[Shirleevee]

Originally Posted by tomjbud

On December 1st, I took my wife to our local hospital with shortness of breath and chest pains. They admitted her to the hospital in Mishawaka, Indiana to run tests. They found that she needed her aortic heart valve replaced due to a congenital defect of which we were not aware. Because she has numerous other medical conditions, they sent her to Loyola Medical Center in Chicago. She had heart valve replacement surgery on Christmas Eve. My 2 sons and I spent a quiet Christmas in Chicago, while we were waiting for her to wake up from the surgery. To make a long story short, after fighting her way back from death on 4 different occasions, we finally got her home to a local rehabilitation hospital today. She has a tracheostomy and a feeding tube, but today at the rehab center they put a valve in her tracheostomy which allowed her to talk. Hearing her voice for the first time since before Christmas moved me to tears. She still has a long road ahead of her, but with her determination and will to live I am confident she will come all the way back. She is known in TOTV as rosygail, and she loves her ragdoll cat as well as ballroom dancing and crafts. I am looking forward to the day that we can move to our villa full time and meet so many of the wonderful people on this site. She would love to hear from any of you!

Sending blessings your way...........