If you have been worshipping with us online, you may have noticed that Pastor Baker has been missing. Though I have shared on our Monday Council Chat meeting what happened, I thought that the rest of the congregation should know what happened.
Early in the morning on Monday March 29th, I woke with shortness of breath and took myself to the emergency room. What I thought was a chest cold was congestive heart failure. They put two stents to open one partially blocked and one totally blocked artery in my heart. Then they sent me home. They hoped that the renewed blood flow would help my damaged heart heal.
My heart then developed an abnormal beating of about 200 per minute and back I went to the hospital. They shocked me to reduce the irregular rhythm, but after four shocks, it wasn’t working. They asked my sister if she wanted them to continue and she had the best response. She asked if my brain was damaged and when told no, she replied, “Shock him again.” Fortunately for me, they sedated me before continuing for another twelve shocks. After getting my heart to a somewhat normal rhythm, they placed a pacemaker to regulate my heart in the future.
They painted a grim picture of recovery and rehab, but I was able to bypass them and returned home. I am able to drive and do most things for myself though my stamina is limited. At my one-week check-up I am doing fine, but I will be doing some outpatient work to build up my strength. If I follow the doctor’s orders, I should be able to return to normal functioning within limits.
I thank everyone for their prayers and support. Thanks to Julia Bessler who helped me return home from my two hospital visits and get settled at home. Thanks to Mary Rosas and Richard Giltner for safety proofing my apartment. Thanks to everyone on the worship teams who made Holy Week and Easter worship happen.
I am looking forward to getting back on mission.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Scott Baker