Conclusion of “The Rest of the Story”

Emma, Sal’s wife, came to the hospital to pick us up and take us back to the hotel after Richard’s second hyperbaric chamber treatment.  She offered to take me shopping after dropping Richard off at the hotel. We needed clothes.  I only brought one change of clothes for each of us because we left Matangi in such a hurry and I had no idea how long we would be gone.  I did laundry in the sink but we still needed more clothes.  It felt good to get out and do something normal like shopping.  Emma took me to a mall in the business district and I shopped.  It was great.

Laundry day in the hotel.

View from our hotel room

 

Friday was day three in Suva which meant two more hours in the chamber.  Richard and I took our first taxi ride to the hospital. Dr. Luke was supposed to meet us and check on Richard’s progress but he was extremely busy due to his wife having their first baby so he did not make it to see Richard.  This time while Richard was in the chamber I talked to Kuini about God, churches in Fiji and America and scripture.  She wrote her favorite scripture, Jeremiah 29:11 in Fijian for me. Then she wrote my life verse, 2 Corinthians 5:17, in Fijian as well as Richard favorite verse 2 Corinthians 12:9-10.  I keep the paper she wrote the verses on in my journal from Fiji.

After two hours Richard emerged from the chamber without assistance and Kuini removed the catheter tubing.  She told Richard if he was unable to urinate he needed to come back to the hospital and get the catheter reinserted.  We walked out, got a taxi and headed back to the hotel.

Richard was still weak and was starting to feel constipated.  He asked if I could get him a laxative.  I was pretty sure I could find the shopping district where Emma had taken me the day before using my phone and it was within walking distance of the hotel.  I was not comfortable leaving Richard alone until he urinated.

Once Richard finally used the bathroom I started walking to downtown Suva to find a pharmacy. The pharmacy was a couple of miles from the hotel.  I purchased the stool softener and started walking back to the hotel.  I decided to take a short detour down to the waterfront then to get a pizza for dinner.  After ordering the pizza I sat at a table by the window adjacent to the street to wait for my order.  As I sat staring out the window I pondered our situation and thought here I am walking around the capital of a foreign country in the South Pacific by myself and doing just fine.  I felt pretty proud of myself.  God had put amazing people in my path to help guide and support me during a very difficult time. I felt blessed to be able to see parts of Fiji most Americans would never see and to be pushed to do things I would never have thought I would do on my own.  God is good.

Once the pizza was brought to me I continued my journey back to the hotel to continue watching the Discovery Channel.  The television in our room only got one American channel, the Discovery Channel, and it showed the same episodes of seven different shows repeatedly throughout the day the whole time we were in Suva.  

Day four brought more healing for Richard.  Before going into the chamber Dr. Luke examined Richard once again and had him perform a balance test where he had to put he feet heal to toe, cross his arms and hold them out in front of himself with his eyes closed.  Richard could only hold the position for a few seconds.  Dr. Luke told us he would examine him again tomorrow and he could try it again.  He also told us if Richard could hold the position for one minute tomorrow (Sunday) he would release him to fly back to Taveuni on a low altitude flight as long as he called him upon our arrival in Taveuni and we agreed to fly a standard commercial flight back to Nadi, which is on the same island as Suva, on Tuesday.  Dr. Luke felt this would be a good test to see how Richard would eventually do on the flight back to Los Angeles on Friday and if there were any issues he would already be on the island he needed to be on in order to receive further hyperbaric chamber treatments.  We readily agreed to Dr. Luke’s terms and I immediately started looking for a private charter flight for us on Sunday after Richard’s last treatment.

The travel insurance company would not help me without a doctor to doctor conference call and that was not going to happen on a Saturday afternoon.  The airline companies I called either did not offer any flights on Sunday or had no planes available.  I finally called my local contact for the travel agency and she set us up on private charter flight leaving Sunday afternoon but we had to pay for it upfront and submit the receipt to the insurance company with the hope of getting reimbursed.  I was really hesitant on paying so much money for an hour flight, but Richard said we should do it and trust God to take care of us like He had so far. If we did not leave on Sunday with the low altitude flight I’m not sure when we could have left and made it back to Matangi to get our belongings and then return again by Tuesday.

