(11/3/05): Dad is not doing well now. The hospice nurse said on Monday that he is in the final stage. His breathing is very shallow, and his eyes sometimes roll back a bit, but he is still hanging on. As Donnie Scott said, “He is a tough ol’ bird.”  I’m sure he can still understand us when we speak to him, because he will slightly squeeze our hands when we tell him that we love him. He also mouths a few words at times, mostly saying that he loves us and asking for “Mom”. That is what he has always called his wife in front of his kids.  Last night, we thought the end was very near, so the family gathered with him and prayed for his peace and healing in the passing.  However, his breathing improved and his eyes settled down after that, so God has given us a few more hours with him. 

Bill

(10/28/05):  Dad’s condition has progressively worsened over the past couple of days.  He can no longer talk, and does not even recognize Mom or the rest of us, at times.  Interestingly, he always seems to know who I’m talking about when I deliver a message to him from Susanna (my Chinese wife whom he has never met... she is still in China). His breathing has become labored, and he wants someone to hold his hand constantly... usually Mom.  His right arm and leg has begun to jump quite a bit, due to epileptic-type effects caused by the tumor.  Dad is a fighter, and he will hold on as long as he can, but I do not think he will be with us much longer.

Bill

(10/16/05):  Dad has begun to weaken quite a bit.  Where he had been able to understand us when we ask him questions previously, now he usually does not even react many times. He doesn’t laugh anymore, but I can still make him smile by doing something silly.  I don’t know how much longer he can last, but he is still hanging on.  It is a very hard time for all of us... especially Mom. One strange occurance - He woke up on Thursday with blue eyes! His eyes have always been dark brown, but now they are as blue as the rest of the family’s eyes. Some medications can cause this, and he did start a new antibiotic this week. The nurse said that she supposes the tumor could also have caused it, but she wasn’t sure how.

Bill

(9/19/05):   I haven’t updated in a while because things had not changed much.  However, Dad seems to have had more trouble communicating lately.  Some of it is the medication, because he does better right before he takes it. He is on a small dose of morphine now for the pain. He has also lost most of the use in his right arm and leg. Dad is still in fairly good spirits though, and still likes to laugh whenever he feels well enough.   Mom has been sleeping on the sofa in the living room at night, so she can stay close to Dad. She refuses to let my sister or I do that for her.

Bill

(9/3/05):  Dad is still getting along as well as possible. He has some stomach spasms occasionally, but most of the time he is okay.  He and I began our autumn ritual today... watching the University of Tennessee football game on television.  Later I took Dad out in his wheelchair to see his log house addition for the first time.  He was very pleased with it.  A gentleman at a local church kindly gave us a wheelchair for free, thanks to our neighbor who knows him.

Bill

(8/28/05):   Dad seems to be doing as well as can be expected right now.  We had a bit of a problem getting the wheelchair, so that will wait until tomorrow. He is tired of being in bed all the time, and it will make him very happy to see all the work on the log house. Right now he has a house full of visitors, and they are playing music for him. His long-time band, Barb Kuhns and Doug Smith, drove down from Ohio to visit, and Hunter Berry (fiddler with Rhonda Vincent) and his parents are here too.  Nephew Jerry Keys and his wife Susie (both with Trey Hensley’s band) round out the visitors.  With wife Lola and daughter Cathy also in the room, there is not enough oxygen left for me to get in there.  LOL

Bill

(8/24/05): Dad had been sleeping a lot lately, thanks to some new medication the doctors have given him.  Yesterday, he told Mom that he didn’t remember why he was in the hospital, and he fully expected to recover.  Mom could not tell him what the situation is, so it fell on my shoulders. Dad took it with the reserved demeanor that he is known for, but it was the hardest thing I have ever done.  Dad has always been one who wants to know exactly what is going on.  We hope to have his wheelchair tomorrow, and I plan to get him down to see the work on his log house. All the outside walls are up, and the rafters are in place.  Roofing comes next, I suppose.

Bill

(8/21/05):   Dad had a good day today.  He was coherent most of the day, and was joking around with me tonight. He had many visitors today, including 14-year-old guitar prodigy, Trey Hensley (and parents), who has a special bond with Dad.  I showed Trey a new inexpensive Washburn guitar that I had purchased, and he ended up playing several tunes, with Dad grinning the whole time.  Tonight, I played my banjo for Dad, and then gave it to him in his bed to pick a little.  My banjo (see photo above) is an old openback Orpheum pot with a neck that Dad made himself. The heel and peghead have some very intricate ivy carvings on them.  Dad loves that banjo, but he gave it to me when I moved to Birmingham back in 1987. After I moved back to Tennessee, I put the banjo behind his chair so he could play it whenever he wanted.

Bill

(8/19/05): Dad is resting comfortably in his new hospital bed.  Some of Mom’s family arrived at their nearby hotel tonight, and will be here tomorrow to see Mom and Dad. Her youngest sister (Margaret, or “Pete” as she is nicknamed) is not well, and she made the 400+ mile trip just to see the folks. Pete’s husband and two of her four adult children are here also. 

I am trying to talk Mom into renting a wheelchair for Dad, because he wants to see the work on his log house. The workers have all the walls up, and intended to have it under roof by this afternoon, but the weather has not cooperated the past two days.  I would be happy to push Dad around his property, because he has always enjoyed just walking around it and seeing what was growing.

Bill

[Home] [About Will] [Recordings] [Video] [Photos] [Contact Will] [Healthwatch]