When I competed at Mrs. International in 2014 Chuck's heart was in Afib (irregular heartbeat). I was so nervous about him flying to nationals. His cardiologist Dr. Lance Garner had cleared him for the trip so I put my trust in the professionals that they knew what he could handle and I prayed that God would keep him safe. He was such a trooper and never once seemed concerned about his situation. He was totally focused on supporting me on my experience at nationals. Which is totally his character. He is always thinking of others first and always being a strong support system.

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That year Chuck flew home after the pageant so he could be back at work on Monday but my sister and I along with my mom, my daughter and my nephew drove home for some sight seeing. So, I got the call on our drive home from Chuck saying he was being referred to a specialist for his Afib. You see, the past two times he had been in Afib they did a procedure where they take you in and shock your heart to stop it and then they shock it again for your heart to start back in a normal rhythm. It sounds super scary so I was not looking forward to him having to go through that again. His cardiologist said they couldn't keep shocking him because it could begin to do damage to his heart. So they were taking on a new approach.

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That's when Dr. Halleran came into our lives. He assured Chuck he was going to help him to get better and to prevent his heart from going in and out of Afib. I was ecstatic to hear the end goal but when we heard of how we were going to get there we knew it was not going to be an easy road.

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The procedure is called a catheter ablation. It's a procedure that uses radio-frequency energy (similar to microwave heat) to destroy a small area of heart tissue that is causing rapid and irregular heartbeats. Destroying this tissue helps restore your heart's regular rhythm. The diagnostic catheters are threaded through blood vessels to your heart where they are used to map your heart's electrical signals. It amazes me the technology that allows us to do such amazing things for healing the human body. We were ready to get Chuck healthy again.

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The procedure took about 3 hours and wasn't sure how he was going to feel when he woke up. He's a pretty tough guy but they said this procedure would definitely test his pain tolerance. After he came out of surgery I was allowed to sit with him while we waited for him to wake up. Chuck's mind is always working and as he was trying to wake up he kept asking me about his employees and how they were doing. He just made me laugh. He didn't like to be away from work so of course that what was on his mind. He would just talk gibberish while he "worked" in his head. Anesthesia is always a good source of entertainment after surgeries as the patient tries to wake up. But I knew that would change as he realized where he was and the pain his body was in.

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After a catheter ablation you have to stay flat on your back for a certain amount of hours before you are allowed to sit up. As Chuck began to really wake up he realized where he was and began to feel the pain. He wanted to sit up and of course he wasn't allowed to. He's also a strong guy so getting him to stay down was quite the task. After they moved him to his room they were able to give him some meds to help him sleep for the remaining hours that he would have to stay flat on his back.

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I believe it was the second day that he was finally allowed to sit completely up so he could walk for the first time. By this time Chuck was dealing with his pain with some humor and some laughs. He enjoyed the wise cracks with his nurses and the staff. I remember how strange it felt to see him in that state of dependence. He couldn't stand without assistance and had to use a walker to walk. But he was a good patient pushing his body to the limit to ensure he would be able to go home sooner rather than later. Hearing the words that he had progressed enough to go home was music to our ears.

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It has been a little over 10 years since that surgery. Chuck's recovery has been nothing short of a miracle. His heart is 100% normal and healthy. Dr. Halleran continues to say he's never had a patient recover so quickly and to have this healthy of a heart. I'm thankful for my God who healed him and sent us care givers that had the knowledge and skill to make the life saving decisions that gave Chuck his life back.

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Living through these life altering scenarios make us look at life through a completely different lens than we did before. Never taking for granted that each day is a blessing and we must make the best of what you have. Chuck has shared his story with many coworkers and friends. He has referred many people to Dr. Garner including myself. It's the gift he continues to share. Our life experiences are gifts that are given to us so that we can in return bless others by encouraging, inspiring and by giving them hope by sharing these gifts. It has been a long 10 year journey but we will continue to live each day different than the last. Striving to be 1% better each day to grow, learn and evolve into a better version of ourselves than we were the day before. Focusing on the positive outlook on life. We have a choice to live with our glass half full or half empty. I choose joy each day. It doesn't mean life will always go according to plan but it does mean I will continue to face each day with the "can do" attitude that gives me the positive mental aspect I need to make the best of every day. I pray our story inspires you to do the same!

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