Dearest Mary girl,
I write this account for you. For some of these events of this story occurred before you were born and then when you were very small and would not remember unless Mama tells you. Your dad was diagnosed with asthma when he was 2 years old. He struggled with it all his growing up years. He had many visits to the doctors and was diagnosed with lots of food and environmental allergies. He couldn't have chocolate, cows milk, pets that had dander like cats and chickens. He had to sleep in a room with no carpets and a big air purifier. Remember this was in the late fifties and early sixties. So most machines were a lot bigger back then compared to what they are now. He had to sleep partly elevated with 2 pillows so he could breath better. He gave his mom and dad a lot of scares as they watched over him and provided the best care they could give.
When he became a teenager, he out grew the asthma for the most part. He still could not run long distances and was excused from such activities in school and when he was in the military. He picked up a bad habit of smoking with he was sixteen. Grandma was not happy with him doing this after all the trouble they had with him on his breathing. He smoked for about 25 years. This habit was not kind to his lungs or his body. When he recommitted his life to the Lord, 5 years before Mommy met him, he became convicted about his habit and asked the Lord to help him. After a great struggle he was able to kick it.
Shortly after we met, his asthma began to return. It first started with only needing an over the counter allergy inhaler to give him relief when he was working in a dusty, dirty job or really tired. Then when we moved up here to Oregon, it got worse. The grass and tree pollen is really bad here in the spring and summer. He started going to a doctor for his condition. First he had an emergency inhaler with albuterol sulfate in it. Several years later he was having so much trouble between the weather and his job working in refrigeration, heating and air conditioning repair, that he went to the doctor and told him that he felt like he was drowning. They did a blood oxygen test on him and if he would of been one point lower they would of hospitalized him. They gave him a breathing treatment there and since he responded and the oxygen in his blood increased, they sent him home with a month of steroids to get the inflammation in his lungs down. Then they put him on a twice a day inhaler called Symbicort. It was a very expensive medicine ($350 an inhaler). It was a special drug that suppressed your immune system and it targeted your lungs. The doctor gave dad a free sample one. We did not have insurance to cover it, so your dad limped along with not using it all the time like it said to.
Finally dad was able to change jobs and started working for Providence Hospital. It really helped his health as he got to work inside with very sterile air and he worked in the sterile processing department for the surgery center of the hospital. Also we were able to get insurance that covered the expensive Symbicort. His breathing did improve but he still needed his medicine for the summer and when he got a cold. He would also have allergic reactions to the pollen of watery and burning eyes and dripping nose.
This summer, God touched your dad. My eyes are full of tears as I write this part. He stopped needing to use his inhaler. He could go outside and garden with Mama and not be bothered by the pollen. He stopped snoring loudly at night when he was tired and I would look over at him and he was breathing through his nose and his mouth was closed. Daddy had always needed to breath through his mouth at night to get enough air to breath. He went to his doctor and told how his breathing was so much better and not needing his medicine and his doctor was very surprised and said that he doesn't get news like that. Daddy is not taking any special vitamins or supplememts, just eating healthy and staying hydrated, as he has for a while now.
Dear sweet girl we are rejoicing in this work. The Lord promised your dad and I that we would live to raise you and he is abundantly fulfilling His promise to us. Your dad loves the Lord with all his heart and he is following the Lord in the truth humbly and faithfully. His walk with the Lord has always been such a joy and inspiration to me!!
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| Rich with his tomato crop. One plant has produced 40 tomatoes so far! |
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| You are our precious fruit of our lives! |
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| Daddy's grape vine is blooming in the fall too! |
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| beautiful fruit from blossoms this spring |
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| Daddy's grapevine is loaded this year. |
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| Promise verse given to me a year before I met your dad. |
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| Promise verse giving to Dad and I, two years before you were born. |
