Friends and family

Rose and I have been overwhelmed with the care and kind thoughts people have been expressing to us. I want to pause from talking about the disease for a moment and tell you how your kindness has touched us. I will start with a complete stranger, Daniel at the IHOP on Madison Street near Swedish Hospital. When Rose and I were told back in February that I had a bad heart disease, we were in shock. We had an afternoon appointment for a lung tests so we needed to go and have a bite to eat. While I do enjoy a fine meal on occasion, I generally will gravitate toward the everyday experiences; so we went to eat at IHOP. A nice pancake breakfast sounded good to me. As we sat at the restaurant booth, Rose was still crying and struggling to put the news into perspective. I was eager to order breakfast. During our meal, I devoured both my and Rose's food. At the end of the meal our waiter, Daniel, told Rose he could see we were struggling with something and just wanted our names so he could be praying for us. We did not know who this guy was, but he cared enough for us that he wanted to keep us in his prayers. Daniel and many others have meet us at just the right time with a note or an encouraging word. We hear that the grandkids are praying for Papa when they go to bed at night. We have cards from friends we have not seen for several years, we have friends who are over to make sure the yard gets taken care of (best it has looked in years) and to see if they can help in any way. The other day at work a friend of Rose told me how she encouraged her son to be listed as an organ donor on his drivers license. A simple thing to have done when you get your license renewed. Having this discussion with your family and being ready to make a decision in the event of a tragic accident will help others like me needing a heart, liver or kidney. No family member wants to loose their loved one in a bad car accident. I was touched by the love of this family to project beyond the tragedy and think how a terrible event might be used to help another person. Each one of the prayers, thoughts and notes have made us see how much support we have. This has been a source of strength for us. Thank you so much.