We booked the flight and the next morning Richard and I walked together to the travel agency to pay for it.  As we were walking back from the travel agency to our hotel to get ready to check-out and head to the hospital for what would hopefully be Richard’s last treatment, I walked behind Richard and simply admired the fact he was able to walk.  Just five days earlier he was paralyzed from the neck down and now he was walking in Suva with me and we were planning how to spend the rest of our time in Fiji.  God is so good.

We arrived at the hospital 30 minutes early.  Needless to say we were anxious to get started.  Unfortunately, Kuini was an hour late.  She lives an hour from the hospital and on Sundays almost all of the businesses shut down so it was difficult for her to arrange transportation to the hospital.  Plus “Fiji time” is a real concept generally meaning “late everywhere.”

Once Kuini arrived Richard hopped into the chamber to start the last two hour treatment.  After the treatment we had to wait for Dr. Luke to arrive for the final okay to leave.  Our ride to the airport arrived on time but there was no sign of Dr. Luke.  The driver became very anxious and told us we needed to get to the airport at least 45 minutes before our flight.  Once we told him it was a private charter and we were the only passengers he calmed down and told us it was fine and they would not leave without us.

Dr. Luke finally arrived and did his final exam.  He asked Richard to perform the balance test again and this time Richard held the position for a minute.  After we left Richard told me he cheated and opened his eyes just enough to see Dr. Luke’s feet so he had something to focus on to help him keep his balance. Richard still felt dizzy and numbness in his hands, feet and abdomen but it was subsiding.

We received the final okay to leave and we made the mad dash to the airport.  The ride to the airport was not as fast as the one initially to the hospital and we saw the countryside. Once we arrived at the airport Yvette from New Zealand introduced herself as our pilot, loaded us up on her plane and we were once again in the air on our way back to Taveuni.

We arrived on Taveuni without incident.  Richard got off of the plane feeling great and our ride to the boat to take us back to Matangi was waiting for us.

When we arrived back at Matangi we were once again greeted with fresh coconut water and singing.  Christine met us at the boat and walked us back to our room where there was a beautiful flower arrangement at our front door along with a card welcoming us home.

We picked up our anniversary trip where we had left off five days prior minus the scuba diving.  Richard was still extremely weak so we were not able to do all our planned activities but we did what we could and had a fabulous time.  The whole staff of Matangi Island Resort took amazing care of us.  Noel, the owner of Matangi Resort, called me every day, sometimes twice a day while we were in Suva to check on Richard’s progress and see if we needed anything.  Noel checked the minutes on the phone regularly and when the minutes got low he added more without me asking.  Upon our return to Matangi Noel spent a lot of time with us asking questions trying to understand what went wrong and why the accident happened.  He has owned the resort for 30 years and nothing like this had ever happened before and he sure did not want it to happen again.  The owners and staff of the resort as well as the owner’s family and staff in Suva went above and beyond to help Richard and I during this difficult experience and we will be forever grateful.

Through the whole experience Richard was never worried.  I’m still amazed how calm he was when he was paralyzed and through all the events following the accident.  The peace of God overwhelmed Richard which in turn kept me calm and focused in our most desperate hours.

As of August 1, 2016 it has been 84 days since the diving accident.  Richard is still not 100%.  He has numbness in his feet and hands and gets fatigued easily.  Every day his symptoms get a little better.  The doctor we followed up with in Fort Myers, Florida told us it will probably take six months for his body to completely heal because nerves are extremely slow to heal.  The travel insurance company paid for half of our private charted flight back to Taveuni, none of the hotel in Suva, and more than expected for our time missed on Matagani.  I keep in contact with Christine from Matangi via email.

After further research on decompression sickness and looking back on our trip I believe Richard got the bends due to a combination of events and circumstances consisting of, but not limited to four flights within a 24 hour period, his age, and his weight.  Richard and I hope to return to Matangi one day, whether we dive or not is still up for debate.  Richard is all for going diving again but I’m still apprehensive about it.  If we do go and we do dive, we will wait 48 hours instead of the standard 24 hours after flying before diving.  Only God knows what the future holds.  We are only along for the ride and try to stay open to His will. 

