04/19/2026
I’ve been wanting to share what happened this week and give God all the glory, but it has been hard to find the words.
Many of you know I had a heart attack back in November. As a result, to help make sure my heart keeps beating properly and never stops again, I needed to have a dual defibrillator put in.
I was told that within 24 hours of getting the dual defibrillator, I would feel like a brand new person and have more energy than I could imagine. Instead, what followed were the hardest 48 hours I have ever endured.
I was in unbearable pain. I felt it in my back and left side, and I knew something wasn’t right. That night brought no sleep. The next morning at 8:00 a.m., my daughter began calling the doctor’s office trying to get me seen. The earliest appointment they could give me was for the next day, Thursday, at 2:30 p.m.
By Wednesday night, I was having difficulty breathing and even talking because of the pain. I called one of my dearest and closest friends, who works with my surgeon. She was able to get on the phone with him right away. He told us to meet him at the hospital CT department the next morning at 11:30 instead of waiting until 2:30. By this point, it was around 8:45 Wednesday night.
That night was awful. I couldn’t breathe. Every time I leaned back even slightly, it felt like someone was stabbing a knife into my back. The pain medication wasn’t touching the pain.
The next morning, my daughter and I went to Parkland. My surgeon had a representative from the defibrillator company there, and my device was working perfectly. Next came the CT scan.
After the scan, my surgeon came out and informed us that my left lung had been punctured during surgery, causing a pneumothorax. A pocket of air was filling my chest, and my lung was collapsing.
I was admitted immediately and had to undergo another procedure where they placed a chest tube. Somewhere in the hospital there was such poor communication that I sat in the waiting area for an hour and a half before someone finally brought me into a room. I had a collapsed lung, and no one seemed to understand the urgency except my surgeon. He had to call down and ask where I was because he was looking for me and had been waiting for me so I could get prepped for the procedure.
Finally, they did the procedure, and that night was the worst of it all. The pain afterward was unimaginable. The chest tube caused so much pain in my back that I couldn’t move without tears pouring from my eyes. I’ve had three natural childbirths, and there was no comparison to what I experienced that night.
The next morning at 4:30 a.m., they took another scan. They said the tube looked great, it was doing its job, my lung had healed, and the tube would be coming out. THANK YOU JESUS! They removed it around 10:00 a.m. I do not wish a chest tube on another person on this planet. They took one more scan and kept me until 3:00 p.m. when I was discharged.
Even though I’m still uncomfortable, it is nothing like what I felt after the defibrillator surgery. I can feel myself getting better and stronger. My recovery will be at least six weeks. My left arm cannot be raised above my head. The doctor explained it as keeping my elbow glued to my side so the wires connected to my heart and muscles can heal properly and not come disconnected.
God made a way. He put the right people in the right places at the right time. He carried me through fear, pain, tears, and one of the hardest nights of my life. Today, I am home, breathing better, resting, and so incredibly grateful.
I want to give a HUGE thank you to my girlfriend for coming to me so late at night when I needed her most, for taking amazing care of me, and for coming back to the hospital the next day to be with me. I love you more than I can put into words.
A huge thank you to my daughter, who never left my side. I could not have made it through this without you. I am going to hate seeing you go back home. You have been my rock all week. I love and adore you with all my heart.
Thank you to my sons for being there and doing all the running around behind the scenes. I greatly appreciate all that you have done. I love you both more than you will ever know.
Thank you to my twin sister for coming, holding my hand, praying over me, and encouraging me. You will never know the depth of gratitude I have for you.
Thank you to everyone my sister called who prayed for me, and to everyone who visited, called, checked on me, or asked if I needed anything. THANK YOU. Just knowing you thought of me enough to call to see if I needed anything. The smallest of things meant so much to me. I am forever grateful to you and for having such amazing friends and an amazing family.
I know prayer works. I know our God is mighty. And I know He definitely has a purpose for my life.
I never want to be ashamed to testify of His goodness. God is still faithful. God is still present. God is still working miracles every single day, I am living proof!
To anyone facing something hard right now—please don’t give up. Your story is not over. 💛
