September 29, 2016

Hi, it's Maddie here.

I just thought I would give you all a quick update on my Dad tonight! Since the last update, Rick's doctors provided a new option for chemotherapy and he was treated last week. Treatment went well, and wasn't too hard on him.

This past weekend all of his brothers and sisters came into town to visit. It was so great to see all of them and I know it really meant a lot to my Dad! He always cherishes time he gets to spend with his family.

This morning as Dad was waking up, Mom noticed that he was a little out of it. His speech was slurring, and after calling Huntsman, Mom decided to call an ambulance. Once they got to the hospital they did some tests and scans, and found out that Dad had a stroke on each side of his brain, and two smaller strokes in the back. He was put on oxygen and remained stable throughout the day--even cracking a few jokes!

Mom spoke with Dad's doctor up at Huntsman today and they have decided to discontinue chemotherapy for the time being. Dr. Garrido's suggestion was to start Dad on hospice, and that is a decision our family felt good about. As a family, I know we are all thankful for Dr. Garrido and the wonderful doctor and friend he has been for our Dad. He is a huge blessing.

Tonight Dad is home. He is on oxygen and seems to be improving since this morning. Hospice came by this evening to inform him about their program.  To be completely open and honest with all of you, today was one of the hard days. Right now is a very tender time for our family, and I would ask that you please keep that in mind. We love you all. We appreciate your love and your prayers always. But this is a time when we need to be together as a family.

We sure do love our Dad. He is the strongest man we know. He is my hero and the greatest example in my life. He can do hard things--and he does every single day. He always remains strong, faithful, and never loses trust in the Lord and in His plan. He is truly an incredible man. I am so blessed to have him for my Dad.


To finish, I thought I would share this quote by Thomas S. Monson: "God will not always take your afflictions from you, but He will comfort and lead you with love through whatever storms you face." I know I have felt the truth of this quote in my life.

Thank you, as always, for your thoughts and prayers.

September 11, 2016

We were lucky to have our son, Jacob and his children last weekend on their way to California.  It was so fun to see them even though it was a short visit.

Last Tuesday was chemotherapy day.  After completing the lab work, the Doctor determined that Rick’s white blood count was high enough to proceed with the treatment.  Rick had not been feeling well the last few weeks and he had a bad cough so the Dr. decided to take the new trial drug off the regimen that day because it sometimes contributes to a cough.  We were so happy to have Rick’s sister Keri, from Arizona, join us for the day.

After we left Huntsman, Rick’s cough got more and more tight.  By the time we got home, he was really getting nauseated and feverish.  I called the after hours Doctor at Huntsman.  They said to watch him overnight.  Rick had a terrible night of chills, cough and fever.  On Wednesday morning the nurse called and said they wanted him to come up to the acute care area.  They gave Rick a contrast to drink and scheduled him for scans.  We ended up staying at the hospital for the next two days.  They gave him fluids for dehydration and medication to help with the nausea and fever. 

 

The scans showed some progression of disease, which has been quite discouraging for all of us.  The Doctors want to meet with us this next week to discuss and consider alternative chemotherapy options.  We are praying for clarity as we make some more important decisions.  Our brother in law, Mike was there to give Rick a Priesthood blessing and President Davis was able to give me a blessing also.  Those Priesthood blessings helped both of us very much.  While Rick was in the hospital, he had several visitors as shown in the pictures below.  (Sorry we missed getting pictures of a few of you)

We received a very touching gift from Marcia’s brother who is serving our country in the Middle East.  The gift included a flag that had been flown from the door of his crew’s helicopter on a mission.  There was a certificate from his crew, a photo of the flag being flown and a letter that we would like to include below:

He said,

 “I’ve been following the blog updates about Rick and his journey to recovery and I love all the support that’s there.  It’s human nature to have a strong will when we are working towards a greater goal, but when you’re backed by love and support of friends and family, hold on tight because that drive is something powerful.

I’ve had the pleasure of being around you folks only a couple of times, and was grateful for those moments.  You are a blessed family, so full of love and good humor, and I truly enjoyed our time together.  I look forward to the day that I can enjoy your company again…even if that means that I have to hang out with my sister too (kidding BOO!)

Rick, in all your photos, you have such a powerful smile, and I find it difficult not to smile back when reading the blog posts; it’s a good reminder to me to smile more.

During a combat tour in Army aviation, it’s tradition to fly flags.  Most people just carry the flags with them as they fly, but when you really want to go the distance, you’ll do what’s seen in the photo.  I’ve sent you folks a flag flown by my crew during one of our flights, along with a certificate of flight.  It’s my gift to you all for being an inspiration in love of family.  Sherri and the boys are doing well, and have the support of family close by, and I skype with the boys each weekend to tell them that I love them; during my time away, my team here is my family as well (even if we are a dysfunctional one at that) and we take care of one another just the same.  You are all in my thoughts.  Keep on smiling!”

You can imagine why we were choking back the tears as we read this.  We were so touched as we think about the sacrifices he and his crew are making for the freedoms we enjoy. 

We are so grateful for the love, support, and prayers from all of you!

A verse of scripture that has meant a lot to us this week says:

“And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face.  I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.”

                                                                                                Doctrine & Covenants 84:8

On a funny side note, I ran into this guy at Huntsman the other day.  Dr OZ and I’m not even kidding.  (Even the blue scrubs) I kept thinking he looked familiar and must be one of Rick’s doctors.  I smiled, but then after he passed, I realized who he was!