Part 4 of “The Rest of the Story”

I followed behind as Richard’s bed was pushed through the crowded, dirty halls to the men’s ward.  Upon entering the men’s ward the smell of urine permeated my nostrils and it took every ounce of strength I could muster up not to start crying again. I did not want to leave Richard alone in that place. We rounded the corner of the nurses’ station where two nurses were sitting and saw a room with six other men and their families.  All eyes were immediately on us. I’m sure the other people in the room were wondering why two white people were being brought into the room.  Richard’s bed was parked in a corner next to the entrance and across from four men.  The man directly across from us was sitting up in bed eating rice with his hands.  An elderly man a few beds down was sitting up coughing profusely as if he were dying.  The only place for me to sit was on a wooden bench against the wall which was next to a sink with a sign on it stating, “Potable water. For drinking only.”  We were told the shower and bathrooms were down the hall if Richard wanted to take a shower.  That did not sit well with me since Richard could not walk I knew he would not be getting a shower.  Richard had not eaten for 36 hours and he was hungry so I asked if they could bring him some food. Richard continued to assure me he would be fine and I should go to the hotel to get some rest.  I told him I wanted to stay until he got some food.

After 20 minutes Richard’s dinner arrived consisting of a handful of white rice on a prison tray topped with a boiled chicken leg and no utensils. I asked for a fork and the nurse said she would see if she could fine one.  The tears were getting harder to restrain as I knew this was not a good situation for Richard to be in overnight.  The meal which was provided was not enough food for Richard, he was told to drink a lot of water but I wasn’t sure if the water from the tap was safe for him to drink, there was no bottled water and I didn’t know if anybody would be around to get him water if he could drink the sink water because there was no call button for the nurses’ station where two nurses were placed to take care of 12 patients (six on Richard’s side and six on the side). Once again Richard insisted he was fine and told me to go get some rest.  I just couldn’t leave him.  I finally asked him if he would consider coming with me. He was not sure if he could walk or not and we talked about it for 30 seconds more and he agreed he would try to walk and go with me.  I helped him out of the bed, he leaned on me with his left arm around my neck and grabbed his catheter bag with his right hand and we headed for the door.  As we passed the nurses’ station Richard told the nurses he was going with me to the hotel.  They asked him to wait until they spoke with Dr. Luke, his doctor which I had not officially met yet.  Richard agreed and sat on an empty bed near the door while the nurses called Dr. Luke and I stepped outside of the room to called Salome.

I told Salome I was still at the hospital and wanted to take Richard to the hotel with me.  I asked if she would mind giving us a ride.  She told me she was at the grocery store with her husband but would be at the hospital within 15 minutes.  I went back into the room and told Richard.  He said he was waiting for Dr. Luke to arrive to talk to him.  I went outside to wait for Salome while Richard waited for Dr. Luke.  As I was standing outside a security guard approached me and asked if I needed help.  I told him I was waiting on my ride and he walked a few feet away but kept his eye on me.

A few minutes later Salome pulled into the parking lot and backed up to the hospital door.  I told her I would be right out with Richard.  When I arrived back at the men’s ward Richard was still waiting on Dr. Luke.  I told him our ride was here and we needed to go now.  Once again I helped him to his feet, he leaned on me with his left arm around my neck and grabbed his catheter bag with his right hand and we made our great escape.  People stared at us as we wobbled through the halls and the security guard watched as I put Richard in the back seat of Salome’s car.  I  jumped in the car on the other side and yelled to Salome, “Go! Go! Go!”  It felt as if we were breaking out of prison.

Salome and her husband dropped us off at the entrance of the hotel.  I thanked her once again for all of her help as I helped Richard out of the car.  As she always did, she told me to call her if I needed anything else. 

I sat Richard down in the closest chair to the entrance of the hotel holding his catheter bag as I went and officially checked into the hotel.  Since Salome spoke to the receptionist in Fijian I was not sure what she knew so I started to tell her the situation and she told me she already knew.  I booked the room for three nights hoping Dr. Lance was correct when he told me back on Taveuni that most of the time only three treatments are necessary.

