Happiness and Healthcare

My dear father-in-law is currently in surgery — open heart surgery to repair his dissected (torn) aorta.  And we are sitting in the hospital totally happy!
Lester M. Dunning (initials LMD, aka Lucky Mr Dunning) has been healthy for 80 years, until eight weeks ago when he *thought* he hurt his back making a difficult shot on the golf course (tremendous shooting pain, etc).  He’s been in and out of his doctor’s office since then, taking antibiotics, feeling better and worse but never quite normal.  Something was not quite right with his system.  He was always tired.  He was losing weight.  He was running a low-grade fever every other day.  A nagging cough would not go away.  Everyone was wanting for him to feel better, but no one could figure out the problem.  Anxiety was running high.
Finally, his doctor sent him for a CAT Scan a couple days ago.  Minutes after he arrived home, his doctor was on the phone with the results: “Go to the hospital.  Now.”  Turns out he’s been walking around with a dissected aorta, a condition that normally results in death – yes, death – in 90% of cases, usually within a few hours.  Hours. And this man has been walking around w/ the condition for two months!
And not just walking.  WALKING!  On his good days, he and Lois were still maintaining their two-mile walking regimen.  He flew to Nova Scotia to visit Lois’ son.  Everyone in the healthcare system who has heard this story says the same thing: “wow – you must be just plain lucky!”  Statistically, he should be gone.  Statistically, his walking around — and let’s not even talk about the flying! — should have killed him.
His survival for this long with this condition is so unusual that several doctors have come in to examine and study him.  This morning, everyone on the 15-person surgical team came in to the pre-op area to meet him before they took him to the OR — because they wanted to meet this man who is a walking miracle.
With this much positive attention, is it any wonder that we was in an incredibly UPBEAT mood as they wheeled him away?  The surgical nurse came down to tell us that he was laughing and joking with the team as they put him under to start the procedure.
So, as serious as this surgery is (it doesn’t get more invasive than when they open your ribcage with a power saw!), we are THRILLED that he is undergoing this seven-hour ordeal. He is, indeed, Lucky Mr Dunning.
Clearly, he has more work to do in this life.  And we are pretty happy about that.  🙂