This will be the last update on Marks health issues of 2008—music to our ears! Mark has been doing very well and continues to carve, bird, fish, canoe and enjoy life with enthusiasm.

He participated in all four of the shows we had scheduled last season and barely missed a beat—lets’ face it, we all get tired at shows!

Mark and I were touched by all the friends and clients who popped in to visit during the shows. We were also pleased to touch base with all the friends who kept in touch during the long spring and summer months. It was so wonderful to have such support.

We were also moved, literally and figuratively, by the aid and love of our kind-hearted artist friends. Being able to get from one place to another, having some set-up assistance and lots of hugs and encouragement was such a blessing while Mark was on the mend.

Thank you all, again, for your kind thoughts and prayers.

February 29, 2008 - Mark entered St Johns Medical Center, Tulsa, OK to be examined for recurring angina; he was admitted for quadruple by-pass surgery, which was scheduled the following Monday [3/3/08].

The first three days following surgery were good; then things deteriorated from there. Instead of being released after 1 week, he ended up remaining for 5 weeks and 1 day and underwent a total of 3 major surgeries. This was all like an extremely bad horror story. Without going into a lot of detail I will just say that Mark had been through the ringer. Suffice it to say that things were not going well at that point, even though he was being released.

April 5, 2008 - Mark was discharged from the hospital—he had huge tension stitches and a chest tube draining, was weak as a newborn, had a staph infection and a myriad of other things.

The problem he had was not the by-pass—it was just doing wonderfully. The problem involved the chest wall and blood supply -- or lack thereof.

Upon being released, we were fortunate enough to have very kind and generous friends who allowed us to move into a family home that was currently not being used. This was a huge blessing because our RV did not have the space to allow for my being in all the same places Mark was at the same time he was, in order to lift him.

May7, 2008 - a non-healing wound exploration was done to try to advance the healing of his chest wall. A wound-vac was issued and we remained in Tulsa to wait for his health to improve. The wound-vac didn’t work for Mark although we all had such high hopes for it. After two weeks of trying, it was taken off in the emergency room. Packing of the wound twice a day was the replacement.

June 14, 2008 - we left Tulsa driving our RV to Denver, from which we would fly on the 18th to get home to Oregon. Fifty miles out of Tulsa the novelty of at last being on the road had worn off, and we were wondering what we had been thinking or even if we had been thinking (had we been thinking?) when we compromised on this decision.

Dear friends, Kim and Elwin Shaklee, gave us such care when we finally plopped down on their doorstep. Elwin and a lifelong friend, Darryl, left the next day driving our RV to Oregon and we stayed one more night to catch our flight the on 18th. At this point Mark was not the only one needing to be taken care of and Kim took care of me while I cared for Mark. They are quite the human beings and dear friends.

Upon arriving in Medford, OR more dear friends took over and alas, a comprehensive medical plan of attack was put together. I had told our Oregon Dr when I forwarded all Marks records that: “My guy is in serious trouble and you have got to help him”.

Help is just what he did; when we arrived at the office the next day the tests were done, calls were made and more tests and appointments and surgery set up. This was to be surgery #5—another major one which would clean up and repair areas plus move pectoral muscles to give him a blood supply to enable his chest to heal.

My gosh, he is doing so well now. It has been a long road from February 29th 'till now, but it is worth it to see the results. Everyday he is getting stronger and gaining stamina too.

He has been back to carving for quite a while now. Naturally, all things went slowly at first, but he is enjoying being back in the workshop. The passion is still there, and things are getting done.

This all began on February 29th—Leap year. So I guess the moral of this story is: “Do not leave home on February 29th for it might be a long time before you get back to it again”!

We want to send a very heartfelt THANK YOU to all of our family, friends, clients and casual acquaintances—everyone—who sent extremely good thoughts and prayers our way during all of this. The term greatly appreciated doesn’t begin to cover the magnitude of emotion we feel but at this time it is the best I can do.