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Journals 2013
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February 2013 - AZ
February 25 - 28, 2013
Tuesday, February 27. Back to work and they have been long, long days. Monday was non-stop customers from 10-5 with only a quick potty break. When I got home, Pat had sausage and pepper stir-fry ready for dinner and had completed several projects around the house (touching up a couple of spots on my roof that needed attention he repaired and replaced the tile on my front stoop.

Dan is improving day by day but it has been touch and go. He is still on the ventilator but they keep decreasing the amount each day. A surgical procedure was required to remove a clump of infection from the bottom of his lung today, but that was successful.

Pat has also been listing some of our RV stuff on Craig's List and sold our tow bar and brake buddy today. I treated him to dinner tonight at Zur Kate German restaurant tonight. Dinner was very good.
February 18 - 24, 2013
Wednesday, February 20. Mike's memorial service on Sunday was held at the home of our friend, Sue, right here in our community. It was well attended by family, classmates, lifetime friends, and many neighborhood friends. Bruce welcomed everyone, told some stories, and played "On the Road Again" and "I Can't Stop Loving You". He read this poem:

Do not stand at my grave and weep
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning's hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.

Mary Elizabeth Frye


Several friends stood up and shared a story or comment. He then played the hymn, "Let There Be Peace On Earth" and we all sang "Amazing Grace" together. An Honor Guard played "Taps" and then did the folding of the flag ceremony and presented it to me.

It was short and very touching. We talked, shared photos and stories, and had some lunch. Other than some input from us and some manpower, our community arranged and paid for everything. I know that I am in the right place as everyone involved is so caring and loving. Here is a link to the slideshow that Ben and Pat prepared Mike

The sad and hard news just keeps coming. My sister-in-law's father passed away on Sunday morning and last night I got a call from my former sister-in-law, Rosemary's husband informing me that she had a bad stroke and he almost lost her last week. She had a 100% blockage that they cleared out and 2 days later, it had closed up and required surgery again. She has been transferred to a place where she will get physical, speech, and occupational therapy. I spoke with her this morning and she told me she is working hard to recover so she can get home with her 2 young children, aged 11 and 8. That's 3 in a row for our family - I hope it stops.

Saturday, February 23. Pat and I decided to take a drive to the Painted Rocks Petroglyphs site near Gila Bend. We have been taking care of things around the house, working on thank you cards, and spending lots of time on the phone, and we both really needed to get away. We didn't spend a lot of time at the monument because we had Frisco with us and he wasn't allowed near the site. We did take a nice, long walk and explored the area that surrounds the monument and saw lots of little lizards scooting around, a jackrabbit, and a very large vulture-like bird.

My phone rang shortly after getting home and it was my sister-in-law, Sharon calling to let me know that Dan is in ICU in Milwaukee, fighting for every breath, getting pumped full of antibiotics for pneumonia, nebulizer treatments, and has been put on a ventilator. This sounds way too familiar to me and I'm trying real hard to think positive and pray that he pulls through.
February 11 - 17, 2013
Tuesday, February 12. Today has been another struggle, as Mike didn't have a very restful night, although he rested a bit this morning. Today's goal was to reduce the sedative he is getting to see if he wakes up and can breathe on his own. Good news is that he took good deep breaths, bad news is he didn't wake up and he got very anxious.

The thoracic surgeon talked with us and because there is very little healthy tissue in his left lung, surgery is not an option. They are consulting with a transplant surgeon but that doesn't look real promising either.

They will continue to see if he can wake and breathe as the day goes on. Keep the prayers coming, our chances are slimming.

Wednesday, February 13.. The love of my life, best friend ever, father to my children, and my partner in everything passed away peacefully at 2:30 this afternoon surrounded by his closest family; me, Pat, Ben, and his brothers Dan and Tom.

After learning that our chances were narrowing, all tests told us that there was no underlying infections that were causing his problems, the medications that have been given to clear his airways had done all they could do, we decided to remove the ventilator and see how he did. Before an hour had passed, he took his last breath.

Friday, February 15. It has been a whirlwind of activity around here with arrangements being made, friends calling on us, and an abundance of food has been arriving for us. Our wonderful community has taken over the preparations for a memorial service including arranging the place, planning the program, arranging for music, and donating and preparing some food. Pat and Ben are amazed by the show of love and caring by so many of our friends here. We have even gotten cards from people that I have never met.

My sister Rita and her husband Dennis and my brother Randy and his wife Julie arrived today.

So here is the announcement:

Michael Owen Bridge, age 65, passed away on February 13, 2013 in Mesa, AZ. He passed peacefully in the arms of his loving family. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, father and his grandson, Owen. He is survived by his wife, Rose, sons Patrick (Tracey) and Benjamin (Jill), and grand-daughters Savana and Charlotte and many very close long-time and not so long-time friends.

Mike had a strong interest in graphic arts, photography and printing that provided him a career in the advertising field until he retired. Early retirement allowed him to make many new friends and to visit old friends and family while traveling the United States in his house on wheels and also a wonderful European vacation. He was an avid reader, enjoyed computers and researching new technologies and gadgets, loved his Miata, but most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his faithful companion Frisco, his family and large network of friends.