I went back to get Richard from the chair in the lobby and we headed to the elevator to take us to our room.  While in the elevator Dr. Luke called the phone number I left at the hospital in order to get in touch with us.  He was not happy and yelled at me telling me Richard had left against medical advice (AMA) and we needed to go back to the hospital immediately for him to sign papers stating he was leaving AMA.  I informed Dr. Luke our ride had already left so we had no way back to the hospital and Richard would sign the paperwork in the morning.  Richard then spoke to Dr. Luke to tell him he felt he would receive better care from me in the hotel than at the hospital and we would be back in the morning for another hyperbaric chamber treatment.  Dr. Luke was not happy about this but agreed and told Richard to be back at the hospital at 9:00 am. 

There was bottled water in the hotel room for Richard to drink and I ordered room service for a very late dinner.  It was a tough night with little sleep.  There were several times I wondered if we had made the right decision to leave AMA.  At one point during the night Richard noticed his catheter bag was getting full so we had to figure out how to empty it.  In the morning I went downstairs to the pool area and found a plastic foot stool to take to the room for Richard to sit on while taking a shower.  I helped Richard take a shower as he was still not able to stand on his own.

As we got ready to go back to the hospital we were both apprehensive about seeing Dr. Luke but we knew Richard did better with me in the hotel than he would have done in the hospital.  I called Salome and asked her once again if she could give us a ride because I needed to go by a store and get some food and more water.  She arrived a short time later and took us to a small store on the way to the hospital. 

As I walked up and down the aisles of the store looking for food to eat on the run but not too unhealthy and bottled water I saw a large rat run between the aisles. It was a nice subtle reminder of our presence in a third world country.

We arrived back at the hospital at 8:45 and Dr. Luke was already there waiting on us. Richard apologized for leaving the hospital the way we did and Dr. Luke appeared to understand.  Dr. Luke then performed his first physical exam of Richard since meeting him.  He confirmed the diagnosis of decompression sickness and said Richard would require five hyperbaric chamber treatments; one lasting six hours which he already had the day before on Wednesday, then four more two hour treatments on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  I was so disappointed we could not leave on Saturday.  I asked Dr. Luke if there was any way possible we could leave on Saturday instead of Sunday.  I was so desperate to try and save at the least the weekend at Matangi.  Dr. Luke told us there was a very slim chance we could leave Saturday but he seriously doubted it because he usually does either three or five treatments and Richard’s case was severe and required five.  I started crying at the idea of having to stay in Suva another four days.  Dr. Luke left and Richard prepared to enter the hyperbaric chamber for a two hour treatment.  I composed myself once again and went to get Richard a bottle of water to take into the chamber with him so he would have plenty to drink.  As I looked around the room I noticed several bottles of water on a shelf at the entrance of the chamber.  I thought I would save the water I bought for later and give him one of the bottles off of the shelf.  When I picked up one of the bottles on the shelf I noticed the seal on the top was broken.  I checked the other bottles and all the seals were broken.  The bottles were being reused.  I quickly changed my mind and gave Richard one of the bottles I bought earlier that morning.

Dr. Luke assessing Richard’s condition.

After Richard got into the chamber and his treatment started my disappointment in not being able to leave on Saturday turned to anger.  I was so angry that a trip I had been planning for so long was ruined.  The walls of the chamber room felt like they were closing in on me.  I had to get out of there.  I went for a walk down the street and back.  I was met with stares at every point.  I’m sure the locals were wondering why a white woman was out walking on the street in a part of the town which did not have any tourism. 

Upon my return Kuini asked how I was doing and I told her not good.  I explained to Kuini why we left the hospital the night before AMA.  I told her how long I had been planning this trip and I couldn’t believe I was going to be stuck there until Sunday or Monday.  This is not how this trip was supposed to go!  After I finished my rant Kuini looked at me with compassion and sympathy and replied, “At least he is getting better.”

What a verbal slap in the face.  She was right.  The instant her words hit my ears my attitude completely changed.  Just 48 hours earlier Richard was paralyzed from the neck down and now he was able to walk a little on his own.  I was being so selfish and narcissistic.  Yes, I was in a third world country hospital.  Yes, I had no family to help me.  Yes, I would not be diving in Fiji again. But I was seeing parts of Fiji very few Americans will ever see and my husband was recovering from a life-threatening injury.  God was providing for all our needs as I released my wants.

