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Rob’s Story

Site created on November 20, 2019

A few weeks ago Rob was in a competition when he felt something strained in his chest. Thinking it was a muscle strain he tended to it and rested. After the a few days his health began to decline. He went to see a doctor and was given some antibiotics to help with what they felt was an infection in his lungs. Rob began to feel better. A few days later his breathing again began to get more difficult so he decided to rest and drink lots of fluids. 2 days later Rob was barely able to walk up and down the stairs in his house and was brought back into the medical clinic where he was diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, a serious syndrome due to a direct or indirect muscle injury. It results from the death of muscle fibers and release of their contents into the bloodstream. This can lead to serious complications. He was transferred to the premiere hospital in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. 30 minutes upon arrival Rob crashed. The medics performed CPR for 5 minutes before they were able to revive him however, his vitals were weak and his lab results were indicating organ failure. They found blockage in one of his arteries and a hole in his heart that required open heart surgery. Not having the correct equipment or trained staff to be able to adequately treat all of these challenges they airlifted Rob to Bangkok Hospital where they were able to stabilize his condition. They began kidney dialysis and ECMO to help with the organ failure as they determined that he was too weak to perform the invasive open heart surgery. They plan to wait 10-12 days to allow his organs to recover and the soft tissue around the hole in his heart to become more fibrous before attempting the open heart surgery.

If you would like to help financially you can donate to help with medical expenses by clicking on "Ways To Help" Button at the top of the page or the "Personal Fundraising" button at the bottom of the page.. Prayers are always needed and much appreciated!

Please check back with this page as we will provide updates as they occur. We ask that you refrain from asking or requesting more information from the family at this time as it can be overwhelming. They need to concentrate on medical decisions and coordinating family care as their family is spread across the world.

Thank you all for your love, support, thoughts, and prayers as they go through this difficult and trying time! May God be glorified in all of this!

Newest Update

Journal entry by Kristi Cady — Jan 20, 2020

Dear Friends and Family,

I thought I would send out an update on us one last time here. We spent 2 1/2 weeks in the U.S. We were able to see family and I got to see all the kids. It was the first time in more than 10 years all of the kids had been together. We had a great time. Julia and I flew out to Pennsylvania for a memorial service for Rob. It was at our home church, Hillside Haven Community Church. I wanted to thank everyone who were able to come it was so wonderful to have all the support and care. The memorial service was videoed. I will be adding a link for anyone who might want to view it. If anyone took pictures at the memorial service. I would love to have some of those.

The kids and I are back in Cambodia now. We had good flights both coming and going and didn't encounter any bad weather or delays. That was great considering the various flights we had and it was in the middle of winter. We will be in Cambodia for awhile. Paul is finishing up his last term at IT Step Academy. He is taking Computer Graphics there. Paul may also get some opportunities to work on some projects so we are praying about that.

Thanks so much for all your prayers and support for us. We greatly appreciate it.

Love, Kristi and family

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFdhHus4Jc4&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR3u71ROnQAVjGOf-C_N7OGOWmWqULuvuueRLXOAQXROr2B8Waa1xKzQQd4&app=desktop

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