April 29th, 2020…. The day of my open-heart surgery. I can’t believe it has already been a year since that frightful day. I can still feel the anxiety pulsing through my body as I hugged Jim goodbye and headed up for surgery… alone. When I think back to sending my Mom, Jim and a few close friends a text message before they took my phone, and rolled me in to the operating room, I can still feel my stomach turning and the fear creeping up inside.
I am so incredibly thankful, lucky and proud to be one year post-op! Last week I had the pleasure of working the ACM Awards with some awesome friends and this week I flew to Cleveland, OH to work the Draft (Thanks Mandi)! This was my first flight since coming home from Minnesota after surgery. I was nervous about hitting the road again, and being on a packed flight, but I am so pumped to be back working events!
Healthwise, I am almost back to normal. I finally stopped sleeping on full pillow wedges last month and have been using our adjustable bed or smaller pillows to prop myself up. This week in my hotel room was the first night I have slept completely flat and I am pumped about it! I still can’t lay on my side for more than 10 minutes at a time due to the pain and pressure in my chest, but I am making more and more progress every day. Jim and I also just invested in an Oculus set, which is VR (Virtual Reality), and it has been a GAME CHANGER! I have been more active since getting that than I have been this entire year. It has workouts, music games, dance routines and more. I highly recommend it for anyone that needs a push to get moving, especially when it comes to slowly building your stamina back up.
I am now fully vaccinated and excited to see events coming back, thanks to the vaccine! The music industry is about to bust wide open and I am ready for it. There are so many things on the calendar, so I hope everyone gets vaccinated, wears their mask and is ready for a fun filled summer. I look forward to seeing all of my friends out on the road and want to thank you again for following my journey and sharing it with friends and family. I hope this blog encourages people around the world to never give up and to always trust yourself. ♥️