FLEMING ISLAND - My own emotional and physiological roller coaster of the past two years, the past year with God's power of healing bringing me pure joy and energy to fulfill whatever endeavor He may bestow on me is a gift that made this past Christmas a bit more special for me and for my beautiful mom, Margaret, who has been on the ride every step of the way.

I truly wanted to thank and cherish nearly every athlete, every coach and every sports parent in Clay County, plus a handful of other non-sports related people for the incredible physical, emotional and spiritual journey that I have been on since a heart attack and three subsequent heart repair surgeries in five days at Baptist St. Augustine two years ago.

It is the energy of the athletes and coaches in Clay County that have made me change my diet, get good sleep and exercise according to doctor's orders.
With death being at my doorstep, or ironically, in my pool lane, the wherewithal of the first degree was a simple phone call to my mother, God bless her soul and wisdom, who told me to go directly to Baptist Clay and let them check out just a painful jawbone.

 I called her to tell her I was going to my dentist to see if I smashed a tooth or something in the 35-minute swim I had just completed. Within two hours, I was waking up with a heart surgeon saying, "Welcome back, Mr. Lefko."

The irony of all that has happened to me is no pain, no bright lights, no loss of movement or brain power (though some may question) and a full understanding of the power of prayer and faith in God.

Mom later divulged that my father, Thomas, a small-time pro football offensive lineman in our home New York and one of the toughest guys I have ever known, had the same pain 50 years ago and wound up with double bypass heart surgery. I was at the University of Alabama and got the fastest plane to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to see my dad hooked up to a plethora of machines. I passed out seeing my mountain of a dad in a hospital room.

I went to a local high school track and ran four fast quarter miles, then stopped and prayed to God to take my strength and put it in my dad's body.

That was 1988. My dad died in 2013 and not from heart complications. The Lefko strength and our faith in God prevailed then as it did the past two years.

My dad, by the Grace of God, lived long enough to meet Don Shula, legendary football coach who was at an Alabama gymnastics meet. He got to read a letter I wrote from the top of Pike's Peak thanking him for my mental toughness, and he saw me win an ultra-triathlon in New Jersey, which he didn't understand what a triathlon was. And, in his final days when he was suffering through dementia, he would pray to God that I would die by a shark eating me in the ocean (I did a lot of ocean open water swims) instead of his excruciatingly slow and debilitating death where he clung to life for three days to be sure that his wife was safe and would be comfortable for the rest of her life.

My dad, sadly, never saw me shoot Olympics swimming with Caeleb Dressel, shoot NASCAR, shoot NFL football, shoot world class surfing or be part of a TV news documentary on my 40 years of sports with Joy Purdy.

I had my friend Ray Dimonda tell me my recovery was because my dad was not going to let me die in a hospital bed. Ray knew the shark story. Most of Clay County knows of my heart attack and recovery the past two years, and the traumatic recovery process.

The first event I took my camera to after doctor's allowed was to the Cliff Avril summer football camp at the Clay County Fairgrounds where none other than Cliff Avril, Seattle Seahawks NFL defensive end, knew my plight and simply asked "Why are you here?" I missed the kids, and the receptions was strengthening.

I live in one of the greatest parts of our great America and there are some people that deserve some big thanks: Keystone Heights football coach Steven Reynolds, who told me his entire Keystone Heights football team went to their local church to pray for me which brought me to tears at the time; my good friends, football coach Merlin, Nicole and Jauhna Smith, who visited me after the first surgery and prayed with me; Craig Hall, local bike shop owner, who had his son smuggle in some outside food to me during my hospital recovery; John, Mary and David Steinberg, my long-time running friends, who visited often and brought great spiritual comfort during, after and still; long time YMCA front desk Sandra Rhymes, a Baptist office worker in St. Augustine, who visited with breakfast before her work shift; and tennis friend Leslie Gilliland, who got mom in and out the hospital when necessary.

Mom was most moved by Gilliland whom she had never met, and she was massively helpful. Also big thanks to former Clay Today graphics wiz Michele McNeil who still is a helping hand to this day.

God's gift has been the openness and enthusiasm that the Clay County people have given me to fuel my even better inner strength today.
I'm presently off all heart medications and given kind of a green light to exercise, although not quite as fervently as I used to, but to not be afraid of something going awry with my heart.

A final thank you to the personnel at Clay Today Newspaper who have been by my side the entire time with smiles and prayers.