This Long Journey of Healing Needs Your Support
My husband’s battle to overcome a life-threatening encounter.
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My husband, Bill, has always been a vibrant, healthy and strong man, even at his current age of 77. He was very active, achieving a second degree black belt, skiing, biking, and generally just keeping himself very fit by lifting weights and using the Total Gym several times a week.
Then in August 2019, Bill entered into the darkest period of his life. After the death of our daughter following her metastatic breast cancer long battle, Bill became very anxious and eventually he was unable to urinate. After several rushes to the Emergency Room between late October and mid-November, Bill was diagnosed with Necrotizing Fasciitis (NF), a very serious and critical infective process that resulted when an abscess ruptured over his liver area.
We are a strong couple, however, we find ourselves in the midst of the greatest challenge of our lives. Bill is being tested and stretched in every possible way physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. Some people prepare their whole lives for a test like this one and Bill is certainly no exception. I am not sure anyone could have been prepared for the stress and intensity of losing a daughter and also a life-threatening illness at the same time.
Bill began his extended critical care stay in the Wound Care Clinic following his first surgery on November 14th when the ruptured abscess compromised the living tissues of his oblique muscle on the right side with flesh eating bacteria.
We experienced many scary moments with numerous surgical procedures since mid-November with tachycardia, stress ulcers, bleeding in an artery in the colon, and skin grafting. Bill’s heart had to be shocked into rhythm twice and he was intubated with a breathing tube for over four weeks.
On New Year’s Eve after 12 days at the Acute Rehabilitation facility, Bill was discharged to home with home health aid and in-home physical therapy services. He was getting stronger at home with each passing day and was ambulatory with a four-wheel walker and able to get in and out of bed comfortably. He had his first shower with the help of the home care nurse on January 2nd.
Then on January 7th, Bill’s primary care physician found blood in Bill’s urine and directed us to the hospital for what became yet another surgical procedure — estimated as his 25th procedure — to remove a second abscess. With that surgery, Bill’s already-long recovery period became even longer.
Bill is home again as of January 10th and our focus now is on healing both wounds and restoring Bill back to the health and vitality he once knew. We are counting on the help of God, of our many wonderful friends near and far, and a cellular health and healing breakthrough based on Redox Signaling Molecules.
We have chosen to coordinate nutritional and metabolic healing in conjunction with the power of medical wound care and surgical intervention. It is without hesitation that we are reaching out with humility and gratitude for assistance in supporting the restoration of Bill’s foundational health on our GoFundMe site.
Medicare and supplemental insurance cover wound care and surgical interventions and for that we are very grateful. There is, however, so much more needed in creating the building blocks necessary to fully support Bill’s healing journey. Mounting health care costs are continuing to occur for home health, physical and occupational therapy, acupuncture, and the host of nutritional components necessary for physical restoration.
Hopefully, we will see amazing healing of both wound sites and we will be able to share our story of prayer, miracles, and the power of healing with minerals and Redox Signaling Molecules with the world through this — my Empowered Living blog — and my Your Pathway To Empowerment coaching practice and Mineral Sanity & Health Facebook group.
We would like to extend a special thank you to Christin Lipinski, a recent survivor of NF and an amazing resource and support for Bill and me, who joined us at the Acute Rehab facility on December 22 to light the first Chanukah candle as we celebrated both her miraculous survival and Bill's healing journey.
Blessings,
Copyright 2020 © by Rachel L. Neumann of Your Pathway to Empowerment. All rights reserved. You may quote, copy, translate and link to this article in its entirety as long as you credit Rachel L. Neumann, the author by name, and include a working link back to this web page. All other uses are strictly prohibited.
