My 80th Birthday, Heart Problems and Stroke

Can I do this?
Time will tell.
Please, bear with me and I truly do mean it this time!

My hands are unsteady but I want to share my story.

I was born June 8, 1946, in Manhattan, New York. Depending on when you are reading this, it could very well be my birthday. My 80th birthday! Minimally, it’s close and it’s hard for me to believe. I have planned on writing about this day for more than a year. EIGHTY. I want to live a lot longer. I love life. I love my darling wife, I love my entire beautiful family, all my dear friends and soooo much more. I am soooo happy for this special time to celebrate with my loved ones.

Am I filled with hyperboles today?
YES!
Too many?
NO!
Will I be able to finish today’s message?
I’m going to give it my best shot.

But my right-hand coordination sucks.

Why, you may ask?
Hold on to your seat.
Three weeks ago, I had heart artery blockage and a mild stroke. There was too much chest pain, which led Wendy and me up to the Emergency Department at St. Charles Hospital. One test led to another. At least five cardiac and brain tests the first time, and probably eight by the time I was finally released, 14 days and three ED admissions later.

Thank you, St. Charles Hospital! Thank you, all my 911 personnel, doctors, physician assistants, nurses, technicians, all the sophisticated diagnostic machinery, you hardworking administrators, dieticians…EVERYONE. I cannot thank you remotely enough. But I am thanking you from the bottom of my tender, healing heart and brain.

Rest!
That is the advice I have heard from every single professional and non-professional person.
Am I good at it?
Guess.

I’m home now. I’m not yet working in my counseling role which I have been joyfully doing for the past 50 years. Remember, I was told to rest. Wendy helped me cancel my schedule for the next few weeks. Will that be enough? There is so much I don’t know. And I’m sure this is one of the main reasons for a precautionary warning I was given, that the possibility of falling into a depressive cycle could increase after a few weeks.

Those of us fortunate folks whose bodies have mostly been taking care of us since our birth, hardly even realize that they are working. It’s natural to take our brilliantly functioning bodies for granted.

•••••••••••••••••

These first 400 words I’ve written already have taken at least five times longer than my pre-stroke typing time-frame.

This is n example of sone omy first-time aound sentnces.
It happens nearl8 every sentence. Mistales. Thbn redo,

As many of you know, I like to type. It’s been a huge part of my professional and creative life. Nearly every professional in the medical field has told me I will mostly, with some occupational therapy, regain these skills.

This brings me to one of the most important realities in life that every single one of us needs to deal with:

Nothing ever stays the same. Nothing.

We all “know” that, but knowing it cognitively and truly knowing, understanding and accepting it…most of us can do better as our days go on. This is why, although I didn’t know this 25 years ago, I called my column, Awaken Your Inner Heroes. We all get challenged.

I want to say, so you know I know this, my mild physical and cognitive issues are hardly worthy of mentioning! I have lived nearly 80 years of a beautiful life with a strong, cooperative body and mind. Things change. In my case, just a tiny bit.

Please, always keep this wisdom close by:

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;
Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.
~Reinhold Niebuhr, The Serenity Prayer

I finished my first post-stroke column!
Bless us all as we make our way Home.
And thanks for reading.

Oh…

🎶 Happy Birthday to me! 🎶

-Burt Gershater is a local counselor, leadership trainer, speaker and writer. He can be reached at info@burtgershater.com