June 8, 2013
Dear Jesus:
This past month we celebrated Alex's graduation. The celebrations began in April with the Baccalaureate mass, followed by the Senior-Parent-Faculty banquet, the prom and the actual graduation on May 30th. Rafi and Emily joined us on May 25th so we decided to have an early graduation celebration on Sunday the 26th with a pool party. Excellent decision. If we had waited til the following weekend, Alex would not have had a graduation party.
I had planned the week to the last minute detail. I guess I still have not learned the lesson that You laugh at my plans. The plans for Tuesday were to go to Miami Beach, watch the movie "The Great Gatsby" and have dinner at Yard Bird in Lincoln Road. But "el hombre propone y Dios dispone." You had a different plan for us.
At 5:45 am my mom called to say that my dad was shivering uncontrollably. I rushed to their home in Miami Beach and we took him to Mercy Hospital. He was admitted with an urinary tract infection. They gave him a private room overlooking the bay and La Ermita de la Caridad. I felt that he was where he needed to be.
I left the hospital around 3 pm. As soon as I got home, I grabbed a slice of pizza. I was starving because I had skipped lunch. No sooner had I taken a bite when my phone rang. My dad was being transferred to ICU because his blood pressure had dropped to 68/37. I dropped the pizza and ran to my room. I began to cry because I felt like it was my in-laws all over again. They both left us earlier this year and that was exactly how they died. Their blood pressure dropped and in the blink of an eye they were gone.
Chabeli found me crying in the room. She hugged me and encouraged me to remain positive. I returned to the hospital with all the kids in tow. We got there just as they were moving my dad into ICU. That night, he said he had a lot of pain on his left foot. But other than that, when we left, he was stable.
On Wednesday, we had four tickets to go to the Marlins game. I stayed at the hospital so Chabeli took my place and went with Rafe, Rafi and Emily. My dad continued complaining of pain on his left foot so they ordered a sonogram and a scan of the leg. When I left that night, he was stable. I decided that unless things changed, there was no need for me to go to the hospital on Thursday. I would take a break and enjoy Alex's graduation. In retrospect, I realize now that You got involved and gave us the day off. Even my mom was able to attend.
The graduation ceremony was absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed every moment. I was so proud of my baby boy. He graduated "Cum Laude." All 201 members of his class were present. The place was packed and all the parents were glowing. Father Willie, who had been sent to the Dominican Republic, came for the graduation. The minute he entered, the entire auditorium broke into applause. We love him and miss him. Please Jesus, bring him back to Belen where he belongs. After the ceremony we took lots of pictures. I was saddened by the fact that my dad was not there. He would have enjoyed seeing his younger grandson graduate from Belen, his Alma Matter.
June 19, 2017
Dear Jesus:
This past month we celebrated Alex's graduation. The celebrations began in April with the Baccalaureate mass, followed by the Senior-Parent-Faculty banquet, the prom and the actual graduation on May 30th. Rafi and Emily joined us on May 25th so we decided to have an early graduation celebration on Sunday the 26th with a pool party. Excellent decision. If we had waited til the following weekend, Alex would not have had a graduation party.
I had planned the week to the last minute detail. I guess I still have not learned the lesson that You laugh at my plans. The plans for Tuesday were to go to Miami Beach, watch the movie "The Great Gatsby" and have dinner at Yard Bird in Lincoln Road. But "el hombre propone y Dios dispone." You had a different plan for us.
At 5:45 am my mom called to say that my dad was shivering uncontrollably. I rushed to their home in Miami Beach and we took him to Mercy Hospital. He was admitted with an urinary tract infection. They gave him a private room overlooking the bay and La Ermita de la Caridad. I felt that he was where he needed to be.
I left the hospital around 3 pm. As soon as I got home, I grabbed a slice of pizza. I was starving because I had skipped lunch. No sooner had I taken a bite when my phone rang. My dad was being transferred to ICU because his blood pressure had dropped to 68/37. I dropped the pizza and ran to my room. I began to cry because I felt like it was my in-laws all over again. They both left us earlier this year and that was exactly how they died. Their blood pressure dropped and in the blink of an eye they were gone.
Chabeli found me crying in the room. She hugged me and encouraged me to remain positive. I returned to the hospital with all the kids in tow. We got there just as they were moving my dad into ICU. That night, he said he had a lot of pain on his left foot. But other than that, when we left, he was stable.
On Wednesday, we had four tickets to go to the Marlins game. I stayed at the hospital so Chabeli took my place and went with Rafe, Rafi and Emily. My dad continued complaining of pain on his left foot so they ordered a sonogram and a scan of the leg. When I left that night, he was stable. I decided that unless things changed, there was no need for me to go to the hospital on Thursday. I would take a break and enjoy Alex's graduation. In retrospect, I realize now that You got involved and gave us the day off. Even my mom was able to attend.
The graduation ceremony was absolutely beautiful. I enjoyed every moment. I was so proud of my baby boy. He graduated "Cum Laude." All 201 members of his class were present. The place was packed and all the parents were glowing. Father Willie, who had been sent to the Dominican Republic, came for the graduation. The minute he entered, the entire auditorium broke into applause. We love him and miss him. Please Jesus, bring him back to Belen where he belongs. After the ceremony we took lots of pictures. I was saddened by the fact that my dad was not there. He would have enjoyed seeing his younger grandson graduate from Belen, his Alma Matter.
The following morning I headed to the hospital. My mom was already there and she told me that they were going to perform an angiogram on my dad's left leg because they thought that maybe he had an obstruction. It was scheduled for 3 pm and could take about two hours. When they took him, my mom and I went to the chapel to pray. At 4 pm, the doctor came out. He told us that my dad had a thrombosis on his left leg. He was not able to unclog it and more than likely, my dad's leg would have to be amputated. My mom and I looked at each other and we just hugged.
I called Rafe to tell him what was happening. I also said a prayer to You: "Please, save my dad's leg." From that point on, You were in control. We found out that the top cardiovascular surgeons were at Baptist. The wheels were set in motion with the help of some angels that You sent our way, and Saturday morning he was transferred to Baptist. When we arrived, the team of surgeons was waiting for him. They performed an ultrasound, and the director of the cardiovascular center came to talk to us. He said that there was a vein that looked clear and that he was pretty certain that they could perform a bypass surgery to save his leg. The 3-hour operation began at 12:30, and they saved his leg. Thank You, Jesus. He spent a week at the hospital and last night he was transferred to a rehab center. That's where we are today but that's a story for another day.
I love You, Jesus!!!
June 19, 2017
Thank You Jesus for placing the right doctors in our path who were able to save my dad's leg. Thank You for giving us a day to enjoy Alex's graduation. Thank You for always being by our side.
Thank You for teaching me that I should not plan my life to the last minute detail. Every time I do that, You laugh at my plans. You are in charge. You are in control.
I love You, Jesus!!!
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