On November 25, 2019 I suffered as heart attack and died.
It was classic. While working in my shop building a piece of plaque lodged in my LDA artery on the front of my heart (the Widowmaker) and blocked it completely. I dropped like a rock.
I am usually alone for hours and hours in my shop. By a GREAT stroke of luck my giant Nephew happened to visit for a few minutes to borrow some wood screws and saw me drop out.
He knows C.P.R. because he was an Infrantryman in Iraq. He sent his son to call 911 and started it immediately.
At the hospital they froze me in an ice bath for three days to stop the damage, then cleaned out my LDA and inserted a stent.
After five days of unconsciousness I woke up alone on the Bridge of the Starship Enterprise (Next Generation version). What puzzled me for a long time was that I was alone on the bridge. I remember staring at those stars streaking past the ship and wondering "Where the heck are we going? I hope it's somewhere good like a tropical Federation Base, and not some crappy planet full or sharp rocks and ugly reptile aliens."
Turns out, it was the middle of the night and I was looking at the large bay window of my hospital room at the stars. I swear I watched those stars for an hour thinking it was the screen on the bridge of the Enterprise and I was flying through space.
Eventually I shouted out "Hey! Where am I !?!" hoping Counselor Troi would walk through door and gently explain why I was ALONE on the bridge. Why I was alone really did frighten me. I kept thinking "Where is Picard or Worf or Data?! Jebus! I am totally NOT qualified to fly this thing!". I really was afraid of crashing the ship into a star. I really was.
My Son-in-Law suddenly popped up from nowhere at the bottom of the view screen and angrily yelled "You're in the hospital! Now SHUT UP and go back to sleep!" Later he told me he was angry because this was the fifth time that night I woke him up doing that.
Other than waking up, I have only one foggy memory of sitting on the couch at a party last Christmas. I remember nothing from January. In February I began recording memories again.
I lost about 30% of my physical power from heart muscle damage. I tire quickly. I estimate I lost 20% of my cognitive function from brain damage. Decisions take longer. I can't remember things. Solutions to technical problems don't "pop into my head" like they used to. Now I must stop, close my eyes, and deliberately concentrate to summon them.
I had no health insurance and my medical bills totaled around $300,000. In February I began maxing out all my credit lines and transferring assets before declaring Bankruptcy in August. I was able to eliminate almost a half-million in unsecured debt. Score! I highly recommend this.
I'm sorry to report that I did not see any lighted tunnels or meet any dead ancestors. On the ventilator I had no pulse or brain function, but perhaps I wasn't "all-the-way" dead.
Basically I went from feeling woozy in my shop to waking up on the Enterprise, with nothing in between, literally nothing.
The cool part is Every Day on this planet feels like finding a $100 bill laying on the sidewalk. Whoo hoo! Free money! Every morning I wake up and think "HA! I win again!" because I get another free day I wasn't supposed to have.
I used to obsess about things like car maintenance, preventing appliance break-downs, and saving up money for hard times. Now I hardly care about those things. I'm like a teenager on spring break, carefree and enjoying every minute of life.
I will enjoy Thanksgiving a lot tomorrow because I missed it and wrecked it for my family last year.
It was classic. While working in my shop building a piece of plaque lodged in my LDA artery on the front of my heart (the Widowmaker) and blocked it completely. I dropped like a rock.
I am usually alone for hours and hours in my shop. By a GREAT stroke of luck my giant Nephew happened to visit for a few minutes to borrow some wood screws and saw me drop out.
He knows C.P.R. because he was an Infrantryman in Iraq. He sent his son to call 911 and started it immediately.
At the hospital they froze me in an ice bath for three days to stop the damage, then cleaned out my LDA and inserted a stent.
After five days of unconsciousness I woke up alone on the Bridge of the Starship Enterprise (Next Generation version). What puzzled me for a long time was that I was alone on the bridge. I remember staring at those stars streaking past the ship and wondering "Where the heck are we going? I hope it's somewhere good like a tropical Federation Base, and not some crappy planet full or sharp rocks and ugly reptile aliens."
Turns out, it was the middle of the night and I was looking at the large bay window of my hospital room at the stars. I swear I watched those stars for an hour thinking it was the screen on the bridge of the Enterprise and I was flying through space.
Eventually I shouted out "Hey! Where am I !?!" hoping Counselor Troi would walk through door and gently explain why I was ALONE on the bridge. Why I was alone really did frighten me. I kept thinking "Where is Picard or Worf or Data?! Jebus! I am totally NOT qualified to fly this thing!". I really was afraid of crashing the ship into a star. I really was.
My Son-in-Law suddenly popped up from nowhere at the bottom of the view screen and angrily yelled "You're in the hospital! Now SHUT UP and go back to sleep!" Later he told me he was angry because this was the fifth time that night I woke him up doing that.
Other than waking up, I have only one foggy memory of sitting on the couch at a party last Christmas. I remember nothing from January. In February I began recording memories again.
I lost about 30% of my physical power from heart muscle damage. I tire quickly. I estimate I lost 20% of my cognitive function from brain damage. Decisions take longer. I can't remember things. Solutions to technical problems don't "pop into my head" like they used to. Now I must stop, close my eyes, and deliberately concentrate to summon them.
I had no health insurance and my medical bills totaled around $300,000. In February I began maxing out all my credit lines and transferring assets before declaring Bankruptcy in August. I was able to eliminate almost a half-million in unsecured debt. Score! I highly recommend this.
I'm sorry to report that I did not see any lighted tunnels or meet any dead ancestors. On the ventilator I had no pulse or brain function, but perhaps I wasn't "all-the-way" dead.
Basically I went from feeling woozy in my shop to waking up on the Enterprise, with nothing in between, literally nothing.
The cool part is Every Day on this planet feels like finding a $100 bill laying on the sidewalk. Whoo hoo! Free money! Every morning I wake up and think "HA! I win again!" because I get another free day I wasn't supposed to have.
I used to obsess about things like car maintenance, preventing appliance break-downs, and saving up money for hard times. Now I hardly care about those things. I'm like a teenager on spring break, carefree and enjoying every minute of life.
I will enjoy Thanksgiving a lot tomorrow because I missed it and wrecked it for my family last year.
Last edited:
