Five Years

Today marks five years since my mom left this world and journeyed to be with Jesus. The time has passed so quickly. It really feels weird to think about how much my life and the life of my family has changed since she went home to be with Jesus. I wish she could have been around to see it all, and that she was still here with us, but she has gone on to a far better place. She no longer suffers the challenges of high blood pressure, type two diabetes, congestive heart failure or metastatic invasive carcinoma breast cancer. And when I list out all of those challenges she faced daily, it makes it even more impressive she stayed with us for as long as she did. 

In 2007, I cut a significant amount of my hair in honor of my mom, and in 2008, I cut the remainder of my locks in honor of her, and to mourn her loss as per our Shawnee tradition. I’ve not grown it back since. My brothers, Chuck and Willie, both made sacrifices of their locks as well. Chuck even shaved his mustache—a permanent fixture on his face since the 80s. Even Willie’s son Christian shaved his head in honor of my mom. Willie also wrote this beautiful song to honor and remember her upon her passing. It still brings tears to my eyes as the memories come flooding back of her courageous last days on this earth.

I started my first garden the year my mom died. Over the years, I’ve learned a lot through my dabblings in local agriculture, but more than anything, I’ve been reminded of lessons she and Dad taught me about planting, growing, harvesting, and hard work. Of course like any kid, I didn’t enjoy the discipline at the time, but I can look back with immense gratitude now.

And within a month of mom saying goodbye, I began to have serious conversations about global poverty and international development withmy longtime friends Jake Harriman and John Hancox. These conversations along with extensive reading and research on the subject, and much prayer, fasting, and wrestling, led me to a significant career change as I joined my friends as they started Nuru International. I’m grateful that I have been able to deepen my service to others, and invite more people to confront the crisis of extreme poverty in our world. I really wish mom could have been here to see what we have been able to accomplish in the five years since she died, but I am incredibly grateful my dad has been here cheering us on in this work.

And a little over a year ago, I got married. I wish my mom could have spent more time with Jamie. She’s absolutely incredible, and I think they would have absolutely loved each other. They are two of the best examples I know when it comes to compassion and caring for people around them.

And then there’s my sister. She left a ten year job at a doctor’s office to start a new career this year. Not only that, but my sister has become quite the runner. It seems like every weekend she is getting a new trophy or award for her running exploits. Since the year my mom went to be with Jesus, Becky has led our family in participation with the Wood County Relay For Life. Mom was never able to attend—the first year, she was in ICU. Little did we know she would be leaving so soon. And Becky had her own bout with cancer in 2007 too. Just a month after mom’s parting, she had a malignant melanoma removed. She’s a survivor.

Dad was walking twelve miles a day, and riding his bike 20-30 miles 2-3 times per week after mom died. And then in 2009, he had a massive heart attack. It was utterly unexpected. Dad has always been healthier than most people half his age. Since that attack he doesn’t walk twelve miles a day anymore, but he is probably in better shape and eating better than ever before. As much as we kids miss mom, Dad lost his best friend of 43 years. Dad continues to be an example of generosity and compassion to others too. He supports Becky at virtually every race she runs, and he maintains his garden the way he has done for years and gives away significant portions of its bounty.

My brother, well he is still working in the same job, but his level of responsibility keeps increasing. He’s an extremely talented engineer. And he lives and loves sacrificially with his time. He’s up at 430AM virtually every day to drive himself and several coworkers to work and stays up late to make sure dogs are walked and chores are done. And further, his son has graduated high school and is a student at Notre Dame (not WVU, but still not a bad education).

And in the last five years, each one of us has grown in our faith as well as in our service to others. My dad just recently took the steps to join his church and was baptized the same day.

On Mom's last trip to the hospital, my sister, dad, and I spent the day with her, and I left the hospital to drive to Morgantown to receive my MA in English. I leaned down to hug her and told her, “I’ll try to make you proud tomorrow mom.” As I stood up, she looked at me with her eyes filled of compassion, as she breathed deeply from the oxygen tube running under her nose. She smiled and said, “Every day you make me proud.” Those words echo in my mind every time I think of her. She loved each one of us well, and she showed us by example, even during her last days, how to love the people who cross our paths in seemingly random ways.

I wish mom was still with us, but one day we will reunite with much rejoicing. And until that day, we will labor, and dedicate the remainder of our days to love God and love others well, and to work to serve our neighbors both locally and globally. I know that if she were here, she would continue to be so proud of each of us. I know she would be cheering us on alongside Dad, and she would be cheering Dad on as he maintains his health and faith so well.

Wherever and whoever you are, you have an opportunity today to make a choice. You and I have an opportunity each day to pour out a legacy of hope and compassion, to wisely steward the gifts we have been given, to love well, and to live well. And I pray we may live as an example worth imitating as we walk this earth, just like Mom.

