A STUMBLE ALONG THE JOURNEY...

I hate to start this post off

 with a note of sadness,

 but this is kind of how

 the past few weeks have been.

 Tim, Tami and Jake 

lost their golden, Cruzer, 

to stomach cancer. 

 He was a 

big, goofy, beautiful and good boy, 

and he will be 

missed so much.

As if that wasn't enough, 

a few days after his passing, 

Tami experienced 

some heart problems.

She and Tim 

were working around the house

 when her heart 

started beating so fast

 they were unable

 to get a reading on

 their home BP monitor.

When sitting in a chair,

 she said it felt like the chair 

was coming through her back and 

she could see the beating 

of her heart 

through her shirt.

Tim took her to the ER 

where they were finally able 

to get a reading of 258 beats per minute.

 It finally settled back

 into normal range

 and they called in a cardiologist.

 She performed an ultrasound 

and discovered some fluid

 around the heart 

which may have been the result of

 the heart's beating 

so hard and fast and

 caused it to rupture 

a small amount.

She was diagnosed with

 arterial flutter.

An appointment was set up for her 

at a hospital in Redwood City

 to perform an ablasion, 

which she had last Wednesday.

 If you are not familiar with that word, 

in simple layman terms,

it is a procedure 

where they poke a wire through 

a small hole in a vein

 in the groin area and 

run it up 

into the heart.

When they find

 where the flutter is 

they fix it

 and you are as good as new.

 It is quite a common condition 

that millions of people have.

 As I have stated, 

this procedure,

 with the spelling and content, 

is purely in my words.

 I don't have the expertise

 to state it logically but

 I hope you can get the idea.

 They are watching the fluid, 

making sure it doesn't get any bigger 

and expect it to clear up,

on its own, 

over time.

As many of you know, 

Tami is a fourteen year survivor

 of breast cancer.

 Every year, 

for the past fourteen, 

she has raised money to walk 

in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk

 in San Francisco.

Over the past thirteen years

 she has raised a total of $23,400 

and this year she added $2,200 

to that amount.

 It is her way of honoring 

all men and women

 that have been hit by 

this horrible disease and 

to give "C"

 a hard kick 

in the ass!...

...except this year 

she won't be able to 

as the walk is this coming weekend

 and it is too soon for her 

to be attacking 

the hills of San Francisco

 as she usually does,

 and you have to know Tami, 

she never does 

anything

 halfway!

Needless to say,

 she is more than disappointed

 that she won't be able to walk.

 She is concerned that 

she would be letting down 

all the ones who donated 

to the cause.

 Even though 

most would never know 

that she couldn't walk,

 she would know.

 But here is where

 a bit of brightness

 comes into the whole picture.

 Jake

 is going 

to walk 

for her.

You all know that

 I brag about Jake 

as often as I can.

  

I am not apologizing for that at all. 

 It is just a fact

 of who he is.

 But, 

I have never been as proud 

as I am in this instance.

 Pure and simple,

 his mother is devastated and

 he is stepping in 

to make it right 

for her.

Tami, 

life is a journey and 

we are so proud of your family and 

glad that this part of your journey

 is coming to an end and

 looking forward 

to the best 

that is yet 

to be.

...Mom and Dad...

Hope you all 

are having the best

 Fourth of July 

celebrations!

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