Happy Heartiversary

Yesterday was the eighth anniversary of Rik's heart surgery.

(I was in such a hurry to finish a biography, Ayn Rand and the world she made," by Anne C. Heller, that I didn't have time to blog. It's due back at the library this week and I finally read the whole thing!)

Rik was born with a smaller than normal aortic valve and always knew he would have to have it replaced at some point. As a boy they told him to lie still on the exam table for "astronaut training" when in reality he was having a heart catheterization procedure. Still, that some day came sooner than expected and on March 1, 2002 he had his aortic valve replaced. The new valve is made of titanium and has been working well all these years.

To celebrate he wore the heart-shaped pin with flashing LED lights that we received as a wedding gift from friends A and S. I also gave him a red-and-white yarn martenitsa bracelet to wear (more on that in another post). And I baked him heart-shaped honey cookies with a red cherry in the center of each. What better way to celebrate?