Jumping Rope Into Fitness

As 2011 was coming to an end, I found myself, among other things, considering ways I could maintain my fitness in a low cost, time effective way.  A few years back, I had purchased a jump rope, but could never really get started jumping because I was looking for the perfect surface to jump on.

Rather than continue the search, I thought back to my childhood, and jumping on sidewalks and gym floors and varied surfaces. And as a result, I started jumping rope in my gravel driveway as well as on a couple of different streets at Lake Floyd & in Parkersburg over the holidays last december.

The first day I jumped rope, I think I set a goal of jumping 500 times. I thought I was going to have a heart-attack after 100 jumps. (So I took a break after each set of 100 jumps, and made my way step-wise to 500.)

What I discovered along this journey is that jumping rope is definitely not as easy as it was growing up on 15^th Street in Parkersburg and chasing each other & playing tag as we raced through double-dutch jumping.  It was not nearly as easy as it seemed when I participated in one of my first fundraising events a Jump Rope for Heart at Mckinley Elementrary school. And it was definitely not as easy as it was when I tried out for the jump rope team that later became known as the River City Skippers (I didn’t make the cut).

Instead, I found that jumping rope is a challenge and that a little bit goes a long way in burning calories and improving cardiovascular fitness. After a few minutes of jumping rope, my heart rate can get up to 170-180 bpm (similar to running sprints or running longer distances at near max effort). I can get about 120-130 jumps in per minute, and I can also carry a jump rope with me anywhere I travel.

In essence, I can pack an intense cardioworkout into my day with 5-10 minutes of jumping rope (in 1-2 minute intervals), and I can take the equipment with me anywhere. I think the idea came to me when I saw the rope, and I had seen a few of those infomercials advertising the latest in exercise equipment (and known of a few people who made purchases but failed to use them). I feel like any health or fitness plan needs to travel well, and should be able to happen at a relatively low cost.

So far, I have a little over five months of jumping and building a baseline with the rope. If you are looking for an inexpensive way to jump start cardio and fitness, I recommend a jump rope. Or even if you are looking for a way to vary already existing workouts or a way to take a simple workout on the road, jumping rope is a great form of exercise.

My one recommendation is to go slow. Unless you are incredibly fit already, you aren’t going to be able to jump rope in the same way you did as a child. You’ve put on weight, and your body is not accustomed to the impact. The cardio workout is intense, but it is also an impact workout, and as such I recommend entering in slowly and build a strong base. Of course, in saying this, I’m not an expert. I’m just a guy with a jump rope who is trying to maintain and improve my health. 

My Dad: 70 And Going Stronger Than Ever

My dad is amazing. I could probably leave this post at that statement, but I won’t. He just turned 70 on June 1^st (he also shares that birthday with my wife’s dad), and he works out 304 times each week at the Parkersburg YMCA. He rides an exercise bike, hops on a treadmill, and even does the elliptical machine during his two hour workouts.

In 2009 he had a heart attack, and at that time he was walking 12 miles a day. In fall 2008, he and I went on a bike ride that included four miles of an eight percent incline—thankfully he didn’t have a heart attack then, because we were in a remote area. We have made a tradition of journeying at least once each year to the top of Seneca Rocks over the last several years, and we took Jamie along for her first trek this past July.  When dad had the heart attack we wondered if he would be able to keep going like he has in the past. Honestly, he is amazingly fit. I venture to say he is more fit than the majority of people who are half his age.

Earlier this spring, my brother and nephew got a healthy dose of my dad’s fitness as he took them on 25 and 30 mile bike rides averaging 15mph+ in between his workout days.

For the last year, my dad hasn’t been able to walk longer distances because of some inflammation in his plantar fascia, but he has been continuing to exercise and push himself in areas where he can get good cardio work in.

Where many of us would see our setbacks my dad makes adjustments and keeps going strong. Last weekend he and I road our bikes around the course of the Parkersburg half-marathon so we could cheer on our family and friends who were competing. There was never a time I was waiting for my dad; in fact sometimes it was quite the opposite. He is a daily inspiration to me to always be pushing the envelope to be the best I can be in whatever I do.

We all encounter setbacks, injuries, and challenges in this life, but a big part of our the outcome of our life is how we respond to those challenges. My dad has lost his life-long best friend (my mom) to breast cancer, and suffered a massive heart-attack within two years of each other. But he perseveres. He gets up each day, and does his best to make the most of it. He doesn’t see it in himself, but if you spend much time around him, and observe the way he lives, he is one of the most inspiring people you will ever meet.

None of us truly know the number of our days, but while we live and breathe on this earth, we have an opportunity to make the most of this time. I’ve heard it said that the way we spend our days is the way we spend our lives. May we find examples in our life who push us, and encourage us by the way they go about their days, and may we imulate the disciplined way of living that allows us to truly blossom, so that if we live to be 70 like my dad, we will also be going stronger than ever!

