My favorite story!

Let me tell you the story about Barb, I met her about 14 years ago. We met in December in the Cardiac Cath Lab. She came in for a heart cath and her Dr. was very late. (it happens) We had a good long conversation (about 2 hours) she was the nicest lady. We talked about cooking and babies and marriage. I had just gotten married and she had been married to the same man for over 50 years. I asked her the same question I ask every long married person. "What is the secret to a long marriage". She told me that faith, forgiveness and friendship were the keys. We did her heart cath and she was scheduled to come back a few weeks later for an angioplasty (balloon procedure). When she came back, she had a gift basket for me, recipes, scriptures and homemade brownies. We brought her in to the lab where we performed her procedure and she did not do well. She coded and I did CPR on her for about 45 minutes while they were prepping the OR. I was so sad, I talked to her the whole time. Telling her to hang in there and not to give up. She went to the OR were she underwent bypass surgery.........she didn't do well there either. My good friend got her in the intensive care unit afterwards................she didn't do well there either. It was one of those days in the cath lab where I worked from 6am until about midnight. I went with the Supervisor to tell her husband that we had done all we could for her. Her husband was a minister and he was so very gracious (which really touched me). He gave us all a blessing and then I proceeded to go home. The next day was the beginning of my vacation and Mike and I went to Colorado. The following March I found out I was pregnant and was moved from the Cardiac Cath Lab to the Cardiac Rehab department. (radiation purposes). It was my first day there and I almost fainted. In walked Barb..........wow, it blew me away. She said, "Well, there you are, my little guardian angel" It was apparent to her that I didn't know that she had lived. She told me that she remembered me talking to her when I was doing CPR, she knew that I had cried and watched her the whole day. When it was time for my baby to come the department had a baby shower and she knitted this pink little outfit that was beautiful, but it did not compare to the note that was with it. It read, "what a lucky child you are. For your mother gave life to me too". I was amazed. Barb later moved to Texas and I get a Christmas card from her every year. She is almost 90 now.