While we were hoping something like this site wouldn’t be necessary, we’ve decided that this will make it easier to keep everyone up to date on the most current information. On July 2nd, after several weeks of severe hip and leg pain, Bob was taken by ambulance to the hospital in Grand Rapids. There he was diagnosed with a right pelvic fracture and a ruptured disc which was causing the left leg pain. After 9 days of struggling to control the pain, he was transferred to a facility for rehabilitation where pain management continued to be an issue. On July 14th he developed complications and was diagnosed with multiple pulmonary and leg emboli. He was then transported to the University of Minnesota ICU in Minneapolis. The intervention radiologists were able to do a procedure to remove the largest clot in his lung that was putting pressure on his heart. Since that procedure last Friday, he has been stable, however they have continued to struggle to manage the pain while they look for the causes of the various issues. Yesterday, July 19th while attempting to move him, the pain became excruciating so they did some new scans. They determined that he now has a displaced femur fracture on his left leg. He is having surgery to repair the fracture this afternoon. It is still unclear if this is the primary source of the pain, or the ruptured disc is also playing a role. There are many questions that need to be answered, but for now the focus is on the fracture and pain management. Unfortunately, while preparing for surgery, Bob has now tested positive for Covid as well. They are still moving ahead with the surgery, however we will not be able to see him before or after surgery. He is trying hard to remain positive, cracking dad jokes when he is able, but it feels like he can’t catch a break right now. Please keep him in your prayers and know that he really appreciates everything everyone has done. Rick and I will update as we have new information, but please feel free to continue to reach out to Rick, the girls or myself as you have been. Darla
Hey there-we wanted to let people know of a change in Bob's medical situation. After weeks recovering/rehabbing at home, on October 4th, Bob developed some complications that required re-hospitalization. He was hospitalized at Miller Dwan in Duluth for 10 days and last Thursday was transferred to the Miller Dwan acute rehab unit. He is very busy days with therapies, but welcomes visitors if you are able to visit, especially on the evenings and weekends. They are still limiting visitors to 2 per day, so please check in with Bob before visiting. If you aren't able to visit, sending any encouraging messages to him is welcomed:)
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