Listener Releases New Album: Wooden Heart

In Spring 2008, my friend Cameron had a very interesting musical artist named Listener perform at Sozo, the coffee house some friends and I got started in downtown Morgantown back in 2007. The video above is one of his. Oh, and the washing machine that the guy is beating for percussion in the video is actually used for percussion when the artist performs live. It's a very unique and unnerving and unforgettable sound to hear a washing machine getting beat with a baseball bat or sledgehammer handle.

Anyway, Listener has a new album that's getting released on July 6th. It's called Wooden Heart, and it's an album that demands that you listen to it in an undistracted place (as are all of listener's albums). He allowed me to listen to an advance copy so I could write a review of it. Listener has created his own unique genre and calls it "talk music." It's an eclectic mix of elements of rap, spoken word, and poetry. In the background of his songs is an array of instruments that serve to accent the mood of each song.

The album is really a bargain. The album is over one hour long, and consists of each song being performed as a poem as well as a "song." Listener is a brilliant poet and writer, and I appreciate his wit and way with using words to create images and mixed metaphors that leave me as a fellow "listener" contemplating the hurts and hopes we all seem to carry in this world. One of the things I like the most about the album is that each song seems to tell a story from Listener's own life experience. He tells stories of people with broken lives whose paths have crossed his and as I listened, I found myself growing in my own empathy and care for the hurts of others...and myself. I feel like Listener's songs remind us that everyone has a story that needs to be told, and that everyone needs to learn to listen better, and tell better stories. And one of the greatest stories we could tell is one of love.

Listener's music is for everyone, though not everyone will enjoy it. I wish there were an artist I could compare him to, but he is truly one of a kind. If you ever get a chance to hear him perform in concert, definitely take advantage of the opportunity. He's touring the country and playing at cornerstone this summer--if you will be there, check out his music and say hello!

If you follow the links and visit his site, you can listen to his album online and make a decision on making a purchase. If you like music that is a little off the well trodden path of sappy metaphors and overused clichés, I think you will enjoy listener's latest album. And you are already a Listener fan, leave a comment and let others know what you like about his music.

Dad: One Year Later

Well, sort of. Last year on April 27th, my dad was taken to Charleston, WV to have a routine test done to determine if his arteries were blocked. He found out that four of the arteries around his heart were 99%, 95%, 90% and 69% blocked. A few minutes after this determination was made, he had a massive heart attack.
I was in San Francisco, CA for a week of meetings with Nuru’s Senior Director Team. My friends at Nuru, bought me a plane ticket and took me to the airport for a red-eye flight to Charleston so I could meet up with my dad, sister, and best friend in the whole world, Willie, at the hospital.
My dad spent about two weeks in the hospital in recovery before he came home. When he came home he was week from the surgery (they break open your chest to do a quadruple bypass), he was really weak, and had lots of pain and discomfort. He was accustomed to walking about 12 miles per day, and he was unable to walk around the block for several days.
For all of you medical people, before his heart attack, he had an ejection fraction of 55%, and afterward it dropped to 35%. When he had an echocardiogram done last October, he had increased his ejection fraction to 40%. I imagine it has increased since then as well.
Last Monday, I went to work out with him—he has a membership at a local gym, and after twelve weeks of cardiac rehab last summer, he has built a habit of exercise (beyond walking). He goes three times a week, and works through a circuit of resistance machines as well as 20 minutes on an exercise bike, seven minutes on a rower, and 45 minutes on a treadmill. He’s no slouch as he goes through this routine either. He spends the first 35 minutes of his treadmill workout walking at 4.0mph, at a 4% incline (try it sometime). At 35 minutes, he increases the incline to 15% and continues at the 4mph pace for an additional 4 minutes. Then he gradually lowers the incline back to 4% to finish his 4mph walk. At 68 years of age, he’s probably in better condition than most people I know at my age.
It’s pretty amazing to see his level of recovery at about one year. I’d even go so far to say it’s been miraculous. I’m so thankful that he was in one of the best cardiac hospitals in the region when he had his heart attack, and I’m extremely grateful for his fast and strong recovery.
Friday night, he and I went to the blue and gold WVU intersquad scrimmage. Last year when we went, he was complaining about a tightness in his chest. This year, he was feeling much stronger, and looking much more energized.
For those who have been reading this blog for a while, thanks so much for your prayers. Together, we walked through a pretty difficult season, and I’m truly appreciative for the opportunities that I have had to spend time with my dad as he grows stronger day-by-day.

Dad can ride a bike with no handlebars

Ok, so that's dad on the left. You might remember him as the guy who had a massive heart attack and four way by-pass a few weeks ago. I had a few minutes free today, so I went into his cardiac rehab space, and took this photo of him. He's doing incredibly well.

Saturday night, I went for a walk with him, and during the walk, he averaged about 4 miles per hour over the course of four miles. For those of you unfamiliar with walking paces, this is about the fastest most people can go without breaking into a jog. The last mile, dad completed at a 4.2mph pace.

