It was comforting in the sense that he did nothing wrong and we did nothing wrong. It was comforting in the sense that the people who tried to save him did all they could since, without specialized equipment, there was little that could be done to save him once he collapsed. And it was comforting in the sense that it was so clearly an act of providence in which the Lord just took him. All we can do is bow the knee.
It took nearly six months, but the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office finally determined the cause of Nick’s death and sent us an autopsy report. It was a very long wait for a crucial piece of information. And while it was very difficult to receive the report, we were glad to finally know. We couldn’t bring ourselves to read it, so took a quick photo of each page and sent it to a doctor friend. He read the report thoroughly and explained what we needed to know.
In all honesty, I am quite hesitant to share this information. I know that many of you have so kindly supported us through this difficult time and for that reason I’d like for you to know what happened. My hesitation comes down to this: I do not want well-meaning people to send emails with medical advice. For obvious reasons, this situation has been extremely tough and it is one we have had to entrust to medical experts. So I will explain what we’ve found out, but ask that you don’t email or otherwise message me about it. Thanks for your understanding.
Essentially, the autopsy led to a diagnosis of “presumed cardiac dysrhythmia of uncertain etiology.” In other words, for causes that remain unknown, Nick’s heart very suddenly and unexpectedly slipped into an unsustainable rhythm which in turn led to full cardiac arrest.
