Meet My Dad!!

My dad, John Newton Ryland, III, (or Jack) is quite an amazing man. He and my mom Darlene have been married 54 years and live in Danville, Virginia. He is affectionately know as "Peepaw" to his three grandchildren Catharine, Emily and Jacob and "Pops", "Peeps" and "Daddy" to his four children: Jack IV, Dave, Suzanne and Kathleen. He is Uncle Jack to his nieces and nephews who are very near and dear to his heart. My dad has a great sense of humor and very quick-witted. He can also be a stubborn, strong-willed individual and needless to say is determined to recover quickly so he can return home. He is a Virginia Tech Hokie fan and is looking forward to football season! Since he missed his beach trip in July, my dad is also looking forward to some R & R at Emerald Isle in late September...maybe a birthday trip for both he and my mom!!

My dad is here at Duke because of Aortic Stenosis. Aortic stenosis is a narrowing of the valve. When this happens, the heart has to push harder to get blood through the smaller opening and less blood circulates through the heart and to the rest of the body. In older patients, aortic stenosis may be caused by calcium that builds up on the valve. This buildup also hardens the valve, which can hinder its ability to open and close properly.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Small World...

We have met so many friendly folks here in each waiting area.  Tommy and I got caught up in a conversation with a group of ladies from Tabor City, NC who seem to know half of Reidsville!!  Haaa haaa!!  (I had to ask where Tabor City is! duh!)  I have had a hard time blogging as everyone wants to chat and offer prayers...speaking of prayers....thanks so much...God has answered them all!!!!!...just met with the surgeon....quite young looking but obviously well trained!!  The valve replacement went GREAT!!  Dad's heart "jumped" back to life and he is now in ICU.  We are waiting for him to get "settled" so we can see him.  He struggled tremendously after the bypass surgery in 2006 with the breathing tube but he said he learned his lesson and is prepared to cooperate this time.  We hope he has remembered this!  Only two of us can visit at a time for 2-5 minutes....A small concern with bleeding but he is being closely monitored.  God is so good!!  Thanks again for all of the prayers but keep them coming!!  :)  Mom just went back....:) :)
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2 comments:

  1. aliceJuly 20, 2011 at 5:41 PM

    Thought of you all day. Thank you for the updates. A bug hug to you Suzanne and family. I will say another prayer for his recovery.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SuzanneJuly 20, 2011 at 10:36 PM

    Thanks Alice!! We love and miss you!! Thanks for sending the pictures. My dad loves to see Isa and watch her grow!

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