You know for some reason there is a bond between us and our parents... even if our parents were jerks, alcoholics, drug addicts, abusive, abandoned us, etc.
Well, now a friend of mine is facing the very possible death of his father who is in ICU... who has destroyed his liver and the rest of his body from a life of alcoholism... My friend's father screwed over him, his mother and the rest of his family--although my friend's brother is also a jerk, he is probably getting what he has coming to him.
My friend's father, brother and Uncle destroyed a multi-million dollar family business that my friends grandfather started over 100 years ago... and lost everything the family had, their money, their land and the business and all its assets by bankrupting it (he couldn't even continue paying alimony to his ex-wife, my friend's mother who had given him the majority of her life as a housewife and mother to his children--She must work full time even though she is 65 years old to support herself--my friend would help but he struggles just to make ends meet himself.
I ask for your prayers and positive energy for healing and reconciliation of my friend's family at this time; my friend has come a long way in making peace with his father... but as his father's death is imminent... maybe not this week... but in the future... there is a lot of healing that needs to happen in this broken family--So please keep my friend and his Texas family in your thoughts, love & prayers... Thank you. Love & hugs, Jerry
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Big Hugs!Blessings of Love, Joy, Peace & Health-Physical, Mental & Spiritual, jerry
"Who walks a road with love, will never walk that road alone." -Charles Thomas Davis
Be yourself!!! Don't try to fit into someone else's mold, you won't fit!!! And that just leads to utter misery!!! Live life to it's fullest in Christ's love every day!!!
Thanks Guys, I just got a call from my friend... His father's LIVER failed and he is in a violent state of comatose... I guess he is detoxing... they are are not sure if he will come out of it or not... they said it will probably be Monday or Tuesday before they know if he is going to be okay... if he survives this weekend.
My friend has decided based on the feedback from the hospital not to go home yet... but to wait till after the weekend... He is pretty torn up... so I am going to be with him tonight after he gets off work... he wanted to do something but said he wasn't in any condition to drive.
Apparently his partner is working or out of town.
Thanks again for your prayers. Love Jerry
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Big Hugs!Blessings of Love, Joy, Peace & Health-Physical, Mental & Spiritual, jerry
"Who walks a road with love, will never walk that road alone." -Charles Thomas Davis
Just wanted to let you know my Friend leaves in a few hours to go to Austin TX to go try and see his father before he dies and or to attend his funeral. The hospital is not expecting his father to make it... My friend is taking it kind of hard... he was holding on to some hope he and his father would reconcile and have a good relationship... and while they did have some good words this year... So please continue to keep him and his family in your prayers. Thanks on behalf of my friend. Love & hugs, Jerry
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Big Hugs!Blessings of Love, Joy, Peace & Health-Physical, Mental & Spiritual, jerry
"Who walks a road with love, will never walk that road alone." -Charles Thomas Davis
My friend Will is Austin Visiting with his father who is in ICU, and not expected to live; although he is fighting... he wasn't expected to live past Tuesday.
Will called this morning and said it is gut-wrenchingly painful to be there all alone with his father who is in a violent, yet commatose state... they have a feeding tube in him... but he is DNR...
Basically what happened is Will's father is a long time alcoholic and he had a procedure a little over a week ago now to check something in his throat or digestive tract whereve they put a tube in his troat and removed some tissue... HE WAS TOLD NOT TO DRINK afterwards or IT would cause severe bleeding... being an alcohol... he drank. THIS caused massive bleeding.. he was rushed to the ER... they gave him 4 liters of blood but he went into liver failure... they got him stablize briefly and he was able to talk a bit... but then he went into detox... and then into the comma... so they had to restrain him... he has not come out of this... Will went there on Tuesday morning and has been with him since.
PLEASE PRAY For Will... I didn't talk to Will he left a message, but I could tell from the message he was having very difficult time...
I am going to try calling in a little while.
Thanks,
Jerry.
Love & HUGS!
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Big Hugs!Blessings of Love, Joy, Peace & Health-Physical, Mental & Spiritual, jerry
"Who walks a road with love, will never walk that road alone." -Charles Thomas Davis
Let me encourage all to fill out a "Living Will". A living will declares your wishes concerning artificial means of sustaining life, including feeding tubes. A simple desire for DNR status does not exclude life sustaining treatments. All a DNR covers is CPR in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest. Full treatments continue, including feeding tubes and ventilators, unless there is full arrest. So fill out your "Living Will" if you do not want to be kept alive with a ventilator or a feeding tube. I also want to encourage everyone to designate a "Heathcare Power of Attorney" to stand in your stead if you become unable to make your own healthcare decisions. This protects your interests in your healthcare.
