Hi, everyone. Henry here. I don’t know what to say really without breaking down so I will try to keep this short for now since I can’t seem to stop crying whenever I think of this. I’m sure I will have more words to share with everyone once I even begin to try and wrap my head around the past 7 days. It’s humbling, confusing, fear filled, awe inspiring, and life altering to try and wrap your head around being nothing short of a living miracle. I am sure I will spend the rest of whatever life I get to live trying to process this in certain ways. But I am so happy to still be here in the land of the living.
As I lay in this hospital bed with my thoughts, tears, fears, and hopes, I am quite honestly overwhelmed. It’s a lot to realize that most people who go through what I went through just do not end up being able to even text, yet here I am writing. I’m cognizant that as I praise God for my current recovery (despite the long road and surgeries and procedures ahead), most people do not go through what I went through and literally live to tell the tale. It’s mind blowing.
Two things about me, I am a man of deep Faith and I fully also believe in science as a blessing and a gift. BOTH of those things remain true. Chiiile ain’t no way you go through what I just went through and not walk away with certain thoughts about both of those things. Biology and Anatomy & Physiology are the only sciences that kept my interest in school because It has always been amazing to me what the human body and brain will endure to keep you alive. And that there is a being far greater than us who designed them that way. Those things collided major in my life and they will be things I continue to explore spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally til the day the Lord calls me home.
I have not lived a perfect life, but I’ve tried my best to live a life marked by love, and one that points to a far greater love than me. I have always KNOWN that I am well liked, but this week has shown me that I am deeply loved by so many people. Deeply. Y’all have shown UP for me. Through thoughts, prayers, finances, and so many other ways, I have been blown away by YALL. My community is deep, far, and wide reaching. More than I’ve ever realized. I mean, I am WEEPING as I type that. It would take a book to jot down just half of the ways I have seen, felt and received love this week.
There are SO MANY people to thank and y’all know I enjoy giving people their flowers so I’ll do that soon. Still too overwhelmed. y’all have went HARD for me!! To the key players this past week (there are many!) Thank y’all. I am overflowing with love for y’all and truly feel undeserving! But I will spend whatever time I have left showering y’all with gratitude! I mean, just wow. Spend your time investing in genuine relationships with people you love. If there is one thing I can say for sure with my literal life, it will be the best thing you ever spend time doing.
The road ahead is long and uncertain. I have two heart procedures in Dallas on 11/01/21 to try and stabilize me a little bit more while I continue the journey to hopefully an eventual heart transplant. Which comes with the sad reality that in order for me to continue to be alive, someone will have to pass away and I receive their heart. I’ll be honest, I am terrified in certain ways. But as they say, one day at a time!
For better or worse, I long ago decided to live my life in a public way and lead a “public” life. So I’ll always strive to keep y’all on the same page. It’s a lot though. I ask that y’all be kind to my life and to one another. Please understand that in certain ways, I will need to go through some of this as a private person. I am not alone or hiding. I belong to and know people from all walks of life and will have designated people to relay information to those various communities I belong to. Give those specific people some space and grace too. There is real trauma here that they need to unpack as they continue to walk alongside me. There is a real person behind these electronic words who is scared and sad and terrified and won’t always be up for discussing everything publicly, or putting it all out there right away.
I receive all the prayers, love, thoughts, and animal crackers you wish to send my way. Lastly, while I wasn’t born in this country and still not a citizen (maddening) I will forever call Texas home. Fort Worth, I could not ask to be from a better city in terms of community. Y’all showed up and showed out far beyond anything I ever could have imagined. The 817 has propelled my life far beyond anything I ever thought possible.
Friends, from the bottom of my barely functioning but sill beating (!) heart, I say thank you! Thank you.
“I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!”
Psalm 27:13-14
