August 9, 1951 – April 8, 2009
In May 2007, Bill was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer. On June 18, 2007 he underwent a Robotic Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy at the The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. The surgical procedure was to take 2-4 hours, with a 1-2 day inpatient hospital stay.
Midway during the surgical procedure, I was informed by the doctor that Bill’s tumor was much larger than the scans, etc had indicated and that he was going to biopsy all lymph nodes in and around the prostate to rule out any metastasis. Bill was in surgery from approximately 8:00AM to 5:00PM. After the surgery, I met once again with the doctor who stated that Bill had tolerated the surgery very well and expected a full recover and that in the morning if his vital signs were normal and he was walking he would be discharged.
The next morning I returned to the hospital eagerly anticipating his discharge. Upon entering Bill’s room, he informed me that he wasn’t being discharged because he was unable to walk. WELL…..I felt like the floor has given out from under my feet! However, I quickly tried to compose myself for him. He told ME NOT TO WORRY! Due to the lengthy surgical procedure and the extreme tightness of the straps which were used to secure his legs during the procedure, a nerve had collapsed in his leg.
Well, with the help of the Neurologist, PT, MANY, MANY prayers and Bill’s strong determination to recover from this mishap, and to get out of the hospital, Bill was discharged on June 22, 2007 with the assistance of a wheelchair and walker and wearing???? Yes, a shirt from which I chose a piece of the material to use to make my patch.
Bill’s biopsy results were all negative and he remained Cancer free until his Falling Asleep in the Lord. He was unable to return to his RN duties for 8 weeks. During those 8 weeks at home, he rehabilitated himself from the wheelchair to a walker to a cane and then with a slight limp and numbness in his leg he returned to his Nursing duties (ER, Critical Care, OR and Recovery Room) and worked as a RN up until his Falling Asleep in the Lord on April 8,. 2009.
The picture I chose to place on the center of my patch is one of my favorite pictures of Bill. The picture is self-explanatory. MEMORY ETERNAL!
LOVE YOU FOREVER, OLGA XOXOXO!