The big day finally arrived

July 30, 2013 – After 3 long weeks, the day of surgery finally was here! Surprisingly I found myself calm and at peace. All those prayers must really be working. I can't think of any other way for that to be possible. I had to be to JFK Hospital at 5:30am. I surprisingly woke up with no problems and arrived with my daughter, cousin and brother by my side. I was calm. We didn't have to wait too long before I was called up. I had never had surgery before so this whole process was totally new to me. They called me in the back and got me all set up in the robe, some awesome blue socks and amazingly warmed blankets. Once they got the IV in my family was allowed to come back and visit. I hid my left arm under the blanket so Megan didn't have to see it. We took pictures and chatted for a while. It was nice to have them with me.

The one last detail to be taken care of was that stubborn belly button ring that I couldn't remove. The girl came with her little toolbox and popped it right out! All the nurses were really nice and I was happy to see that they checked and double checked all the details while I was there. Dr Shapiro came by because I wanted to make sure that I understood how the incisions were going to be done. We were all set to go. The last thing I remember is laughing, "Yup, the meds are starting to kick in." Lights out!