This is a blog of our family, and as such I feel compelled to post an email from my cousin Susan. Uncle Peter is Tanty Winnies husband. Our most earnest thoughts and prayers go to them.
Good Morning Family and Friends,
My dad was admitted to the ICU of Smith Northview Hospital here in Valdosta, Georgia on Monday, September 22nd. I came up here on Tuesday morning from the Orlando area. He experienced a respiratory crisis Wednesday afternoon in which he came about 2 minutes away from dying. Last night the doctor sat down with my mother, Daisy, Patty, my daddy and I to discuss what heroic measures we were comfortable with in case of life and death. It was the most difficult conversation in that the reality of my daddy's condition became crystal clear.
He was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis in February of 2005 and was told that the average length of life was 3 years. He has surpassed that with an incredible quality of life. He turned 77 on September 4th. Last Thursday he went to consult as the child psychiatrist at one of the clinics in rural Georgia and last Friday he may have played his last game of tennis. At this time he probably already had the pneumonia that has put him in the hospital. Due to his lungs being about 75% non functional, this will be difficult to overcome but his spirits are so positive and optimistic and he is a man of faith.
I ask that you pray not only for him and but for my mom. It is during these times that prayer, family and our friendships give us the strength to keep on going. By this weekend all of the family will have flown in to be together during this most uncertain period in our lives.
With loving thoughts,
Susan
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2 comments:
Good morning Garrdy, you can pass this on to Susan. I too have IPF & was diagnosed Jan 2005. I'm 62. There are options available to her father. He can go on the meds which include steroids that may or may not help. There are side effects tho' and he'd nedd to be monitored closely by his doctor. The other option is a lung transplant. They did one on a 70 yr old in Florida this past year. Also there's a new drug in the works (in Phase 3 of testing) which has been fast tracked for compassionate use in the US (not available up here in Canada tho') It is called perfenidone and is manufactured by InterMune Inc. It has shown pretty good results thus far. Google it and you'll get lots of info. I'm in the process of deciding if I'm opting for a transplant or not... big decision. All the best. Carole
Este mensaje es para Susan ,somos primas en segundo garado, igual como eres de Garddy , vivo en Chile y me imagino eres hija de tantie Winie.
Oraremos mucho por la salud de tu padre, Dios le cuide a todos Uds y les bendiga grandemente.
Muchos saludos y cariños para todos ustedes.
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