Update on Dad - CM3 Photos

Family and Friends –

My family created this page so we could update everyone on my dad’s progress as we work to get him healed and home from Africa! I have entered several journal entries to provide a timeline from when my dad first left for Africa.

Many of you have asked how you can help. My family created a GoFundMe page to assist with the additional costs of travel for both my brothers. Here is the link:

https://gofund.me/ab404586

September 19, 2023

Patrick has been in Africa since Saturday and is having quite an adventure. He said the hospital staff is top-notch and very happy with the care Dad is receiving. This is a huge relief to all of us! Patrick took some pictures to hang in my dad’s room. The other day Patrick spotted a monkey on the way to the hospital. (see pictures below) Definitely not in Texas anymore.

September 16, 2023

After 33 hours of travel, my brother safely traveled to Africa yesterday afternoon. (Around 9 pm in Africa). The morning our daily Zoom call was a bit different with Lyn and my brother on the other end! We were excited to see that my dad was sitting up in a chair!! My dad is still extremely weak, but he knew who we were on the zoom. I even got a wave from him when I said hi! There are still some lingering side effects, but my dad continues to make minor improvements every day.

September 14, 2023

Lyn texted early yesterday morning with great news….. my dad is off the ventilator!!!! Prayers have been answered, and we are so relieved! Of course, being on a ventilator for 8 days does take a toll on someone, so we are not out of the woods yet.

My brother left his family early this morning to travel to Africa.

September 11, 2023

My brother Patrick and his wife Kimber traveled to DFW yesterday so that we could be together. Dealing with my dad’s illness has been stressful, and while we couldn’t be with him in Africa, we could be together in DFW. The daily Zoom call resulted in disappointment as my dad was still on the ventilator. Again, several setbacks prevented the doctors from removing the breathing tube. Again, it was another day of waiting.

Today, We decided that Patrick would be the first to travel to Africa. My brothers decided to stagger their visits to allow them to cover more time overseas. We are grateful that Lyn will be able to stay until the following Monday to allow Patrick a chance to get over there. The rest of the day was spend making travel arrangements.

September 8, 2023

The morning Zoom calls continue. It is incredibly frustrating for us to be so far away and unable to do anything. It’s not like you can jump on a plane to Africa! We were hopeful that my dad would be off the ventilator, but complications prevented that. It was disappointing, to say the least, but we continue to be hopeful that he will be off soon. We continue to be grateful to Lyn, who has extended her stay in Africa to be with my dad.

September 5, 2023

Our first-morning conference call took place. I can’t begin to describe what it’s like zooming with doctors halfway around the world. We are beyond blessed to have a firefighter/paramedic, nurse, and cardiologist in our family. During the first Zoom call, we learned that my dad had been placed on a ventilator due to serious side effects from the heart attack. The doctors felt this was best for my dad to rest.

September 4, 2023

Around noon on September 4th (Labor Day), Lyn called me to inform me that my dad had had a heart attack while they were in the country. After an extended stay in the country “cottage” hospital, they airlifted my dad back to Nairobi, Kenya. The following 24 hours were a whirlwind of phone calls and text messages.

September 2, 2023

My dad texted these photos the night of September 2nd. He was sipping champagne and enjoying watching the sunset.

August 29th 2023

And they’re off! On Tuesday, August 29th, I dropped my dad and Lyn off at the airport for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Africa. After 24 hours, they traveled safely to Nairobi, Kenya.