Friday evening I began having severe pains and after an hour or so of trying everything I could think of to ease the pain, I finally decided to go have this checked at the ER. I phoned my daughter, Nicole, to meet me at the hospital and I left, arriving there around 10pm.. I went ahead and checked in and right away they began running tests. I went through the catscan and was waiting for the results, when my daughter arrived. The Dr. came in and told me I had a large mass in my uterus that had to come out.

They did more blood work which confirmed even more the urgency of an operation. I have had the same Dr. for 18 years...a very devoted Christian man who would rather pray than do anything else (and pray he does) so I told them I would contact him the next day.

The next day I went to see my Dr. and he referred me to a surgeon and that afternoon I made an appointment with this surgeon for the following Tuesday. Tuesday came and all my records had been forwarded to this surgeon from the hospital, but he ran more tests. It was decided I would go in the following week for surgery and I was fine with that. Having worked in the medical field I didn't have the fear alot of people have going to a strange place, strange people and undergoing surgery....so I went home to prepare for the next week.

The following Tuesday I entered the hospital and had a successful surgery...the tumor was not cancerous and I felt great. After 3 days I went home and was told to go to his office to have the staples taken out in 6 days. A little stunned, I didn't question it. On the 6th day I woke up to make coffee at 6am and to prepare for my 10am appointment. While making the coffee, I felt this gush of hot liquid running down my gown. Thinking I was half asleep, and had spilled the coffee, I looked down to see nothing but blood pouring down the front of my gown. Well, this certainly wasn't normal, so I phoned the "on call" Dr. and told him I needed him to meet me at the hospital, as I was bleeding heavely. He pretty much shrugged it off and told me to come in the office a little early for the staples to be removed. I had taken 1/2 dozen towels and gotten them as cold as I could to stop the bleeding....I told him the staples were not ready to be removed in an office but at the hospital, as I was sure I was bleeding internally. He still didn't agree so I just kept the towels on the incision until the Dr's office opened.

9:00 I was walking in the Dr's office, and they took me back to check things out. The nurse came in and I told her whatever she did, DO NOT remove the staples. No sooner had these words left my mouth, I felt a "snip" "snip" and I asked "What are you doing?" to which she replied "removing your staples." It was too late now and she would snip a few, leave the room and come back in to snip a few more. When she had 3 remaining staples, she left the room and the next thing I knew the Dr. came running in the room, grabbed some paper, started wrapping me up and told the nurse to call 911. Well, I knew what had been "inside" was now "outside" so I was rushed to the hospital for repairing.

I was in the hospital for a month. Alot is still fuzzy but I underwent 3 more surgeries trying to repair the damadge. This put more stress on my heart than it could handle, so I ended up having 3 cardiac arrests. Not all at once, but over the course of this month. During one, the only way I can describe it is I was near the ceiling looking down at some people standing around my body rushing frantically around. My body looked like a garment I had taken off and threw aside, that's how much it meant to me. My only feeling was "Why all this fuss over what was my earthly vessel?" Then I began to slowly drift down and I was in my body again. This wasn't frightful at all....just curious as to what they were doing.

The next one I had, I had moved from ICU to the 4th floor and was doing really well. They had me on 27 different medications and I was feeling pretty good. However, as it began to turn dark outside, I remembered one of the nurses had removed my nasal oxygen and had drapped it over something on the wall. Well, being totally dependent on other's around me for everything, the only "control" I had of my body was the use of my hands. Seems funny now but I was able to remove the oxygen and put it back when I wanted to...this gave me the "only" control I had of my body. When I reached for it and couldn't grasp it, I felt my breathe begin to labor. The nurse came in and noticed I was in need of oxygen then I went into my 2nd cardiac arrest. This time I seemed to be outside my body but not floating on the ceiling. Instead I was seemingly observing along side as they worked on me with tubes, needles and intubated me and I saw myself fighting them because I didn't want to be on a breathing tube. Strange how we're made but our Father is in control of all things and HE saw me through yet another near death experience. If you've read my testimony about the "vision" then perhaps you'll understand I have no fear of death because to die is gain for those who belong to our Lord Jesus Christ. I plan to write an update on my progress with this because this Oct. 2003, it will mark 3 years since this took place, and to date I still have an open incision in my abdomine. I've been to over 7 surgeons and there is not one who will even touch me so I'm not sure where this is going to lead, but have no fear, as HE is still with me.