Friends

Our friend, Richie, has been in intensive care since last Saturday, 8/20. He went to the emergency room on that day b/c he had a pain in his back that he could not tolerate. He ended up having surgery to repair a ruptured aortic aneurysm which the doctor gave him a 20% chance of surviving. When he was wheeled into the recovery room six hours later we were euphoric. We continue to praise God for sparing him and keeping him. Since then he has been set back by "shock lung", a.k.a. acute respiratory distress syndrome, which can happen to people who suffer trauma. Today, he is doing a little bit better. We are told that his recovery will be in baby steps.
Our days have been occupied with praying for and visiting with Richie. Not that he has any idea we are there, he is being kept sedated b/c he is on a ventilator and gets very agitated when awake. So when we visit, we watch the numbers on all the monitors, count his respirations, try to count the tubes which are coming and going into his body, and PRAY.

Richie has been my husband's friend since high school - that was over 50 years ago. The first time I met him was on the first date with my husband. He was the best man at our wedding in 1970 - he's family. He genuinely cares about our children and grandchildren and they feel the same about him. He is a true friend. We are sad that he is so sick.