A Memorial Service will be held at 3:00 pm on Sunday, February 17 at Highlands at Brentwood,120 N. Val Vista Dr., Mesa, AZ.
February 4 - 10, 2013
Monday, February 4. What a day. I knew Mike was really sick and I knew that I would need to take him to the doctor this morning but I didn't think I would be calling 911. Since Saturday night, he has had flu-like symptoms and difficulty breathing but he thought he could make it until Monday morning. We were able to get a 9:30 appointment but when he was getting ready, he asked me to call 911 - he couldn't even get his pants on. They came and checked him out and his heart was ok and his oxygen level was ok so they suggested that we continue with the original plan to visit his doctor and they helped him get into the car.

His doctor thinks that he his body is fighting flu symptoms but he has no fever (because of the flu shot). He is nauseous because of the Advil he has been taking for the severe headache and he had a panic attack because of his difficulty breathing. He may have bronchitis or pneumonia also.

It was almost 1:00 by the time we finished with his appointment and then chest x-rays, so my boss said to just stay home with him today. That works for me since I was on the schedule for Thursday and Friday this week.

Tuesday, February 5. Well, he's feeling a little better and struggling for air this morning and is also feeling hungry - a good sign. He sure is weak though.

The phone rang as I was sitting down for lunch and it was Ben who was home with Charlotte today because she was sick. So we got to have lunch with them on Facetime. She is getting so smart. I asked her to sing me a song and she sang the alphabet from A to G. I'm impressed - she's only 17 months old. It always makes my day when I get to see her - and Ben too!

Wednesday, February 6.. Mike is feeling better but is still very weak and having trouble breathing. His appetite was better today and he was awake a lot more. He heard from his doctor that he doesn't have an acute problem with his lungs but they want him to see a pulmonary specialist later in the month. I think he is on the mend.

My job was pretty intense today, I can't wait to see what the next 2 days will bring. I had non-stop transactions all day and was freaking out when it came time to balance out. After pulling my cash transactions for the deposit, my cash drawer was short. I looked and looked and couldn't find the problem. My boss found it - I had entered a credit card transaction as cash. What a relief, I balanced and got the hell out if there.

Saturday, February 7. When I got home for a break on Thursday, Mike was getting ready for a bath, so we didn't speak much other than for him to tell he felt like getting cleaned up a bit. At 5:30 when I got home, I immediately saw that there was no improvement. He was totally exhausted from taking a bath and walking back to his chair, about 10 feet. I called and spoke with the on call doctor at our clinic and she suggested a trip to the ER.

When we were finally seen around 10:00, his blood pressure was very high and they were unable to hear any air movement in his left lung. Her assistant listened, same thing. So they admitted him and ordered a CT scan and echocardiogram. He got to his room at about 11:30.

They started giving him breathing treatments (a nebulizer with medication) and oxygen and something to relax. When the pulmonary specialist came in, he did not have good things to say. Yes, his lungs are in very bad shape from emphysema but he was surprised to hear that Mike has even been able to function as he has up until recently and only on one medication for his breathing. He said that his left lung was the worst that he has ever seen and because of the damage shown on the CT scan, he isn't sure if there are any surgery options. He got a surgeon involved and she also is having trouble getting enough information from the scan, so they are ordering another to be done on Sunday. Parts of that lung may have collapsed.

They are continuing the breathing treatments and oxygen and I think we saw teeny improvements today. He felt like walking to the bathroom and it seemed like it didn't take quite as long to recover and catch his breath. He felt like eating some, although he definitely needs to be prodded to do that.

This is a very scary event and will involve some serious changes in our lifestyle. We plan on having many years together yet.

Sunday, February 10. When I arrived this morning, he was sitting up in bed, fighting for every breath that he took and this had gone on all night long. He was transported to ER and they have been working with him diligently since.

Mike continued to struggle through the day today, so we ended up putting him on a ventilator tonight around 10 pm, with the hopes that, with rest, he can be taken off the ventilator in a few days. We are now in wait and see mode and he is resting more comfortably.

Ben arrived this afternoon and Pat gets in tomorrow and that is a great comfort to me. Please keep the positive thoughts and prayers coming our way. I will update with any changes.

February 1 - 3, 2013
Sunday, February 3. I just realized that I have lost all of my journal updates from early January. I've tried and tried but can't find them, so that is just the way it is.

Friday was a terribly busy day at work and I don't remember the last time I worked a full day with just a short break at lunch. We checked in more than 45 people and was really tired when I got home. Mike fixed dinner and I just took it easy.

Yesterday, we spent the day with Pat and Roger and went to the Motoring Through Time car show at Heritage Park in downtown Phoenix. They had a really nice selection of cars on display and also a few vintage travel trailers. After that, we headed to Greasewood Flat in northern Scottsdale for a burger.

Just as we were coming in the gate to our community, I got a text from Nan saying that they were in the neighborhood. They stopped by and we had a nice time sitting out on the patio and having a *bleep*tail and some good conversation. It was a good day!

Created on 02/03/2013 09:38 AM by bridge
Updated on 03/02/2013 09:11 PM by bridge
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