Life has a way of sneaking up on you and creating havoc. How much havoc, I have learned, can depend on how prepared you are. My husband of 20+ years, former professional athlete, fit and full of life, needed emergency heart surgery for a valve infection. He had been sick for over a week with flu-like symptoms that two different doctors thought was lyme disease. After waking up one morning and not being able to get out of bed, we went to the emergency room to find out what was wrong. After a day of tests, we finally met our infectious disease angel-doctor who diagnosed my husband with endocarditis, which is a heart-valve infection. We learned that he had a piece of the infection hanging off of his valve which made him highly susceptible to a stroke. He needed emergency heart surgery to cut the mass off of his valve and some repair work. Thankfully, after 6 months, he is completely recovered. Obviously, this was a difficult time and could’ve been disastrous as he could have died. I am grateful to have been financially and legally prepared. We have a will, health proxy and durable power of attorney. We have term life insurance on both of us. We have excellent health insurance where our out-of-pocket charges were a manageable $2500. We have emergency savings that covered the additional expenses that come with a severe illness. Looking back, this very stressful time could have been so much worse. Prepare for emergencies so that you have the emotional strength to focus on your loved one and not have to worry about legal and financial issues!
Be Prepared For Life’s Curves
