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.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Ugghhh.....Arrrrrr...

Ok...I have solved the age old question of why this area has chosen the Blue Devil as their mascot....because it is hot as "the Devil" here in this hospital.  My dad is sweltering in this room.  Kathleen and I went on an adventure (on foot no doubt) to round up a fan to purchase for my dad's room.  Of course, today was the day for the gift shops to close early so we trudged on to the Duke University Medical bookstore.  Not an easy task with a bum foot.  So we arrived at the bookstore and asked if they had any fans for sale.....You guess it...noooooo.  But once again, God took over.  The two bookstore clerks listened to our story and GAVE us their own personal fans then offered to buy one for us tonight and bring it in tomorrow.  I teared up and Dave the clerk gave me a hug.  He said.."Hey we have a dad too and would want him to be comfortable".  Clerk Rebecca said she would bring her own fan in tomorrow so we would not have to buy a fan at all and just return it when my dad leaves.  Man.....God is soooooooo good!!   By the way...the that Blue Devil must have temporarily vanished because it has gotten a bit cooler in here.  Whew.....
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousJuly 21, 2011 at 7:20 PM

    Already walking? Unbelievable! That's great even if it didn't go all that well. Tell him I hope he continues to make a speedy recovery... he needs to get himself and the rest of the brood out of Durham. I don't think I like the way Duke seems to be winning you over! Go Mr. Ryland and Go Heels!

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  2. SuzanneJuly 23, 2011 at 9:58 PM

    Thanks so much Donna for the post. My dad enjoyed reading it and got a laugh out of it! He confiscates our laptops to read the blog and his Facebook page!! Miss you!

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