A Few Tidbits About Larry & Me...

I thought those of you who haven't kept up with us would enjoy a little bit of history.

1. Larry is a Michigan native. I'm a Virginia native.
2. Larry has 6 children (3 live in Missouri, 2 in Ohio, & his Army son is currently in DC for a few more weeks). I have 2 (here in Virginia). All grown.
3. Larry has 11 grandchildren. I have zero by my boys. (Fine with me!!! LOL)
4. Larry and I met online (his nick: Lord_M ~~ my nick: mickieb) the first week of May in 1999. Our first words to one another were "I'm not looking for anyone. Just friendly conversation." Both were disillusioned with marriage as our second attempts at wedded bliss were pretty much over. We both moved out prior to meeting.
5. We talked online practically around the clock for four months. Things just "clicked".
6. He lived in Ohio and I was living in the Northern Tier of New York state.
7. On Saturday, August 7, 1999, Larry and daughter Alyson drove through Canada to Rouses Point and he and I met face-to-face for the first time. We have been together ever since.
8. Before moving to South Carolina, the American Legion Post 553 in Toledo, Ohio recognized Larry in a special meeting. They bestowed him with a Resolution naming him as Honorary Post Commander. He is the only member in the history of the Post to receive this recognition. Had he stayed in Toledo just one more year, he would have been eligible to run for the position. Larry managed Bingo for the Legion for years and participated in many of the projects.
9. We lived in Toledo from August 1999 until September 11, 2000; moving to Swansea, South Carolina to rent from his sister, Lynell. Larry never drove again, not trusting his legs and hands due to his peripheral neuropathy.
10. On April 27, 2001, Larry and I got married at our home in SC at 10:30PM. His sister was a notary at the time and she performed the ceremony. The reason for the late hour? We had to wait for Lyn to get back from her grandson's ball game. LOL! The hour didn't matter to us, as Larry and I have always been night owls anyway.
11. On April 28, 2003, my dad passed away.
12. On May 16, 2003, Larry was admitted to ICU in West Columbia, South Carolina due to his kidneys failing and the necessity of amputating 1½ toes on his left foot. He also needed a pacemaker implanted (June 2, 2003). Larry had to have temporary dialysis and ended up losing 142 lbs. of fluid. Craig was in Iraq and brought home via Red Cross as Larry's doctors did not think he would live.
13. Larry came home on June 6, 2003 and was doing well until I noticed the purple bruising on the bottom of his left foot.
14. August 2, 2003 -- Larry admitted to the hospital again. His left leg was amputated below the knee. He's been wheelchair dependent ever since, as the Charcot joint/ankle in his other foot will not bear his weight long enough to qualify him for a prosthetic. He was put on dialysis treatment permanently at this time, 3 days a week.
15. Larry came home in mid-September for one weekend and had to be re-admitted to the hospital due to a Stage 4 sacral wound. He was hooked up to a wound vac until Thanksgiving Day that year.
16. I found out my youngest brother was diagnosed with Lupus and it was decided we would move to Virginia. We moved into our home in Lynchburg in June 2004 and closed on it in July 2004.
17. Larry was diagnosed with rectal cancer in May 2006 but all biopsies were benign. He was a Stage 0. He was in the process of trying to save his eyesight in his right eye with weekly trips to Duke University through December 2006. He lost that battle and is considered legally blind in that eye today.
18. He has experienced multiple failed attempts at grafts and fistulas throughout the past 2 years which would have enhanced his dialysis treatments for a longer lifespan.
19. On January 26, 2008, Larry experienced his first heart attack and was taken by ambulance to LGH. He had a heart cath done and the doctor told me his chance of survival without the stent/s was very little. He also said there was an increased risk doing a stent due to his overall health and the fact that all 3 arteries in the heart were practically blocked. A stent was put in the artery that was 90% blocked. The doctor said he could not do any other stents until the rectal bleeding was stopped.
20. Larry scheduled a flex-sigmoidscopy in February. The tumor was now a Stage 4. Radiation was out of the picture due to the sacral wound of 2003. There were only 2 chemo drugs out of the 7 available that the oncologist could use due to his dialysis. They would make him bedridden.
21. In April a CT scan revealed lymph nodes were involved and a possible metastisis to the right lung.
22. Larry then had a PET scan done. The PET did not show the met to the lung, but 3 spots on his liver lit up like a Christmas tree.
23. May 2008, Larry was told without any treatment he may have 6 months left. Larry is adamant about remaining mobile as long as possible. He does not want to spend his life bedridden. Hospice to come in.
24. May 12, 2008, Larry is admitted to LGH via ambulance because he is too weak to get into our van. He was confused and didn't know what day it was or year. Larry was having mini-strokes. Zoning out and unable to comprehend.
25. May 27th, Larry came home from LM&Rehab and told me he was not going back to a hospital again no matter what happened.