Family and friends, I am in disbelief that I am writing this today.  Duane and I together, have been battling his medical issues for awhile now; privately, with the love and support of our children, parents and a select few extended family members.  Duane is diabetic and has had significant issues with his feet that required several surgeries. Each time we dealt with the trauma of amputation of some toes on one foot or the other, we tackled it as a family and hoped for the best.  In July of 2018 he became sick and was diagnosed with ESRD (kidney failure).  He also had another infection that required amputation of part of his foot, and went on dialysis at that time.  Duane hasn't been able to return to work since then and for the last eight months, we again have been surviving on the love and support of our children and parents.  Although financially struggling, we have been blessed to be together as a family and believed that Duane was again on the mend and managing his dialysis well. 

This past weekend Duane was sick with what we thought was the flu.  We discovered that he once again had an infection in his foot. We visited his foot surgeon and was shocked and devastated to learn that the infection had grown from the inside and had been growing for awhile.  After all of our efforts to save as much foot as possible, we were told by the surgeon that it is almost a guarantee that his leg will need to be amputated.  We still don't know how much (we have an appointment with his Doctor tomorrow)  The idea is to amputate it further up than infection could be, so that he can have a clean start and hopefully he will heal with no further issues.  My hope is that he can be fitted for a prosthetic leg, but I think that is too far in the future to focus on right now.  My most immediate concern is that he stay as positive as he possibly can so that he can survive this nightmare! 

Throughout each surgery we were told that this could be a possibility, but we still didn't process the probability, especially when he appeared to be doing so well.  We were preparing to get him on the kidney transplant list and now we are struggling with this new reality.  It is all so immediate, but we know for sure that he can no longer work for the foreseeable future and things are only going to get worse financially.  We can not continue to depend only on our family for financial support, it is too big a burden.  We are starting a fundraiser to help us with rent, bills, and other medical necessities.  I have taken a leave of absence from work and once my sick leave runs out, I will no longer get a paycheck.  We are heartbroken to face such a harsh setback and disheartened to have to be in a position to count on crowdfunding to help us survive this monumental crusade.  But, we are out of options! I am praying for Duane's mental and emotional strength because I believe that it is a big part of the battle.  I appeal for you all to also send us your prayers for strength and healing.  If you can donate financially to our cause, we are deeply and infinitely grateful!  If you are unable to donate, please consider forwarding this campaign to those who might be able to. 

This June, Duane and I will celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary...another 30 years with him would still not be enough for me.  I practically loved him from the moment he caught my eye in high school (literally my first day there!)  It took him until my Junior year, but he finally noticed me!  He has been a loving husband, wonderful father and he lives to shower our 6 granddaughters with love and affection, and cherishes spoiling them with goodies that he has squirreled away for this very purpose. I will take him in pieces if I have to...as long as his heart is whole!  Thank you everyone, in advance for any support or donation you can give! 

To the love of my life, I say:
YOU WILL EMERGE FROM THIS NIGHTMARE LIKE THE POWERFUL, BEAUTIFUL, RESILIENT PERSON THAT YOU ARE.  IT CAN BE HARD TO REMEMBER THIS WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE A SHELL OF THE PERSON YOU ONCE WERE, BUT TRUST ME: YOU ARE CAPABLE OF OVERCOMING SO MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK.
(and my promise to you is that you will never have to do it alone!)