Finish Line Celebration

Thank you to all who joined us today to celebrate Dad's life and his love of Christ!  For those who couldn't make it, highlights included:

• Music - We sang a few of Dad's favorites (He Lives! Amazing Grace, How Great Thou Art, and Blessed Assurance) and listened to a beautiful rendition of How Deep the Father's Love by three of the ladies from the church
• Eulogies - The family shared a few of their thoughts about Dad and his legacy.  His love of Christ and his dedicated service to others was a common theme - as was his well-known love of coffee.  :)  We smiled at a few stories and shed a few tears as well.
• Sermon - Pastor taught an excellent lesson from Psalm 103.  Dad would have loved it.

Afterwards, we returned to the house for a delicious meal coordinated by the ladies of the church.  We continued to fellowship and share our sorrows at Dad's passing and our joy that we know without a shadow of a doubt where he is - and that we, too will join him there in time.

Saying "thank you" doesn't express our love and gratitude for the many kindnesses and acts of service we've received since Dad's illness began, which you increased at Mom's surgery, and were capped off today.  Prayers, hospital visits, meals, house cleaning, coordinating - and preparing! - the reception, coordinating the parking at the church, providing and leading music, setting up the church, working the A/V equipment - I'm sure I missed many more things, for which I apologize.  Please know how much every single thing has meant to us.

We've worked very hard to remember that this was Dad's long-awaited promotion and a positive step-up for him, so it seems wrong to end on a sad note.  Below are a few pictures that were shared in the photo montage at the church and at home afterwards.  We hope they bring back some pleasant memories and put a smile on your face.

Great car, great suit, great hair - he's got it all going on!

Kickin' back in  Neil Prentice's office at Bethel Baptist

Dad looking over Ken's shoulder at a Pinewood Derby race

Stylin' it in his Army uniform

Sixty years later and the Army jacket still fits!

Three generations - David, Memphis, and Dad

Dad and Mom at Cindy's wedding on May 13, 2016

Dad and his brother Russell

What a cute toddler!  Any guess on what toy animal he's holding?

Dad and Cindy

We'll try to post a few more of the pictures over the next few days.  Thank you again for loving Dad and for celebrating his life with us.

   

Dad got the promotion he's been waiting for

Throughout his illness, Dad told his doctors and nurses that he was waiting for his "promotion."  For Dad, death wasn't something to be feared, but rather the culmination of a lifelong journey where he crossed the finished line and was promoted from our flawed reality to a perfect eternity with Christ.  On Wednesday morning Dad finished his race.

The doctors called the family in around 7:00 on Tuesday night.  With Mom, his children and grandchildren by his side, he was surrounded by love as we read the Bible, sang hymns, and reminded each other that while this was an end for us, it was the beginning of eternity for Dad.  Pastor and Jared joined us in our vigil.

Around 3:00 AM, Dad seemed to have stabilized and we took a brief break to get some rest before returning to spend another day with Dad.  Mom stayed at the hospital.

And so it was that at 4:45 this morning, with his "beautiful bride" by his side, Dad finished his race and started a joyous victory with Christ.

For those of us left behind, we will be holding a memorial service on Saturday, June 18 at Grace Community Church (details below).  We invite you to join us in celebrating a life well run.

Thank you for your prayers and loving ministry during Dad's illness and as we grieve our loss.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. - 2Timothy 4:7

Memorial Service:
Grace Community Church
63 Christiana Rd.
New Castle, DE  19720

10:00 AM - Visitation with the family
11:00 AM - Memorial Service  

Movin' on up...

Movin' on up to the 5th floor!  Yep, tonight Dad moved out of ICU to the 5th floor of the Cupp Building, room 516.  If you're looking to visit, use the elevators behind the guard's desk and then follow the signs to 516. 

Dad had a rest day today, no significant progress but no major issues either.  Now that he's in a standard room, they'll be better equipped to move him in the right direction - which is going home.

It's been a long day but I didn't want anybody to worry if you can't find Dad in TSICU.  Hopefully we'll have a fantastic, wonderful, upbeat post tomorrow detailing how Dad started training for a 5K...or maybe walked down the hall and back.  In the meantime, thanks for the prayers and support. 

The roller coaster ride continues...

Remember that roller coaster ride of an adventure I mentioned earlier in the week?  Well, this weekend added a few loops and a big drop or two!

Saturday started out eventful when the family was called in to the hospital at 6:00 AM after Dad had a bad night.  With much prayer we waited to see what the day held. 

Dad held his own and even improved slightly and was able to sit in the chair twice.  He interacted with our visitors, who brought companionship and encouragement.  When his oncologist came by in the late afternoon, he had a more positive prognosis - not a quick fix, but plans to get Dad back to where he was before all of this happened.  Walking, socializing, and at home!

Today brought amazing progress!  Dad was moved from forced oxygen back to a standard cannula, and they had him up and walking!  Praise the Lord!  He motored his way out of the room and down the hall, and spent time in the chair.  What a difference from the conversations we were having yesterday morning.

It seems like I thank you for your prayers every time I post...but we know the power of prayer and how important it is to have the prayers of the saints during this time.  Well, all the time - but they are especially needed now.  Thank you for your faithfulness!

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.- Philippians 4:13

Practicing our patience...

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. - Romans 12:12

Looks like we'll be working on the second part of that verse this week, patient in affliction.  Dad is stable and now we're waiting for the meds to do their thing.  Bye bye clots, hello better breathing!

