Every Saturday I get breakfast for my family at a local breakfast eatery. When I finished taking everyone’s order, I walked up the stairs (about ten) so that I could call the order in. When I reached the top of the stairs it felt like I had run ten miles. I was breathing so heavily that I went to sit down in my chair and called for my wife.
While I thought, I was yelling my lack of breath made it impossible for her to hear me. Within seconds, the room was spinning, and I fell out of my chair and hit my head on my desk. The next thing I knew my wife is asking me what happened. As I try to explain to her what happened, I realize that the words I am hearing is not what I wanted to say.
She quickly told my son to call 911 and kept me calm. I thought I was having a stroke, but my wife looked at me and did not see the signs. The ambulance arrived in five minutes (it felt like twenty) hooked me up with oxygen and off we went to the hospital.
When I arrived in the emergency room the nurse asked me, what I thought had happened. I thought I either had Covid or that I had previously had a blood clot. The nurse did not think it was a blood clot and quickly administer a Covid test (later I found out it was negative).
When the doctor came in, he told me he wanted to take a scan for my head and my lungs. As they were wheeling me back to my room from taking the scans the doctor told me that I had huge blood clots in my lungs and that they were going to have to put me on blood thinners.
While this was an extremely scary situation, I am profoundly grateful that it happened when someone was home in the house. In addition, I was about to go into a car and would have crashed into something so that was extremely lucky.
I have tried hard in the past few years to be grateful for the moment, but this experience has made me more grateful than ever. I have always loved the first day of school but truthfully, this one is going to be even more special.
Yes, this is going to be a crazy year, but I am truly grateful that I am going to be here to go through it with my students. There is so much power in gratitude (more about gratitude) and the challenge is for all of us to think more about what we are grateful for then what we do not have.
Wow! You were very lucky! Great to hear you are ready for the first day! Enjoy the year!
ReplyDeletethanks hope college is going well for you
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how challenging times or frightening moments can help us to gain perspective, and even help us to practice more gratitude. Glad you're well. Have a great first day.
ReplyDeleteMr. Bressler that truly is scary, I hope that you are feeling better! I wasn’t expecting this when I open up the blog for the first time of the new school year. Stay safe and Keep being an amazing teacher!
ReplyDelete-Greg Deyesu
You know him as Mr. Bressler, but I know him as "Doc," my friend of almost 60 years. We grew up in Queens, NY in the 60's and 70's playing stickball on the "dirtfield" and basketball in the schoolyard. Doc was quite the hoopster and made life for me by setting the meanest, most strategic picks in town. After I moved to Atlanta in '78 we lost contact for quite some time, but then, somehow or another, I found out he was living outside Baltimore, and not surprising, he was a school teacher. I say "not surprising" because Doc was always the voice of reason. Growing up in '60's and '70's Queens were crazy times. Not dangerous crazy, just crazy! But Doc always remained level headed and balanced (except when he threw a basketball at some guys head AT THEIR GYM, which ignited quite the melee :) I visited 2 or 3 times over the past 10+ years (I have clients in the Harrisburg area), and the times we spent reminiscing were priceless and left me smiling for days. But after reading his blog describing his health scare, I realize it should have been more. Those of you who had him as your teacher know how fortunate you've been. You know his feelings for you are genuine, for Doc is nothing if not genuine. Glad you're doing well my old friend. Stay safe during these chaotic times, and I promise, next time I get up your way...
ReplyDelete