News & Updates from SuzieQ Kuttables

On April 17th my dads wife called in a panic that he just wouldnt wake up. She also called in a panic on the 18th for the same reason.

Because he had heart issues, didnt have a fever, or any other Covid symptoms, and had been isolated since the middle of March, it didnt occur to me or to a doctor that came to check him out in his home that Covid was an issue.

In fact he had heart medication prescribed for him. The absolute overwhelming symptom was a mental confusion. However he was 91 and had some dementia so it wasnt suspicious. Early in the morning on the 25th he fell and his wife called Emergency.

We call it 911 here in the USA. It was then that he thought he had Covid and when the test came back they were correct, it was Covid.

He was admitted to the hospital in isolation therefore like everybody knows there was no last contact as he died.

We were able to call him, but he was mostly incoherent. He passed away on the 27th. For reasons I can hardly comprehend I tested negative for the virus. I was his caregiver and in very close contact with him. I always wore gloves and mask, but I did touch and handle all of his private needs.

His wife, who is 89, tested positive. She is now living with her children. Hopefully she survives. Im adding two my Fathers Day cards in honor of him. The picture of my dad and me was taken on his 91st birthday.

Go home to die, thats what the Surgeon said, just before he said, Because I dont operate on people for this condition at your age.

For many years we told ourselves we were going on an extended summer vacation.

So finally in 2017 we planned to be out for 3 months or longer. Around June 3rd we left and planned to make it all the way across the U.S. That would be about 3,000 miles one-way. We can see the sunset on the Pacific and wanted to see sunrise on the Atlantic.

Anyway, we were delayed getting very far because I had forgotten my laptop power cord so we spent time searching to buy one.

Good thing that happened because we were only 300 miles from home when my husband collapsed. He was flown by Life Flight to a Boise, Idaho hospital and I followed 60 miles via the freeway pulling our trailer.

When I arrived we were told that he would not survive this because he had an aorta dissection. This was the upper aorta coming out of the top of the heart.

An aorta dissection is when the aorta is split in places so it leaks blood into the heart cavity and when the cavity fills up with blood your heart can no longer beat and there is no treatment for it.

Anyway, the surgeon changed his mind and gave him a 40% chance of making it. Well that was a no brainer; going from zero to 40% was an easy choice. We spent 5 days in Boise and returned home.

We resumed our trip in August, but now it was only going to be 2 months and we made it as far as Iowa, thats a little more than half way across the U.S.

Unfortunately we never asked the surgeon why he changed his mind, but thank God he did. There are many things to be thankful for, including he is in good health today and has no heart damage.

But we were incredibly grateful that we bought Life Flight insurance that year for $65. Especially when we found out the 13-minute helicopter ride cost $33,000. Since then when his doctors ask about this, they always make the statement that it is rare for anybody to survive that surgery.

I made this shirt for him.

Thats what he said, I dont want no dog! If you get a dog I wont take care of anything about the dog. So I got a dog for me. He was (he has passed away) an apricot 7lb. miniature poodle.

He had ran away from his home because his owners were in a divorce and the household was in turmoil so the dog pound kept picking him up.

The last time he was picked up they didnt have the money to bail him out, so he was up for adoption.

Thats how we got him. I named him Tag after another apricot poodle/cocker dog that I had over 30 years ago.

I took care of him until ... , well until Tag pick my hubby as his person. Since that time I technically didnt have a dog, I even thought of getting another dog for me, but never did.

So hubs did everything from feeding, walking, picking up his p**p, etc. And as you can see he even brushed his teeth.

They had quite a bond, especially since it started out with, I dont want no dog.