Effect Essay #6

It seems like just yesterday when I was thirteen years old when my father and stepmother sat me down to tell me my father was going in to have open heart surgery. They didn’t explain a lot to me regarding the surgery however, they did explain that I would be staying with my aunt and uncle for the week while they were in Portland for the surgery. They then explained to me how when my father returned home, he would be in severe pain, out of work for at least three months, and due to the severity of the surgery if anyone were to catch a cold, flu, or worse we would not be able to enter the house for fear my father would get an infection. Looking back on it now, I thank God that the surgery went well and my father is healthy. I never realized that he could have been disabled or could have possibly past away if there would have been complications in surgery or when he came home.

The doctor had a lot of hope for the outcome of the surgery. He gave my father great odds that all would go well. I remember being in school the day of his surgery and not being able to concentrate. I couldn’t wait to get home to my Aunts to hear how the surgery went. It was a big relief to hear my step mom’s voice telling me everything went well and my father was resting comfortably.

With open heart surgery, the doctor was concerned that there could have been a possibility of my father coming home disabled. Since my father had only one valve working at the time, the doctor’s were a little unsure as to what else they may find once they opened him up. They knew however, it was crucial for them to get two pig valves in place in order for my father to survive another year. Had he came home disabled; the court may have ordered me to live with my mother, since he may have been deemed “incompetent”.

The thought of my father passing away is too great to bear. I get very upset at even the thought of it still since my father is my best friend. My father and step mom never spoke a word to me that this could have occurred, but without a word spoken we all knew that there was a chance with such a rigorous surgery. The only thing we could do was pray that all went well once the doctor’s proceeded. Of course, the outcome of him passing away from him not having surgery was a greater threat.

Twelve years later the pig valve’s they put in my father are still doing their job and I’m still able to put gray hairs on my father’s head. He goes every year for a checkup to make sure everything is going well and although the three months recovery he had was lengthy, tough and agonizing for everyone, we all know in the back of our minds that with no surgery he would not be here today.