I admit it. I am a political junkie. Even though I am now a pastor, my passion for politics and the law still runs deep through my veins. Whether following the political pundits’ prognostications in the days prior to the elections or watching the election returns late into the evening on the big day, I enjoy the high drama that election night news coverage (on Fox News Channel, of course) provides.
And believe me, watching this year’s election returns was much more enjoyable than in the two previous election cycles of 2008 or 2006 (not counting the Republican wins in the off-year elections in New Jersey and Virginia and Scott Brown’s upset win in Massachusetts). With Republicans expected to gain 60+ seats in the House of Representatives, which includes our newly elected Republican Congressman, Steve Pearce in NM 2 and, with Susana Martinez ending the Democrat’s stranglehold on the governor’s mansion in New Mexico (farewell to Bill Richardson), Tuesday was truly a day for celebration and victory for conservatives and Republicans.
However, the victory that I will continue to celebrate most coming out of November 2, 2010 is the physical victory that God gave to my brother-in-law and to our family. At the same time that the Land of Enchantment’s next governor was celebrating her historic victory, becoming the country’s first Latina Governor, my family was but a stone’s throw away from Martinez’s victory headquarters in Las Cruces, NM.
Earlier in the day, my brother-in-law was transported by helicopter from Alamogordo, to Mountain View Hospital in Las Cruces. He had suffered what the doctors would later describe as a mild heart attack. Stabilized and in the care of the medical staff at one of the state’s best cardiac hospitals, our family quickly realized that our election day plans would be nothing like we would have ever imagined.
Only forty-six, but with a strong family history of heart disease, my wife’s brother would wake up early Tuesday morning with chest pain which radiated to both arms and to his jaw. After performing preliminary tests, his primary care physician determined that he needed to be flown to Mountain View Hospital in Las Cruces where the cardiac specialists could further evaluate his condition.
After spending several hours in the Emergency Room, my brother-in-law was moved to a room on the floor where he would remain until early Wednesday morning. In an abundance of caution, the cardiologist ordered a heart catheterization. I don’t think that the doctor expected to find any blockages, but to his surprise, he discovered one artery with a total blockage that he was able to fix with a stint.
Because of God’s goodness and grace and, because of the work that the Great Physician did through the doctors and nurses in Alamogordo and in Las Cruces, my brother-in-law will be released from the hospital as early as Thursday. For all the great Republican victories on this year’s Election Day, none can ever compare to the victory that God gave to our family on the first Tuesday in November 2010!