Growing up, we all had our “favorite cousins” who we couldn’t wait to see on holidays, vacations, family gatherings, and any other family gathering when we could all be together. For me, that was my cousin Paul.
At only ten years old…. he had a cardiac event that landed him in RI Hospital for many weeks…. and I honestly thought we were going to lose him.
But with the care of his cardiac team, and so many prayers, he recovered after having open heart surgery to place an artificial valve in his heart, which saved his life.
Over 50 years later, Paul still has that valve, and lives a completely normal life. In fact, he was recognized last February in the Guiness Book of World Records, for being the longest survivor of a "single artificial heart valve replacement"!
I know there are hundreds of stories like this… in fact Paul told me about a young man he met a few years ago, who was born with only 3 chambers in his heart, and he also had open heart surgery at a very young age.
Paul’s positive outlook is amazing…. And I’m so lucky to have so many wonderful memories that Paul and I share before AND after his surgery.
He is one of the people I will be dedicating my walk to in June.
I’m walking to Save Lives and I hope that you please consider making a donation. Thanks in advance.
