Thursday, March 24, 2011

Surgery Schedule

Today at dinner with the family.
I drove Dad and Abbie home from his office (Salt Lake Jewish Community Center) on Tuesday afternoon.  As I pulled on the I-215 from Foothill Blvd. and crossed the I-80, I made the comment that those freeways and area remind me so much of my early 20's.  (I lived in that area before and after my mission for about 4 years.)  Dad sat in the passengers seat with his eyes closed and said, "How old are you now?"  "35", I replied.  "Well start driving like you're 35 and not 21!"   I laughed.  Yes dad, I'll slow down.  

He told us one reason he wanted to start a blog was so that people knew that even while he was dying, he was funny and could still laugh at himself.  :)

The past few days have been difficult.

The PET scans were very tiring for Dad.  The nurses and doctors said he seemed very forgetful during the procedures.  (He tried to get the nurses to give him a picture of the Deathstar for his blog,  they just laughed.)  He is continuing to lose his balance and has taken a number of falls in the last 24 hours.  The right side of his body is continuing to lose functionality.  With everything going on, we made the decision to find a new home for Max the dog.  Max left last night.  It was a very difficult decision, and very hard on dad.

My dad is an amazing man, and has affected the lives of so many.  We have had visitors from the ward all week, sharing how much they admire dad and offering love, prayers and support.  When mom explained to one of the bishopric members that he sleeps a lot, he replied, "Well he is a high priest, isn't that what they do?"  (ha ha)  Today was his last day at work for awhile.  Mom said everyone was so kind and just hugged him and offered kind words and support.  Thank you to all who have reached out.  Dad loves reading and  listening to your comments from the blog and the emails you send.

Surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8am.  The surgery is expected to take at least 4 hours.  Mom posted a great explanation of the procedure and how the surgery should go. (Surgery Update)  We will update the blog tomorrow frequently as things progress.  We know that they will keep him in ICU for 2-3 days and another 2-3 days in regular care.  We don't expect him home until Wednesday or Thursday of next week.

When asked how they can help, Dad always asks everyone to pray for the surgeon as much as for him, that he will have a steady hand and his vision will be enlarged so he will be able to remove as much of the Deathstar as possible.  Please add Dr. Jensen to your thoughts and prayers.  We'll know a whole lot more in 15 hours.

8 comments:

  1. Uncle Dave,
    You will be in my thoughts and prayers all day tomorrow. I will pray for you and the surgeon as well. Know you are loved beyond belief, as well as your family. Stay strong and keep fighting to defeat the Deathstar! I'm not going to pretend I know what that is, but thought it sounded right.
    Love You

    Lisa

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  2. Brother Smith-
    You don't know me but I want you to know that your wife and your daughter, Amy, have had a huge impact on my life. I want you to know that you will definitely be in my thoughts and prayers tomorrow. And, so will Dr. Jensen. I hope that he can get as much of the Deathstar as possible! And, for the rest of the family, you will ALL be in my thoughts and prayers! '
    God bless you all!
    Angela Knight

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  3. I love you Dad

    your son,

    Mike

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  4. You and the surgeon will be in our thoughts and prayers all day tomorrow, we love you all. Jenny

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  5. Your dad is hilarious!

    We’re all rooting for you David, your humor is a boon to us all.

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  6. Our thoughts and prayers are with you today. Love the Kozaks

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  7. Good luck today. We will be praying for you all.

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  8. We're loving the posts. Best wishes for today. We are praying for you and the surgeon.

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