A personal reflection on faith and health after medical scare

The last couple of weeks have been quite the whirlwind. I’m thankful and happy to be back in the saddle after a couple of hospital stays and a brief convalescence at home.

Above all, I want to give glory to God, for protecting me and guiding us through this difficult time. By the grace of God and through His divine healing, I am getting better. Additionally, through the knowledge and wisdom He has given to so many medical professionals, I am fully informed and can make important decisions about my health moving forward. Praise God!

I am beyond thankful and eternally grateful to the medical staff at Tallahassee Memorial and Shands Gainesville who cared for me over the last few days. They provided the absolute best care and treated me with the utmost professionalism, compassion and patience.

I’m specifically thankful for Tallahassee Memorial, whose medical professionals cared for me by finding the blood clot and stabilizing me with early intervention during this challenge.

Under the care of the multidisciplinary team at Shands, I underwent extensive testing and further analysis of the blood clot in my lung (pulmonary embolism), damage to the surrounding area of my lung (lung infarction), and the potential abnormality in the upper left region of my heart.

The great news is that upon further review and with additional imaging, Cardiologists at Shands determined that either there was no abnormality in my heart, or God chose to heal it. My heart is in great shape, which was quite a relief to hear. I know what I believe happened. God is faithful!

Due to the recurring nature of the blood clots I have experienced (three over the last six years), I will remain under the care of a Hematologist and begin a medication regime to help prevent future issues related to clotting. I have a number of follow-up appointments and additional screenings to complete over the next few months as I recover from the blood clot in my lung and adjust to the new medication. The future is bright.

Words cannot express how amazed Missy and I have been by the outpouring of love, support, and prayers we have received over the last few weeks. I have personally received over 500 text messages of well wishes and prayers from all over the state, not including emails and calls, or the hundreds of other messages received by Missy and Senate staff in Tallahassee and back home in Senate District 27.

I’ve never experienced anything like this level of support, encouragement and love. It is truly overwhelming. Missy and I feel blessed to have so many people reach out to us, regardless of political party or geography. THAT is the best that Florida has to offer and shows the power of love in this great state. We felt your support and your prayers, and we are beyond grateful. Missy and I could not be more blessed in every single way.

Health scares often come along out of nowhere and knock us off our feet when we least expect it, when our time and our priorities are focused elsewhere. I know from my own experience and from others who have shared with me, that in many cases the mental anxiety that comes along with being sidelined can be just as bad as the physical pain of an illness or injury.

Session is a high-stress, time-limited environment, and it’s understandable that our health and wellness can sometimes take a back seat to other priorities. And, there are some aspects of our health that are out of our control. However, my own health scare served as a stark reminder that no matter how busy we feel, we have a responsibility to take our health seriously to the extent that we can.

1 Corinthians 6:19 instructs us that our bodies are temples of the holy spirit. We cannot do the work the Lord has called us to do if we are not taking care of ourselves and also mindful of our responsibilities to our families. As we move forward toward the final and often busiest weeks of Session, my prayer is that all involved in this process will make their health a priority, so we can finish out Session strong!

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Ben Albritton is the President of the Florida Senate.