My wonderful husband, and my story.

This is Daniel. Dan and I met back in 2003. He hired me to work for his company, as his left hand woman. (He would say thats a lefthanded comment, since he was a lefty himself!) I worked one on one with him for just over a year, when we realized that there was something more to our friendship than just friendship. He was in the process of a divorce with his ex-wife, and I had called off my wedding and kicked my ex out. We got two years in together, total, as a couple. 7 1/2 months in as parents, and 6 weeks in as husband and wife.

Dan died on October 15, 2006. He had been in the hospital for almost a week from chest pains that he thought was heartburn. He went in on a Monday morning, and that afternoon had his first stent put in. The doctor said he had had a heart attack previously, and damage was done, but he would be ok with the stents, and would not need a bypass. He would need to come back in another 6 weeks to have the next stent put in. Come Thursday of the same week, they did not think his bloodwork had improved enough, and so they put in the other stent that day. Said he would be able to go home on Saturday morning, and that everything was great. Saturday morning, Dan wasn't feeling so well - coughing, heaviness in the chest, wheezing....he had pneamonia, fluid in the lungs, the whole nine yards. He was put on IV antibiotics, and we were told that of course this would push back the day he would come home.

That evening, I hung around the hospital with him. How sad is it that I don't even remember if my daughter was with me or not? I think she was, because I remember asking before I went if he was contagious. Anyways, the Tigers were playing for the American League title that night - last game of the series. Dan was a huge Tigers fan, and was decked out in his Tigers pants and slippers. We laughed as we watch the game, and I remember telling him, "If the Tigers go to the World Series and you don't have a heart attack, then we'll know you're ticker's ok!" Humor was a big part of our lives, especially in uncomfortable situations.

The Tigers won that night, and they went to the World Series. And the next day, October 15, Dan died of a massive heart attack at 6:16pm. I stayed home that day, to clean house, do laundry, etc, since he would be coming home the next day. I wanted things to be nice for him. My brother and sister in law were visiting that afternoon when I got a call from the nurse at the hospital, saying that Dan wasn't feeling well, and was asking for me. That was around 5:30. I pushed my family out the door, and called my mom to make arrangements for her to watch Abby for me. I was getting her ready to go, and changing my clothes - almost out the door, when I got another call from the hospital; "We're doing CPR on him, you need to get here fast!"

I flew down the highway at over 100mph with my hazards on, with my baby strapped in the back seat. I called the hospital at 6:16pm, while on the road, and asked them if he was stable. They said yes. I chanted, in the car, while swerving around other cars; "Please, Lord, let him be ok. Let him be ok." I don't remember what time I arrived, but I ran into the hospital to find a group of nurses waiting for me outside his door. I should have known then, but I didn't. They took me into one of those private rooms off of the waiting room, and I looked up and asked, "How is he, is he ok?" I waited for an answer, and got none. Thats when I noticed that the nurses were crying. I said, "Why are you crying? Whats wrong?" And then it hit me. He was gone. They didn't even have the heart to tell me. The gutteral cry that escaped me then, will haunt me for the rest of my life. I hear it over and over, every day, and every day, and every day. He was gone, and I wasn't there for him in his moments of need. That too, haunts me every day.

That quickly, my world changed for forever, and I know that it will never, ever be even close to that good again.