A sudden reminder of the fragility of our lives
Life and death. We are here one minute and gone the next. The Book of James 4:14 (KJV) reads, “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.” We are merely a speck in this great big universe. Yet, as small as we are, God is with us in life. He will also be with us in death. We can only hope something we say or do between being born and dying will make a difference in someone’s life.
Last week was the second week in nine years I did not write a column. Sometime around four in the morning last Thursday, I woke up with chest pains. It felt like an elephant was sitting on me. I got up and self-medicated with some Pepto and laid back down. For three hours I waited in vain for the pain to ease. It did not. So, being the rocket scientist I am, I decided to shower and go to work. After working for about 10 minutes, I broke out in a cold sweat with my chest still hurting. It was then my boss took me to the hospital.
There are times I think I share too much information. Maybe I do. But it is not done lightly. The words, the stories, they are a burden which must be carried until they are unloaded. This is where the reader comes in. If it is one reader, or a thousand, it makes no difference.
When being treated upon my arrival at the hospital, I was afraid. I am sure there a lot of tough folks out there who do not get scared, but I am not one of them. Once the nurses and doctors conducted their test, they admitted me, with a heart cath scheduled for the next day. The cardiologist came in and told me every bad thing that could happen. He said one out of every 1,000 people who have this procedure die on the table. I asked him when the last one died. He said he did not know what I meant. I told him I was just trying to figure out what number I was in the rotation. He did not have the same sense of humor and assured me this was more serious than I understood. Therefore, I basically had a day and night to think about things. While assuring my family everything would be fine, I also sent my daughter some important information just in case.
The morning of the procedure, they told me I was in line. Still feeling pain, the nurse gave me a nitroglycerine pill. It helped a little. Not much. If you are ever in the same position and the nurse asks you if it helped with the pain, if it helps at all, the right answer is “yes.” My theory of “If one is good, two is better” did not work out well. Seconds after taking the second pill, I started sweating profusely. Things began to get dark. My heart rate had dropped from 80 to 40 quickly. I thought it was over. With the help of the wonderful nursing staff, they knew how to counter what was happening. This incident put me next on the procedure list. I am blessed. There was only a 50-percent blockage. Hopefully, the problem can be fixed with new and different heart medications.
At some point before they started the procedure, the fear was replaced by calm. My fate was in God’s hands and He knows what is best. In that moment, I could only pray the prayer He taught us in the Book of Matthew 6:9-13. It would be sanctimonious for me to say more. My life is no more important than anyone’s. Some people use religion to raise their stock in the community. While these folks use pretty words, their actions tell a different story. Sadly, everyone has experience with these people. We are all sinners whether we are saved or not. I think some people have forgotten that. I guess I had rather be remembered as an honest sinner than a selfrighteous saint.
After recuperating a few days, I called Billy Hayes to ask him to reach out to the nurse who literally held my hand during my stay. She went above and beyond. Mr. Hayes is the CEO of Northside Hospital Cherokee and a friend to Cherokee County. I am humbled to call him my friend. Before he said anything else, Mr. Hayes said, “What did your test show? How are you feeling? Is there anything I can do for you?” The Bible teaches us you can tell a tree by its fruit. If you believe the Bible, and I do, Mr. Hayes and the nurse who took care of me, they know Jesus.
ATLANTA — Legislation extending COVID-19 liability protection to Georgia businesses and hospitals until July 14 of next year cleared the state House of Representatives Tuesday, Feb. 9.
Lawmakers voted 9968 along party lines to extend the sunset on a bill the General Assembly passed last June shielding businesses and health-care facilities in Georgia from lawsuits brought by people who contract COVID-19 in all but the worst negligence or recklessness cases.
Majority Republicans argued businesses are still struggling to keep their doors open amid the ongoing pandemic.
“While they’re being attacked by the virus, what we don’t need is for them to be attacked by frivolous lawsuits,” said House Majority Whip Trey Kelly, R-Cedartown, the bill’s chief sponsor.
But Democrats countered that while the legislation looks out for the interests of Georgia businesses, it doesn’t protect essential workers forced to stay on the job at the risk of exposure to the virus.
“They have sustained our economy throughout the pandemic, yet we have no protections in place for these workers … forced to work in unsafe conditions,” said Rep. Bee Nguyen, D-Atlanta.