Abstract: Russell is gifted with "the shining", psychic abilities that enable him to know that he just can't stand it here any longer.
Gentle Reader,
I repent from my previous (and customary) laxness and laziness by presenting for your edification, a TLDR: The following post recounts the circumstances of Russell’s open-heart surgery on Elder Paul H. Dunn. It is faith-promoting. Paul H. Dunn even makes a cameo appearance to add his two-cents (making it doubly faith-promoting: “In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established”. 2 Corinthians 13:1). This post shall be punctuated with a few editorial ramblings by Yours Truly. Caveat lector!
Unless otherwise noted, all quotes are from Russell’s autobiography, From Heart to Heart. Quality Press, Inc: Russell M. Nelson. 1979.
Russell’s Paul H. Dunn story is to be found in chapter 24 entitled, The Lord Watches Over His Anointed.
”Russell M. Nelson” wrote: It has been my privilege to be of professional service to many important leaders in the Church. To me, the story in each of these instances is thrilling, for I recognize the hand of the Lord in a very special way. Inasmuch as doctor-patient relationships are very confidential, I asked each of these brethren, as I did with President Kimball, for permission to share these historical events in this book. For their approval, I acknowledge their graciousness thankfully.
(Disclaimer: We learned in a previous episode of MWR that patient approval is not required if the sitting prophet demands any confidential medical information on Dr. Nelson’s patients).
Russell then proceeds to describe the miraculous events accompanying his operations on Elder Paul H. Dunn, President George Frost, D. Arthur Haycock, Elder Boyd K. Packer, President Kenneth J. Palmer, President Percy J. Rivers, and Elder Robert L. Simpson. He begins this chapter with his most dramatic story involving Paul H. Dunn.
As mentioned previously, I have been comparing Russell’s autobiography with his later biographies by Spencer J. Condie (Russell M. Nelson: Father, Surgeon, Apostle) and Sheri Dew (Insights From A Prophet’s Life). I have noticed that Condie appears to be more circumspect in what he recounts from Russell’s book. Condie appears to omit any material details in Russell’s book that can’t be verified by other sources. He also covers himself by providing plenty of footnotes to reference them. Paul H. Dunn was damaged goods when Condie wrote Russell’s biography and I have little doubt that he decided that including Dunn in any way shape or form in his biography would be seen as more of a liability than an asset (just like any account of the historic Priesthood Proclamation.) So, Paul Dunn is a non-person in Condie’s book.
Sheri Dew, however, takes a more hagiographic tack in her book. Russell M. Nelson is a prophet and Dew takes him at his word. She does write about Russell’s Paul Dunn operation, albeit in truncated form.
But, fortunately for us, in Russell M. Nelson we are blessed to find a man whose writing hand is ever at the ready to record all the righteous deeds that his other hand is doing. So, let us begin with the man who first told this story.
In The Lord Watches Over His Anointed, p. 195 Russell continues his narrative under the heading, Elder Paul H. Dunn:
Note that “the time of this writing (1978)” is Russell’s recollection four years after the event. 1974 was just one good year among many in Russell’s eventful life. In February of that year., we learned that Russell had a miraculous plane flight in Argentina, on March 23rd , Russell flew to Tallahassee Florida to assist in “Meet the Mormons” week, in May, Russell saved the anointed Paul Dunn to tell many more faith-promoting stories, on June 9th, Russell, having proved all things and held fast to that which is good, having his heart weighed in the balance against a feather and found not wanting, was given his second anointing by President Kimball in the Salt Lake Temple (see representation below), in late August, Russell flew first-class back to Argentina to receive a gold medal from the Government for his surgical work and to ski in the Andes. There was one minor glitch that occurred on November 13th:”Russell M. Nelson” wrote: On Friday, May 3, 1974, Dantzel and I were in Colorado Springs, Colorado, at the Broadmoor Hotel for surgical meetings. The meetings were scheduled to last five days. We had a lovely room there on the lakefront and were enjoying a reunion that was precious to us, for the times when we could be alone under such pleasant circumstances were few and far between.
We had spent three lovely days there, but that Friday night I awakened with a very uneasy feeling, and I said, “Dantzel, I can't stand it here any longer. Let's pack and go home.”
As she looked about our spacious apartment and then looked at me, she said, "You've got to be kidding!"
I said, "No, I just can't stand it here any longer. Let's go home."
Without stopping to call for reservations, we went directly to the airport, caught the next plane for Denver, and again without reservations went to wait for the next plane from Denver to Salt Lake City. We boarded that plane without much waiting and arrived an hour later at the Salt Lake Airport.
As soon as we reached a telephone, I called Mrs. Kemp at my office and said, "Who's looking for me?"
"How did you know?" she said. "Dr. Ernest Wilkinson called just a few minutes ago and said he needed you for Elder Paul H. Dunn. He has admitted Elder Dunn to the coronary care unit at the LDS Hospital, and he wants you to see him right away."
So I asked Dantzel to go home in a taxi, and I went directly to the LDS Hospital. There I learned that Elder Dunn had been preparing to tour the Kentucky Louisville Mission when the trouble developed. This story is told best by him as he subsequently relayed it to me. For his providing this account, I am very grateful. He recalled.
