On November 22, 2021 our Dad, John Phillips, had a massive heart attack while at work. He drove himself to the hospital in Hollister where they immediately transported him by ambulance to Salinas Valley Memorial hospital where they promptly performed a cardiac catheterization procedure to determine the extent of the blockages in his coronary arteries. We then discovered that one of his four coronary arteries was completely blocked and the others were more than 80% blocked.

It was imperative that he have quadruple bypass surgery and valve repair to his heart.

The heart surgeon and cardiologist thought it was best to give him a little time before operating to let his heart try to get stronger and recover from the enormous amount of damage that had been done. He would need to stay in the hospital and be under careful observation until surgery.

They set the operation for November 30th.

During open heart surgery, the surgeon spent a significant amount of time removing scar tissue. It appeared Dad had had a heart attack prior to the one that brought him into the emergency room. The surgeon completed a triple bypass on Dad’s heart rather than the quadruple due to the amount of damaged tissue. Dad spent three days in the ICU after surgery. Since surgery, Dad has been working with a respiratory therapist and physical therapist while at the hospital. The pain meds they had him on caused some intestinal issues. Dad had to have a nasogastric tube inserted which was another unpleasant experience. We have encountered some setbacks that have kept Dad in the hospital.He has now been in the hospital for more than two weeks. We are getting back on track and hoping to get Dad home this week.

Our Dad is now at the very beginning of a long road to recovery. He is the hardest working man we know and the type of guy to always lend a hand. This is and has been an extremely difficult situation. The doctors have told him he is no longer able to do the work he has done all his life, so we are forcing him into retirement.

He would never ask for help, so we are asking for him. He takes care of everyone else around him, and we’d like to  relieve some stress and help get him and his home tuned up. We’d like him to not have to worry about anything, and focus on resting and recovering.

If you would like to help us out, we would wholeheartedly appreciate it, as it would really alleviate some stress in our lives. Funds will help us with medical expenses, equipment, usual bills, and some much needed home improvements at Dad’s.

More than anything we are so grateful to have our Dad and all the support from family and friends! We have been so thankful for the love, prayers, and encouragement that has poured in over the last couple weeks. We cannot thank you enough!

Please continue to pray and send encouragement. We are only on the beginning leg of the recovery journey. Thank you for reading this far.

Sincerely,

Amber & Cheyenne Phillips