It's been over a week now since the emergency heart surgery news and we are well on the road to recovery...it might a longer road than The Delk family would like but we are thankful for it none the less! We aren't a fan of doctors, hospitals, being sick or being down for any period of time but the Lord knows best and we are thankful they are there when we need them!
There are no words to express the gratitude we feel for our support network that is enduring this journey with us. We had a waiting room full of family and friends who sat with us through the surgery that went from 1:00am to 7:00am...thank you! We had baskets upon baskets of food brought/sent to us...thank you! We had friends set up meals for when we got home...thank you! Dad had over 80 visitors during his stay...while it was exhausting...thank you! We had prayer networks going from people we don't personally know...THANK YOU!! The response from our brother's and sister's in Christ was overwhelming and was a perfect portrayal of how the body of Christ should respond! Word's can never express how thankful we are for each one of you!
As most of you know dad is home now and doing great! There were a few scary days (in the ICU) when he didn't quite remember things, his oxygen levels dropped and we still weren't sure what the outcome would be but the Lord knew...He knew before any one of daddy's days came to be! Praise the Lord for this! I can't imagine going through anything such as this without hope in Christ...hope that he can heal, hope that when our time is done our earth we will see each other again, hope that he carries us through the storms, hope that he holds life in his hands...we weren't promised that life in Christ was easy but I know for a fact that it is worth it!
Love to all our friends and family!
From the entire Delk/Poe family :)
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Takes more than a Superhero
...all my days were written in Your book and planned
before a single one of them began. Psalm 139:16
One of the most exciting things to me is that when you are bound together by the love of your Savior, you know that no matter what life brings you will be together again. No one wants to experience the pain that comes with those times, the fear that you may not see your loved one's again or any of the fleshly battles we endure daily but those times are real...
The doctor called it luck but we knew that it was more than luck. It was the fact that his time wasn't finished here on earth. We knew God had more for him to do and we are beyond thankful for that. In my eyes my daddy has always been a superhero...yep a superhero. He had strength unlike any other...not just physical but emotional. He is a rock. In my eyes he could take on the world and conquer every time.
I was reminded Tuesday night that even though daddy is just a human, his Savior...my Savior is all-powerful, He holds the power of life and death in his hands and at this moment he has chosen to give life to dad.
Here is the story for those who don't know the details. He wasn't sick, this wasn't planned...it was a big surprise and not the fun kind! He went to gym for a workout...just a light, easy workout. He was benching (light weight 285...light...yeah right) and when he racked his weights he didn't feel right. He lost his breath, he was light-headed and in pain. They called 911 even though he thought it was just a cracked rib or a rib head out of place...mind you he has done this before (but never called 911). Due to family history (his grandfather, father and uncle suffering massive heart attacks in their early 50's and passing away) he was being extra cautious. He did just turn 50 a week ago.
He felt fine in the ambulance once they gave him oxygen and he thought he really didn't need to go. Mom called and said don't come, he is fine and I will update you when we hear something. Hours passed, some test were run and she called back. I could hear her voice, weak and upset and I knew it was serious...the doctor said it was life-threatening and he would go into open heart surgery immediately. WOAH...what?? Not what we were expecting.
The science part...first off he already had an aneurysm (great right) that he was unaware of...probably shouldn't be benching 285 with that! Then to top if off the pressure from benching the weight tore a nice little hole in the inner layer of his aorta (the biggest more important vein in the body). The aorta has 3 layers and need all to work properly. The tear in the inner layer allowed blood to seep out into the other 2 layers causing his aneurysm and aorta walls to swell to 5.5cm (average is 3.2cm). Imagine blowing up a balloon to the point it might burst...well that's where he was at. If he had waited (blown it off) he would not have lived more than 2 hours. Ouch...not something we like to hear. So he went into surgery at 1:00am. They cut out the ascending aorta and replaced it with a synthetic tube and graphed it at both ends to attach back to the heart and descending aorta. That was the major part and was done by about 5:00am. Once they stopped bleeding and stitched him up it was about 7:00am. (pulled my very first all nighter for this one-gonna be proud to tell him that :)).
Now comes the...to be honest...crappy part for him. The healing will take a while. His doctor said he has never cut through that much muscle in anyone and he has performed over 600 of these surgeries in the past 2 years. So, he will be in more pain than your average skinny dude. Then the biggest blow of all (side note...He DOES NOT know this and we aren't telling him for a while...I mean a good long while!!!) His weight lifting days are over. Yep...you heard it right...over. Not a single weight...If you know my dad this is like telling Tim Tebow he will never touch a football again.
So our new journey begins. Life will be different from here on out for him. He will need major encouragement, prayers and a team of support around him. He is strong, he is still a superhero to me and he will be enduring superhero feats to give up his passion. We are praying the Lord uses him in new ways...which he will or else he wouldn't still be here. We are praying he will embrace this new journey God has for him.
My dad has made a greater impact than we knew...he had over 50 visitors yesterday. He had a waiting room full of people through the night of his surgery. He had a letter from the serving staff at J.Christophers (his favorite) telling us how thankful they were he prayed for each server every time he went. He is a man of God who has so much left to do for his Savior...and I know he will. He is a father, a husband, a p-paw, a friend, a minister...and my superhero!
before a single one of them began. Psalm 139:16
One of the most exciting things to me is that when you are bound together by the love of your Savior, you know that no matter what life brings you will be together again. No one wants to experience the pain that comes with those times, the fear that you may not see your loved one's again or any of the fleshly battles we endure daily but those times are real...
The doctor called it luck but we knew that it was more than luck. It was the fact that his time wasn't finished here on earth. We knew God had more for him to do and we are beyond thankful for that. In my eyes my daddy has always been a superhero...yep a superhero. He had strength unlike any other...not just physical but emotional. He is a rock. In my eyes he could take on the world and conquer every time.
I was reminded Tuesday night that even though daddy is just a human, his Savior...my Savior is all-powerful, He holds the power of life and death in his hands and at this moment he has chosen to give life to dad.
Here is the story for those who don't know the details. He wasn't sick, this wasn't planned...it was a big surprise and not the fun kind! He went to gym for a workout...just a light, easy workout. He was benching (light weight 285...light...yeah right) and when he racked his weights he didn't feel right. He lost his breath, he was light-headed and in pain. They called 911 even though he thought it was just a cracked rib or a rib head out of place...mind you he has done this before (but never called 911). Due to family history (his grandfather, father and uncle suffering massive heart attacks in their early 50's and passing away) he was being extra cautious. He did just turn 50 a week ago.
He felt fine in the ambulance once they gave him oxygen and he thought he really didn't need to go. Mom called and said don't come, he is fine and I will update you when we hear something. Hours passed, some test were run and she called back. I could hear her voice, weak and upset and I knew it was serious...the doctor said it was life-threatening and he would go into open heart surgery immediately. WOAH...what?? Not what we were expecting.
The science part...first off he already had an aneurysm (great right) that he was unaware of...probably shouldn't be benching 285 with that! Then to top if off the pressure from benching the weight tore a nice little hole in the inner layer of his aorta (the biggest more important vein in the body). The aorta has 3 layers and need all to work properly. The tear in the inner layer allowed blood to seep out into the other 2 layers causing his aneurysm and aorta walls to swell to 5.5cm (average is 3.2cm). Imagine blowing up a balloon to the point it might burst...well that's where he was at. If he had waited (blown it off) he would not have lived more than 2 hours. Ouch...not something we like to hear. So he went into surgery at 1:00am. They cut out the ascending aorta and replaced it with a synthetic tube and graphed it at both ends to attach back to the heart and descending aorta. That was the major part and was done by about 5:00am. Once they stopped bleeding and stitched him up it was about 7:00am. (pulled my very first all nighter for this one-gonna be proud to tell him that :)).
Now comes the...to be honest...crappy part for him. The healing will take a while. His doctor said he has never cut through that much muscle in anyone and he has performed over 600 of these surgeries in the past 2 years. So, he will be in more pain than your average skinny dude. Then the biggest blow of all (side note...He DOES NOT know this and we aren't telling him for a while...I mean a good long while!!!) His weight lifting days are over. Yep...you heard it right...over. Not a single weight...If you know my dad this is like telling Tim Tebow he will never touch a football again.
So our new journey begins. Life will be different from here on out for him. He will need major encouragement, prayers and a team of support around him. He is strong, he is still a superhero to me and he will be enduring superhero feats to give up his passion. We are praying the Lord uses him in new ways...which he will or else he wouldn't still be here. We are praying he will embrace this new journey God has for him.
My dad has made a greater impact than we knew...he had over 50 visitors yesterday. He had a waiting room full of people through the night of his surgery. He had a letter from the serving staff at J.Christophers (his favorite) telling us how thankful they were he prayed for each server every time he went. He is a man of God who has so much left to do for his Savior...and I know he will. He is a father, a husband, a p-paw, a friend, a minister...and my superhero!
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Marriage
I stumbled across this blog the other day via pinterest...gotta love pinterest! This couple reflected over the last 5 years and came up with this list of 10 things that have made an impact in their marriage! Daniel and I loved it so I had to share it so my married or engaged friends could read it! Enjoy!!
http://www.todaysletters.com/2010/05/10-things-that-have-made-all-difference.html
http://www.todaysletters.com/2010/05/10-things-that-have-made-all-difference.html
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