God put me where I needed to be

By Shon Bender

Helping people and being active has always been part of who I am.

As an adult, it meant spending countless hours on my feet as an Intensive Care Unit and Heart Cath Lab Nurse. Later, as I moved into leadership roles, I stayed active through golf and exercise.

So, when my colleague Natalie Thompson decided to launch the Hope in Motion 5K to benefit Genesis Cancer Care patients, supporting her was an easy decision.

I wanted to help. So, my son and I made a pact to run it together as our first 5K.

I knew there was a difference between being active and running a 5K. So, I made plans to get ready.

On Feb. 9, I started working out on my elliptical. A couple of minutes in, I felt something strange. It felt like I had pulled a muscle in my chest and back at the same time, which seemed possible as I had played golf all weekend. The pain wasn’t terrible. On a scale of 1 to 10, maybe a three. Still, I stopped.

That decision probably saved my life.

I could have ignored the signs. However, knowing what was at risk, memories to be made with my wife and children and watching my grandchildren grow. There was no other option.

With everything on the line, I chose to call a Genesis heart doctor. I spoke with Dr. Abdulhay Albirini, a Cardiologist.

Soon, I was on my way for testing. The result was something I never expected.

At only 52, my left anterior descending artery, or LAD, was severely blocked. The LAD is sometimes called the “widowmaker” because of the serious consequences a blockage in that artery can cause. While in the Heart Cath Lab, Dr. Albirini performed a minimally invasive procedure and placed a stent in my artery. I went home that night.

I was shocked.

My father had open-heart surgery at 55. So, I had a history of heart disease in the family. I had always tried to eat healthy, exercise and take care of my body.

I didn’t think this was supposed to happen to me, especially not at this age.

Physically, I began recovering quickly.

Emotionally, my recovery was different. I kept thinking about how close I had come to losing everything. My family. My friends. My work. The people I love.

And I kept thinking about all the people I knew who might be walking around with the same false sense of security.

That same week, I was sitting around my kitchen table with a group of friends. I could have talked about my procedure. Instead, I found myself talking about them.

I asked about their health. Their lifestyles. Their family histories. I encouraged them to pay attention to things that didn’t feel right and to get checked if they had concerns.

I wasn’t trying to scare them. I wanted them to have the chance I had.

One of those friends was my Genesis colleague and close friend, Eric King.

He listened.

Eric went home and kept thinking about our conversation. Then he decided to take my advice. That decision would lead him to a diagnosis he never expected. And a procedure he desperately needed.

Sometimes the answer is in the timing

Looking back, I believe God was guiding the timing of everything. He led me to Genesis decades ago. He put me in a place where I knew the people who would care for me when I needed them most.

And then, just months before my own heart scare, He had put Natalie in my life at a time when she needed people to rally around her.

I thought I was helping Natalie by supporting the Hope in Motion event. I never imagined that the chain of events would eventually help save my friend Eric’s life.

Having a heart episode was scary. I could’ve died. But I’m grateful. Not because I had to go through it, but because I came through it with a message I couldn’t keep to myself.

I believe God watched over me through the entire ordeal. He put me where I needed to be, surrounded me with the right people and gave me another chance to help others.

It has already made a difference for Eric. I hope it makes a difference for more.

Sometimes we don’t understand why something happens to us. Maybe we never will. But we can choose what we do with what comes next.