Open-Heart Surgery presents unique challenges. The heart, which some would say is the cradle for the soul as well as a muscular organ which is exposed. Does the essence of the heart’s experience during surgery permanently change us? We may never know. Yet we surely can acknowledge that the very existence of open-heart surgery in all its aspects, is a miracle. This is my own personal experience that I had to face at a very young and weak age.
My Heart Story…
I was diagnosed with a condition so minor it was never suppose to interfere with my life. I believe for years that my heart defect, a slight structural valve displacement, would never become symptomatic, never stop me from doing all that lay ahead in my future. All indeed, I went on to live a personally productive life in my low gear well into my toddler years.
During that time I wasn’t what one would call spiritually conscious. My parents didn’t examine much in depth. They didn’t ask the big questions. I had no religious leanings. My parents were busy, busy raising a family, overcoming my grandfather’s death, and selling one out of our four businesses.
Then at the age of four, two years after my parents sold our business and bought another one, I had my first irregular heartbeats. The problem, called who knows what, wasn’t serious. My parents were assuring, and it responded quickly to a standard medication. All in all, I still viewed myself as a very healthy person.
My parents and brothers helped me meditate, but I was a child I didn’t really know what to do. All I did was cross my legs and breathe deeply and hear my heart beat, my heart beat was the sound of something unfortunate. That had proudly changed my life...
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...e afterwards…
I had my surgery. Luckily everything turned out great. I had bad points in the beginning. I wasn’t able to walk talk especially laugh. My chest would hurt when I would even breathe. It took a while for this whole situation to heal. My life after this was normal. I didn’t live a bad child hood or anything like that. My whole child hood got into a different perspective. I actually got out and played with all the other children. I enjoyed my child hood years.
My Recovery…
I now am 16 years old and I feel no pain. I only have a scare under my left breast. It doesn’t show at all. I am happy for my recovery. Many people like myself have a bad child hood with minor or severe problems, but grow into a normal human being with no problems. Life is hard at first, but we all have to make a great living somehow.
I was in the fourth grade crying and waiting for her, hoping she would be okay. All I remember is being so scared for her, fearing that I might have to grow up without a mother. She came out of surgery and was perfectly fine. She was left with an ileostomy bag, which is a bag attached to the small intestine on the lower right quadrant of the abdomen. That was one of the coolest things I have ever gotten to witness. Who else can say they have seen their mom’s small intestine? She went back to the hospital six months later and had it repaired on January 26th, 2009. She is perfectly healthy now and I thank the Lord every day for
...rrifying when I found out that he had MD. He was unable to walk properly and his muscles deteriorated to a large extent. His whole life was changed and I remember me and him crying for long periods.
Seventeen years ago, I came bounding into a world of love and laughter. I was the first child, the first grandchild, the first niece, and the primary focus of my entire extended family. Although they were not married, my parents were young and energetic and had every good intention for their new baby girl. I grew up with opportunities for intellectual and spiritual growth, secure in the knowledge that I was loved, free from fear, and confident that my world was close to perfect. And I was the center of a world that had meaning only in terms of its effect on me-- what I could see from a height of three feet and what I could comprehend with the intellect and emotions of a child. This state of innocence persisted through my early teens, but changed dramatically in the spring of my sophomore year of high school. My beloved father was dying of AIDS.
Meditation is an age-old practice that has renewed itself in many different cultures and times. Despite its age, however, there remains a mystery and some ambiguity as to what it is, or even how one performs it. The practice and tradition of meditation dates back thousands of years having appeared in many eastern traditions. Meditation’s ancient roots cloud its origins from being attributed to a sole inventor or religion, though Bon, Hindu, Shinto, Dao, and later, Buddhism are responsible for its development. Its practice has permeated almost all major world religions, but under different names. It has become a practice without borders, influencing millions with its tranquil and healing effects.
