In Dec. of 2003 I began feeling a little pain radiating down my right jaw and into my arm when I did the slightest physical thing. I was a First Responder in my local Fire Department (Volunteer) and I knew what it was. I had 356 hours of medical training and I was also a CPR Instructor certified by the American Heart Association. I went to the VA doctor and they discovered an area in one location near my heart that was 90% blocked and I needed a stint placed in to hold the artery open. I was told to restrict my physical activities until they could schedule me in for the small operation which they insert dye into the heart area where the narrowed artery is and place the stint in through the groan area by way of a long probe. They did this and then told me they had completed the procedure and found a troubled area they didn’t see before. I had a large aneurysm in my Aorta which is the largest Artery in your body that went from where it entered my heart and down behind my heart. They thought it was about 3 inches long. I was scheduled for open-heart surgery in Feb. 2004. They were going to replace the Aorta with a prosthetic Aorta and sew it to my natural tissue of my remaining Aorta. While there they would go ahead and bypass the stint. They also told me they wanted to check my Aortic Heart Valve because I had a murmur in that area and there was a possibility I might have to have some work done there. I really didn’t figure it was a very big deal. One of my closest friends on the Fire Department was our Local Pastor of the Baptist Church in town who was also a volunteer. Him and my wife were at the hospital when I went in for the procedure. It was Feb. 4th. We had prayer then and there while I was on the table and although I had done this as a child, I once again accepted Christ as my personal Savior. I really didn’t understand it all when I was a in church as a child. The last thing I remember was the doctor telling me to count backwards from 99. I very well remember being in a deep well and looking up. There was a round light as though it was the opening of the well and I could hear my wife’s voice telling me I had to fight to come back. I looked around and the walls were so smooth and straight up. The opening was way above me and no way for me to get out of the well, but she kept telling me to fight. I thought it was useless and I remember praying for a way to get out.
I opened my eyes and it was nighttime. I was in a bed and there were tubes everywhere. 2 large tubes coming out of my mouth, 3 large tubes in my stomach area, small wires coming from my chest and a block of tubes on my shoulder and things hanging all around me. I was alone although I discovered later I had a personal nurse and she had just left for a moment. I could hear a thump, thump and it sounded like it was coming from downstairs. I figured someone was having a party down there and it was the drum of a band.
About all I could move was my eyes. For some reason I couldn’t seem to lift my arms or legs or anything. I listened for a moment and then realized the thump, thump was coming from my chest. I thought it was the next morning after I came into the hospital.
My nurse came back into the room and looked almost shocked and said, “Well hello, how do you feel?” I tired to talk but nothing happened. It scared me. “You can’t talk right now because of the breathing tube so don’t try. I’ll be right back, I’m going to get your wife and your doctor.” She left. All I could do was look around to what was in front of me. I could read the date on the board in front of me but it meant nothing. All I could make out was a note with someone’s name, I think it was the nurse and March something but like I said, it didn’t mean anything to me because I didn’t pay any attention to it.
A few minutes later the nurse returned and she was followed by my wife. I don’t why but tears began running down my cheek and I couldn’t help it. My wife was crying and holding me gently. She told me I had been out for nearly 4 weeks. Then it hit me like a sledgehammer! 4 weeks?
She began telling me all that happened. When they got in my chest, they found the aneurysm was 12 inches long and few patients lived after an aneurysm that long. They replaced my Aortic Heart Valve with a metal one and that was the thump, thump I could hear. I had a heart attack while in surgery because my heart was under so much stress. I was on the Heart, Lung machine for about 30 minutes. They had trouble getting my heart started again. They had to place a heart pump in my Aorta to give my heart a little rest in order to recover. My kidneys had shut down and I was on dialysis. She told me I had to continue to fight because I wasn’t out of the woods yet. I had a long way to go. The nurse lifted my bed just a very little and I almost passed out. She quickly put it back down.
The doctor arrived and he told me about the same thing my wife had said. He lifted the back of my bed a little and I got dizzy again. He said, “We’ll take it a little at a time.” He checked everything and smiled and left. My wife then told me even though my chief heart doctor was from Syria, he was a Christian. One of the other heart doctors told her he had stopped 4 times during the operation and prayed. I thought to myself, “How strange, a man of science and he’s a Christian.”
I spent a total of nearly 6 weeks in the hospital and had to have another major operation before I left ICU. When they removed the breathing tube, I found I couldn’t breath. They had to go in through my back and scrap my lungs with their hands. My lungs had formed a crust on the outside and this didn’t allow them to expand so I could breath. I was so very weak it took me about 4 months before I could even walk again without help. Before I left the hospital, one of my heart doctors came to me with tears in his eyes and said, "We are so glad you made it." Again I thought this was strange for a doctor to say something like this. He was Pakistani.
I’m now remodeling my home and I’m doing absolutely great. Even though I’ve been back in the hospital 3 times since then, I’m having few problems. I have Myasthenia Gravis, which is an autoimmune disease but it’s nothing I can’t live with. It’s probably caused from the massive aneurysm replacement. Most people with an aneurysm that large don’t survive the operation I’m told. I’m a very fortunate person and I have no one to thank but God Almighty for my life. He provided me with a heart doctor and God was there with me during the whole procedure. I didn’t get out of that coma until I prayed.
No one on this earth could ever convince me there is no God. He is real and He is with you every minute of every day through His Holy Spirit. If you believe in Him and ask Him for help, He will be there for you. His solution may not be what you think should happen, but He has a solution for your problems. Believe in Him and talk to Him. Accept His Son, Jesus as your personal Savior. You’re life will be nothing short of amazing after that. He’s waiting and He’s very patient. God Bless.
P.S.
I had 3 churches praying for my recovery. all together about 400 people. Prayer works!

God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit. So many tell me there is no God or they’re God is this or that. Anything but the real God Almighty. They think to themselves "This is cool and it will make me look cool to others." This is so very dangerous and they just don't know. God can call you home at any time or mankind can cause you to go home at any time through a car wreck, shooting, or any kind of accident. That is not an act by God but by mankind. The point is, when you are out of the physical body, you are in the presence of God. It will be too late then to change your mind about what you did and whom you believed in during your stay on earth. Lets just say it's down in print and nothing is going to change.
I wish so very bad you would give your life to God and let Him run you're life and stop trying to do this yourself. It's impossible friend. You can't do it. God loves you so very much and wants you with Him for all eternity. You not believing changes nothing except, you will not be there for that eternity. By there I mean in Heaven. You will be somewhere but not with God. You'll be in constant torment for all time. What you experience here on this earth is so very mild to what you can expect in Hell. Pick up you're Bible and go to a person or church where you can learn about God and what he has waiting for you. Yes, you personally. God will talk to you and you alone. Then you will know but not without an act on you're part. If you have any questions, please, please email me. I don't pretend to have all the answers but I'll do my best to help. Only God will tell you what you need to know, no man can do that. Give it a try I beg you. God loves you so very much.
God Bless you.

(John 14:6) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.