Families can be together forever:)

It is with a heavy heart and a great love and gratitude for this gospel that I post about my father in law Clay Roland Anderson. On Thurs night Jan 20th, Clay was playing basketball at the stake center when he collapsed and had a massive heart attack. Now you must first understand that receiving the call about this horrible event was incredibly shocking since Clay is a VERY healthy, active young 55 yr old man. I mean he is the fitness for life professor at UVU. He was taken by ambulance to Timp hospital and of course within min all of his family arrived. We all waited in the ER just hoping maybe he passed out or that the heart attack wasn't fatal. He then was given an angiogram so the doctors could see what the problem was. They found that his heart was actually missing an artery and had three blocked one's. They don't know how long it had been like that, days, months, years, even from birth. The doctor was surprised he was alive this long. They told us he would have a quadruple bypass and go form there. We waited and waited until finally the surgeon came to let us know his progress. The surgery went great, the heart looked wonderful. But he wasn't responding well or trying to speak or move. They said they were worried about the length of time his brain went without oxygen and they were worried about brain damage. The room went silent except for our cries. We couldn't imagine that Clay could be brain dead. It just couldn't be. After 4 days of waiting to see if he would pull out of his coma on Mon Jan 24, he had a MRI and the radiologist brought us in to tell us the results. Most of his brain was severely damaged and he had no hope for a meaningful recovery or normal life. We all lost it. We couldn't believe this news. Not Clay, who is smart, fun, active and anything else that goes along with an amazing person. I've never seen my husband so heart broken and upset. The cries of Julie and her kids will forever break my heart. After bringing all his extended family in and sharing the news they made the obvious but incredibly difficult choice of letting him go back to his Heavenly Father and pulling the plugs. We were all worried cause the doctor said his body is fine and that it was just his brain that was damaged so it could be awhile before he passed and it could be violent and hard to watch, (he would start seizing and try to breath on his own) After a beautiful blessing to release his spirt that he might not be in pain, by his boys and brother, it was only a hour after that he passed. It was very peaceful. No seizing or violent breathing. A very spiritual and hard experience. His family was so strong. Especially Julie, his wife. I sat and watched this family cling to each other and rejoice in Christ the whole night. They knew that Heavenly Father had a mission for Clay in heaven and that he had done all he needed to on this earth. There testimony of eternal families and the resurrection only grew stronger that night. All of ours did. I am so blessed to be a part of this family, to have known Clay for these last 6 years and for the effect he left on my life. I'm so blessed to have a true knowledge of life and to have the gospel. I know that one day we will all be reunited with Clay again with plenty of tears, laughter and love. He was one of the best man I know he and has left an amazing legacy behind. I am proud to be an Anderson.