John Little - Open Heart Surgery Road to Recovery

For those of you that know my sister, Elizabeth, you know she is the kindest, most caring individual with a pure heart (very much like our mother). This past June, Liz was finally able to get married to her fiancé, John, after having to postpone their wedding due to COVID. Friday, June 11th, 2021 was a celebration filled with love, joy, and tons of dancing! Many family and friends had the chance to meet for the first time and others were reunited after over a year of quarantine. Liz and John's wedding was a jubilation of LIFE after being apart from people due to the pandemic.

Saturday, January 29, 2022, is another day Liz and John will never forget but for severely different reasons. John was just getting home after being away on business for a leadership conference in Charleston, SC and simultaneously Liz made the decision to head home early after having dinner with some friends--unbeknownst to anyone, that decision (she will soon find out) saved her husband's life.

Within an hour of them both returning home and catching up on the weekend, John decided to go to bed early. Liz kissed him good night and went back to binging her latest show, that is until she heard a loud thud coming from the bedroom 15 minutes later. She quickly ran in to find John collapsed and unconscious on the bedroom floor. Immediately calling 911, she found herself performing CPR on him while trying to remain calm until the medics arrived.

John was rushed to the hospital and was diagnosed with a life threatening condition- dissection of the aorta which is an aneurysm in his heart. His aorta was split in half and there was fluid around his heart that was stopping the blood flow throughout his body.

For those of you who have never had the pleasure of meeting John, it's important to note that he is in PRIME shape. John is incredibly active and works out 4-5 days a week, faithful with drinking his gallon of water a day and sleeps 8-10 hours a night (with nice naps some days).

During the early morning hours of Sunday, January 30th, John had emergency life-saving open heart surgery. John spent four days in the ICU and by the grace of God, he has been moved to the Cardiovascular floor, and hopefully discharged very soon. John has a long recovery ahead of him that will require intensive rehabilitation, numerous doctors’ appointments and full time care.

Liz, being the selfless and caring woman we all know, has decided to take a leave of absence from work. Like most teachers, she has spent 20 years dedicating her life and servicing others and sadly that service is not accompanied with modern day benefits. Unfortunately, Liz will not have the luxury of taking a leave of absence with pay.

On behalf of the Little family, my prayer is for all of their family and friends to be as instrumental as God has been in this story.The miracles that have occurred in their lives during this journey is a true testament of God's power and might. He is a waymaker, a miracle worker and a promise keeper. He has been their light in the darkness and we pray you too could deliver continued miracles to help them financially during the long road of recovery ahead. We thank you, in advance, for your generosity and prayers.

With gratitude,

Suzanne