Team Katherine

At this point in the process I have decided its time to pull together the dream team!

As you read the title to this post, you may be wondering: What does Team Katherine mean exactly?

Team Katherine is all of my friends, family, doctors, supporters, and relators in this process.  My team is the group of people I know I can count on to help pull me through, up to the point of surgery and beyond.  They have already showered me with advice, love, prayers, gifts, thoughts and kindness.  Like any sports team, this crew of people is strong and united, ready to give me the support I need to make it through this process.

I have come to realize that heart surgery isn't something that I am going through alone.  I'm the one receiving the healing, but I am not the only one who is going through this.  My whole team is.  They are by my side, praying and caring.  They will be the ones who hear of my surgery as it occurs, who tell me what to expect, who prepare me with supplies and love, and who sit by me as I recover with a smile and a coloring book, or helping hand.  I am having OHS, but I'm not the only one experiencing this burden. My team is on hand, picking up a piece of my fear and holding on to it for me, lightening my own load.

While this Thanksgiving break has not been completely perfect, my family (some of my strongest team members) has helped me realize the presence of my team.  How did they accomplish this you may ask?  Through a music video!

The night before Thanksgiving my entire family pitched in to create a new (even better) version of the Call Me Maybe music video.  While the lyrics do not all match up, I began to realize the meaning of that song to me. My family showed me they were willing to be called upon whenever and for whatever  in order to help me through this process.  My grandmother found her way to tell me through crazy dancing and my cousins explained it in goofy love scenes littered throughout the masterpiece.  They weren't just dancing and mouthing the words to the song, they were demonstrating to me that they were a part of Team Katherine.  They showed me that through all of this, they have my back, and that they are carrying some of this heavy load for me.

I have included the video for your enjoyment.

If you are on Team Katherine or if you are assembling your own team, I hope you take this post to heart (no pun intended)

Having a Team is such a blessing and is of vital importance when making it through the Open Heart Surgery experience. I'd argue it is one of the most important parts of the preparation and the journey.

If you are on my team, Thank you! Your love and support and willingness to carry some of my burden makes a huge difference in the way I see this upcoming adventure.  If you have congenital heart disease or are preparing for Open Heart Surgery, Assemble your Team!  Realize what a blessing those who are beside you are in this process and rely on the knowledge of their love and kindness for support through this challenging time.