.5 hour expectation meeting with Cardiovascular nurses – Review from start to finish of what to expect from the first the moment I come in the day of the surgery until I come home.

I thought some of you might like to know a little more about the operation. And as many of us know, there is only so much you can learn from reading. So, how about a demonstration? How about a video of the surgery? The following link is an edited excerpt of the surgery I’ll be undergoing on Friday. The video is only 6 minutes but the operation can last up to 4 hours. It is edited down to include only the actual repair. WARNING: While not overtly disturbing, the video IS graphic. As an added bonus, the video you will watch is of a surgery Dr. Marc A. Gillinov performed. He is my surgeon. Put aside that rare prime rib for a moment and take a look.

http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/guide/disease/valve/mvrepair.htm


~Joe

3 days left