We celebrate many occasions in my house: four birthdays, one Christmas, three days of Cambodian New Year, one love-at-first-glance anniversary, one wedding anniversary, two family days, and even a Thanksgiving when I can get my hands on a turkey.

May the 17th is a big day, too. Although it is my niece's birthday, an event worth noting, there's another reason the day gets a big woo hoo! around here: it's my Not Dead Day.

On May 17, 1999, Mark and I took our first vacation in 4 years, having decided after a look at a trip to Namibia to go instead to Singapore for a week. Although adventure travel to Africa appealed, after years on this island we were hankering for some Big City time with shopping and movies and restaurants, some hustle-bustle.

Seeing an opportunity to combine agendas, I decided to make an appointment with a doctor for a general check-up, 'real world'-style. The timing was to be tight, as the doctor I'd been able contact from here was scheduled to be leaving the country the day after we arrived, but his office managed to fit me in.

Good thing.

In the course of some routine tests, it was found that I had a massive blockage in the left descending artery of my heart, before the bifurcation. This is a very bad spot, as 75% of the blood going in has to pass this point. I didn't twig to just how big a deal this was until the doctor said: "Unless we do something NOW, you have between one and thirty days to live."

Yep. That's exactly how he put it, and, yes, he got my attention.

From that point on, I wasn't allowed to do as much as sit up. Flat on my back with a Heparin patch on my chest, plans were made around me for emergency surgery.

A few hours later I was in the skilled hands of a cardio-thoracic surgeon as he performed the magic of a triple heart bypass.

The recovery was very quick ... up and walking around after three days ... and my heart was as good as new. Better, actually, and I'm still fit and fine. (I had a check-up when we went to Singapore last year, and got a glowing report.)

Do I even need to list the wonders life has sent my way since 1999? Nah. You know.

I'll write another post sometime about adoption after heart surgery, but this is Love Thursday.

This Love Thursday, it's life I'm loving!