Our positive second chance! We simply get to see

A message from Dan who has volunteered to drive my support vehicle as I do my End2End. 

The other day John posted on his Facebook about a conversation he had with one of his daughters, and he went on to say that he simply loves being here to see his family living their lives, especially his daughters. He loves life and watching his family and friends grow is very important to him...it's the reason he takes so many selfies...he simply loves the fact that he can. And that smile is genuine in every single one. 

So when John asked me to write a small piece about living with heart failure I decided to go with this theme and pick the most positive thing to come out of me having heart failure. 

Before I had heart failure I used to work 6 days a week as an electrical/facility's maintenance engineer. On the Sunday I would rest and quite selfishly play video games and lounge about, my kids at this time were still quite young, one 6 and the other still a baby. Two boys. I didn't  take the eldest to the park, or swimming or play games with him. Their growing up was passing me by. I was missing out. Loving them was not in question. I just wasn't involved! I had this odd idea in my head that I would do all the dad stuff when they were older.

So now I have heart failure, lots of the dad stuff I was planning I can't do. Like simply having a kick about with a football.

However, I now devote all my time to them, I get to do the school run, I get to watch sports day, I get to see school plays and go into class on special days to join in with lessons. When the weather allows we spend all day on the park with a handful of their friends. And I watch them both play and train for their football team. I have a great relationship with them and get to do lots of things dads miss out on. 

I didn't see my boys very often when I was in hospital, as it upset me when they came in, but I missed them terribly. I made a promise that I would put them first, and I was lucky enough to be given that chance. Watching them grow and become educated and grow into their individual personalities is amazing and as John put it, whats more amazing is I simply get to see it! Daniel