In April 2001, my father (47 years old) came home from working a night shift at a grocery store. He had been on the graveyard s shift since 1972 (29 years). He decided the mow the lawn – the first mow of the season. Several times, he pulled the rope to get the mower started and began walking across the yard. He couldn't breath, but didn't notice any pain. He rested several minutes and tried again – he still couldn't breath, gasping for breath. He called the doctor's office for an afternoon appointment, then laid down to sleep for several hours.
Upon arriving for the appointment with Dr. Robert Houska, Countryside Family Practice, the doctor listened to what had happened and immediately knew what the symptoms meant. He reached for the phone and dialed 911 to transport my Dad to Fauquier Hospital.
Dad called my mother and told her he was being transferred by ambulance to Fauquier Hospital with a possible heart attack. That week-end, my father spent, Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Fauquier Hospital. On Monday, he was transferred to Fairfax Hospital for an exploratory procedure. A few weeks later, he had quadruple bypass.
My mother worked in an office environment with private cubicles. She was so shocked, she went running down the hall toward a conference office to inform the meeting host she had to leave and could not attend the meeting. But stopped – wait I need my purse to leave – and ran the other way. Then, she started uncontrollable crying and running up and down the hallway. Coworkers asked what was wrong. One person went to the conference room regarding her absence. Two other workers drove her car and followed with another car to ensure she arrive at the hospital safely.
I was studying at Longwood University. I wanted to be with my father, but he told me to stay and take the upcoming final exams. The worry about Dad and guilt over not being there was overwhelming. On April 24, 2001, a fire broke out at Longwood University at Grainger Hall. When daylight broke on April 25, all that remained was rubble and the walls of Grainger Hall. News was announced that all students must leave campus by Saturday, April 28. Exams were canceled. But emotions ran high because of the devastated reason I was able to be there for my Dad on May 1, 2001.
Fifteen years later, the Summer of 2016, my Dad had 3 operations to clean heart vessels and insert stents. My Mother and I waited in the waiting rooms looking at the screens that show progress made during operations, such as being prepared for surgery, in surgery, in recovering and available for family to see patient, etc. The screen reminded us of an airport departure/arrival schedule screens. We took breaks separately so one of us was always available to watch the progress. We watched screen for hours, but his progress never changed. After 2 hours beyond the expected surgery completion, time we asked a concierge representative for a status. The representative called several phone numbers, then turned to us and in a quiet voice said “someone will be with you shortly”. Thinking the worst, we immediately broke out in tears. The doctor came and explained the surgery took longer than expected. Come to find out, no one updated the waiting room screens. When we finally got to to see Dad, he was walking down the hall with nursing assistance. An exhausting and emotional day.
My Dad and Mom are retired and live near me. I visit with them often. Together, they still mow the 3-acre lawn. Dad rides the lawn mower and Mom pushes the push mower.