Updated 5/31/08: After two ct scans, one angiogram, and multiple nurses we are happy to share that we have received a WONDERFUL prognosis and are headed home.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the prayers and your kind words. We are truly forever grateful.

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I normally would not share something as personal as this but I feel I must so that some may understand why I am not as quick to respond to recent emails or phone calls.

Upon return from a mini vacation this past Memorial Day weekend, my husband suffered what seemed like a minor seizure. The next day it was discovered that he had a small bleed in his brain (signs of stroke). Some of you may or may not know that my husband is disabled as a result of a surgery that was done to remove a brain Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM), so constant monitoring is just part of our lives.

My husband is one of the strongest people I know, he never gives up. At the moment we are just waiting for more information and additional testing to determine if he will require additional surgery to remove the bleeding or to remove what is left of the AVM.

I have been with him everyday while he is in the hospital, unfortunately children are not allowed to visit because he is in a special area of the hospital, which I understand. They miss their daddy terribly and are anxious to see him return home soon. As you can imagine he misses the kids as well.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you that have emailed me and/or have called me to check on us, I truly appreciate it with all my heart. I also want to thank those of you that have been so patient with me with your orders, I promise I will continue to process orders as time allows. And most importantly, I want to thank those of you that understood why I had to reschedule your appointment for a later time.

I feel so blessed to have the support that we have. I feel even more blessed to have my husband in my life. Together we have learned that we can’t take one moment for granted. We are grateful for every living moment that God has given to us, through good times and through the bad times. Our faith is strong and we leave it all in Gods hands.

On our drive to Orlando this past weekend I dedicated a song to my husband as we listened to a CD in the car, yes just like a school girl. Little did I know the significance of this song and how important the words would be for me for the days to follow.

By and By – Brett Dennen

listen close, as close as I am to you
like the bell of liberty, I’ll ring a sound that’s true
and days go by and seasons too
in time our love may digress with the words we can renew

oh, i’ll tell you that I
I love you by and by
I don’t know if I’d survive
without a friend like you in my life

and I know words can be the worst to pervey
how it is I feel for you, it’s hard for me to say
but if we keep it simple, I think it’s better that way
tingled words tend to lead my messages astray

oh, i’ll tell you that I
I love you by and by
I don’t know if I’d survive
without a friend like you in my life

this web we weave
holds us hand in hand
and if we loosen our grips
we may weaken these strands
so lets reinforce our love and let it echo through the land
and if we don’t we may find ourselves washed up with the sand

oh, i’ll tell you that I
I love you by and by
I don’t know if I’d survive
without a friend like you in my life

“you can listen to song here”

 

Again, thanks to all that have reached out to us and that have included us in their prayers. I will try my best to update this post with the latest information.

Forever grateful, Ritz