My Turn: At 88, an ending and a new beginning

Last January, one year ago, I was enjoying a quiet evening at home with my grandson, Stephen.

Without warning, I couldn’t breathe and had horrific chest pains. Was I having a heart attack?

Stephen was instantly beside me, frantically crying out, “Granny, Granny are you okay?”

I couldn’t speak! I couldn’t think! That’s the last thing I remember. I was in so much pain, it consumed me!

Stephen ran to the phone and called my granddaughter, Ashley, who lives close by. Within minutes Ashley was with me and, unbeknownst to me, I was in an ambulance going to a hospital in Suffolk County.

After consulting with the heart surgeon, Ashley was informed that they couldn’t perform surgery because of my age (88). I wouldn’t survive the operation. Ashley broke down and, crying hysterically, she called my cardiologist, Dr. Levine. He reassured her that he would have me transferred to St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn and that I would be in good hands and taken care of.

I vividly remember Ashley holding my hand in a tight grip, saying over and over again, “I won’t let you go, Granny! I won’t let you go!”

I was semi-conscious and thinking, “Am I in an operating room? How did I get here?”

Wait a minute. I desperately needed a cup of coffee. I said, “I’ll give $100 to anyone who will get me a cup of coffee!”

Someone answered, “You got it. How do you take it?”

I replied, “High test with cream and sugar. Where do I send the check?”

He answered, “St. Jude and I’ll match it!”

That’s the last thing I remember until I woke up in the ICU ward. Did I really have a cup of coffee before the operation? Of course not! What was I thinking!

The doctor and his awesome staff at St. Francis did take care of me and as promised I mailed a $100 check to St. Jude.

From St. Francis I went to a rehabilitation facility. I was there for three months and have been home for the last nine months. I completed 20 sessions of physical rehab and have started 26 sessions of cardiac rehab.

It’s been a long, hard recovery.

My life has changed. I’ve always been independent, active and on the go! Whether it be traveling or simply hopping in my car and just driving. That is the past.

The Ending has now become The Beginning.

Growing up, whenever something went wrong, my mother would always say, “Maria, adelante, you always have to go forward!”

And so I’m going adelante!

I’ve started writing again, have been going to rehab, making new friends with similar interests, currently knitting and donating infant blankets to various organizations, leisurely sitting enjoying that first cup of coffee in the morning and watching birds settle on my window bird feeder, going to lunch/dinner with family and friends, blah, blah, blahing on the phone with friends near and far and so much more.

Life is a journey, not a destination!

Words cannot express my gratitude to the doctors, the awesome staff at St. Francis and my loving family and friends who collectively have given me a chance to enjoy life again.

Life is good! I’m blessed!

However, I think someone owes me a $100 cup of coffee!

Maria Jimenez-Tonkiss

Middle Island