Dear friends and family,

                First of all, I would like to thank all of you for the thoughts and prayers that you kept going for me and my family.  I know the power of prayer, and I know that because of that power I am here today.  There were people in all parts of the world praying for me, and it is such a wonderful feeling to know that so many people that don’t know me (as well as people who do) took the time to talk to God about me.

I do want to keep all of you up-to-date on my progress and with what will happen next.  While in the hospital, I had a defibrillator implanted in my chest.  I have included a picture with an explanation of this defibrillator that I picked up at the hospital.  To be honest, when I woke up I didn’t know what the doctors had done to me, so this drawing and explanation was helpful to me!  My scar is healing very nicely, but I do have a bulge from under the skin where the defibrillator is.  Next time I see all of you, please feel free to ask to see it; I don’t mind showing it off!  My nurse says that if I’d had the defibrillator when I passed out in the bathroom, it might have saved me.  But, ah, hind sight is 20/20.

For those of you who don’t know, I did go back into the hospital on September 5.  When I left Baylor on September 1, I was not taking any diuretics.  So, I watched as my feet and ankles swelled to an uncomfortable size.  On Friday of that week, I called the on-call doctor at Baylor to see if it was okay for me to take something, and he told me to take the dose of diuretics that I had been taking before.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t remember how much I was taking before I went into the hospital!  Luckily, my wonderful cardiologist from Medical City, Dr. Rosenthal, had called the day before to give me his home phone number in case I needed his help.  He was able to tell me the dose I had been taking.  By Sunday, the swelling in my feet had not gone away, and all that extra fluid was making it difficult for me to breathe.  I called Dr. Rosenthal again and he asked me to meet him at the emergency room.  I was checked into the hospital only for two days.  I had an I.V. in my arm, which is where the nurses were injecting a much stronger diuretic.  I was not hooked up to any machines while I was there, and I was encouraged to walk around the floor as much as possible.  Thankfully, two days and 12 pounds lighter, I was released.

So what happens now?  I am beginning the process of being evaluated for a second heart transplant.  It all sounds very scary, but this time around I have much more time to prepare myself for it!  No one knows when the transplant will happen, and my nurse said that they want to get as much out of the heart I have now as it will give me.  There aren’t many people around with a second heart, and I’m hoping that modern medicine will grow with me so that this will be my last transplant.  Once I have the transplant, though, the defibrillator will be taken out. 

In the meantime, I am just working on getting better.  I still have good days and bad days as I get used to some of the new medications I’m taking.  But, my doctors at Medical City have said that due to the impressive progress I have shown, I won’t have to do any physical, speech, or occupational therapy, which is great news.  I will be going home to my apartment on Friday; I have truly missed my boyfriend, Joey, and all of our animals.  I haven’t yet decided when to go back to work; I will really just have to see how I’m feeling as each day passes.  My spirits are very high, so I don’t want any of you to worry about me!  But please continue those prayers for me, because I definitely need them.

Honestly, I see all of this as part of God’s plan for me.  He never gives me anything that I can’t handle.  And I truly believe that there is a reason that I am here, as He keeps bringing me back!  Please pray that I will find that reason and that I will get on the path that God has created for me.

I am so blessed to have all of you in my life!  I hope that you all will keep in touch with me.  If you ever want to drop me a line, my e-mail address is: lisa_marie31@hotmail.com (note the underscore between lisa_marie).  It sometimes takes me a while to respond, but I do love to get e-mails!  Thank you again for all of your prayers, and visits, and phone calls, and love.  And please know that whether it’s with this heart, or the next one, I do have plenty of room to love all of you as well!

With Love,

Lisa Hendricks