He also walks 4mph at a 4% incline in the rehab center when he's on the treadmill. That's pretty impressive for someone at any age. Dad is 68 and he is a total stud. After a big scare at the end of April, he is like a new person. A month ago, his cardiac surgeon told him that he looked like a new man.

Tomorrow he goes to visit his cardiologist. We are praying for a few things to happen tomorrow. We are praying that Dad will be able to stop taking some of his medication (like coumadin) and cut his dosage in others (like lipitor). We are praying that the ejection fraction of dad's heart (a measure of it's efficiency) will have improved from 35% to somewhere above 40%. (40% is the upper cut-off for a condition called congestive heart failure). We are also praying that Dad will be given the green light for more activity (like bike riding). My dad used to ride his bike a lot, and he misses it. It would be great if he were released to do this again.

My dad has made amazing progress. While he hasn't returned to walking 12 miles per day yet ( I think the most he's logged is about 6), he has so much more energy and vigor with which to carry out his walking that it is like he is a new man. Me, my sister, her husband, and Jamie, all have trouble keeping up with him.

Pray with us for a good report and some more positive changes tomorrow.

Homeward bound

I'm writing this note from my dad's van as we travel from camc to
parkersburg. It's been a long couple of weeks for him, but he's
finally on his way home. I took this photo a few seconds before we got
in the van. Today is the first day I've seen my dad wear something
other than a hospital gown since April 22.
It's a welcome change. Dad looks healthier just by wearing different
clothes. He looks like he has more energy than I've seen in weeks.
Now we enter the next phase of recovery--diet, exercise, and attitude.
Your prayers have sustained us, and we're all glad to have Dad back
home. Thanks for your encouragement as we celebrate this major
milestone and victory.

Pacing and Waiting

That's a picture of my dad and sister after Dad's third walk of the day. He walked for over a half-hour this time, and for the first time since he got here, he was ABLE TO VENTURE OFF THE FLOOR!!!

Yesterday was a very discouraging day, but today was totally different. Dad's attitude was to do whatever was within his power to make his quality of life better and progress until he was able to leave. His main limiting factor is tweaking his coumadin dose to a PT/INR (some ratio regarding clotting capacity of blood) of two to three. His doctor told hm that he wouldn't be able to leave until this number was right. But, he has made a ton of other progress.

He's no longer hooked up to a telemetry unit. He actually has no more plugs or wires attached to him (as of 6PM), and I think he is enjoying his freedom. I asked his doctor if it would be possible for him to leave the floor and see some different sites, and not only did he allow it, but he had a nurse disconnected all of dad's remaining wires. So dad and Becky enjoyed some of his newly earned freedom this evening by exploring the other floors and spending some time outside.

The days here are pretty long, but it looks like dad will eventually be out of here. It won't be tomorrow, but it should be before Christmas according to one of the nurses here.

All of his dressings on his wounds have been removed as well. Dad looks like a totally new man. He's had some cramping in the foot of the leg from which the veins were taken, and an allergic reaction to some of his new medicine, but overall he is making some serious progress. It's really hard to believe that he had a massive heart attack and his chest ripped open twice just 10 days ago.

Thanks again for praying for dad. I honestly believe his renewed perspective and the progress of the day are largely a result of your prayers.

I hope I have more good news to report tomorrow. I'm gonna try to get some rest at a decent hour tonight, and I think Dad and Becky are as well.

Until then, we will continue pacing the halls and waiting for Dad's release.

Strides and Stressors

Dad is taking a nap right now, so I'm taking this opportunity to blog and give some form of update on the last couple of days. I want to thank folks again for responding to my blogs by leaving comments, by replying to my twitters, and my facebook status updates as well as other forms of reaching me. The comments are encouraging, and as often as possible, I share them with my dad.

On Monday, Dad had an incredibly difficult day. I shared that with you later monay afternoon I believe. Yesterday, we received the results of his echocardiogram. Before his heart attack, he had 55% ejection fraction for his heart. Monday, he was at 35%. This is understandable since his heart did sustain some damage from the attack. The good news is that because Dad walks so much (and will continue), his heart will recover and gain in strength.

In fact, that's one of the coolest things about yesterday. For as bad as Monday was, Tuesday was hugely encouraging. He had a few visitors, and they were spaced out perfectly throughout the day. Each visitor was an incredible encouragement to him. We had some good conversations during the day, and on three different occasions, he walked for about 20 minutes. He also stood up to shave and he bathed himself yesterday. In the evening, I brought in a salad and a sampler platter from fazoli's for us to split (Borrowed my sister's car when she came to visit). We also talked with the doctor about starting Coumadin (which is a nasty little drugnasty little drug btw), and we finally had a visit from a dermatologist who could explain and remedy the rash he had developed on his back and chest over the last few days.

Dad has been making some serious strides in attitude and in physical health over the last day or so. I'm not sure the cardiac rehab people know what to do with him because he's so much farther along than what they expect a quadruple bypass patient to be. It's kind of comical really. They came in to explain to him on monday that he could esy into exercise by walking for three minutes each day for two or three days. I told the lady that he was already walking 15+ minutes multiple times daily.

