St. Mary's Hospital

St. Mary's Hospital is about a mile from my house.  You can get there in less than three minutes if both lights are green.  I drive by every day on my way to and from work.


Ten months ago Erica and I had our first lunch date at St. Mary's.  She was working as an appointment coordinator for some doctors.  We hadn't even officially started to date when I showed up at noon with food from "Noodle's and Company." 


Every Thursday from that point on we had lunch at the hospital.  Sometimes we'd eat inside.  Sometimes we'd eat outside.  Sometimes we'd eat in the cafeteria.  Sometimes, Often, when she was feeling naughty, she would try to kiss me in the stairwell...but I always insisted that was VERY inappropriate for a public place :-)


Around this time I began training for a marathon.  Every day I would jog by St. Mary's and think, "The girl I love is in there.  I can't wait to see her!"


After a few months the doctor moved his office and Erica moved to another job...but this morning she was back at St. Mary's.


A nasty tumor-like mass decided to grow in her back and she went to get it removed.  What was supposed to be a simple surgery turned into something much more complicated.


The tumor was much bigger than the doctor thought.  The vessels were so big that he didn't feel comfortable removing anything without a vascular surgeon on hand.  Not only that, but the doctor believed the mass had spread into her chest and wrapped itself through her ribs.


He decided to sew Erica back up, order a cat scan (which should have been done before this surgery...but that's another story), analyze how complex removing the tumor would be, and then schedule another surgery.


Erica does not handle surgery well.  Her body rejects anesthesia and it makes her violently ill.  When she woke up this afternoon, dry heaving and pale, she was less than happy to hear that she would be spending several nights in the hospital.


As if this wasn't bad enough, Erica's brother, Brian, gets married Friday in Washington DC and her parents are scheduled to leave on a cruise Sunday.  


All day I waited with Erica's wonderful parents in room 507.  She was in and out of consciousness until she was wheeled away to have her cat scan.


A few hours later we received some wonderful news!


The results show the tumor is not life-threatening and hasn't entered the chest cavity like the doctor originally thought!  The vessels are still very large and a vascular surgeon will need to perform the procedure...but it shouldn't be as complicated as it could have been.  Tomorrow we'll know for sure what needs to be done...but this is definitely good news!


Thank you all so much for your thoughts and prayers.  Within an hour of learning how serious things turned, Erica was being prayed for in three LDS temples.  My co-workers and friends from church were very kind.  Many of you called, texted, sent Facebook messages...all appreciated!


I'll admit there were several moments I was scared and worried today...but I know things will all work out.  I know because God is a God of miracles and He hears and answers prayers.


Tonight I got home from St. Mary's around 9 o'clock.  I needed to clear my mind and my legs were stiff from sitting all day...so I decided to go for a quick run.


I turned on my I-pod and began to pound the pavement.  I was deep in thought when all of a sudden I realized I was running next to St. Mary's Hospital!


I stopped for a moment, looked up at room 507, and thought, "The girl I love is in there.  I can't wait to see her!"  

We're getting married one month from today!