Monday, April 03, 2006
What a Year!!
So far, 2006 has not been a banner year for my family and friends. My long hiatus from this blog has been due to an unfortunate and sad series of events. The first week of January was fresh with the promise of a good year but took a bad turn on January 9th when our good friend Jack went into respiratory arrest while on a plane to Ft. Lauderdale. He and his close friend Jan were on their way to a cruise ship for a well-deserved week long vacation only to find themselves in a situation fit for a horror movie.
Imagine being trapped thousands of miles in the air, unable to breathe, nowhere close to medical intervention! Both Jack and Jan knew Jack had been fighting what he thought was a cold and despite Jan's willingness to postpone the trip, Jack insisted they go as planned. As Jan explained to me later, Jack didn't seem to be completely with it from the moment he woke up. Always early for everything, he was running late to pick Jan up and despite several phone calls, he couldn't quite get it in gear. When he finally arrived at Jan's he realized he had forgotten to put his teeth in and had to rush back home to retrieve them while Jan took her own car to BWI to get them checked in and upgraded to first class. Jack was a very large man in height and weight and we often referred to him as our gentle giant or our teddybear. Minutes before the flight was due to leave, Jack arrived huffing and puffing and assuring Jan he was just fine, he settled into his seat.
Two hours into the flight, the nightmare began. Jack began gasping for breath and turning gray as Jan, panic-stricken summoned the flight attendant who immediately got on the intercom to ask for any medical help that might be available. Luckily there were two doctors and an EMT onboard and they sprang into action with oxygen and sugar and anything else that might help. Since Jack was diabetic, the initial thought was the problem could be related to his medication or lack of food that morning. As this team worked to get air into Jack's lungs, the flight was diverted to Orlando where an ambulance would be waiting to take him to the nearest hospital.
As it happened, I was at our house in Palm Harbor taking a little time off when I got a call from my husband telling me about Jack. I couldn't imagine why Jack and Jan were in Orlando much less how Jack had wound up in ICU!! After several hurried calls, I made contact with Jan who needless to say was beside herself with fear and worry. Jack had been rushed into ICU and put on a ventilator as the doctors began running tests and determined that Jack had pneumonia and would require at least a weeklong stay at the hospital. Feeling that Jan could use the support, I drove to Orlando the next morning and we checked into a nearby Best Western thinking it would only be a week until Jack could go home. Boy were we all wrong!!
Our darling Jack was laying there in ICU looking much like Gulliver as the Lilliputians tied him down. My heart sank at the sight of this gentle giant lying helpless, tied to machines and tubes, struggling to breathe. The constant symphony of beeps and bells monitoring his every bodily function did nothing to alleviate the feeling that washed over me..... a certainty that Jack would not recover. Hoping beyond hope that this premonition was wrong, Jan and I embarked on a long voyage of ups and downs, tears and laughter, hope and dismay.
Spending hours every day in ICU, we got to know some of the most wonderful and caring people I've ever met. Those nurses were not only dedicated and professional, they cared about their patients and the families too. We became part of the ICU family and they embraced us, giving us hugs and words of encouragement all the while tending to Jack as if he were a close friend of theirs. Nurses would stop in to check on Jack even if they weren't taking care of him that day. He would respond to them with quirky smiles and cocked eyebrows, flirting as best he could and enjoying the parade of cute nurses at his bedside. Even in sickness, Jack was the jolly man we had always known.
As the days dragged into weeks, tests revealed the worst. Jack had lung cancer and the outlook was grim at best. His only hope was to clear up the pneumonia and get off the respirator so cancer treatment could begin before the cancer spread. Jan and I talked long into the night trying to decide what Jack would want us to do. He was adamant about not being kept alive by machines but we knew he would want to be home near his friends if it was truly his time. Jack had lost all of his family over the years but all of us that loved him made him a member of our own families. And so we promised Jack that we would find a way to get him home as soon as possible. Despite the great medical care Jack was getting, it became increasingly clear that he would not be able to breathe without the ventilator. Jack gave it a gallant try but his lungs just couldn't keep up.
With heavy hearts we put our efforts into taking Jack home. Word spread to the wonderful Annapolis High School Class of 1962 of which Jack, Jan and my husband Doug were members. I had become an honorary member over the years while helping with reunions and fielding emails about various members of the class. Knowing our only option of transporting Jack was an air ambulance that would cost $8600. and was not covered by insurance, Doug set up a fund and donations from all of Jack's friends poured in along with cards, emails and phone calls. Jack always said he didn't have many friends...he couldn't have been more wrong!! After a month in Orlando's ICU, Jack was flown home accompanied by Jan and taken to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore where just two weeks later, he died surrounded by his closest "family of friends".
In keeping with Jack's wishes, there was no viewing or public ceremony or wake. But since Jack had always loved parties we knew he wouldn't mind if we celebrated his life. We arranged a Celebration at our house attended by somewhere between 50 and 60 people (I lost count) along with his Vice Principal who attended every event the Class of 62 ever had. As we watched videos, looked at pictures and told stories, we toasted this loving man and I'm pretty sure I heard his booming laughter join in.
