Todd and his ticker cont... 10-5-11

It was touch and go at Cleveland Clinic. The surgeon Todd thought he was going to have was stranded in South Africa! Soon he heard whispers that another surgeon was available. The staff spoke of him in hushed tones and with awe. The word "gifted" was not adequate enough to describe his talents. As rapidly as possible, hospital staff ran tests and tried to stabilize my buddy. The operation was slated to last about 14 hours. Two weeks ago tomorrow, on a Thursday, at 7 am, the anesthesiologist began to sedate Todd. Todd's heart slowed, and then stopped beating. Chest compressions started it up again. They began again....and again it ceased to beat! Desperately, doctors began to attach a heart/lung machine without opening his chest! The heart began to beat again after still more compressions, and soon the machine began to do all the work. The surgeon flew through the complex operation, and was done by 12:30!!! Chopping 9 hours off of the operating time helped to give Todd the fighting chance he needed.  Now the fight for survival would be continued in the Cardiac ICU. To be cont...