Hi all you Geoff fans, Its Geoff’s dad filling in for Geoff once more to keep you up to date.
We are seeing what determination and the human spirit can accomplish first hand. As many of you know Geoff has been in critical condition since Wednesday. He fought and kicked through an incredible week since being admitted to hospital last Sunday with a 41 degree fever. He was up and down so many times we can’t recount the events. He struggled for each breath on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Wednesday night we were called to the hospital as he was unable to keep up with his body’s demand for oxygen. He was put on a pressurised oxygen mask which was incredibly uncomfortable and fought through that for two days before finally getting to the point on Friday night at 7:45 of being assisted in his breathing by a respirator. Its meant that he could no longer talk, which is really frustrating for him. By Sunday morning he had lost more ground and was critical to the point of us having to call all the family in for what could easily have been our last visit with Geoff. As the week has progressed he has been getting more and more heavily sedated to help him through the pain and discomfort. All of you who know Geoff will know that that’s not something he would accept without great pain. That’s the history of the last week.
Saturday night as I was leaving for the night I went in to say Good Night to him, I was talking to him and he reached for me, and after a few missed attempts gave me a hug. I don’t think it lifted his spirits as much as it lifted mine, but I knew then that he was still playing his Game. Sunday Morning, I was there to see him early and he was struggling still. After talking to him again for a while I read him a poem that I found last Winter when looking for some comfort and inspiration for Geoff and I, not necessarily in that order. I keep the poem in my folder for a time when I felt we needed it.
Its called Persist.
PERSIST
(A.K.A. Don’t Quit)
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must – but don’t you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And may a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow –
You might succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man.
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out.
The silver tint to the clouds of doubt –
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may appear when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit!
After I finished he smiled and reached for another hug, setting off all the alarms on his respirator and monitors. To tell you that I was comforted doesn’t begin to describe it, and his smile told me that he was too. I knew he was fighting with all his energy, but didn’t know if it was enough. Soon after that his condition deteriorated even more as his lungs started shutting down and the Doctors were preparing us for the worst. Everyone gathered around and we were all in our own way reflecting, praying and concentrating our energies to find a way to help Geoff and deal with the situation. Again he rallied with the help of the medical team and by evening he was in a stable condition, still critical, but still fighting. I’m writing this at 6:00 am Monday morning, and Geoff had a good night in that there were no critical issues arising. He’s really got an uphill climb back to life but miracles do happen. Whatever the outcome we know that Geoff is not quitting, and all you fans are keeping his adrenaline pumping. Prayers and positive thoughts are appreciated by all of us.
Fraser