We'll miss you Teddybear.
So far, 2006 has not been a banner year for my family and friends. My long hiatus from this blog has been due to an unfortunate and sad series of events. The first week of January was fresh with the promise of a good year but took a bad turn on January 9th when our good friend Jack went into respiratory arrest while on a plane to Ft. Lauderdale. He and his close friend Jan were on their way to a cruise ship for a well-deserved week long vacation only to find themselves in a situation fit for a horror movie.
Imagine being trapped thousands of miles in the air, unable to breathe, nowhere close to medical intervention! Both Jack and Jan knew Jack had been fighting what he thought was a cold and despite Jan's willingness to postpone the trip, Jack insisted they go as planned. As Jan explained to me later, Jack didn't seem to be completely with it from the moment he woke up. Always early for everything, he was running late to pick Jan up and despite several phone calls, he couldn't quite get it in gear. When he finally arrived at Jan's he realized he had forgotten to put his teeth in and had to rush back home to retrieve them while Jan took her own car to BWI to get them checked in and upgraded to first class. Jack was a very large man in height and weight and we often referred to him as our gentle giant or our teddybear. Minutes before the flight was due to leave, Jack arrived huffing and puffing and assuring Jan he was just fine, he settled into his seat.
Two hours into the flight, the nightmare began. Jack began gasping for breath and turning gray as Jan, panic-stricken summoned the flight attendant who immediately got on the intercom to ask for any medical help that might be available. Luckily there were two doctors and an EMT onboard and they sprang into action with oxygen and sugar and anything else that might help. Since Jack was diabetic, the initial thought was the problem could be related to his medication or lack of food that morning. As this team worked to get air into Jack's lungs, the flight was diverted to Orlando where an ambulance would be waiting to take him to the nearest hospital.
As it happened, I was at our house in Palm Harbor taking a little time off when I got a call from my husband telling me about Jack. I couldn't imagine why Jack and Jan were in Orlando much less how Jack had wound up in ICU!! After several hurried calls, I made contact with Jan who needless to say was beside herself with fear and worry. Jack had been rushed into ICU and put on a ventilator as the doctors began running tests and determined that Jack had pneumonia and would require at least a weeklong stay at the hospital. Feeling that Jan could use the support, I drove to Orlando the next morning and we checked into a nearby Best Western thinking it would only be a week until Jack could go home. Boy were we all wrong!!
Our darling Jack was laying there in ICU looking much like Gulliver as the Lilliputians tied him down. My heart sank at the sight of this gentle giant lying helpless, tied to machines and tubes, struggling to breathe. The constant symphony of beeps and bells monitoring his every bodily function did nothing to alleviate the feeling that washed over me..... a certainty that Jack would not recover. Hoping beyond hope that this premonition was wrong, Jan and I embarked on a long voyage of ups and downs, tears and laughter, hope and dismay.
Spending hours every day in ICU, we got to know some of the most wonderful and caring people I've ever met. Those nurses were not only dedicated and professional, they cared about their patients and the families too. We became part of the ICU family and they embraced us, giving us hugs and words of encouragement all the while tending to Jack as if he were a close friend of theirs. Nurses would stop in to check on Jack even if they weren't taking care of him that day. He would respond to them with quirky smiles and cocked eyebrows, flirting as best he could and enjoying the parade of cute nurses at his bedside. Even in sickness, Jack was the jolly man we had always known.
As the days dragged into weeks, tests revealed the worst. Jack had lung cancer and the outlook was grim at best. His only hope was to clear up the pneumonia and get off the respirator so cancer treatment could begin before the cancer spread. Jan and I talked long into the night trying to decide what Jack would want us to do. He was adamant about not being kept alive by machines but we knew he would want to be home near his friends if it was truly his time. Jack had lost all of his family over the years but all of us that loved him made him a member of our own families. And so we promised Jack that we would find a way to get him home as soon as possible. Despite the great medical care Jack was getting, it became increasingly clear that he would not be able to breathe without the ventilator. Jack gave it a gallant try but his lungs just couldn't keep up.
With heavy hearts we put our efforts into taking Jack home. Word spread to the wonderful Annapolis High School Class of 1962 of which Jack, Jan and my husband Doug were members. I had become an honorary member over the years while helping with reunions and fielding emails about various members of the class. Knowing our only option of transporting Jack was an air ambulance that would cost $8600. and was not covered by insurance, Doug set up a fund and donations from all of Jack's friends poured in along with cards, emails and phone calls. Jack always said he didn't have many friends...he couldn't have been more wrong!! After a month in Orlando's ICU, Jack was flown home accompanied by Jan and taken to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore where just two weeks later, he died surrounded by his closest "family of friends".
In keeping with Jack's wishes, there was no viewing or public ceremony or wake. But since Jack had always loved parties we knew he wouldn't mind if we celebrated his life. We arranged a Celebration at our house attended by somewhere between 50 and 60 people (I lost count) along with his Vice Principal who attended every event the Class of 62 ever had. As we watched videos, looked at pictures and told stories, we toasted this loving man and I'm pretty sure I heard his booming laughter join in.
We'll miss you Teddybear.
