harleygirl528
Well-known member
I just wanted to l say I had a wonderful time at our mini-reunion in Escondido, California yesterday. I had the pleasure of meeting in person Debbie (she had surgery 9 days after me so we’re surgery buddies)!, Susan BAV, (whose encouraging and thought-provoking posts have been extremely helpful to me), Jim (Starman) (who had surgery 14 weeks ago for my same condition, BAV with ascending aortic aneurysm), Deanne (BriansMom), this woman is amazing and has had to deal with so much with her son being the one affected! She is extremely fun, energetic and her enthusiasm and energy are contagious…she is also a fellow motorcyclist so that was way cool! And Mike (Resqrn) who is a true survivor….had an aortic dissection 2 ½ years ago and miraculously after 12 hours of surgery and 5 days unconscious in the ICU he survived! He is so fun…great sense of humor and his medical knowledge as a former cardiac nurse was helpful to us all. We picked his brain continuously asking for clarification of certain aspects of our conditions and surgical procedures. Also joining us were my wonderful and supportive husband, Arron, and Debbie's husband Ed. They enjoyed chatting together and sharing their experiences (including the numerous trials and tribulations) in dealing with their respective spouses recent surgeries, post-operative care, hospital experiences etc.
All in all, I would say it was a wonderful time had by all. We laughed, shared our stories, showed off our scars, exchanging stories about our hospital experiences (especially the dreaded vent….I think I was voted the luckiest as I have no real memory of the vent), our post-operative course, and what the future holds for us. With the exception of Debbie, all of us have bicuspid aortic valves and aneurysms.
It was a wonderful time and I think that many of you reading this will know what I am talking about when I say that there was an instant camaraderie, a kinship, an understanding on a level that others cannot understand. It was amazing…for lack of a better word…and my only regret is that we didn’t have more time. We had to fly back to Seattle from Los Angeles the next morning at 8:00 am and had a two hour drive back to LA so we had to call it a night around 8:30 pm.
I can only urge other of you who live in a the general vicinity of other vr.com members to arrange your own little “mini-reunions.” It can be just a few of you meeting for coffee, or a Friday night with appetizers and refreshments around an outdoor table at Red Robin, like we did. Whatever it is, there is no substitute for the company of other heart patients.
Thank you to Debbie for being so wonderful and taking the time an energy to arrange our little get-together. My husband occasionally travels to California for business and I have already said I will be tagging along on future trips as well and hoping for another opportunity to get together with these amazing people.
Thanks again to all those who made the effort to attend our little get together. It was great fun and as I mentioned, my only regret is that we didn’t have more time!
The attached picture is: Mike (resqrn), Debbie (Debbie), Deanne (BriansMom), Lorie (harleygirl), Susan (SusanBAV), and Jim (Starman)
All in all, I would say it was a wonderful time had by all. We laughed, shared our stories, showed off our scars, exchanging stories about our hospital experiences (especially the dreaded vent….I think I was voted the luckiest as I have no real memory of the vent), our post-operative course, and what the future holds for us. With the exception of Debbie, all of us have bicuspid aortic valves and aneurysms.
It was a wonderful time and I think that many of you reading this will know what I am talking about when I say that there was an instant camaraderie, a kinship, an understanding on a level that others cannot understand. It was amazing…for lack of a better word…and my only regret is that we didn’t have more time. We had to fly back to Seattle from Los Angeles the next morning at 8:00 am and had a two hour drive back to LA so we had to call it a night around 8:30 pm.
I can only urge other of you who live in a the general vicinity of other vr.com members to arrange your own little “mini-reunions.” It can be just a few of you meeting for coffee, or a Friday night with appetizers and refreshments around an outdoor table at Red Robin, like we did. Whatever it is, there is no substitute for the company of other heart patients.
Thank you to Debbie for being so wonderful and taking the time an energy to arrange our little get-together. My husband occasionally travels to California for business and I have already said I will be tagging along on future trips as well and hoping for another opportunity to get together with these amazing people.
Thanks again to all those who made the effort to attend our little get together. It was great fun and as I mentioned, my only regret is that we didn’t have more time!
The attached picture is: Mike (resqrn), Debbie (Debbie), Deanne (BriansMom), Lorie (harleygirl), Susan (SusanBAV), and Jim (Starman)
....and Susan -- you're loads younger than I thought you were...and the guys are cool too...just look at all those BIG smiles.
