The Big Day Eve

What once began as a countdown of weeks is now the ticking of hours. Lately, my wife and I have been so caught up in making pre-surgery preparations that we’ve somewhat separated ourselves from the reality of the days and months ahead. And now, IT is almost upon us.

When this chapter first began, it was excruciating. I remember having flashbacks of being in the ICU with my parents, wishing that I could make their problems go away. I recall fitful nights of restless sleep, burdened by worst case scenarios. And the sense of regret from seeing my wife struggle through this with me…it remains.

As easy as it is to torture myself with what could go wrong during the surgery (Junior Mint, anyone?), I’m doing my best to keep my sights honed in on my recovery and beyond. My focus is already on rising to my feet so I can get back to doing what I enjoy - with the people in my life that I love so deeply.

Before I head in for my procedure, I want to recognize some of those folks responsible for keeping me positive and for giving me hope:

• My Family – Although most of us are separated by geographical distances, I nonetheless sense your love and I’m bolstered by it. Thank you.
  
  
• My Friends – You’ve rushed to my aid, bailed me out, and reminded me of all the 100+ reasons that I’ll get through this fine.
  
  
• My Bandmates – Thanks for giving me an outlet and an escape. I’d go crazy without you. Correction: I am less crazy because of you. Ya ya yay!
  
  
• My Fellow Teachers and Staff at CAMC – You’ve handled this monkey-wrench extremely well. I appreciate all of the help!
  
  
• My Students and Their Families – Being with you has been entertaining, enlightening, and rewarding. I can’t wait to get back to sharing the gift of music with you!
  
  
• ValveReplacement.org – One moment I felt alone on an island and then I visited the forums and became a part of a new family. Your community is a sanity saver.
  
  
• And of course…MY WIFE – You are my protector and my advocate. My strength and my purpose. Thank you for enduring these countless hardships with me. I love you, eternally!! For Saw-whet and Saw-wee!!

As you can see, I have a lot to be grateful for and a lot of reasons to make this a speedy recovery. In the meantime, I’ll do my best to bring post-op updates whenever I can via this blog (or my Facebook for current, bite-sized goods) and if I’m unable or not up to it, my wife has volunteered to do it for me – adding one more thing to her never-ending list.

Thanks again for your thoughts, your prayers, and your hearts. I'm looking forward to commencing the Neo-Nemo era! See you when it starts!

Love,
Derek