The Longest Days Ever

Friday July 11:
Get news that my aunt has been taken to the hospital in Bartlesville, OK with intestinal issues.

Tuesday July 15:
Get news that my aunt is moved to the ICU with serious pneumonia.

Wednesday July 16:
Load up in Dallas with wife, son, and mom to drive to Bartlesville. Alli, Chapman, and I move in to the Microtel Inn & Suites and my mom moves in with my grandparents. Visit my aunt at hospital. Have a short, encouraging conversation with her.

Thursday July 17:
At the hospital all day. Lung function rapidly deteriorating. Family meets and makes the difficult decision to put my aunt on a ventilator (tube in mouth, down trachea - attached to a machine that breathes for her). Once on the ventilator, aunt is sedated and no longer able to effectively communicate with us.

Friday July 18:
Signs of kidney failure manifest. Body swelling begins and quickly worsens. Family begins 3 hour shifts of visitation.

Me 9am-12pm
Grandparents 12-3pm
My Mom 3-6pm
All 9-10:30pm

Intermittently working remotely to prepare other staff and volunteers for our junior high service (Wake) on Sunday and our junior high mission (Connection) starting on Tuesday in case they have to run them without me.

Saturday July 19:
Continue visitation shifts. My sister flies from Dallas into Tulsa. Alli, Chapman, and I drive to pick her up and bring her to Bartlesville between shifts.

Sunday July 20:
Continue visitation shifts. I drive Alli & Chapman to Tulsa so they can fly out back to Dallas. They head to Wichita Falls to be with Alli's family. I check out of hotel and move in with grandparents. I'm out of clothes so I stay up until 1:00am doing laundry while watching the ESPY Awards.

Monday July 21:
Aunt moved to Tulsa hospital ICU. Sister rides in ambulance, I follow. Family begins new shifts with me and my sister sleeping in hospital guest room and my mom driving grandparents back and forth from Bartlesville each day.

Me & Sister 9-11am
Grandparents & My Mom 11am-2pm
Me & Sister 2-4pm
Grandparents & My Mom 4-6pm
Me & Sister 8-10pm

Around midnight and alone in waiting room, I make the difficult decision to authorize emergency abdominal surgery. I was told she had 0% chance of surviving until morning without the surgery and less than 50% with the surgery. Very intimidating moment. Sister joins me in surgical waiting room until 4:00am. After lots of prayer and a Fresh Prince of Bel-Air marathon, the surgeon comes out and tells us that the surgery was successful. We got about 3 hours sleep.

Tuesday July 22:
Continue visitation shifts. I catch a late afternoon flight back to Dallas for our junior high "Connection" mission experience. A friend of my sister flies to Tulsa to be with her on our shifts. Doctors determine that lungs are now affected by ARDS, a condition more severe than pneumonia.

Wednesday July 23:
After getting things rolling on "Connection", I fly back to Tulsa. Sister and friend go to Bartlesville for a break. I stay alone overnight at hospital and get a 4:00am phone call from the nurse authorizing blood transfusion.

Thursday July 24:
Continue visitation shifts. Aunt's kidneys finally bad enough to put her on dialysis treatment. Sister returns from Bartlesville to join me for late shift.

Friday July 25:
Dialysis helps decrease the swelling and helps make my Aunt more alert. She opens her eyes some and communicates with hand squeezes and a few nods and head shakes.

Saturday July 26:
Aunt's condition remains life threatening but relatively stable. I take a flight back to Dallas to see wife and son for the first time in almost a week to prepare for our junior high service (Wake) on Sunday morning. Plan on staying in Dallas until something changes...