God will Provide
[This blog is dedicated to keeping mom and dad's "village" updated during his upcoming cardiac surgery. ]
My dad, Darryl, was going to have neck surgery (decompression and fusion of 2 vertebrae) back at the end of October. A Thallium Stress Test was ordered prior to surgery. This was due to two reasons: our family's health history, and the chest discomfort he's experienced over the last few months. The result, in the doctor's words, were- "Classically Abnormal". (Whatever that means.....🤔 ha...)
The next morning dad saw the cardiologist (yep. they wanted to see him that quick.), and they scheduled a Diagnostic Cardiac Cath. The plan was to stent any arteries that needed it, unless they were too bad. Well.. that turned out to be the case.The next step was to schedule surgery.
Quintuple Bypass 😲.
Surgery is scheduled for the 29th of November.
It likely goes without saying, but this is a major and intense surgery. There are only 5 major arteries in the heart to begin with, and the surgeon will have to operate on three of those along with two that branch off (possibly more depending on what the surgeon sees and feels he can fix). That being said, we have faith that God will protect my dad. Please pray and speak that into life alongside all of us.
Once the surgery is over, dad will remain in the hospital for a minimum of 1 week, and then he'll have to be home for a minimum of 4-8 weeks. So that's 5-8 weeks total for recovery depending on how quickly and how well he bounces back. Y'all know he's gonna be trying to play basketball like right away 🙈😉... So, my mom, Gloria, will need to be home with him to help him and ensure he doesn't overdo it. She'll be away from work for at least 2-4 weeks total. Although Dad has some paid time off, this still results in a quite a bit of unpaid time away from work for both of them.
Many, many, amazing people have asked what they can do for my parents and our family during this time. My parents are great at a lot of things, but they're not great at accepting help.. let alone asking for it. They're normally on the flip side of the situation - giving, and giving, and giving. They've taken countless people into their home during a time of need; They've done probably a million (okay, I may be exaggerating, but I'm sure it's not far off) pro bono photography events in their lifetime; They've taken time to feed and care for the homeless. The list goes on (and on, and on, and on). ”We can't help" isn't really in their vocabulary.
If there’s one thing I think anyone that knows dad can agree on, it's this: He truly and wholeheartedly lives out his life motto of “LGLP” (Love God, Love People)!
It's an admirable trait to become friends with every single person you meet. But, my parents have a special gift. They make everyone they meet feel like family. A sense of belonging. They have built such a large community of "family" support. As tempted as I am to continue to brag on my amazing parents, that's not what this is about. It's about calling up their village of amazing family they have loved along their journey. A lot of you have already shown you're anxious to jump in! Here we go!
Here's how you can help them:
First and foremost, Prayer. We all, including him, have faith that God is going to protect him through all of this. Please pray and speak that into life alongside us. Pray for protection over our dad. Pray for the surgeon & surgical team who will be operating on his heart. Pray for Mom’s heart as she waits in the waiting room, as well as their 9 children (us) and 6 granddaughters. [Mike, Lauren, Kinslee, Braelyn, Felicity, and Claire; Chris, Rachel, and Eloise; David, Tiffany, and Charlee; Stephen; Austin; Samantha].
Financially:
This will put financial strain on their lives that they were not prepared for. They’re not going to ask for it, so we’ve decided its our job as their children to ask for them and accept the help that's out there. It took quite a bit of convincing for them to even give us their blessing to do this, but we would've likely done it anyway.
Gofundme for “Darryl's Heart”
Other Tangible Ways:
If you are unable to financially give, there are still other ways you can love on them! Whether through the meal train, prayers, a random favor, etc. Stay tuned for all these things! We'll ask.
(Speaking of which, this blog is likely the easiest and most streamlined way we'll be able to keep everyone informed, so keep checking back here!)
As you know, dad exudes
confidence and peace about most things in life. He's a
positive man because his trust and love is in God. Dad isn't concerned about the surgery. I can only speak for myself, but I can't quite say I'm not concerned. I'm just trying to channel that into prayer and journaling.😬
Anyway....
A few days ago, I asked Dad how he was doing.
He joked (big surprise 🙄)...
"Well, I'm clutching my chest with one hand and I'm eating artery clogging food in the other."
After we laughed and I clarified how NOT funny he is... 🤦 I tried to pry a littler deeper...
