Just Breathe

Let me apologize first, this is lengthy. Denny is worth the read! Good morning. Monday blog. I have posted so much in almost 2 years, about Denny, our family and our journey through Parkinson’s and it’s many levels of change into Denny’s life and ours. Like an intruder in the middle of the night. Taking him and our very breath away! I have tried to explain how brutal this disease was to Denny and us, his family. Every day was different, ups and downs, highs and lows, for him and his family. So many hospital stays and care facilities! That he hated, I might add! Pneumonia over and over, high fevers that took him down. He did not like it, he did not complain. 7 years of all of that, and I did not complain. I would do it again in a heartbeat, if he came back to us! He fought so hard, but in the end, Parkinson’s won. Thats not meant in a good way. Sooooo, in August of 2019, I came home from walking and he was down, high fever. The beginning of the end. Feeding tube and nursing facility. He finally came home with a hospital bed. When you are caring for a loved one, a spouse, 24/7 you can see easily, they are slipping away. Of course no one wants to see or admit that, not even me. It looked like we were giving up. Not so, we were gearing up to help him fight. I made that dreaded call to hospice. There comes a time when you have to accept what cannot be changed and give the best possible care there is for as long as there is! Denny lived 2 months after hospice came. I still do not have enough words for the love, care and dedication that was given to Denny and all of us. Once they started, everything we needed was at our fingertips. People and supplies. Along the way as a person gets worse, they have a main nurse. She knows who she is. She took care of Denny like her own father. We love her and their whole group. They were amazing. So, we pressed on, Denny had some good days, mostly different days. January 25th, our son in laws B-day, 2:00am, Denny’s heavenly journey started. He remained the same for 48 hours, with the most horrible sound of fluid in his lungs. How he hung on that long, the grace of God is all I can say. We played music, we all took turns around the clock, I sang hymns and said the 23rd Psalm over and over. At 4:10pm on January 27th, 2020, our grandsons B-day, Denny took his last breath. Even when you know it’s happening, the shock waves are tremendous. I could not breathe. Our daughter hugged me and said mom, breathe! I didn’t want to. Time was standing still. It seemed like an eternity, yet only minutes! A day we will never forget. We love him and miss him so much. So, we are one week away from that anniversary. The kids and I are meeting to eat together to remember that wonderful man we were given for 76 years. I have a new level of crying. Continue my love to Rest In Peace! Happy 51 weeks in heaven. Tatoos are not for everyone. I was one of those. When I saw this, I wanted it and I am not sorry. Look at the detail.🌹⏱🌹God is still good and faithful. Have a great day. God bless!❤️🤗🙏🏻🤗❤️