Significant Events In My Life

Significant Events In My Life:

• Grandpa's heart surgery after he had a heart attack.
• Going camping at Manitoulin Island
• Going to a Blue Jays Game for my birthday (lasted 18 innings)
• Traveling every winter with my grandparents since I was 8
• Watching my cousin grow up (from a baby - one year old)
• My brother getting the game winning puck (in a shoot out) from a Toronto Maple Leafs game

Last year, my grandpa's life was about to change drastically, but he didn't even know it. He was having chest/stomach pains so he went to the Walkerton hospital. Once he was there and saw the doctor, the doctor told him that it was just gas. A couple weeks later, he was working out at the Knights of Columbus Hall. He was there for 30 minutes and then his arms went numb and he started sweating badly. He left the Hall and went home to my grandma. She immediately took him up to the hospital. While he was in the hospital he had a small heart attack. Once they got him stabilized they air lifted him to St. Mary's hospital in Kitchener. 

A few days after he got to St. Mary's, my grandma brought me up to go see him. When I first saw him, I would never have thought that the man in that bed was my grandpa. His positive energy was drained right out of him, his face was droopy, but he still smiled once he saw me. They found out he had at least 3 clogged arteries in his heart and they may find more when they do the surgery. I didn't get to see him again until after the surgery was done. He had to get a quad bypass done so, they took arteries out of his leg and arms.  My grandma went up to see him the day after the surgery and she said he was back to his happy and cheerful self since he knew the problem was on it's way from being gone. I got to see him two days after the surgery but, when I was there, he wasn't how my grandma had told me he was the day before. He was in a lot of pain and didn't want to move at all, so we didn't stay as long as we usually did so he could rest. We found out later that day they mixed up his pain medication. They gave him the medication for at night during the day and that was the reason he was in so much pain because the night medication was weaker than the day time medication because he wouldn't be moving much while he was sleeping. He recovered quickly from the operation and the rehab they had him do at the hospital became easy for him to do. Once he was allowed to go home he had to take this pillow with him all the time. If he had to cough he needed to press the pillow against his chest so the stitches wouldn't pop open. Also he couldn't sleep in the bed for at least 6 months after the operation. He had to sleep out in the living room in his lazy boy chair.

I will never forget this event because I could have lost my grandpa and he means a lot to me. I see him as a roll model because he is kind and enjoys giving to the community.Also he has been there to help me when ever I needed it. I've done so many things with him since he had the surgery. Now he has changed is diet to make sure this doesn't happen again.