"No, dad seriously though.. are you worried/scared/nervous? I know these things aren't in your nature... but, anything? Are you good?"
"People keep asking me that, and probably expecting that I would be scared, but no. I'm not. I'm super interested in the procedure from a medical/scientific standpoint, so I've watched a few videos on how bypass is accomplished... I actually think it's all pretty cool." We lightheartedly laugh, and then he continued..
"But, no. I'm not worried. What is there to worry about? Honestly, what's the worst that could happen? I'll die? Well, then I'll get to be with God in heaven and that's pretty freakin' cool!!!..." [I know you can hear him saying that. If you've personally spoken to him recently, he likely said it to you as well.]
"...The only thing that bums me out is thinking about mom and all of you having to go through that. If I stop and think about it, which I try not to.. that makes me sad." [There he goes thinking about others again💕]
I get a lump in my throat & try to talk through it..
"Yeah, I can see that. I don't want to think about it either. I'm glad you're not nervous. We'll keep speaking life over the procedure. It'll all be good."
Like I said - “This blog is dedicated to keeping mom and dad's "village" updated during his upcoming cardiac surgery.”However... it's also a helpful way for me to process during a not-so-easy time such as this.
I've learned in the last few months how much I not only enjoy, but, truly appreciate the outlet that's provided in writing. Someone else who enjoys writing, and has a lot of "gold nuggets" to share with the world, is my dad. Maybe he'll take over this "Darryl's Heart" blog once he's recovered and let you all see deeper into his improved heart. 😊
For now, it'll probably primarily be me writing, but, maybe I can convince some of my siblings to hop on here and contribute their thoughts as well!
Also, please feel free to comment here in the blog with questions, words of encouragement, prayers, anything. We'll be sure they are all passed along.
Love you all!
Rachel
My dad, Darryl, was going to have neck surgery (decompression and fusion of 2 vertebrae) back at the end of October. A Thallium Stress Test was ordered prior to surgery. This was due to two reasons: our family's health history, and the chest discomfort he's experienced over the last few months. The result, in the doctor's words, were- "Classically Abnormal". (Whatever that means.....🤔 ha...)
The next morning dad saw the cardiologist (yep. they wanted to see him that quick.), and they scheduled a Diagnostic Cardiac Cath. The plan was to stent any arteries that needed it, unless they were too bad. Well.. that turned out to be the case.The next step was to schedule surgery.
Quintuple Bypass 😲.
Surgery is scheduled for the 29th of November.
It likely goes without saying, but this is a major and intense surgery. There are only 5 major arteries in the heart to begin with, and the surgeon will have to operate on three of those along with two that branch off (possibly more depending on what the surgeon sees and feels he can fix). That being said, we have faith that God will protect my dad. Please pray and speak that into life alongside all of us.
Once the surgery is over, dad will remain in the hospital for a minimum of 1 week, and then he'll have to be home for a minimum of 4-8 weeks. So that's 5-8 weeks total for recovery depending on how quickly and how well he bounces back. Y'all know he's gonna be trying to play basketball like right away 🙈😉... So, my mom, Gloria, will need to be home with him to help him and ensure he doesn't overdo it. She'll be away from work for at least 2-4 weeks total. Although Dad has some paid time off, this still results in a quite a bit of unpaid time away from work for both of them.
Many, many, amazing people have asked what they can do for my parents and our family during this time. My parents are great at a lot of things, but they're not great at accepting help.. let alone asking for it. They're normally on the flip side of the situation - giving, and giving, and giving. They've taken countless people into their home during a time of need; They've done probably a million (okay, I may be exaggerating, but I'm sure it's not far off) pro bono photography events in their lifetime; They've taken time to feed and care for the homeless. The list goes on (and on, and on, and on). ”We can't help" isn't really in their vocabulary.
If there’s one thing I think anyone that knows dad can agree on, it's this: He truly and wholeheartedly lives out his life motto of “LGLP” (Love God, Love People)!
It's an admirable trait to become friends with every single person you meet. But, my parents have a special gift. They make everyone they meet feel like family. A sense of belonging. They have built such a large community of "family" support. As tempted as I am to continue to brag on my amazing parents, that's not what this is about. It's about calling up their village of amazing family they have loved along their journey. A lot of you have already shown you're anxious to jump in! Here we go!
