Science and Miracles , livre ebook

WestBow Press - Michael A. Piatak

Découvre YouScribe en t'inscrivant gratuitement

Je m'inscris

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

77 pages

English

Vous pourrez modifier la taille du texte de cet ouvrage

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne
En savoir plus

A propos
Informations
Extrait

Description

With only hours to live, a man gets a reprieve with a heart transplant and embarks on a never-ending journey of personal transformation…
Michael Piatak tells of his five-decade long odyssey of living with a ticking time bomb of a defective heart. A long-ago detected but undiagnosed anomaly followed him his whole life, culminating in the catastrophic event that nearly brought his existence to an end. With the trinity of science, faith, and his dogged determination, he succeeded in winning his battle for life.

Sujets

Religion

Christianisme

Santé et bien-être

Diététique

Christian Living

Holistic Medicine

Personal Growth

Philosophie et théologie

Philosophy

Heart transplantation

Engineering

History

Informations

Publié par	WestBow Press
Date de parution	30 juin 2023
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781973698494
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0200€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

SCIENCE and MIRACLES
ODYSSEY OF A HEART TRANSPLANT

MICHAEL A. PIATAK

Copyright © 2023 Michael A. Piatak.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible® (NASB), Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org

ISBN: 978-1-9736-9848-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-9736-9849-4 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023909358

WestBow Press rev. date: 06/08/2023

CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Chapter 1Arena
Death Comes A-Calling
Chapter 2Onset of Decline
Fitness & Fighting
Brain Trust
Designing a Life
Flying Unfriendly Skies
Two Become One
Professional Life
Two Kingdoms
Fighting & Fitness, Redux
Chapter 3Cardiac Crises Interlude
Dramatic Decline
Chapter 43000 Days of the Dragon
Enter the Dragon
Grandmasters
Government Work
Meaningful Encounters and a Reunion
New Vocation
Meeting an Influential Man
The Fall of Michael 1.0
Chapter 5ICU Days
Replacement Part
Unconscious World
Awakening
Chapter 6RIM Time & Home
Ordeal
All Dogs Go to Heaven
Michigan winters
Staying Alive
Designing A Healthy Life
Chapter 7HFH Cardiac Rehab Months
180 Critical Days
Due Consiglieres
More Losses
Ongoing Metrics & Biopsy Interludes
Making a Home for the Immigrant Heart
Brain Trust Meeting
Anniversary or Birthday?
Chapter 8Day 365 & Beyond
Milestone
Renewed Sense of Life

Epilogue
Project Michael 2.0 Care Team
Suggestions For Further Reading

PRAISE FOR
Science and Miracles: Odyssey of a Heart Transplant
This is a truly uplifting account of the events leading up to and the trials of living through a heart transplant by someone who was perhaps slow to accept its inevitability but who embraced the circumstances, pain and suffering, and ensuing rehabilitation stoically.
Michael Piatak shows his understanding of the science behind his condition; his belief in a higher power; and the support of a talented medical team and family members, as he takes you through the months and years of his ordeal with exceptional candor.
His supportive wife and family and his prior focus on physical culture are two of the ways he was prepared to survive this encounter. And what does he do now that he has been given a second chance at life?
This book will benefit anyone experiencing a life changing event like this or for someone close to a survivor of a major medical crisis.
—Thomas Torma , Director of Administration (retired), regional automotive supplier.
You think you get to know someone after greeting their cheerful visages every Wednesday morning at Zero Six Thirty. Mike led our Men’s Bible Study at that time, and over the course of several years I gained some insight into this man of Faith and knowledge. I was further blessed when we shared hotel accommodations as our parish representatives during a faith-based conference and learned even more about Mike—albeit indirectly—by serving with the formidable Sue in parish leadership roles. This book puts flesh to the man I thought I knew and does so with Mike’s characteristic potent dry wit and yarn-spinning skill. Not only did I learn that Mike is a survivor, I learned some fundamental attitudes required to thrive, primary among these is the paradoxical need to both take charge of your life and surrender. Without using so many words, Mike demonstrates a profound attitude of gratitude , proving the need for Hope when facing hopeless odds. Thanks, Mike!
—Juan “Jay” Balboa , retired US Navy Commander, former practitioner of Tae Kwon Do Ji Do Kwan (il dan), and fellow lover of dogs.
Life has adversities. Very few of us have struggled for years with heart issues like Mike Piatak has but, his book Science and Miracles conveys an uplifting journey of overcoming challenges that can apply to everyone.
Science and Miracles expresses the author’s will to live, his determination to do all that he must to survive and thrive. Science and Miracles colorfully paints a picture of his support group including his wife, “Miss” Sue, his closest friends the “Brain Trust” and, his doctors and nurses. When “the Dragon” was about to devour Mike, even when he was days away from death, through it all Mike trusted in the hope and peace of his deep, Catholic Faith.
I laughed, shuddered, cried, and felt great joy reading Science and Miracles. I recommend this book because it is a medically based story of hope, not just a word salad of medicalese.
—Van Rohr , Senior Account Manager WWJ News radio 950 Detroit, Retired

