Originally Posted by WhoFan63 (Post 11936850)

Hi everyone, long time no see ! :)

Last month I celebrated being back home for three years and I'm still surprised at how fast the time has gone. I still have that sense of awe as though I've just stepped off the plane and still don't regret a single thing.

That thought was brought home to me even more at the end of March when I had a massive heart attack and went into cardiac arrest. Thankfully I had called the paramedics in time and I was transported with all lights and sirens flashing to Wythenshaw Hospital in South Manchester where I was taken straight into surgery.

Recovering slowly although not able to work at the moment and I have to have an echocardiogram at the end of May to determine my remaining heart function before I begin cardiac rehab. So all of these cardiology appointments, hospital stays and all the new medication I am on makes me so glad of the NHS. If I'd still been in the US I hate to think how much this would have all cost me, especially without health insurance. :(

Don't get me wrong - the UK isn't perfect, no country is, it has it's ups and downs just like everyone else, but in my heart it's HOME !! I'm now in my own home just outside of Manchester, so I have a roof over my head and food on the table. My heart is still beating and so I'm truly blessed !