Here's how you can help them:
First and foremost, Prayer. We all, including him, have faith that God is going to protect him through all of this. Please pray and speak that into life alongside us. Pray for protection over our dad. Pray for the surgeon & surgical team who will be operating on his heart. Pray for Mom’s heart as she waits in the waiting room, as well as their 9 children (us) and 6 granddaughters. [Mike, Lauren, Kinslee, Braelyn, Felicity, and Claire; Chris, Rachel, and Eloise; David, Tiffany, and Charlee; Stephen; Austin; Samantha].
Financially:
This will put financial strain on their lives that they were not prepared for. They’re not going to ask for it, so we’ve decided its our job as their children to ask for them and accept the help that's out there. It took quite a bit of convincing for them to even give us their blessing to do this, but we would've likely done it anyway.
Gofundme for “Darryl's Heart”
Other Tangible Ways:
If you are unable to financially give, there are still other ways you can love on them! Whether through the meal train, prayers, a random favor, etc. Stay tuned for all these things! We'll ask.
(Speaking of which, this blog is likely the easiest and most streamlined way we'll be able to keep everyone informed, so keep checking back here!)
[we don't have a photo of them with all 6 girls because baby Claire is so new 😍. So, she gets her own debut.]
Anyway....
A few days ago, I asked Dad how he was doing.
He joked (big surprise 🙄)...
"Well, I'm clutching my chest with one hand and I'm eating artery clogging food in the other."
After we laughed and I clarified how NOT funny he is... 🤦 I tried to pry a littler deeper...
"No, dad seriously though.. are you worried/scared/nervous? I know these things aren't in your nature... but, anything? Are you good?"
"People keep asking me that, and probably expecting that I would be scared, but no. I'm not. I'm super interested in the procedure from a medical/scientific standpoint, so I've watched a few videos on how bypass is accomplished... I actually think it's all pretty cool." We lightheartedly laugh, and then he continued..
"But, no. I'm not worried. What is there to worry about? Honestly, what's the worst that could happen? I'll die? Well, then I'll get to be with God in heaven and that's pretty freakin' cool!!!..." [I know you can hear him saying that. If you've personally spoken to him recently, he likely said it to you as well.]
"...The only thing that bums me out is thinking about mom and all of you having to go through that. If I stop and think about it, which I try not to.. that makes me sad." [There he goes thinking about others again💕]
I get a lump in my throat & try to talk through it..
"Yeah, I can see that. I don't want to think about it either. I'm glad you're not nervous. We'll keep speaking life over the procedure. It'll all be good."
Emotionally, financially, physically.. he and mom know
that God will provide. We all know that, because He always does. We will continue to praise His name!
Like I said - “This blog is dedicated to keeping mom and dad's "village" updated during his upcoming cardiac surgery.”However... it's also a helpful way for me to process during a not-so-easy time such as this.
I've learned in the last few months how much I not only enjoy, but, truly appreciate the outlet that's provided in writing. Someone else who enjoys writing, and has a lot of "gold nuggets" to share with the world, is my dad. Maybe he'll take over this "Darryl's Heart" blog once he's recovered and let you all see deeper into his improved heart. 😊
For now, it'll probably primarily be me writing, but, maybe I can convince some of my siblings to hop on here and contribute their thoughts as well!
Also, please feel free to comment here in the blog with questions, words of encouragement, prayers, anything. We'll be sure they are all passed along.
Love you all!
Rachel
Rachel thank you so much for your strength and keeping all abreast of your dad , Darryl’s journey. My prayers are with you all. Oh and yes his comments are typical ��. (Robin Ferguson ~ Pharmacy ~MED GROUP ALL THE WAY ))
ReplyDeletePraying for all of you Your dad's faith will see him through.I'm glad you're doing this blog to keep us updated. I've enjoyed his posts of encouragement and all the pics of his beautiful family. He truly is a sweetheart and I will be praying for you all
ReplyDeleteThanks for the update Rachel - love your family so much.
ReplyDeleteYour dad kills me..... I'm talking to him right after he found out he's not doing the neck surgery, ask him if I can share the prayer request with our Life Group. He says absolutely! But tell everyone that if I die, I win cause I'm getting there first and I beat everyone else. ROFL 🤦♀️🤦♀️🤦♀️
❤ your dad ❤