May 1st 2005: 3 Years Later

Today marks the 3rd anniversary of what was almost my date of death. On May 1st 2005, a Sunday, my sons checked on me because they knew I had not felt well on Saturday. I had been in Ireland earlier in April. After returning from there I was tired beyond any jet lag I’d ever had. I worked on Friday and went to my usual Friday night crop, which I ended up leaving early because I was literally falling asleep while cropping. I was also having sharp abdominal pain. That night and all day Saturday was a blur of shaking chills and over whelming fatigue. Sunday they found me and called 911. I was admitted to the hospital in critical condition with pneumonia, septic shock, and DIC (Disseminated intravascular coagulation). I was dying. remember Jim Henson, the puppeteer? He died from the same thing. I was in and out of being conscious. While semiconscious I prayed to God saying if it was my time then take me. I prayed to Fr. Oscar Romero asking him to intercede on my behalf, that I wanted to live but I would accept whatever was God’s will. Well, I did survive. Had I died I never would have met my 3rd grandchild, Armando. Katie would not have remembered me, being only a year old. And Sondros would have missed me terribly. I have been left with a lot of lung damage. My health has never returned to normal. I ended up having to retire many years earlier than I planned to. But I am alive and I am glad. Thanks be to God and Senor Oscar Romero for his intercession.