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Thursday, December 26, 2002"It's a miracle," said Bailey. "Just 10 days ago, I was on the critical list thinking I may never see Christmas and then I'm home with the heart of a 20-year-old. Not one of my doctors can explain it. No one at the hospital can explain it. I believe prayer and God stepped in and gave me my heart back." Bailey said her heart was so damaged, it was only operating at 16 percent of its capacity. "Now, it's at 57 percent," Bailey said, laughing. "What better Christmas present than to be able to come home to my five children, the youngest one is four, to my husband and spend the holidays. No better gift was ever given." According to AP reports Mrs. Bailey's cardiologist says he’s been seeing more and more reversals of severe heart disease such as hers. He credits the drugs she has been on for a very long time (she had been in the hospital for seven months): Binkley, 42, said increased doses of the intravenous drug dobutamine, which helps the heart contract, may have helped. "Having that support for a prolonged period may have allowed the heart to rest and recover. That might be one explanation," he said. ...At his clinic, Binkley said he's following 57 patients whose heart functions have improved to an average of 55 percent, from 20 percent. "We're trying to understand the characteristics of patients who will improve to that extent," he said. I've had two patients in the past five years with severe heart damage caused by a viral infection who have bounced back this way, too. Mrs. Bailey, though, has a different explanation: At her church the following Saturday, there was a program in her honor. Members acted out poems from a book that a friend had written about Bailey's life. "Around 7 p.m. that night, I got this heavy feeling in my heart," she recalled. On Monday, tests showed that her heart had improved to 57 percent. Miracle of prayer, or miracle of science. Whatever. It’s still God’s work. posted by Sydney on 12/26/2002 07:20:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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