Today, we were given a glimmer of hope for going home too. If they can get his coumadin dose where they want it, he may be able to go home by Friday. You can pray for wisdom on the part of the physicians in making that determination.

At the same time there have been major strides, there are still a few stressors. One that emerged today is a tightness and pain in the arch of the foot of the leg from which veins were removed for the bypass. It has hampered his walking and his stride, but hopefully a visit from a podiatrist will be ale to help with that and a couple of ingrown toenails. Ouch!

The other big stressor is this. Because dad's Ejection Fraction value for his heart is less than 40%, this means that his condition is described as Congestive Heart Failure, or CHF. This is a scary term used to describe a heart that can't eject blood at the same rate that it is entering the chamber. This causes "congestion" of the heart, and leads to fluid build-up in the feet and the mid-section of the body (among other things). It's usually regulated with a cocktail of drugs that aid in relieving symptoms in different ways, but it can cause some serious lifestyle adjustments. The good news in dad's case is that because of his lifestyle up to this point, his heart is in pretty good condition, and has the potential to recover so that CHF could only be a temporary problem for him.

These next few months are gonna be challenging as he moves along the road to recovery, but the good news is that he is already one week along the road, and he's gathering strength at an incredible pace.

This entry is getting a bit long, but I want to thank you again for your encouragement and prayers.

Some of the People I Meet Along the Way

This post is a little different. That photo above is of Sarah. She's a housekeeper at the hospital on my dad's floor. The first day we arrived at the floor, Sarah came in and welcomed us to the floor. She let us know that she was our housekeeper, and that if we needed anything, to please call the housekeeping number.

I wanted to write about Sarah (and hopefully I'll be able to share a couple of other people's stories in the future) simply because of the way she goes about her work, and her care for the patients at the hospital.

Yesterday, there were a couple of other housekeepers on our floor. We spilled some milk (literally) and made a mess in the floor. Our nurse told us she would get hold of housekeeping to get it cleaned up. It was 30-45 minutes later that it was cleaned up but we just figured the housekeepers were busy. I was totally prepared to clean it myself, but our nurse told us we had enough to deal with, and that they had housekeeping there to help us if we needed anything.

Well, I guess one of the nurses talked to Sarah today about the lack of promptness of the housekeeping folks yesterday. Sarah came in first thing in the morning, and apologized to us on behalf of her staff. She told us that our experience yesterday was not what she wanted us to have. She was extremely humble and truly sorry that we didn't have top notch service. The irony is that we really just thought folks were busy.

She came back in a couple of times looking for a good opportunity to mop and clean Dad's room. It was very clear to me that she saw her job as more than a paycheck, so I talked to her about it. I told her that it was extremely rare that people in any job took their work so seriously, and looked at it as an opportunity to serve others instead of as a means to an end.

She told me that she sought to do her work "as unto the LORD" and that was why she took it so seriously. She believed that God deserves our best, and she wasn't looking for accolades here, but rather she was looking to hear Him say "Well done, you good and faithful servant" when she one day meets her Maker.

What a perspective! Wouldn't be something if EVERYONE who called on the name of Jesus saw their work as more than a means to a paycheck? What would be different about what you do if you were working for the Creator of the universe instead of working for your earthly employer? Would your perspective change? What about the quality of your work?

Who knows, maybe if more people saw men and women of faith pursuing their vocation with this kind of passion and tenacity, they would look more highly on the faith that produces such saints.

Setbacks and Determination

When we went to bed last night everybody thought dad was probably going to be heading home today. Unfortunately that wasn't the case. This morning he woke up with his left hand and in both of his feet. As a result, an EKG and echocardiogram were ordered, and the doctors said that he WILL NOT be coming home today or tomorrow. The doctor wants to examine the his heart for possible blockage. He said that the numbness may be nothing at all, but because dad is on the heart floor they have to check it out as a possible mini-stroke.

My dad is more than a little deflated from finding out he won't be able to go home for a couple more days. In his words, he was "disgusted" with everything that was happening. I can't blame him. We were convinced that he was doing really well. He walked four times yesterday, and covered some serious distance. He even had a Hardee's Thickburger, and a little microwave popcorn. He was cracking jokes, and all of us were beginning to plan his departure and return to home.

But today was full of setbacks. He's had trouble getting up. He's had trouble going to the bathroom. He's had trouble bathing. He's developed a rash over the last couple of days too. It's really been a rough day. But he has still managed to walk four times, and I was tremendously thankful for the opportunity he had to play cornhole with other patients and nurses on the floor (he made it to the championship game!). The game gave him a little respite in the middle of a pretty discouraging day. It was kind of cool to see the determination on his face as he played cornhole--it was a good bit of fun for him and helped him to take his mind off the fact he isn't going to make it home for a couple of days.