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Be yourself!!! Don't try to fit into someone else's mold, you won't fit!!! And that just leads to utter misery!!! Live life to it's fullest in Christ's love every day!!!
Let me encourage all to fill out a "Living Will". A living will declares your wishes concerning artificial means of sustaining life, including feeding tubes. A simple desire for DNR status does not exclude life sustaining treatments. All a DNR covers is CPR in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest. Full treatments continue, including feeding tubes and ventilators, unless there is full arrest. So fill out your "Living Will" if you do not want to be kept alive with a ventilator or a feeding tube. I also want to encourage everyone to designate a "Heathcare Power of Attorney" to stand in your stead if you become unable to make your own healthcare decisions. This protects your interests in your healthcare.
Thanks Tim for your continued prayers... I am not sure how much longer they will do the feeding tube... because as I understood it he was not only DNR, but also was not suppose to be put on life support (ventilator, etc)... but you are right it is good to have these documents... you never know when there will be an emergency... and as someone who served as a Medical Power of Attorney for Health CAre.... It is a lot easier if the instructions are Clear and specific... but never the less difficult... when I thougth I might have to let my friend die, and refuse a ventilator... intibation... (sp?)... It was so difficult, I had to call my friend to come be with me at the hospital... beause I didn't want to be alone if she died as a result of me enforcing her wishes...
Lucily she did not die... Because I was smarter than the stupid ER docs at this particular hospital... I have told everyone... never take me there... they kill people... they told me her lungs collapsed...and I said how do you know... and they said the x-ray show them... I said, I doubt it... usually her lungs are full of fluid... and they said well, the x-ray would not show the difference, so they could do an MRI... which the did... and sure enough, I was right and they were wrong... her lungs were full of fluid... if they would have intibated... they would have killed her... I had her transferred to her and my preferred hospital as soon as they go her stable... because they wouldn't even remove the fluid from her lungs... at the crazy hospital.
Anyway,When picking a HEALTH care power of attorney it is good to pick someone who can stay calm and focused in a crisis... and also it helps to have someone who is relatively familiar with health care and Definitely with your healh conditions...
Hugs, Jerry
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Big Hugs!Blessings of Love, Joy, Peace & Health-Physical, Mental & Spiritual, jerry
"Who walks a road with love, will never walk that road alone." -Charles Thomas Davis
Be with Will and his family as they go through such a hard time in their lives. Death is one of the believer's enemies, but since his father is in so much pain and hurt, it will be a welcome gift...especially if YOU are there to welcome him into your kingdom. Give them all grace to see them through this. Strengthen all of the families involved, blessing them with peace of mind. If Will's father doesn't know the gospel, then send the message of your Son and His salvation into his heart. With you, Lord, all things are possible!
UPDATE: Will's Father died early Friday morning. The funeral will be on Tuesday and will be returning from Austin, TX to Orange County late next week. His father died in a Hospice house a day after they moved him there... He was 69.
Thanks for your continued prayers for my friend Will... it is very hard for him, even though his dad was a terrible alcoholic and caused his family so much pain, Will had always hoped he and his father would eventually reconcile.
Hugs, Jerry
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Big Hugs!Blessings of Love, Joy, Peace & Health-Physical, Mental & Spiritual, jerry
"Who walks a road with love, will never walk that road alone." -Charles Thomas Davis
Jerry, did your friend, Will, have a chance to talk with his father? Does he feel like things were said that needed to be said?
Yes, He did attempt to talk to him while he was comatose... and I think this is good enough... but of course, he didn' t get any feedback, but I also think this is is probably best, becuase it is better than the response I have gotten from actually telling my parents and hearing their responses... and or having my father pick me up and push me against the wall and threaten to "knock me into the next county," but I on the other hand am blessed to still have my parents alive... and my dad and I have made progress and although my dad had an alcoholic personality (he was a rage-a-holic) he never was a drunk and he only hit my mother once... and I put a stop to that.
Will, also did get a chance to send a couple letters and get a couple exchanges with his dad this past year that suggested contrition... and regret, remorse and love... but when someone is some consume by a disease like alcoholism... they can only do so much to improve their lives and relationships without getting professional help... which he did not.
Anyway, thanks for your prayers and good positive thoughts for Will... he needs them now and will for the coming months and years... I am sure losing a parent is hard... especially one that you haven't been completely reconciled with... that is why it is so hard for me to be estranged from my mother... but with her mental illness... It is in God's hands... so I have to pretty much make peace with it in my heart...
Love & Hugs, Jerry
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Big Hugs!Blessings of Love, Joy, Peace & Health-Physical, Mental & Spiritual, jerry
"Who walks a road with love, will never walk that road alone." -Charles Thomas Davis
