May 20, 2025
Over the last month, we have done a lot of routine maintenance and some upgrades to Reflection so that we could cruise all summer. I retired from the Southside Community Kitchen as of April 1 and we had plans to sail unhindered by a schedule and to go where the wind and weather were favorable. Our hope was to explore the North Channel, anchoring out, hiking, and enjoying the wilderness. We especially wanted to revisit South Manitou Island and to spend more time enjoying the beautiful anchorage and hiking the island. One of the things we loved last year was visiting all of the amazing farmer’s markets – Frankfort and Northport provided most of our produce.
Our dreams for this summer did not include finding out last week that Harold has a severely prolapsed mitral valve with regurgitation that requires surgery sooner rather than later. So, we are adjusting our sails and are charting a new course. We had not planned to get a slip for the summer, so we were happy to learn that our old slip at Terrace Point was still available. We’ll be back in D5 and plan to enjoy as much time aboard as possible.
We launched on May 22nd and beyond that we are uncertain about our summer. We are both disappointed to put our cruising on hold but are grateful that we received this diagnosis before setting sail. We’ve waited this long to make this dream come true and have worked to make that happen. We are thinking of it as a postponement to prioritize Harolds health and our ability to sail many more summers.
We do not know how this summer will turn out. We hope and pray that the valve can be repaired and some sailing could happen. Consequently our blog will be about a different kind of journey. A journey of healing.
Waiting to hear when surgery is happening & everything goes well. Thinking of you both & praying for good news. Chuck & Debbie Hibbard D3
Here is my email, chuck said he seen you at marina today but you were busy & he didnt want to bother you , Deb
Thanks for your email.
Update Is…
I hope you are all doing well and able to keep cool during this heat wave!
We met with Dr. Romano at Cardiac Center in Ann Arbor yesterday and have set the ball rolling to get Harold’s mitral valve repaired or replaced. We are very pleased with the team who will guide us through the surgery and recovery. We had a blood draw yesterday and scheduled a Cardiac Cath on Monday, June 30. This will check out all parts of the heart to find out if there is anything else that should be addressed whilst he is in surgery. There is some question whether or not the tricuspid valve also needs some work and they’ll be able to evaluate the aortic aneurysm and assess any other issues with arteries.
He is being scheduled in the next few days for a CT of the chest/heart/lungs, and a Transesophogeal cardiogram for a really thorough look at the heart valves and function. The plan is to have the surgery as soon as possible, probably within the next month after all test results are in and Dr. Romano can work him into his busy schedule.
So the ball is rolling now and we are ready to get this over!
After surgery, he’ll be in hospital for 4-7 days and then home. We hope to get back on Reflection before the summer ends! Take care – enjoy the pool….