Right now, he is resting but he's feeling more than a little discouraged. Since you read this entry, I want to ask you to take 30 seconds and pray for him. Pray for some of these physical setbacks to go away. Pray for his attitude to get positive again. I was told that many heart patients have a difficult time with depression post-op, but dad has been doing well the last couple of days. Today has been different though. He's frustrated and disgusted that he can't go home yet, and nothing seems to be going for him.

I've reminded him that it is a really good thing tha tall of these things are happening now, and not after he leaves. While it would be great to be home, it is greater to know that his physicians are doing everything they can to insure that he will have no problems after he goes home. I would hate for him to have a day like today as his first day home--so much better to be here at CAMC.

As for me, I'm going to hitch a ride off my friend Matt Santen and stay the night again at his house. I feel like I'm a member of the family after staying with Santen's the last few days. His family has been a great example of the fact that in Christ our family is HUGE.

Thanks again for reading, for praying, for encouraging, and for helping sustain my dad and the family during this time. Your encouragement on twitterand your comments on facebookcontinue to encourage.

We have been setback a few times today, but pray for a deepening determination on my dad's part to do what he can, and accept what he can't as we seek to get him back to better than his old self.

He Walks!

According to Confucius, "The Journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

(Interesting side note--at 12 miles per day, Dad probably walked about 4000, miles over the last year. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Confucius!) ;)

Well dad made some serious steps today. As of the time I wrote this, he had walked three times today. The first time he walked about 100 feet. The second time, a bout three times that. The third time, he walked a full lap around the floor. Each time, he's increased his stride and pace.

I'm so stoked about my dad's progress. Monday night he experienced a massive heart attack and then had an immediate quadruple bypass surgery. Tuesday, his chest was reopened to check into excessive bleeding. Wednesday, they had given him the green light to find a room. Unfortunately, he had to wait in the recovery room (which means 30 minute visits every four hours) for another day.

He's doing amazingly well, and as he gets his strength back, he's gonna be difficult to keep up with. His attitude has been incredible! He knows what he needs to do to go home, and he is going at it with intensity.

I imagine he'll walk one more time tonight, and then call it a night. If it weren't the highly visible scar on his chest, you'd think that he was just moving a little slow from an illness. He's making amazing progress. Even the nurses have been overheard talking about how they too are amazed at his level of progress so quickly.

Thanks again for praying. I imagine he will be able to go home in a couple of days at this rate. Great news!

The Latest On Dad

Well, dad has been pretty active today, so there hasn't been a lot of time to write. I wanted to take a few minutes though and give a little update on the day thus far.

Dad's still making pretty incredible progress considering he had a massive heart attack monday night AND a quadruple bypass AND had his chest reopened tuesday because of he was bleeding a bit much. Of course at the same time, my dad is a total stud. Until this surgery, he walked an average of twelve miles/day.

But today, he's pushing himself, and I'm pushing him too. This morning he was laying in bed a little tired, and we had a heart to heart. My dad is in excellent physical condition. He can recover really quickly. But the thing that's going to make the difference as to whether it's going to be a few days or a few weeks before he gets home is ATTITUDE.

But isn't that the case with all of us? So often we all feel the chips are stacked against us and fail to realize the incredible potential and opportunities we possess at our fingertips.

Dad is working hard, and now he is resting hard. After we talked, he sat up for a bath, and even stood up for part of his bath too. A little later, cardiac rehab came in, and they thought he might not be up for walking yet. Dad walked with them from the bed to the hallway, and then sat in a chair for TWO hours. He sat up to eat his lunch (he needs to eat more), and then asked to be able to lie down. The nurses helped him to get in his bed, and he was pretty talkative but tired for a while.

I grabbed a quick bite to eat while he started napping, and when I came back we talked about what his strategy would be for the rest of the day. His goal is to sit up again for supper, and then to walk across the room one more time today. I think those are respectable goals.

Earlier today, I sent a prayer request through twitter and facebook that said the following:

"back at hospital (w) dad. His no. 1 need now is a (+) attitude, tenacity, and discipline to push through his rehab. Pls pray 4 this!"

Supper time is coming soon, but thanks for reading, and I hope your weekend is off to a wonderful start. Keep praying if you don't mind--keep praying for a positive attitude for my dad, and for yourself while you are at it. Many obstacles can be overcome simply by changing our attitude and our perspective.

May your obstacles become opportunities and your perspective be one of perseverance!

Pat White's Superfan

My dad just got his first Miami Dolphins hat as a gift this afternoon because he's such a huge fan of Pat White. When my sister brought it in, he wore the hat with pride. Dad is now in a step-down unit and making some serious progress in his status. Of course he doesn't have the greatest appetite, but that's to be expected after a double round of anesthetic.

We've spent the evening trying to encourage him to eat even though he doesn't feel hungry and he says the food tastes terrible. (I tried a little bit of all the food though, and it all tasted pretty good).

