I walk for my Dad.
Several years ago my Dad fell sick quickly. For four months the doctor's couldn't tell us why he was so sick and in so much pain. During this time, he suffered with 4 strokes that luckily happened infront of the Doctor each time. It took a team of infectious disease doctors to uncover that my father had a blood infection, which he contracted from going for a regular dental cleaning. Many don't know that if you have join replacements, you need to take an antibiotic every time you go to the dentist because if you swallow plaque, it can enhance the risk of a blood infection. This was just the first time we came close to losing him.
Two years later, we were in the process of moving my parents to Maine when we had to pull over on the side of the road because he instantly fell ill. What we didn't know until several days later at the doctor was he had suffered from an Aneurysm, which was caused by the infection weakening his Femoral Artery.
This past year, he again surprised us by having his Bicuspid Aortic Valve replaced with open heart surgery. As with anything, even open heart surgery couldn't stop him from working and being with his family. He was quick to recover and was back to normal six months later.
Needless to say, you really don't know how much you care for your parents until you almost lose them. My Dad has been a warrior through all of these events, and I am thankful the work the American Heart Association has done for research and development. The knowledge that continues to grow from this organization is why my Dad is still with us, and is happy and very healthy!
