Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Sorry for the Delay

Hi everybody,

Thank you for being patient. The family has gotten many phone calls and Facebook messages asking how our situation has progressed; we really appreciate the continued love and support! From now on, it is no longer possible for Chuck (Dad) to write his blog posts without aide. Therefore, I (Sam) will be finishing off his final posts. In the past couple weeks, we have gone through many changes. The most significant being a morphine pump connected through my Dad's chest port that will continually release a dose of pain medication. Every week, our hospice nurse has increased that dose in order to make Dad more comfortable. With that comes some challenges for Dad. As you can guess while reading his posts or knowing him personally, his pain tolerance is extremely high (a trait apparently I did not seem worthy to receive!) What makes this next step so challenging has nothing to do with pain, because it is managed, but rather his mental state. My Dad has always been a source of great knowledge for my family yet with the combination of cancer and medicine, his brain function is slowly deteriorating. Subjects that would be routine for him are now becoming more confusing. He knows what he wants to say but it does not come out the way he wants it to. This, for him, is heartbreaking. However, it is important for him to continue increasing his dose of morphine so his pain is controlled. I would rather have his mental state weakened than feel the potential excruciating pain of cancer.
Our family has been coming over more frequently as we do not know when "the day" will come. Luckily, we have always had a pretty tight knit family but for those of you who have not spoken to a family member in a while, be it a couple days, month, or year, find time. Without our family support, this situation would seem nearly impossible. I love my family because Dad taught us to. He knows we will be OK without him because we have each other. Talk about an amazing situation to leave us in! Thanks Dad!
- I love quotes, especially from children's movies because they are so powerful, yet when you see them when you were younger you never realize their actual magnitude. So I like to finish off posts with my inner child-

"Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten" - Lilo from Lilo and Stitch



3 comments:

  1. I will always admire this post as it truly depicts the faith and belief in the next life and gives meaning to this one we know now. I will continue to pray and request peace for your family as the days pass. Take care. God Bless.

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  2. Thanks for the note Sam. Still praying for Chuck and your family.

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  3. What is a Hero?

    Does anyone know what it is like to sit next to and talk to someone they admire and love who is dying of cancer? A family member you have created SO MANY memories with??? Well, I did last night. It is so hard to wrap my mind and heart around the pain. Chuck Katula, our brother-in-law has battled so bravly, faught so hard against this stupid cancer! I see so much pain around me, unfaithful spouces hurting so many people, Kids chosing to walk the ways of the world ruining their lives and those around them. With so much bad in this world, someone dying from cancer has become a HERO! If you have not read my brother-in-laws blog then it is a must www.chuckkatula.blogspot.com. He, his wife and kids have LIVED their faith. It is so easy to say you trust God. So easy to ACT like you know who God is and when things get tough you get bitter and angry at God.

    Well let me tell you, a true HERO has come out of the ashes of the crazy, ugly cancer. Chuck and his family have become my new HERO/S. I am thankful for the lesson about life that I am learning all along Chuck's battle with cancer.

    Life for us will never be the same when the Lord calls him home, but what Chuck will leave for all of us is the best gift of all. TO HAVE UNSHAKABLE FAITH no matter what we go through. To remind us to Love and cherish family. Make the most of every moment and don't sweat the small stuff. Thank you Chuck, for those great life lessons and your AMAZING FAITH.
    Vic as you watch all this happen, you STILL have a rock solid faith in God. You love and you truly trust Our Heavenly Father. Your life, and how you live it, is exactly how I want to live my faith! Sammy and Matt, to see your dad go through this, well I can't imagine the pain. You both press on, grabbing your faith and trusting God. None of you have ever asked "why" you all have said "what now Lord"?

    I still pray for Healing, He can do it, but if He says "No" well then I look forward to seeing you in Heaven Chucky Boy....save me a seat! ALL MY LOVE, Donna Mae xox

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