Please Pray for Metropolitan Valentine

[尼古拉前执事]

The high altitude is bad for his heart condition (he needs a stint) and he had some small heart attacks at the skete because of how high it is. Even with this he is still has a youthful vitality about him and could chant beautifully in Slavonic. This was amazing, but I still ask your prayers for Vladyka, please.

[尼古拉前执事]

PLEASE PRAY!

The Metropolitan had a major heart attack at 2am last night and was life flighted to a hospital that can do emergency heart surgery. Please pray that he makes it through this serious surgery.

[Justin Kissel]

I think you'll understand when I say that I hope he leaves CO soon. Will be praying for His Grace...

[尼古拉前执事]

The latest update is not much, but the clergy that were gathered for the Clergy Conference at Dormition Cathedral have arrived at the airport, but there is no word yet. Hopefully soon we will have some concrete news.

[尼古拉前执事]

Latest News:

When the clergy arrived, Vladyka Metropolitan was being taken to be given an angiogram.

Apparently the doctors determined that his heart condition should not be neglected any longer, and they are going to do this test and, if there is any other test that is necessary, they will perform it.

When Vladyka Gregory saw him before he was going to go to take this test, Vladyka Metropolitan was delighted to see everybody, and he looked very healthy and had no pain. He appeared very relieved that this problem was being taken care of.

From what we know this examination is not given to a person unless his condition is very, very serious. We will keep everyone informed as the information becomes known, but we ask everyone to please pray for our Vladyka Metropolitan.

[尼古拉前执事]

Dear Faithful,

Christ is Risen!

I would like to make a report on the condition of Metropolitan Valentine.

Today I visited him in Colorado Springs at the Penrose Hospital. This is a major hospital with almost four hundred beds. Its Cardiac Division is very respected because of its quality care.

I met with the head of the Cardiac Division, Dr. Anderson, and Dr. Barry, his assistant, who will be performing an operation on our Metropolitan. He explained to me in layman’s terms exactly what happened.

Our Metropolitan has a very severe heart problem, as we all know. Today they performed a test called an angiogram. This test gives a complete picture of the condition of the heart and the degree of blockage in the openings to the heart. Over the years, three of his blood vessels supplying blood to the heart have been severely damaged. Two of them are completely closed. The third one is very slightly opened, and this one is a main supply artery to one side of the heart. It was about to also be completely closed, and this blockage is the reason why our Metropolitan has been having the heart pains. Our Metropolitan has been enduring these heart pains with great patience over the last few years, and I believe not really knowing the extent of the danger. When the heart muscle does not get enough blood, this causes the pain.

The doctor said that he was on the verge of a major heart attack, and that thank God he was brought into the hospital when he was, because that third vessel is about to close. If this vessel closes, they said the heart would stop and he would die. The doctors said that it was beneficial for Metropolitan that he came to the monastery and the high altitude, because this acute condition was made manifest and that finally a complete discovery of his danger was made. In other words, the high altitude unmasked the very serious condition of Vladyka’s heart disease. The doctors said that if he went back on an airplane, the chances of him having a heart attack and dying would have been extremely great.

Therefore the physicians are scheduling an immediate operation on our Metropolitan and they determined that the only solution is to perform open-heart bypass surgery. Stunting the arteries would not work, and delaying the operation would only exacerbate the condition. Whenever he would move and exert energy, this caused the heart also to exert and the heart did not have enough open arteries to supply the heart muscle with enough oxygen.

The good news is that there is no significant damage at all to the heart muscle now. His heart is strong. Because of this, the performance of open-heart bypass surgery is ideal, and they feel very confident that the operation will be very successful. The doctor said that he is a prime candidate for such a procedure because of the strength of his heart, and that there is 90% likelihood of success.

They are very optimistic, and I am very impressed with the doctors. They gave me the impression of being very sincere and professional. Our Reader, Dr. Jerjis, also discussed the whole condition with Dr. Anderson, and he also was convinced that this is the best, and in fact, the only course that we can take.

