Goodbye Bill.

This has been a rough week for us. Tuesday night (Nov. 8th- our 4 year anniversary) Justin's dad Bill had a massive heart attack.

He had surgery and a balloon pump put in his chest to beat his heart for him. He also had a breathing and feeding tube down his throat, along with a pump pumping out his lungs (he threw up on the operating table and acid went down into his lungs).

He was in pretty bad shape and then made a miraculous recovery. The doctors were amazed at how fast he was taking steps to recovery. When he woke up he was upset that he had been saved because he wanted to go be with Delores (Justin's mom). He told us he had seen her for about 5 minutes and she had told him he needed to come back here.

Friday night he told Julie (Justin's sister) that the kid's needed to let him go, that they were the ones holding him here. He also said he wouldn't be here in the morning. Everyone just thought he was being stubborn because he was doing SO much better! He was out of the woods and I just knew he would be fine!

Saturday morning at 5AM we got a call saying he had taken a turn for the worse and that we needed to get to the hospital as fast as possible. We all got there (except a couple of family members who had returned home to Idaho when he was improving so well) to see Bill with an oxygen mask on and writhing in pain.

The Dr. told us at about 4AM his blood pressure had plumitted. He said there was another major blockage and that his heart was completely diseased. He told us they could perform surgery to get the pump back in his heart but it wasn't even guaranteed he would survive the surgery, and didn't know what his quality of life would be afterwards. Bill was shaking his head as the Dr. was talking. The Dr. told us that Bill had requested that nothing be done but that we all needed to agree and give our consent. We all said that if this is what he wanted that we wanted to honor his wishes. The Dr. told us once they took him off the machines it could be a few minutes or a few hours before his heart and lungs would give out on him.

They took him off the machines and he told us all that he loved us but that it was time for him to go. As he told Bob on the phone "I'm checking out". With Justin holding his hand only a few minutes after the oxygen was off he stopped breathing and passed away.

It's been a very sad couple of days but happy too. This is very much what he wanted. How can we not have joy when we picture Bill and Delores embracing after so many years apart? He is finally with his sweetheart again. We will miss him so much and I am still in shock that this happened this week. I sure didn't think this is what I would be writing right now!

I feel bad Justin is so young and has lost both of his parents. But I also feel an overwhelming sense of peace and thankfulness for my knowledge of the Plan Of Salvation. I know this isn't the end. I don't know how we'd get through this without knowing that! God is good and families are forever. I am SO thankful for this and the time I was able to know Bill. He was truly an amazing man.

Goodbye Bill. We love you. We will miss you.