Irene Dias

July 3, 2007

Posted by DaveDias in Dave's Updates

The UCSF Nursing Team Has Been Incredible

4.30 p.m.

I reported that this last weekend was brutal. Irene had extraordinary pain on Friday evening which ended up being a severely distended stomach. She was rushed for a CAT scan with the concern of a perforation or burst in the intestinal/stomach areas. Today is a new day. She has no pain, the apparent blockage that caused the episode seems to have passed, and she’s doing very well. The 24/7 dialysis was removed today. She is having dialysis, but it will be daily for 2-3 hours instead of around the clock…The “nose tube” which was placed on Friday evening to siphon fluid from her tract has also been removed. What an amazing turnaround!!!!!!

The nursing team at UCSF has been extraordinary…they are many times the unrecognized and unsung heroes on the front line tending to patients. Today I walked into the blood bank and saw Josephine Juan, one of the attending RN’s for Irene in the ICU, donating her O+ blood…Wow… so very cool that she wanted to donate for Irene…

Another friend, Kathy McFarland, is also giving platelets today…for the second time…Wow… driving over 4 hours twice…an amazing commitment to Irene….

I share these stories to let you know that everyone’s care and expressions are overwhelming us with thanksgiving…each person supporting us in their own way…. We thank you sooooooo much…!!!! We could not travel this road alone…thanks for your support…!!!!!!!

Dave

July 2, 2007

Posted by DaveDias in Well Wishes

Well Wishes From Paul & Christina Grabowsky

Dear Dave & Irene –

My wife Christina, my kids, Katarina (11) and Jake (9), and I are all praying for His strength to indwell you to overcome the pain you’re suffering while we wait on Him for the miracle of complete healing and recovery. We have a couple churches here in the East Bay lifting you all up in prayer as well.

Speaking of miracles, I have a little one (or two) to tell you about…

I met Dave a couple years ago when I started working with one of his accounts. He is truly one of my favorite people and a very good brother in Christ. Though I’ve never met you, Irene, I know that you’ve got to be pretty spectacular by extrapolation, since he is very clear that you are his “better half”.

Dave emailed me and another brother about the amyloid about 2 months ago and asked for our prayers and directed us to the website. I spent a little time on the website to get the gist of your situation and then went home later that day and told my Proverbs 31 wife about it. After talking about it at the dinner table with all of us deciding to pray for you daily, Christina later came to me and told me that she’d like to knit a “prayer shawl” for you.

I didn’t quite know what that was so I asked her. Although my wife had only started knitting about 6 months ago, she had just heard about this ministry in which a knitter would knit a shawl or blanket while praying for the recipient – praying the whole time while knitting. In this way, the recipient would literally be “covered in prayer”. Christina asked me if I thought it was a good idea that you would be the first recipient of a prayer shawl she made. I told her that I thought it was a beautiful idea and that I would be happy to deliver it to you.

The next day at work I ventured back onto your website at lunch and read a good portion of it that I

July 2, 2007

Posted by DaveDias in Well Wishes