Rev. Dr. Richard Fee, General Secretary of the Life and Mission Agency, will be returning to his office this month after he was diagnosed with bacterial endocarditis with pulmonary edema in April and had to undergo operations on his heart which he describes in a notice of thanks in this issue of the Record (page 14) as "awe-inspiring and amazingly dedicated medical care."
Bacterial endocarditis is caused by common bacteria – related to the same source as strep throat – which develops slowly over weeks, exhibiting a wide variety of symptoms. This caused some early frustrations for Fee, who at first thought he had a bad flu and was misdiagnosed at least once in the beginning. The bacteria builds on the heart walls and the heart literally has to be scrapped clean of the infection. Fee's operation took several hours and he was hospitalized for about two weeks.
The bacterial infection may not have been caused by Fee's overseas trips, especially one to Africa, as previously reported in the Record. The cause may have been more commonplace – a trip to the dentist. The American Heart Association has made a link between bacterial endocarditis and dental surgery, along with other common procedures like tonsillectomy and gall bladder surgery. A direct causation link in Fee's case has not been established.
In a letter to family and friends, Fee described his ordeal this way: "I told some people that I was taken to the River Jordan. I was urged to get my feet wet. I then actually went up to my waist (some say up to my neck), but I did not cross over to the other side … I am grateful for life, to the Author of all Life who gives all of us a heart, both physical and spiritual."
Rev. Ian Morrison, former general secretary, sat in for Fee till the end of July. In an email to national staff Morrison wrote, "I have enjoyed renewing old acquaintances and getting to know new staff. However I am happy that I can have another attempt at 'retirement.'"