The Metropolitan is scheduled to have this operation on Wednesday. This is a five or more hour operation. This time however, they are going to take arteries and not veins, for the bypass. Arteries, I am told, have a higher chance of staying open longer, as compared to the veins. The two venus bypasses which were constructed in 1996 have closed at this time. However, the single arterial bypass which was used in 1996 is the only one open, which is supplying the entire heart. Basically, he is living on one artery which was installed in 1996.

After the operation, Vladyka will have to stay for one week in the hospital. After that he will have to recuperate for between three and six weeks in Colorado. This may be at the monastery or in Colorado Springs. After this, he will have the strength to travel again.

They gave Vladyka Metropolitan his own private room, with bath, out of reverence for his rank as Metropolitan. He is being given expert care. He has his own nurse, who has responsibility only for him and one other patient. Father Andrew is staying with him at all times, and he is being fed by the hospital also, and is allowed to sleep on a small bed in Vladyka’s room. This is a great comfort to Vladyka. Also, Father Dionysi lives only fifteen minutes from the hospital, and is able to bring whatever necessities they need beyond what the hospital will provide.

This hospital is a Roman Catholic hospital, but privately run. One doctor has already offered to waive his charges for this operation, and I in gratitude offered to paint him an icon, which he exceedingly appreciated. He knew what icons were, and said he would be very honored to receive such a gift. He also understood the position of the Metropolitan and his rank in the Russian Church, and he even understood that we are not part of what he called the official church of Russia, which he understood and said was under communist influence! I marveled at his knowledge of the Church situation in Russia. He is also going to ask his other colleagues to waive their charges. This will mean that we will be responsible for the hospital charges only. Normally this operation costs fifty thousand dollars.

I ask everybody to please keep Vladyka in their prayers and say even special prayers on Wednesday. If anybody so wishes, they may keep the 9th hour, that is, fast until from food altogether until 3pm.

Of course, we will keep everybody informed.

With love in Christ,

+Bishop Gregory

P.S. I asked Reader Doctor Jerjis to make the following description in more technical words for those who are interested. It is below.

Vladyka Valentine had a severe episode of angina pectoris (chest pain) on early Monday morning. The tests done at Salida hospital showed that he had no significant elevation of cardiac enzymes (which measure tissue damage to the muscle of the heart) and that this severe attack of chest pain was verging on a full-fledged heart attack, which was aborted by the early medical intervention of the paramedics and by the medications administered at Salida Hospital. Vladyka Valentine was then transferred to Penrose-St. Francis main hospital in Colorado Springs where he underwent a cardiac catheterization. According to Dr. Anderson, the cardio-thoracic surgeon planning the cardiac bypass surgery on Wednesday, this showed that his heart muscle has good function and contractility and that, by a miracle of God, the pumping function and muscle tissue of the heart has not been damaged even though Vladyka Valentine has 2 major coronary arteries occluded (blocked) out of three in his heart. Indeed, Dr. Anderson used the word miraculous to describe the good condition of the cardiac muscle, despite the fact that it is being supplied by only one artery.

These three major arteries supplying the heart muscle are called:

-LAD (left anterior descending coronary artery),

-circ. (left circumflex coronary artery),

-and RCA (right coronary artery).

Out of three coronary bypass grafts performed in 1996 at Hershey Medical Center, only one is still patent (open): the left internal mammary bypass graft to the LAD. The other 2 venous bypass grafts to the circ. and RCA respectively are occluded. The circ. and RCA themselves are occluded too. Therefore, at this point, the whole heart's blood supply is only from the left internal mammary bypass graft to the LAD. Dr. Anderson is planning to perform five bypasses on Wednesday, God willing:

1- the right internal mammary artery to the posterior descending branch of the RCA

2- three bypasses to the 3 dominant obtuse marginal branches of the circ. using 2 radial arteries from both arms and a saphenous vein from the leg

3- a venous bypass to the major diagonal branch of the LAD.

It is interesting that the cardio-thoracic surgeon's name of Anderson, which means "son of Andrew", will perform open heart surgery on Vladyka Valentine who is the successor of the Apostle Andrew. Fr. Andrew (Maklakov) will also be there round the clock to interpret for Vladyka Valentine from Russian to English and vice-versa.

In Christ,

Reader Jerjis

[OrthodoxyOrDeath]

Met. Valentine will certainly be in our prayers! Thanks for all the updates.