Hi All,
We have selected a date and time and wanted to get that information to you so that you can mark your calendars.
Saturday, May 30 from 2pm-5pm in Denver.
We will be finalizing the location and will post details as that is done but for now, at least you know the date and time.
To those of you who might not be able to make this date, we're very sorry and hope you will understand that we were trying to find a date that worked for as many people as possible.
We will be sharing information about two causes we have selected to help us honor Dad. We hope that if you can't join us in person, you'll be able to help us honor him in this way. As we share the information with you, I think you will all see how much both of these have meant to Dad and to us.
Lots of love,
Haverly
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Checking in
Hi everyone,
First off we wanted to say thank you for all of the comments, emails and messages we've received. We've really enjoyed reading them and sharing your fond remembrances of Dad.
I wanted to reassure everyone that while we are working on a party to honor Dad's memory, it won't be this weekend and won't be for a few weeks. We're sorting out details now and as soon as we have a date to share we will post it followed by the necessary details. We're also going to ask for your help in RSVP'ing as we are thinking there might be a large crowd and we want to make sure we've got enough space!
So keep a look out here on the blog and as you speak to people who may not read the blog all that regularly, please help us keep them informed.
For now we are resting, recuperating and remembering.
Lots of love and thanks to you all,
Haverly
Monday, May 4, 2009
A Fond Farewell...
Hello friends and family,
Please join myself, Bill, Linda, Haverly and Cassi as we say goodbye to my father.
Dean Frazier Damon, born March 27th, 1944, passed peacefully today, May 4th, 2009. Dad has been resting quietly since being taken off life support on Thursday afternoon. Stubborn as he was, he continued to breathe unaided until just before midnight late Monday night.
I know this comes as a shock to everyone but please feel comfort in the knowledge that dad's own wishes were to not be kept on life support if he were not expected to recover. The doctors felt that recovery was no longer possible given his continued decline.
Dad was not awake during these last few days, receiving a large dose of pain medication. He was relaxed during this time, more so than his family had seen him in almost four months.
Dad was never alone during the last four days either. Always at his side were Bill, mom or I, daughter Haverly, and my beautiful fiance', Cassi.
No amount of words can describe the sadness that we all feel with dad's passing. But in addition to sadness, we also feel joy that dad is no longer in pain, no longer struggling for breath, no longer confined by his condition.
The love and support that all of you have expressed to my family, through emails, phone calls and posts on this site, truly is a testament to dad's legacy. Having touched so many lives, dad will continue to live on through all of us.
No formal arrangements for a service or memorial have been made at this time. We would like to invite you all to continue to check this blog in the days to come. Any plans for a gathering in dad's honor will be posted here, as well as spread through phone and email.
Thank you again for all the thoughts and prayers. Dad was truly surrounded by our love and attention throughout this journey.
In memory of my father who was truly a man of greatness. Dad, you will always be my hero.
Frazier
Please join myself, Bill, Linda, Haverly and Cassi as we say goodbye to my father.
Dean Frazier Damon, born March 27th, 1944, passed peacefully today, May 4th, 2009. Dad has been resting quietly since being taken off life support on Thursday afternoon. Stubborn as he was, he continued to breathe unaided until just before midnight late Monday night.
I know this comes as a shock to everyone but please feel comfort in the knowledge that dad's own wishes were to not be kept on life support if he were not expected to recover. The doctors felt that recovery was no longer possible given his continued decline.
Dad was not awake during these last few days, receiving a large dose of pain medication. He was relaxed during this time, more so than his family had seen him in almost four months.
Dad was never alone during the last four days either. Always at his side were Bill, mom or I, daughter Haverly, and my beautiful fiance', Cassi.
No amount of words can describe the sadness that we all feel with dad's passing. But in addition to sadness, we also feel joy that dad is no longer in pain, no longer struggling for breath, no longer confined by his condition.
The love and support that all of you have expressed to my family, through emails, phone calls and posts on this site, truly is a testament to dad's legacy. Having touched so many lives, dad will continue to live on through all of us.
No formal arrangements for a service or memorial have been made at this time. We would like to invite you all to continue to check this blog in the days to come. Any plans for a gathering in dad's honor will be posted here, as well as spread through phone and email.
Thank you again for all the thoughts and prayers. Dad was truly surrounded by our love and attention throughout this journey.
In memory of my father who was truly a man of greatness. Dad, you will always be my hero.
Frazier
Sunday, May 3, 2009
The Vigil Continues
One of the benefits of our bedside vigil, according to Frazier, has been the opportunity to laugh and cry together. Frazier and I had been in the hospital for 3 straight days without grooming, showering, or changing clothes. Yesterday, Cassi brought FM clean clothes including socks. As we were sitting around the room, Fraz causally pulled off his shoes...the smell was horrendous. He had been wearing socks that wick - they could stand up by themselves.! Of course, we started laughing really hard as he tried to use creams and lotions, presribed for Dean, to cover the "stench." Bill was laughing so hard, but he had to leave the room.
