Getting ready to say Good-bye

Just a quick update.  Dad has continued to get better each day and I am so grateful to have him back!  It will still take a while to fully recover, but he is getting there.  Mom is still at home, but is declining quickly and we are getting ready to say good-bye to her.  She has not been responsive for a couple of days and has not eaten for more than that.  She also stopped drinking yesterday I think.  She is on plenty of pain meds to keep her comfortable while she is still with us.  Erica has done an amazing job of taking care of both her and Dad and it has not been an easy task and I am so grateful for her wonderful and loving care.  I am sure she will get many blessings for all her help.  Also the women of the Paso Robles ward have been so amazing and helpful - thank you Kim for all you have done for my mother!  I leave tomorrow to spend some time and hopefully help out a little.  Thank you for your prayers, we have truly felt them. 

The past couple of weeks

I'm not really even sure how to start this post today.  It has been a roller coaster ride the past few weeks in every possible way!  I have been terrible at keeping up the blog because each day there has been something new.  So I will quickly sum up the events around here.  A few weeks past both my mom and dad were taken to the emergency room in Templeton because of how sick they had been getting.  They both fought the idea of going to the hospital but thank goodness for a wonderful and life saving friend who probably really did save my Dad's life.  He was so bad they told him he probably would not have made it a few more days if he had stayed at home.  So thank you to Kim for making them go!  They were both diagnosed with Pneumonia and while my mom's condition seemed to be getting a little better, my Dad kept getting worse.  They discovered that he probably also had Valley Fever which is a fungal disease that sometimes farmers get from being out in the fields and breathing in stuff out there.  They finally found an anti-biotic that worked for him and he started to improve, but honestly I have never seen him so sick in all my life.  It was heartbreaking to say the least to go in and see them in that condition.  On top of all this was Taylor's wedding which we were all very happy and excited for, but the doctors broke the news to Dad that he would not be able to go and neither would Mom.  This was very hard news to take and Dad has been very emotional about it, but also so very grateful that Taylor and Brooke have decided to take this wonderful step in starting their lives together.  Mom and Dad were able to be in the same room together so we sent lots of pictures and videos so they see what was going on.  

So after a week of being in the hospital Dad was discharged and came home, although he needed lots of help and Erica and I were glad to be of some use.  Each day he has gotten a lot better and while the doctors say it will take six to eight weeks for him to fully recover I can see huge changes in him since he has come home.  A couple days after he came home, Mom also was able to come home.  She was pretty nervous about this as she was doing alright in the hospital and was nervous about coming home with hospice and didn't know how much longer she had left.  This is so hard for me to write about so I am sorry if I come across as blunt or callous, I just want to get the information across so everyone can  know a little part of what is going on.  So Mom came home yesterday and I wish I would say she is doing lots better but she continues to decline and is very miserable and it is very hard to watch.  Erica is amazing and has been there to help, and she needs lots of help right now.  Hospice will come every few days but right now she needs care day and night and I am glad the she is there for her.  She is planning on leaving Saturday and I will fly out on Monday and stay the week and then we will have to make plans for after that.  I want to pray that she gets better because I am not ready yet, but I also don't want her to live in these conditions and suffer so I pray for peace for her whatever that may mean.  I am very acutely aware of my Heavenly Father's love for me and for my family and have felt that love through many of you who have been so supportive.  I don't understand why it has to be this way, but I fully trust in the plan of someone who knows better than I do.  I am grateful for a Savior who provides comfort and a shoulder to cry on who understand what each one of us is going through and can give us just what we need to continue on.  

I will continue to post updates as they happen and on how Mom is doing each day.  Our family will not be going to Hawaii as that is happening next week and I just don't see how we could.  We are all okay with that and right now Mom is our only concern.  Also, I have had several people ask about donating money to help with the cost of everything that is going on right now and so I created a donate button on this page for those would like to do so.  I do want to emphasize though that your prayers and support are enough and have been greatly appreciated and that is all we ask for.  Please feel free to call or email me with any other questions, I would love to explain anything else I didn't add in here or answer any other questions.  Thank you and we love you