My Brother.

I have a brother, Garry, whom I love dearly. It's just the two of us left in our immediate family. Father and Mother and kid brother, Dale, all gone home to glory.......quite a few years ago now.

Even though he lives in Tisdale, and we don't always manage to see one another a lot, he's my big brother, and has had many health issues over the years. He keeps on going though. Tough. Gentle. Kind. Sassy. No-nonsense kind of guy.

This past Friday he had major heart surgery. Edmonton University Hospital took him as a special case. As of last night he was still in the intensive care unit. I spoke with his wife, Helen, about it all and she reported that the doctor who did the surgery was a man the University had managed to acquire and most likely is the best heart surgeon in all of Canada.

I know it was all in God's plan.

When Helen asked the surgeon how long the operation would take, he told her "it will take as long as is necessary, depending on what I find there."

The operation was ten and a half hours long. The worst case, by far, the surgeon had ever experienced or seen. He wondered how Garry was still alive. Major cholesterol and hardening of the arteries was the reason for such an extremely long surgery.

My younger brother didn't have the opportunity to have that surgery 33 years ago when he died of too much cholesterol in his body. We have come a very long way in surgical procedures for this condition in the last few years.

Garry is now lying there, in ICU, with tubes everywhere. Some have been removed and they will continue to remove various ones as his body begins to function once again on it's own. His electrolytes were out somewhat, causing his heart to fibrillate, so they are giving him medication to take care of that. Veins from both legs (groin to ankle on one leg and groin to past his knee on the other leg) were used for new bypass veins and a pig valve was used to replace his aorta.

Now the healing will begin. When I recall my father having the same heart surgery in 1981, he said the leg pain from the vein surgery was more severe than his chest staples, where they worked on his heart.

I will ask for your prayers for Garry, for complete recovery, so he'll be able to walk without being out of breath, and to play golf and to hunt and play with his darling twin grandchildren.

I shall not be complaining about my head cold which keeps my Forest Service employers in business as I use box after box of softie tissues on my running nose. I shall just cough and blow and cough and blow...............and sleep, and ask God to watch over my dear brother, who probably at this point, wishes greatly to even be able to cough and blow...........and sleep.

Thank you Father, for our bodies, which are fearfully and wonderfully made and for doctors whom you have given to us to make us well.

Tonight, I am sick, but grateful.