On a personal note… Last month, after almost 40 days in the hospital, I finally returned home and am so glad to be recuperating here.
On Friday, Sept 9th I taught a morning yoga class at the Sivananda Yoga Centre on Harbord Street and rode my bike home, rehearsed for a big gospel concert I was to do in Sudbury, Ontario that Sunday and then went down and played two sets at the Vegetarian Food Festival at the waterfront. By the time I got home, I knew ‘something’ wasn’t quite right with my body and by the next morning I feared I might be coming down with pneumonia. I spent that Saturday in the emergency department (with Ellen my wife) trying to arrange things so the Sunday show could go on without me and that night was taken up to a ward in the hospital. After a bad night, by 5 in the morning it was clear that I was getting worse and was taken to intensive care.
What happened over the next two weeks I really only know by what I’ve been told by Ellen, my son Ben and others. The short of it is I kept getting worse to the point where I was on life support. Finally a 3D echocardiogram revealed that I had a tear in my mitral valve and I was operated on by a great surgeon (Dr. Finedel) and began the slow process back.
I’ve received wonderful care from so many people. I’ve been so fortunate to receive the love, support, good wishes and prayers of more folks than I can ever all thank personally. I’m continuing my physiotherapy and I’m now playing guitar and singing every day. Unfortunately I had to make a decision to cancel all my gigs from now until Christmas so I could focus on healing, but I will begin resuming performing and recording in 2012.
Once again thanks to family, friends, and so many people as I truly feel I’ve been blessed with a circle of love. ~ Ken