Archive for June, 2007

19
Jun

9 Brother Firefighters Gone; God Rest Their Souls

   Posted by: Lightning    in Uncategorized

Good Afternoon Everyone,
I write in the blog today with a heavy and sadden heart, due to the loss of 9 brother firefighters in Charleston yesterday. Please keep each of these firefighter’s family and friends in your thoughts and prayers and keep the Charleston Fire Department in your thoughts and prayers also. Pray that God will give us the courage to celebrate their lives and we all will remember what great heros they are.

Our Fallen Brothers
Capt. William “Billy” Hutchinson, 48;
Capt. Mike Benke, 49;
Capt. Louis Mulkey, 34;
Engineer Mark Kelsey, 40;
Engineer Bradford “Brad” Baity, 37;
Assistant Engineer Michael French, 27;
Firefighter James “Earl” Drayton, 56;
Firefighter Brandon Thompson, 27;
Firefighter Melven Champaign, 46
God Bless Their Families.
Chief Thomas noted that these men together had over 100 years of service.
Charleston Mayor Riley advised that calls of sympathy and support were pouring in from all over the US. He also advised that a fund has been set up to assist with this loss. Those wishing to make donations may do so in two manners;
Go to any Bank of America branch and making a donation to

“City of Charleston Firemen’s Fund”.
Or, you can mail a donation to:
City of Charleston Firemen’s Fund
P. O. Box 304

Charleston, SC 29402
I will now give you a quick check up note I received from Charleston yesterday. I was taken off of the Predisone and my Prograf was reduced to 5mg instead of 6mg. They said my liver numbers look great and the liver is doing it’s job. My kidney numbers are no better, but no worst either. Right now I don’t have to back for another check up until October 2007, and they are changing my blood work to once a month. When I returned home yesterday I had in tow a gift for my lovely bride.
Why do I tell you this?
Because today is our 11th annervisty and I am the luckiest husband, father, man ever.
I Love You Claire, thanks for being my wife.

Ain’t They Both Just Gorgeous!!
God Knows I Am A Lucky Man!
God Bless Us All!!
Lightning
15
Jun

WOW What a week!!

   Posted by: Lightning    in Uncategorized

Good Friday Afternoon,

Well I hope all is well and I hope that you are getting ready for Father’s Day. Well let me tell you I sure am looking forward to this Father’s Day.

Why you may ask?

Go ahead ask, I don’t mind.

Matter of fact I will just tell you. I am looking at this Father’s Day as being my first, yelp my first Father’s Day! Bet that caught you off guard, since Justin is 20 and Abigail is 8. I guess you think what little mind I had is gone now. Just before you get any other wild ideas, no we are not having another youngin either. This is my first Father’s Day since my liver transplant. I will have to admit that this time last year you could have convinced me that would have been my last Father’s Day.

Today there is a much different story, I know I will be around for many Father’s Days to come and I will even be around for my way in the future Grandfathers’ Days.

Well let me bring you up to date since the last posting. It took me about 2 ½ weeks to get over my virus (plural effusion), but when I finally got rid of it, the next thing I knew I was on my way to Myrtle Beach.

We left for the beach on Friday June 8th and we returned home Monday June 11th. It was wonderful; this was the first vacation that we have taken in about three years, that was not related to a doctor’s visit. Justin was even able to get off of work long enough to come down also, God just really blessed us. Claire, Abigail, Justin & Myself really needed this time away, I was thinking that I don’t remember the last time I went to the beach and did not feel bad, that was great in it’s self.

We did suffer one set back while on the beach, this is truly a sad story but with a happy ending but there may be some tears in the middle. I am not sure if you have seen the newspaper or news clips from Myrtle Beach but there was sadness on Saturday at Myrtle Beach, just like the national story had been telling about the mother whale and her calf in the river, there was on the shores of Myrtle Beach a beached whale. Its story was again similar to that of the whale and calf, because this whale also had been hit by a boat prop or something of the like and caused a bad scar on the belly of the whale. The marine biologist and all those nature kind of people was searching for the answer of how to treat the whale and should the whale be carried to a enclosure to heal or just help it back in the ocean at high tide and let nature take its course. It was interesting hearing them all them discuss what could have caused the cut on the belly with a shape similar to the emblem on a Mercedes Benz. One rocket scientist even came up with the idea that it may have gotten the cut on a man made reef, one made with cars, he said that there could have been a Mercedes Benz in the reef. You know I was enjoying the attention until that one little ole lady with that sand bucket finally get on my nerves and I set up and told her if she put one more bucket of that cold, wet, sandy, salty water on my head one more time I was going to throw her out in the ocean at low tide. It amazed her that the whale set up and talked to her, then it insulted her that the whale would raise his voice to her and even threaten to get her blue hair wet, but I did. I then convinced every one that it was just me and I did not need to be put in an enclosure or even be drug out to sea at high tide. I then confessed that if they would just leave me a lone I would get up and walk back to the room and they could call off the rescue efforts, so they agreed. I then gathered my shirt, hat and chair and wobbled across the hot sand to the motel. One thing I did notice during this whole whale event, no one in my family was around, not sure why or where they went.
We did have an awesome time, we ate a lot, I even splurged and eat some broiled flounder and shrimp, yelp it was good.
We returned home Monday, I am still trying to get the sand out of my ears and hair from that little ole lady’s sand bucket, it sure was great to get home, even though it was nearly 8:30 PM. What took us so long? Check out was at 11:00 AM. Claire had this wild idea that we should get to one of those condo sells pitches, so we could get some money back that we spent on the Dixie Stampede Tickets, they told us only 90 minutes. Nearly 4 hours later we are leaving to head home, but by golly we got our $60.00, I think that will be the last time Claire will go to one, and no don’t ask to barrow our condo. We did not buy any part of the package, but we got $60.00, WOW.
I have been running kind of slow this week, nothing wrong just running slow. I did go to my bi-weekly visit on Tuesday to see the vampires in Greenville and I will be leaving on Sunday headed down to Charleston for a check up on Monday.
Starting Saturday what a few awesome days for me. Saturday June 16th is my 42nd birthday, Sunday June 17th Father’s Day and Tuesday June 19th our 11th wedding anniversary, God is awesome to me.
Well I think the rain has past now and I will be headed back outside to see what I can get into. I do want to inform you about some important events coming up. On Sunday June 17th Greenville News and News Channel 7 is going to do a story about my family and my first Father’s Day since the transplant. On Saturday June 16th at 7:00 AM on WRIX in Anderson on Conversations with Paul Brown, Mark Johnson with Donate Life SC is the guest and on June 23rd I am the guest, please join us on those important events if you can.

God Bless My Family
God Bless My Donor Family
God Bless You

Lightning