When Richard came out of the chamber I had a completely different attitude.  I now had an attitude of gratitude.  I was so grateful Richard was able to get out of the chamber on his own this time.  He was still extremely weak but he was getting better. I was grateful Dr. Luke agreed to let Richard stay in the hotel and do the chamber treatments as an outpatient.  Kuini removed the catheter bag but left the tubing in and placed a clamp on the end of the tube.  Now Richard had to release the clamp to urinate and he had to walk around with a clamp in his shorts.  It was pretty funny.  Richard told Kuini if he could find an Ace Hardware he could get the parts to put a spicket  (hickinese for faucet) on the end of the tube and would not need the clamp.  I laughed but Kuini politely smiled and nodded having no idea what he just said.

To be continued…

 

Part 3 of “The Rest of the Story”

An hour later we landed in Suva and Richard was transported into another ambulance.  This ambulance had to be 40 years old.  This time there was no room for me in the front so I rode in the back with Ming and Richard.  We got the full ambulance treatment on the way to the hospital; lights were flashing, siren was going, and the driver was weaving in and out of traffic as if he was in a high speed chase.  Equipment was being tossed around in the ambulance as Ming and I held onto whatever we could find to keep from being thrown around.  As we dodged in and out of traffic I began to think Richard survived the bends only to die in an ambulance wreck.  Richard later told me he could not distinguish how the driver was doing but he saw the looks on Ming’s and mine faces and he knew it was not good. Ming repeatedly told the driver Richard was in stable condition so there was no need to speed but he didn’t seem to listen.  I personally think he liked the excuse to drive like a mad man.

By the grace of God we made it to the hospital safely.  Richard was taken in the front entrance.  The doors of the hospital were propped open because there was no air conditioning.  As I walked behind Richard’s stretcher being rolled through the hospital corridor I felt everyone’s stare.  There were so many people lining the hallways, sitting in every possible seat, waiting to be treated.  We were being quickly whisked through the halls with Richard on the stretcher and we were the only white people so we naturally drew everyone’s attention.   Going through the halls of Colonial War Memorial Hospital was like nothing I had ever experienced before.  The hospital was built in the 1930’s and had never been updated.  The floors and walls were dirty and cracked; there were bars on the windows, and cracks in the ceiling and walls.  One of the hospital employees rolling Richard through the halls was barefoot.

We eventually came to a part of the hospital which was primarily used for surgery and Richard was taken into a pre-op room for evaluation. Even though he was not going to have surgery he was taken there because it was one of the few air conditioned rooms and it was where the more serious cases were triaged.  I was not allowed to go with him into the room.  This was devastating for me.  I had to sit outside the room in a broken chair for hours waiting for someone to tell me what was going on.  Finally I saw a man walk out of the room carrying a large folder with Richard’s name on it.  He did not approach me so I went up to him.  He immediately knew I was Richard’s wife since Richard was the only white guy in the pre-op room and was the only white woman in the hall.  He was very short with me and only told me they were still doing some tests.

About 45 minutes later the barefoot employee and another woman brought Richard out on the gurney.  I ran to them and Kuini, the nurse, told me they were taking him to get x-rays and once those results were back he would be taken to the hyperbaric chamber for treatment. Kuini told me I could walk with them to x-ray but I would have to wait in the waiting room while he had the tests done.  When we got in the elevator to go down to x-ray I had another emotional breakdown.  Richard asked why I was upset and all I could tell him is they would not let me in to see him in pre-op, no one would tell me what was going on and I don’t like it when he is away from me and I don’t know what is going on.  He reassured me once again everything would be fine.

When we got to the radiology department there were more people sitting and standing waiting to be seen.  The room and hallway was filled with people needing x-rays.  They took Richard in ahead of everyone and I sat in an available chair I found.  I looked up at the radiology department sign and saw lizards crawling in and out of cracks in the wall.  The loneliness and severity of the situation came crashing down on me and I once again broke down in tears.  As I sat with my face in my hands sobbing I felt someone touch my shoulder.  A young woman sat down next to me, put her hand on my shoulder and told me, “Everything is going to be alright.”

