Next Friday, August 11, 2017 I am getting Open Heart Surgery.
This is an unexpected show that I need to fit into the schedule. It will be performed at the Mayo Hospital in Jacksonville. Directed by Dr. Erroll Belli, a top vascular surgeon, it will star ME. This role was made for me as I was born with a bicuspid valve. Who knew? For the past 30 years doctors who heard a "clicking", "murmur", "fluttering" told me I had a mitral valve prolapse. They were wrong.
Four weeks ago I saw nurse practioner Nancy Stark for a routine visit as my doctor was on vacation. She said, “As long as you are here, I might as well check your vitals.” As soon as she put her stethoscope on my chest she heard a murmur. She asked if I ever had an echocardiogram. When I said, no, she immediately ordered one. Basically Nurse Nancy saved my life. And I am grateful that my doctor was on vacation. I believe that he would not have listened to my heart.
The echo showed that I was born with a birth defect, a bicuspid aortic valve. The cardiologist that read my test explained that it needed to be replaced because of stenosis but that was not the main problem. He kept saying, “It’s not emergent but sometime, maybe in a month or in 6 months, you are going to have open heart surgery.” And then proceeded to tell me that my ascending thoracic
I have a thoracic aortic aneurysm -- it's pretty freaking big. So big that my friend Leslie and I thought it was my lung on the screen. Dr. Belli will remove the aneurysm and replace my entire thoracic aorta awith a graft made out of dacron -- can I get it in hot pink?
I made the decision that I would embrace the situation rather than resist it, and move through this challenge with my art. I was about to launch a Kickstarter Campaign to raise money for my new performance space, BABS'LAB. I had worked months on it with my son Matthew videoing, interviewing, and writing copy. Now was the time to push the button..
So how does that fact effect BABS'LAB? It doesn't. The show must go on. When Kickstarter releases the money to me at the end of August, I have a team of people that will help me. We'll move through this with grace because we know how to IMPROVISE.
Annndddd we still have 4 days left to raise more money for producing Chalk. May the force be with me.
Love all of you guys. Your support over the past two weeks has been up-lifting.
babs
XOXOXO