Then we started reminiscing about how Dean would start laughing so hard...he would put his huge hand on his chest, fingers spread wide, and would laugh and laugh with tears rolling down his cheeks. After a while, whoever was with him would be laughing more at Dean's laugh than the original event. I know so many of you can picture that. As we talked about it, it made us laugh even harder and we remembered some of those times - in our kitchen, in a restaurant, in a movie. One of Frazier's middle school friends was at our house eating spagetti, when Dean started one of his laughing bouts. We were laughing so hard that Fra's friend threw up on his plate, right there in front of us.! Of course, that made Dean laugh harder. It took a long time for Dean to recover from that one, and that is one of our family's favorite stories that lives on.
It's Sunday morning and Dean's vitals are very low but he hangs on. Knowing Dean, when he thinks we are strong enough to transition to the next phases of our lives, he'll leave us, satisfied at the result of his work. Linda
Then we started reminiscing about how Dean would start laughing so hard...he would put his huge hand on his chest, fingers spread wide, and would laugh and laugh with tears rolling down his cheeks. After a while, whoever was with him would be laughing more at Dean's laugh than the original event. I know so many of you can picture that. As we talked about it, it made us laugh even harder and we remembered some of those times - in our kitchen, in a restaurant, in a movie. One of Frazier's middle school friends was at our house eating spagetti, when Dean started one of his laughing bouts. We were laughing so hard that Fra's friend threw up on his plate, right there in front of us.! Of course, that made Dean laugh harder. It took a long time for Dean to recover from that one, and that is one of our family's favorite stories that lives on.
It's Sunday morning and Dean's vitals are very low but he hangs on. Knowing Dean, when he thinks we are strong enough to transition to the next phases of our lives, he'll leave us, satisfied at the result of his work. Linda
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Medical Conference Update
I apologize for not writing after our Wednesday meeting with Dr. Zamora. The news was not encouraging or uplifting. The chronic wasting disease that Dean is experiencing is not reversing fast enough. His recovery chances are low. On Thursday we met with the Pallative Care Team. We want what is best for Dean. These are hard decisions being made by a family in one voice. Please pray for us.
Haverly has come home and we have spent the last two days at the hospital in a constant vigil.
We are so glad that last week was an opportunity for Dean's brothers to visit him. Haverly was here then and Frazier brought the boys to a family dinner.
Right now Dean is resting comfortably. He is breathing without the ventilator. Throughout all the medical drama, the lung continues to function well.
We will update you whenever there is any change. If you are anxious about Dean, rather than call, please send an email to damon.l@att.net. Linda
Haverly has come home and we have spent the last two days at the hospital in a constant vigil.
We are so glad that last week was an opportunity for Dean's brothers to visit him. Haverly was here then and Frazier brought the boys to a family dinner.
Right now Dean is resting comfortably. He is breathing without the ventilator. Throughout all the medical drama, the lung continues to function well.
We will update you whenever there is any change. If you are anxious about Dean, rather than call, please send an email to damon.l@att.net. Linda
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Another Medical Conference
Bill and I will be meeting with Dean's doctor(s) today. We are very frustrated with Dean's condition. He is spending more and more time sedated and on pain killers. After our meeting I'll share the news.
Your emails have been wonderful. I share tidbits with Dean whenever he wakes up (Remember, when we had the opposite issue - not sleeping. As they say, be careful what you wish for!) Bill read them yesterday and commented how touching they are. I've made hard copies and will have them for Dean to read.
My next plan is phone calls. I am going to work out a schedule and will call you, or ask you to call me, when I am in the hospital. We will use the speaker phone and you and I and Bill will have a conversation to which Dean will listen. I've been doing this with Wyatt and Owen and Haverly and Frazier. That way we don't have to try and hold the phone to Dean's ear. More later. Linda
Your emails have been wonderful. I share tidbits with Dean whenever he wakes up (Remember, when we had the opposite issue - not sleeping. As they say, be careful what you wish for!) Bill read them yesterday and commented how touching they are. I've made hard copies and will have them for Dean to read.
My next plan is phone calls. I am going to work out a schedule and will call you, or ask you to call me, when I am in the hospital. We will use the speaker phone and you and I and Bill will have a conversation to which Dean will listen. I've been doing this with Wyatt and Owen and Haverly and Frazier. That way we don't have to try and hold the phone to Dean's ear. More later. Linda
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Sunday afternoon
Hi everyone,
I'm sitting at the airport waiting to board my flight for Chicago so I thought I'd check in. Mom, Bill and I went to the hospital this morning to see Dad before joining Frazier for lunch in LoDo.
They gave Dad two x-rays on his stomach last night to try and figure out why it had stopped working the past few days. The stuff that they give prior to x-raying has a tendency to make things "move" again, so we were pleased to hear that his bowels had started moving again. They will hopefully be able to restart the tube feeding again soon.
They had changed the dressings on his wound (bedsore on his bum) so that had wiped him out along with the pain meds they'd given him. He looked like he was resting peacefully and to me his color looked good.
It seems like we are back to where we were last Sunday when we all rushed here after Saturday's scare. We can all only hope that we will start to see some progress, some real signs of Dad getting better and that he might start to be able to recognize that too. We're all very worried about his mental state and so hope that we can start to celebrate any positives with him.
It's hard to know what this week will bring, but we'll all have our fingers crossed for some positive news. Meanwhile, I got a free upgrade to first class for my flight home (like father like daughter right?) so I'll be drinking a toast to Dad (or three, four or five). So until the next update, thanks and take care!
Haverly
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