DEDICATED TO
Miss Sue the lifesaver,
heart patients the world over; their care givers,
and the American health care industry, specifically those heroic medical professionals that serve it.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many thanks to Sue Anne, John W. Piatak, Allan M. Darish, Allen C. Stortz, and Charles W. Clayton for their contributions to my musings in this book. Each of them corrected the record in several spots which indicates nobody has a perfect memory, and this especially applies to the author.
Also, eternal credit to my medical and spiritual caregivers during this protracted ordeal. They did yeoman work to restore my life in many ways beyond the physical.
Finally, to my editors, particularly John Bongort, who made this a readable work, many thanks.

FOREWORD
When it seems as though all hope is lost, it is not often that one is given a second chance at life. Despite the odds, some people are lucky enough to be born with a healthy body and mind. With this strong foundation, they stand a good chance of long-term survival, barring any unfortunate accidents. However, when one takes into consideration the miniscule odds of coming into existence in the first place given the randomness of conception, it is nothing short of a miracle. Such is the way of nature’s God.
What began with congestive heart failure (CHF) in February 2013 and end in a heart transplant August 20 th , 2021, is an odyssey that had transformative power. At present writing, I marvel at the trip I took to get here, and I cannot stress enough my gratitude to both human and divine agencies. To have another chance at life presented an opportunity for a reboot of myself. A close friend and mentor, Beth Spizarny, has assigned St. Lazarus as my patron saint!
What was wrong or needed fixing with Michael 1.0? Plenty. Since I was a teenager, I had adopted a cynical attitude toward others that no doubt impeded my social development. My slogans were,
-Treat everybody the same: white, black, yellow. Be civil to everyone, courteous to nobody.
-Fortune favors the bold, the devil takes the hindmost .
Not good precepts for achieving social harmony. You will soon see where this got me.
Biographical information will be kept to a minimum. The development of chronic heart failure stems from my adolescent years, but it was not immediately apparent. Despite facing painful shingles in 1996 and near-lethal pneumonia in 2002, I was not prepared for the issues that would arise five years later when my heart became my main health concern. My world view and how it was vital to my long-term survival are also important to the narrative.
While this chronology spans five decades, the majority narrative is over the last fifteen years. As in typical autobiographies, most names are real individuals. There are only a few instances when pseudonyms are used.
Here is the outline of my heart transplant odyssey:
• Heart anomaly intimations, undetected, manifested in congenital cardiovascular performance noticed, 1972.
• Heart function abnormality detected during standard physical for airplane pilot training certificate, September 1978.
• Standard pacemaker installation February 15 th , 2007, William Beaumont Hospital – Royal Oak, MI campus
• Open-heart surgical removal of 10mm fibroelastoma from atrial valve, May 18 th , 2007.
• The first of life-threatening Sudden Cardiac Arrests (SCA) of which only 5% survive, February 2013. Pacemaker-defibrillator installed. Beginning of the 3000 day’s journey to transplant.
• Formally entered Henry Ford Health (HFH) transplant program January 15 t