At the age of twelve, I was diagnosed with Type One Diabetes. I remember the whole event of my diagnosis. At first, I thought that it was fun to have, because I had no understanding of what diabetes meant. People found out at school, and It gave me a lot of attention. As time progressed, I realized that I would have to eventually give myself shots. It gave me a wake up call. I eventually figured out that I would not be able to get rid of diabetes, because it is permanent. It was not a game, it was real life. I couldn't just turn off the video game and have it be done. Diabetes caused me to grow up really fast compared to most of my friends. I gave myself my first shot at the age of 12 and a half. I had to test my own blood sugar four times
Over twenty-five hundred years ago, Buddha Guatama practiced meditation and came to what is known as “The Four Noble Truth,” an important principle in Buddhism (Elder, 2010). This principle informs the reader of what suffering is and how affect is. This is a great example of how valuable meditation is- on the very first session ever recorded, the awareness that came from it would later be the foundation of a new religion. This proves how powerful meditation can be. Furthermore, some form of meditation can be found in various religions. Although the styles, techniques, and ideology behind the meditation can vary per religion, personal transformation is the key goal (Modi, Singh, 2012). Today, in Western society, mindful meditation (a form of meditation) has grown in popularity, used for relaxation and to help treat those who suffer from mental illness’ and mood disorders. Viewed as alternative medicine for the mind and soul, it is beneficial for our emotional and mental
Depression happened, the second time I needed ACL surgery because I had no reason to recover fast and I needed to rethink my life choices. But the second process was also worse than the first because waking up with the grogginess and having a different pain set in, made me feel defeated once again, even though I already knew the procedures. Yet again I would be bed ridden for more than three weeks. Being bedridden and in a lot of pain affected my sleep, appetite and energy. The depression had many stages, it went from not this process again to making me question my identity while I had the whole time in the world with nothing to do other than think and sleep. And even after recovery the second time around I only had to go back to school. I couldn’t go back to soccer, I didn’t have any additional happiness other than being able to walk again and do every day routines over and over again. Although I went through the painful weeks being bedridden, the year of physical therapy and the identity change, I wouldn’t have found out who I am today without also going through the physical journey.
I was fourteen years old when my life suddenly took a turn for the worse and I felt that everything I worked so hard for unexpectedly vanished. I had to become an adult at the tender age of fourteen. My mother divorced my biological father when I was two years old, so I never had a father. A young child growing up without a father is tough. I often was confused and wondered why I had to bring my grandfather to the father/daughter dance. There was an occurrence of immoral behavior that happened in my household. These depraved occurrences were often neglected. The first incident was at the beach, then my little sisters’ birthday party, and all the other times were overlooked.
Everyday, I thank God for her health and I'm grateful to myself for all that I was able to do for her. I would absolutely consider the time of my mother's illness as my transition to adulthood because I learned what adulthood meant. To me, adulthood isn't about independence, but it is about responsibility and putting others before myself. In the summer of 2014, I unfortunately learned this lesson the hard way, but as a result my mother is now healthy and I have learned the inconsistency of life. In my transition to adulthood, I was able to step up and take care of the mother who had always been there for me. As a strong and independent single mother, she has always been my hero and the epitome of the adult I always strived to be. Seeing her in her vulnerable state during her illness didn't change my opinion of her, it strengthened it as I learned about the responsibilities, expectations, and sacrifices that adulthood and maturity
These children however, could not always say the same. I knew that it was a turning point in my life. It brought me to a level of maturity that enabled me to see past my limitations and resentment for my diagnosis. It has now been two years since my surgery and while it is not always pain free, it is manageable. Scoliosis, as it turned out, was not the end of my world but actually the beginning of a new direction in my life. It has renewed my strength of character and made me realize how much I take for granted. It is amazing how in only three short years my perspective on what is really important has changed. After all, after the year of my operation I was able to qualify to swim in the Junior Olympics and place in my age category. I can now understand that anyone can overcome any obstacle in life, due to their health or
I. Imagine your father has just suffered a heart attack and must undergo open-heart surgery in order to repair the damage.
...earn how to be completely aware of my surroundings in order to experience the serenity that comes with meditation. Overall, my experience of the Buddhist religion was very eye-opening. Not only did I get to acquire more knowledge on the Buddhist way of life, but I also got to practice the traditions and rituals of a different culture outside of my own.
“An Event Which Changed My Life” An Event which changed my life, well when, I think back on my life there’s Many changes for the good and some were bad but, there were some learning experiences that help make me a better person. The events in my life, was dealing with the Birth and The Death of my first daughter. The First, Event was the birth of my first daughter it, was a joyous event in my life.
I had to mature quickly and learn how to take care of someone else besides myself. I am now a mother to four children. They have taught me how to have patience. This has become something I value very much. I have learned that in life you must wait for things. I now know that there was a reason why I had my son so early and wasn’t able to go to college upon graduating high school. I am so thankful that I had patience and waited for the right time to enter. It has been 14 years since I graduated high school, and I’m attending college and know exactly what I want to become. I had patience and took care of my babies at home before I decided to go to school. It hasn’t always been easy, but I’m so glad I
Battling a miscarriage a couple years prior, my mother was feeling mixed emotions. Around this time, I was a senior in high school so the news was neutral for me being that I was the only child for eighteen years. I did not know if I should rejoice or complain because I was leaving for college soon. My brother was born about two weeks before my high school graduation, and I must say that it was a very intense and complicated birth being that my mother was nearly forty giving birth to her second child.