Here's where we are right now. Dad needs to start walking (something he's pretty good at), and once he can sit up on his own and walk four times in one day on his own he will be able to be released.

It's cool because now we have some goals and incentives to start shooting for. And Jamie's background in rehab and exercise physiology will make her a perfect coach for moving him along.

But, he needs to eat. It's been about three days since he's had a meal, and that makes it hard for anyone to walk. Say some prayers that Dad's appetite will increase and he can start to get his strength back.

In the meantime, while he's in here he will be breaking in his new Pat White. . . er . . . uh . . . I mean Miami Dolphins hat and looking forward to getting his strength back and start walking around the Parkersburg City Park again real soon.

Another Update On Dad

Well, it's a new day with a good bit more to update since I wrote yesterday. Yesterday felt like a long day for all of us, and I think a big part of that was we spent a lot of time waiting. I guess God is helping us to grow in patience. At the same time, yesterday was a day full of HUGE progress.

Early yesterday morning, as I had previously recounted, Dad was making big steps (and he still is). After we had left his room in the open heart recovery area of the hospital, his doctor came through and approved him to have the balloon pump that was on his legs removed. Then a little later, they took out another tube, and then a chest tube, and then a tube that was going into his neck monitoring pressure in one of his arteries.

By the time we made it in at 2PM, virtually all of the monitoring apparatus, tubes and pumps on his body removed. He had been approved for stepping down, and they said that as early as this morning he should be able to sit in a chair.

He is moving along brilliantly. His blood pressure and breathing are better than most americans'. His pulse is dropping down to a much better level as his body recovers from it's trauma. It was a little higher yesterday in the same manner that ours would be a little high the day after we ran a marathon or the way I felt three years ago after running the Clarksburg 10K.

This is amazing news. And yet, at the same time it was a long day. He was approved for a room early yesterday afternoon. But no rooms are currently available. As of 11.30AM EST Dad is still waiting for a step-down room where he can have regular visitors. Because there are no rooms available, it makes the time go slower. He only gets visitors for 30 minutes every four hours. We only get to spend time with him for 30 minutes every four hours. We are grateful that Dad is alive, and yet at the same time, we've been a little frustrated by our inability to be together with him. Again, God is giving us a great opportunity to work on our patience (as I shared with Dad this morning).

While this waiting has been a minor setback, Dad has made incredible progress and recovery after having his chest opened twice in a 15 hour period. He also had the arteries checked in his neck and found minimal blockage. This is incredible news because we were concerned about the possibility of a stroke when he had his bypass surgery done because we knew there was blockage in the neck, we just didn't know how extensive it was.

Dad is still pretty tired, and during our most recent visitation time, I started talking with him and could see and sense he was tired so I just sat with him while he slept, until I was asked to leave at the end of visitation. Pray for him to continue to gather strength.

Thanks again for following this blog, my twitter, and my facebook. I'm amazed at how fast word can travel through the internet, and I've received encouragement from friends in many faraway places. I just got back from talking to dad, and told him that the folks serving Nuru in Kenya, as well as my friend's family's church in India have been praying for him, as well as you and many of your friends wherever you are. I'm humbled by your interceding on behalf of our family.

Dad's Update

First off, I want to thank y'all for reading and following this blog. It's been a real joy for me to share so much of what has been going on in my life and in the world with you through this outlet. While I've been with Willie these last couple of days, we have been kicking around some ideas to freshen the look and feel of this site, so hopefully you'll start to see some of these changes in the next few days.

It's been really encouraging to be able to share the support that has been shown through comments on this blog, on my twitter, and on facebook. You have no idea what it means that I can share your encouraging words with the rest of the family, and that other friends can be encouraged by your thoughtful words and heartfelt prayers. God has blessed us beyond measure.

Alright, now I want to update you on the last few hours. They have been INCREDIBLE. Since yesterday, dad has made significant progress, and we've had quite a few visitors. He was taken off the ventilator yesterday around 6.50PM. So this was right after people started praying. He was still fighting the anesthetic and fatigue, but he stayed awake and was able to have the tube removed on his first thirty minute test. (If you remember, he had to remain conscious and breathe on his own for a thirty minute period before they could take the tube out. Pretty amazing.

He's still on 20% supplemental oxygen but he doesn't need it. This is more of a standard procedure for the location, but he's on the minimum amount they give. While unnecessary, the rich oxygen content helps him to heal and recover more quickly so it's a good thing.

His breathing is phenomenal, and so are his kidneys. Most complications with heart operations occur with kidneys or lungs. He's released most of the fluid taken on through his two rounds of anesthetics (still has a little bit to go though), and he is breathing better than most folks I know in terms of depth and robustness of his breaths.

His blood pressure is nearly perfect, but his pulse is a little high. The high pulse is as a result of the trauma of the surgery. If you or I ran a marathon yesterday, we would have an elevated pulse rate and pretty high sense of fatigue for the next couple of days--even in peak condition. (But I don't anticipate Dad running an actual marathon for a couple of weeks.

