I was fortunate to survive to see the 4th. On Monday morning, Sue and I woke up on the boat in our slip intending to spend the day on the bay. Instead, after having some mild chest pains I told her I wanted to get to a hospital. Sue wanted to call an ambulance but I wasn't so concerned and I didn't want that. I wanted to pack up calmly and make our way to an excellent hospital in Morristown, close to 2 hours away (where I would normally address any concerns). I felt perfectly normal as long as I was still. I didn't know that I had 100% blockage of the LAD artery, a widow-maker. As a fall-back, I knew there are excellent hospitals in Monmouth County, along the way. Reluctantly, Sue agreed with my plan.
About 40 minutes down the road, with me feeling perfectly comfortable along the way, my blood pressure started crashing and within a few seconds I told Sue to get off the Parkway and call an ambulance. Then I went out. The next thing I knew, I heard her muffled voice calling my name (she was screaming in the car). She was on the phone and trying to reach me at the same time. She had pulled off the shoulder and then I was alert again. I told her "drive to the exit (I could see it was right ahead of us) and tell them we are at Exit 106". When we got off, I directed her to a nearby office parking lot (it was empty and we could easily be spotted). We had trouble finding an address but I told her how to describe the location (Sue was frantic). I heard them tell her over the phone that they knew where to find us. I prayed that I could hold on just long enough for the ambulance to reach us. I felt some relief when I heard the sirens and my confidence boosted again when they got me inside the ambulance. Within about 15 minutes from the ambulance pick-up, I was in the hospital cardiac unit, with a swarm of doctors and nurses moving in a choreographed manner, everybody completely coordinated. Fortune found us very near the best cardiac facility in Monmouth County (Hackensack Hospital in Neptune). A few hours later, I came out with a new stent and positive outlook. Three visitors other than Sue were there to greet me as I was wheeled to Intensive Care. We also soon found that the ICU nurse in charge of my case was a friend of my son and I had coached him in Little League years ago! What an amazingly small world! What gratitude I have for the incredibly trained and dedicated professionals that handled me all along the way!
Now, I don't know exactly where my future in sailing is going to take me. One of the aspects that has always been important is that Sue and I don't always have a need to be at each other's hips. We have been happy while I spend half my time at the boat without her company, while she has interests and activities that make her happy. We have been more-or-less finding a good balance between independence and being together on the boat. Now, it is clear that she is afraid for me to spend independent time on the boat, mostly because it is 2 hours from our home. After the shock of this circumstance has worn off, I am wondering how it is going to be resolved.
About 40 minutes down the road, with me feeling perfectly comfortable along the way, my blood pressure started crashing and within a few seconds I told Sue to get off the Parkway and call an ambulance. Then I went out. The next thing I knew, I heard her muffled voice calling my name (she was screaming in the car). She was on the phone and trying to reach me at the same time. She had pulled off the shoulder and then I was alert again. I told her "drive to the exit (I could see it was right ahead of us) and tell them we are at Exit 106". When we got off, I directed her to a nearby office parking lot (it was empty and we could easily be spotted). We had trouble finding an address but I told her how to describe the location (Sue was frantic). I heard them tell her over the phone that they knew where to find us. I prayed that I could hold on just long enough for the ambulance to reach us. I felt some relief when I heard the sirens and my confidence boosted again when they got me inside the ambulance. Within about 15 minutes from the ambulance pick-up, I was in the hospital cardiac unit, with a swarm of doctors and nurses moving in a choreographed manner, everybody completely coordinated. Fortune found us very near the best cardiac facility in Monmouth County (Hackensack Hospital in Neptune). A few hours later, I came out with a new stent and positive outlook. Three visitors other than Sue were there to greet me as I was wheeled to Intensive Care. We also soon found that the ICU nurse in charge of my case was a friend of my son and I had coached him in Little League years ago! What an amazingly small world! What gratitude I have for the incredibly trained and dedicated professionals that handled me all along the way!
Now, I don't know exactly where my future in sailing is going to take me. One of the aspects that has always been important is that Sue and I don't always have a need to be at each other's hips. We have been happy while I spend half my time at the boat without her company, while she has interests and activities that make her happy. We have been more-or-less finding a good balance between independence and being together on the boat. Now, it is clear that she is afraid for me to spend independent time on the boat, mostly because it is 2 hours from our home. After the shock of this circumstance has worn off, I am wondering how it is going to be resolved.