To be safe, the doctor is taking "baby steps."  As his breathing improves, they'll start to move Dad around, then to a chair, then to a step down room, then home.  It might not be fast, but it is the cautious way to do it.  Looks like the Lord is giving us a chance to practice our patience for a few more days.

Thanks for joining us as joyful in hope and faithful in prayer - keep checking back and we'll let you know when our patience in affliction is coming to an end. :)

A whole lotta waitin' going on...

Just thought I'd pop in with a quick update on the day.  Dad's oxygen dropped a bit more this morning so they needed to give him a little more support through "forced oxygen", basically oxygen with a little bit of pressure behind it to help it get in where it belongs.  They followed that with several tests to check for various potential complications, but at the end of the day they came back negative.  The doctor did stop by and show the before-and-after CT scans, one from the beginning of May versus the one they did yesterday, and the cluster of clots was clear.  No doubt about the root of his problem! 

For now, it is a waiting game as we patiently wait for the medications to dissolve the clots.  The expectation is that as they dissolve, Dad's breathing will improve and he'll be able to be stepped down in the level of care and eventually come home.  Our hope is that we will start to see steady improvement over the the next few days...but it will take as long as it takes and nothing we can do is going to rush it along. 

Thank you for your prayers for Dad, Mom, and the family as we ride the roller coaster of this latest adventure and thank you for the outpouring of support. 

Kicking off June with a bang!

June is definitely off to an interesting start!  Dad's oxygen levels have been extremely erratic and yesterday morning they dropped to an all-time (at home) low.  He was quite disoriented and, after consulting with his doctor, we had him taken by ambulance to Wilmington Hospital.  The staff there evaluated him, did some tests and x-rays, administered a breathing treatment and then discharged him to see his doctors at Penn.  Sounds fairly routine, right?  Well, if it was...this post wouldn't be nearly as exciting as it's about to get.  If you don't want to read the whole story, feel free to scroll to the end for the Super Abbreviated Version.

We loaded Dad into the car to see his pulmonologist at Penn.  When I say "we" I mean Mom, me, Chris Hannold (who had volunteered in advance to help with his normal appointment that day), and Pastor Paul who had met us at the house and then ministered to us in the ER.  We touched base with Penn on our way up - and realized that there had been a breakdown in communication between the two hospitals.  After some negotiation (conducted while driving down I-95), we took Dad to see his oncologist at Penn Presbyterian.  We didn't know what was wrong...but we knew something was and that he needed attention.  Soon.

It didn't take the doctor long to see there was a problem.  "Why didn't Wilmington Hospital admit him?" were some of the first words out of his mouth.  I think I mentioned the communication issues.  Well, what we thought were issues really turned out to be a blessing.

After a few hours waiting, Dad was assigned a bed and a short time later was being poked, prodded, tested and questioned by the compassionate, competent staff.  Through all of this, Pastor and Chris stayed by us, comforting us with their calm and entertaining us with their bright spirits.  Cindy flew in that evening from Pittsburgh to join the group.  Team A (me, Pastor, Chris) left in the evening, with Team B (Cindy, Mom, and Crissy) getting home around 11.  Blood was drawn, monitoring was happening...it looked to be a quiet night.

Around 4:00 AM they took Dad in for a CT scan of his lungs - and life got interesting.  Turns out that his oxygen problems were due to a blood clot in his lungs.  But Dad, overachiever that he is, didn't settle for a single blood clot.  Instead, he has a cluster of pulmonary embolisms, which more than explains his issues.

Here's where the blessing came in.  Penn Presbyterian is the top trauma center in the region, so they know how to deal with complex issues - and this was complex.  He was quickly rushed to the TSICU (Trauma Surgery ICU) for high-level, specialized care.  The blood clots were playing havoc with Dad's heart rhythm and caused his blood pressure to drop dangerously low.  After unsuccessfully trying a few medicines, the decision was made to "defib" his heart.  Yep, that is just as scary as it sounds.  Accompanied by a lot of prayer,  Dad was sedated for the procedure and we waited to hear the results. 

Success!

Dad's heart returned to a normal rhythm.  His blood pressure slowly rose. 

He is now resting comfortably in the TSICU.  For those of you familiar with the hospital, this is in the new wing and the technology is a match for the fantastic staff.  They are monitoring him closely and hitting his clots with blood thinners.  In another day or so, the plan is to move him to a standard hospital room as they level off his medicines and prepare to send him home.

The doctor commented on how "lucky" Dad was. First, he said we were very, very lucky that the heart afibrillation didn't occur while we were driving him from Wilmington Hospital to Penn, as we couldn't have gotten him help in time.  Next, he strongly intimated that the staff at Penn Presbyterian was better equipped to diagnose, treat, and deal with the complexities of Dad's case. Lucky?  Blessed.

As we praise the Lord for his many blessings over the last couple of days, please continue to lift Dad and Mom in prayer.  Mom continues to recover from her hip replacement, and Dad's clots need to dissolve and then a plan put in place to prevent a future occurrence.  Strength and patience for the family and wisdom for the doctors are a great place to start.  :)

Now, for the highlight of week:  Pastor Paul and Chris had the opportunity to partake from the Food Truck!  They each had a cheese steak (fried onions only, please!) and declared that it lived up to its billing.  I may add the Food Truck to my list of blessings at Penn... 


SUPER ABBREVIATED VERSION:  Dad had a scary few days, we got him to Penn, they did their thing, he's doing better, will be home later in the week, Mom is still recovering from her hip replacement, and we introduced more people to the Food Truck with positive results.