“I had been speaking at a banquet the night before I was to depart. I was speaking before the state government officials when, during my talk, I felt a sharp angina pain in my chest. Not knowing what to do, I finished the speech. Later that evening the pain subsided, and I didn't think much of it. But during the night at approximately 2:00 a.m., I awakened with a similar pain, and this time my left arm was numb. It was then that I recognized some of the symptoms. About 5:00 that morning, Dr. Wilkinson was called."
Dr. Wilkinson told him to come to the Salt Lake Clinic immediately. There he obtained electrocardiographic evidence of cardiac jeopardy, so he put Elder Dunn in the hospital and called for me. On Saturday, May 4, I proceeded with a selective coronary arteriogram, which demonstrated a complete obstruction of the right coronary artery and about a 95 percent obstruction of the front and rear branches of the left coronary artery. This told us that Elder Dunn was in severe and immediate danger. We proceeded to give this information to Elder Dunn along with the recommendation that an operation be done at once to bring new blood supply to his coronary arteries, for a heart attack was impending which would likely be fatal.
Elder Dunn understandably felt a desire to consult with President Kimball, so I set about to call him. Of course, to get President Kimball on the line directly is not always possible. Nonetheless, I dialed his home phone number and who should answer the phone but President Kimball! I explained the situation briefly and asked President Kimball if he would like to come to the hospital to counsel with Elder Dunn and give him a blessing. He said, "I will be right there."
Within ten minutes, President Kimball arrived at the hospital and was at Elder Dunn's side, counseling him to proceed with the operation as recommended. Then he gave him a wonderful blessing. Dr. Wilkinson and I were privileged to assist President Kimball in giving that blessing. While we were doing so, my nurse, Karen McKellar, and the others were getting the operating room ready. As soon as the blessing was completed, we took Elder Dunn directly to the operating room and proceeded to open his chest.
As soon as the chest had been entered and the pericardium was opened, the heart attack came. The electrocardiographic tracing on the monitor became a flat line and the blood pressure fell toward zero.
Immediately we instituted manual compression of the heart and connected Elder Dunn to the heart-lung machine as expeditiously as possible while pumping his heart manually. After the heart-lung machine restored circulation to his body, we proceeded to perform three coronary artery grafts. When we allowed the blood to flow through the grafts and nourish his heart, the limp heart sprang to life again, supporting his circulation and giving evidence that the operation had been successful. Thus, May 4 was an eventful day in the life of Elder Paul H. Dunn.
At the time of this writing (1978), Elder Dunn is doing extraordinarily well. He is carrying an enormous responsibility in the Church as one of the presidents of the First Quorum of the Seventy. Each time he and I look at each other, we recognize that we know better than anyone else how the Lord inspired and blessed all concerned that he may continue to live, for a delay of even fifteen more minutes might have made that blessing impossible.
From his Highlights of 1974 on p. 363:
He doesn’t elaborate on this anywhere else in his book, but all’s well that ends well, and Russell recovered by the end of the year, attending the dedication of the Washington D.C. temple, followed by a cruise around the Virgin Islands aboard the (then) largest fiber-glass yacht in the world with his worthy and wealthy friends.”Russell M. Nelson” wrote: Was given a summons to be a defendant in my first lawsuit, Z.B. vs. Russell M. Nelson, for $150,000. (This suit went to court in 1977 and I won, eight votes to zero from the eight-member jury.)
For those interested, here is Russell’s Paul Dunn story as told in his biography by Sheri Dew. From Insights From A Prophet’s Life, Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, 2019, p.115-116 in her chapter entitled “Who's looking for me?" - Dr. Russell M. Nelson
I may elaborate on this chapter from Russell, The Lord Watches Over His Anointed, in a future post. But for now….”Sheri Dew” wrote: Over time, Russell Nelson increasingly grew into the principle of revelation, as the Prophet Joseph Smith taught, and become increasingly responsive to the whisperings of the Spirit.
On one occasion, in an attempt to have some time together, he and Dantzel decided to take a few days off and combine them with medical meetings in Colorado Springs, Colorado. With the meetings concluded, in the middle of their third night away, Russell awoke with feelings of anxiety that had no apparent cause. Finally, he awakened Dantzel, described his unease, and asked if they could pack and go home immediately.
Within a matter of minutes, they were on their way to the airport, managed to get seats on the next flight home from Denver, and landed in Salt Lake City an hour after takeoff. When Russell called his secretary from the airport to ask who was looking for him, she responded with surprise in her voice, "How did you know? You're needed at the hospital for Elder Paul H. Dunn."
They hurried to the hospital to find that Elder Dunn had experienced heart-attack-like symptoms during the night, and a subsequent arteriogram had confirmed that he had what amounted to a complete obstruction of the coronary arteries. As Dr. Nelson prepared to operate, President Kimball arrived to give Elder Dunn a blessing, and the surgical procedure began immediately.
Dr. Nelson had barely opened the patient's chest when Elder Dunn had a full-on heart attack. Russell was able to stabilize his circulation and perform the necessary bypasses. Elder Dunn recovered and in time was able to resume his full schedule.
Such experiences continued to help Russell Nelson refine his ability to discern promptings of the Spirit and know when to take action.
Do zobaczenia później! Gentle Reader!
Stańczyk