An update (Kuya Rey’s condition) – - and a good one at that!

This morning, we all got up to go to mass at 8:30 in the morning at St. John the Evangelist. The homily was quite unclear as we all had one thing on our minds. Today was the day that Kuya Rey was going to undergo heart bypass surgery. We enveloped ourselves in prayer to ask God to guide the human hands that will perform the operation and to send His angels and saints to gather round the operation table and protect him from any harm.

We arrived at the hospital around 11:00 a.m. after a quick breakfast. Kuya Rey was relaxed and ready for his operation. Ate Glory, sat beside him looking worrisome. We didn’t want to alarm Kuya Rey so we told jokes and talked around his hospital bed as if it was a regular day. The nurse arrived, checked on his stats and chatted with us for a while. By 12:30, his anesthesiologist walked in to prepare him. She asked a few questions about his medical history and so forth. She advised him not to worry, that he is in the hands of a very good doctor known to perform the procedure.

As she left, Ate Agnes received a phone call from Brother Bob Canton of San Francisco. We gathered round the hospital bed and held hands in prayer to ask for God’s guidance and protection while Kuya Rey undergoes surgery. As they took him away, we said our goodbyes and told him that we will see him later. We were told that the operation could last up to four hours and were directed to the waiting room should we choose to sit and wait. We decided to have lunch and walked to the nearby Barnes and Noble bookstore to pass the time.

By the time we returned, we went to the chapel and prayed the rosary. Again, we asked God to bless him and take care of him. By the time we were done praying, we went to the waiting room to have something warm to drink. Some took coffee while others had the complimentary cafe mocha. Not soon enough, the doctor came in and asked us to come along. He briefed us and told us that the surgery was successful. Kuya Rey is still sedated and is being monitored closely in the ICU. He mentioned something about the procedure being performed while Kuya Rey’s heart was beating. He said that they would normally stop the heart for this procedure but due to complications that may occur, they decided not to do that which made it better for Kuya Rey.

He made us wait a bit while he checked on Kuya Rey’s status and immediately came back to escort us to his room. Kuya Rey looked great with his blood pressure under control, still sleeping from the effect of the sedative that was given to him. They didn’t want him to wake up just yet. They plan on waking him up tomorrow morning when they move him to the step-down room.

Thank you so much for the outpouring love and support and much more important, for all the prayers uttered to the Most High. Kuya Rey had a “very successful heart bypass surgery” this afternoon, as I quote his doctor. The blessings were abundant as we’ve heard the his doctor is the best doctor in the field. His doctor is also known to be very personable, making sure that he delivers the news directly to the family himself. Kuya Rey was being watched by a Filipina nurse (another blessing) and assured us that there is nothing to worry about.

Salamat sa lahat lahat, sa panalangin at pag-a-alala. So to all of you who can’t decide on a reunion – - sometimes, God makes the decision for you. =) Nagkasama sama ang magkakapatid na Dominguez because of this. Let’s not wait for something like this to get together.. let’s all plan a reunion soon!

With love and gratitude,

The Dominguez Family