He's able to lift his arm to scratch itches on his face, and that's pretty huge considering he had his chest cracked open just a day ago.

I'm so grateful to be able to give such positive news over this last 24 hours, I attribute this overwhelmingly positive news to three things. First and foremost, your prayers and our God. I could talk about this at length but I won't for now, the details would be too many for a blog entry that is quickly growing long. Secondly, the staff at CAMC have been incredible. I can't say enough about the quality of care at this facility. Thirdly, my dad's healthy lifestyle. Until last week, he walked an average of 12.5 miles/day. He's nearly 68 years old. I don't know many 28 year olds who could keep up with him (and now that this blockage is removed, I'm sure even more people will struggle to keep up with him).

One last note on number three. Of course this is common sense, and strongly supported by healthcare data, but seeing my dad's challenges and recovery thus far, I am deciding to get more serious and proactive in monitoring my diet and becoming more disciplined in my own physical fitness, and you should too! Find some people who will do it with you and encourage each other to stay with it.

Thanks again for taking the time to read, to pray, and to encourage. I hope I can share another really positive update with you later on.

PS I know this sounds weird, but I think my dad actually looks younger now than he did in the above photo from a year ago. In spite of his fatigue from the surgery, the removal of blockage has literally breathed new life into him.

Praising Jesus Through the Pain

I took this photo of my dad on April 17th during our Passover Seder meal in Morgantown. I realize April 17th wasn't Passover, but we typically celebrate a little different than the norm. During the evening, my dad was tired, and was dealing with some chest pain, and I took this photo of him as he was worshiping God in the middle of that fatigue. It was during this weekend that we talked about him going to see his doctor about his fatigue and his chest pain.

After three visits to the emergency room in Parkersburg along with a multitude of tests, it was finally determined that my dad had something going on with his heart. When he heard that he might need a heart catheterization, he asked if he could move to the Charleston Area Medical Center, because they have some of the best heart surgeons in the region, and specialize in these procedures.

We're all really glad he made that decision. After an ambulance ride from one hospital to the other saturday evening, he got settled in and was given a stress test early sunday morning, it was determined that a heart catheterization would be a good idea. Last night around 7PM the procedure was done. He had several blockages, among them was an artery with 99% blockage. 99%! That's virtually closed. In fact, it is believed that a small blood clot from the catheterization is what provoked what came next. My dad had a massive heart attack. He was taken back into surgery, and the doctor had to attempt a quadruple bypass in order to make sure dad could be stabilized.

To further complicate things, it was noticed that dad had blockage in his neck as well. While attempting to care for the heart blockage, there was a possibility that the blockage in my dad's neck could cause a stroke. Thankfully, that did not happen. In fact the doctor told us this afternoon that Dad's heart is fully recovered from yesterday's attack and subsequent surgery.

But, we aren't out of the woods yet. What my sister was told is that these next 24-48 hours are the most critical. My dad's recovery from surgery has been slowed slightly because he is still bleeding pretty badly. For some reason his blood isn't coagulating like it should. So, while you are reading, would you mind taking about a minute and praying for my dad to 1) have a speedy recovery. 2) Not be afraid, discouraged, or depressed as he regains consciousness in the recovery room.

Two years ago, my mom was on similar apparatus (ventilator and heavy sedation), and I'm sure this recalls memories for him of that space. My sister said it was incredibly hard for her the first time she went back because it brought up memories for her. While we were able to praise God through the difficult times with my mom, it's always hard to see a loved one in a weakened state.

As a kid, my dad was my hero. He was the coolest, the strongest, the funniest, and the most supportive dad in the whole world. He still is all of those things. He's incredibly tough. Last fall, he climbed a 7% grade for four miles on a bicycle. There aren't too many 68 year olds who can do that. (or 18 year olds for that matter). I think that's part of the difficulty with the whole thing. My dad had all of this blockage, and he could still out-do most people walking or riding a bike.

But now he's in a tough spot. His body is trying to heal from surgery and he is bleeding a bit more than the doctor would like to see. So again, take a minute and pray for him. Thanks so much!

Emergency!!!

Sorry this entry doesn't have a photo, and not much in the way of a back story. I'm asking you for prayer.

Tonight @ around 9PM, my dad was taken back to his room at CAMC after a heart catheterization and shortly after arriving had a major heart attack. He has multiple blockages around his heart, and blockage in his neck.

His doctor is trying to open up one of the arteries which probably became completely blocked by a blood clot. There is a risk that the blockage in his neck can move and cause him to have a stroke. If they can open up this one artery tonight, then they can go back tomorrow morning and take care of the multiple bypasses.

Please pray for my dad to experience the peace only Christ can give during this time, and pray for the doctors to be able to flawlessly execute their procedures so my dad can be back on his feet walking 10-15 miles/day again really soon.

Thanks.

Billy