“You won’t be here in five weeks”, he said. “You may not even be here tomorrow." And then he added, “You might not even be here tonight. We have to do this now!” The expression on his face was one of alarm and grave concern; but I was hesitant and just not ready to trust this determined stranger.
It was our first meeting. My cardiologist was away on vacation and I was scheduled to see him in five weeks for a routine six-month stress test evaluation. However, agonizing and escalating chest pains prompted me to consult the doctor on call, even though I was confident that my heart was not the issue. Just five months prior, after several heart tests, my cardiologist gave me great news: my heart was “pristine” – “a heart of gold” – “the heart of Wonder Woman!” he exclaimed. But now, a new doctor, who had just finished an EKG, wanted to send me immediately to the hospital for an angiogram. His diagnosis was Acute Coronary Syndrome.
Something just wasn’t right.
“How did this come to be?” I silently questioned while lying in the hospital bed of the cardiac care unit and waited for the nurses to do all the necessary things they routinely do for heart patients. I had followed all the rules, kept to a heart healthy diet, exercised, carefully guarded my cholesterol levels, and did everything I was supposed to do - and I was pleased with my efforts. Now, unbelievably, I was counting every grueling heartbeat and labored breath as I waited to be transported to the cath Lab.
As I silently prayed, Isaiah 58:8 came to my mind. It says, “Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.”
I was comforted. God’s word has served me with great wisdom, comfort, and healing in all situations and through every trial of my life. “Continue to guard my heart, Lord” I prayed, “It belongs to You.”
The cath lab was cold but warm blankets covered me and I was at peace. The Creator of all that is was in control. I closed my eyes and after what seemed like seconds, the cardiologist performing the procedure spoke into my ear. “Marie, your stent is 99% blocked with scar tissue and blood clots. We have a decision to make.”
He told me of the options and risks. He could restent or wait and do open heart surgery.
“This heart belongs to God,” I said, “and He’s not finished with it yet.” I chose to restent even at the great risks that I was told might happen.
The Sovereign Lord guarded my heart.
A couple of days later, as I stood at the window of my hospital room, gazing out at the gloom of a cloudy and rainy day, I heard a familiar voice behind me. “Marie, what happened to you?!” There was that familiar face that I trusted with all my life - my cardiologist - returned from his vacation.
“”You’re back!” I said with great delight. We had much to talk about. He was just as puzzled as I – if not more so, that this had happened to me. He was surprised to see my name on his list of hospital patients, he said, and when he saw it there, he rushed to look at my records and films. My heart, he explained, had been close to dying; but an extraordinary thing happened. The front part of my heart, where the blockage was, protected itself by going to sleep instead of dying – like in a state of hibernation.
That was the gift God gave. He gave my heart the ability to protect itself by putting itself to sleep instead of dying! The God of all creation guarded my heart and preserved it!
My cardiologist and I sat together going through my chart. “This should not have happened!” he said. But after exploring my medical records, we discovered the cause of my problem. And it was not of my making. A few short months earlier I’d been taken off one of my heart medications by another doctor because of an adverse reaction. The medication, vital to the well being of my heart, was not replaced with another. The result is that my heart was unprotected and scar tissue built up very rapidly.
All-in-all, it was an extraordinary experience. And the best part is that I was in a situation that presented an incredible gift – God’s mercy and His love in a unique and astounding way!
My cardiologist held my hands in his and said, “You have a book to finish writing!” (My book is a story about God’s redemptive power on multiple levels in a little village called Kodera , Kenya in Africa
