The tenth time is the charm. - Kim

I woke up this morning with the determination to write something for you all. I wanted to write something funny and light-hearted, but I just can't seem to. You see, my brother is in the hospital with a blood clot in his lungs, on blood thinners, and unable to move from the hospital bed.

Last night, during our workout I just kept thinking of him. I kept thinking that even though I am exhausted because I haven't slept in two days, and worry and stress are abounding, I am so thankful that I can get up and move. I am so thankful that I havent had to have two open heart surgeries in the space of two weeks. Also, I am soo sad that it has come to this for him.

The irony in the situation lies in that he is thin, in good shape, and has no heart blockages. In fact, despite the history of obesity in our family, we have no history of heart attack or stroke below the age of 60. He has been diagnosed with Marfan's Syndrome (the condition that olympic swimmer Michael Phelps has) which caused his aorta to swell and thrombose into a large aneurysm. He had to have his aortic root replaced and as a result of the surgery and all of the blood he lost afterwards, now has a pulmonary embolism.



So where am I taking this? I am taking this blog to show that I've discovered that working out this week will be more of an outlet for me. Instead of freaking out and not leaving his side, I am stepping away for time to myself. I am going to let these classes be my chance to blow off steam, and really put all of my worry and stress into this.