 

I proceeded to tell her our situation and how I had nobody to turn to and we are thousands of miles from home and family.  She lovingly looked into my tear soaked eyes and asked, “Do you believe in God?”

I nodded and she said, “When you believe in God you are never truly alone. He is always with you.  Pray to Him and He will comfort and provide for you.”

Within that very instance I felt peace.  God had been providing for me all along and continued to show His mercy through this beautiful stranger who is also a sister in Christ.  She continued to talk to me while Richard was getting his x-rays.  She told me she had been waiting to get an x-ray on her arm for several hours and how there is always a long wait for healthcare and she was accustomed to it.

When Richard came out of x-ray I ran to his gurney as it was parked against the wall in the corner.  Kuini told me we had to wait there for the results and then we would be going from there to the hyperbaric chamber.  Richard and I talked some as we waited for the results.  Then my new friend who talked with me while Richard was in x-ray approached us.  I introduced her to Richard even though I could not understand her name.  She then asked if she could pray for him and he readily agreed.  She began to pray in Fijian so I don’t know what she said but God does.  It was one of the most beautiful prayers I had ever heard.  When she was finished praying she told me she had gotten her x-ray and was leaving.  She walked down the hall away from us disappearing into the sea of people not knowing what a huge impact she had made on me and how much she helped me in one of my darkest moments while in Fiji.

Richard’s x-rays came back good and we were on our way to the hyperbaric chamber for the first of five treatments.  We walked through the narrow, dirty corridor, out a set of double doors onto an outside, covered walkway to another ward, through another hallway then back outside to a small room set off to the side of the hospital marked “hyperbaric chamber.”  Kuini unlocked the wooden doors to reveal a small chamber built in the 1980’s in a small wooden room.  It was quite a challenge to get Richard into the chamber.  He still could not use his legs and the opening was small so he had to get in on his own power.  There for a little while we were not sure if he was going to be able to get in or not.  Kuini told me most of their patients are Fijian divers and are very small so they take them in on a stretcher but there was no way they were going to be able to do that with Richard.  He did make it in and Kuini told me his first treatment would take six hours.  She turned on one of the large oxygen tanks in the corner and sat at a small control table.  As she started pushing buttons and turning nobs I heard an air compressor on the other side of the plywood wall come on as the procedure started.

While Richard was in the chamber I talked to Kuini about what would happen after Richard’s treatment. She told me he would be taken to a paying room in the hospital if there was one available and I could stay in there with him.  After making a couple of phone calls Kuini informed me there were no paying rooms available so he would have to stay in the men’s ward.  When I asked her where that was she walked me outside and pointed to an old, dilapidated building with no air conditioning and bars on the windows across the parking lot. She also informed me I could not stay there with him so I would need to get a hotel room.  My heart sank. I didn’t know what to do. So many questions went through my mind: Is Richard going to be taken care of properly? How am I going to find a hotel room? How am I going to get to and from a hotel? I know there are taxis but I don’t have any Fijian money, how am I going to pay for a taxi? 

After having a minor anxiety attack I prayed.  I then remembered the phone Sareli loaned me.  Our phones did not work in Fiji but I had been given a local phone to use.  I called Christine at the resort and told her the situation and asked if she knew anyone in Suva who could help me?  She told me her brother-in-law lived in Suva and she would contact him for me.  Within half an hour of speaking to Christine her brother-in-law, Sal, called me and told me he was going to have his personal assistant, Salome, contact me.  She would bring me $100 Fijian money and help me find a hotel room.  A few minutes later Salome called and asked me to meet her outside so she could give me the money and take me to find a hotel room.

Salome met me in the parking lot outside the hyperbaric chamber room and gave me $100 FJD and told me she had three hotels for me to see.  The first hotel did not have an elevator and the only room available was on the third floor.  I told Salome this one would not work because I was not sure how well Richard was going to be able to walk when released from the hospital so I don’t think he could manage stairs.  The second hotel, Tanoa Hotel, was not fancy but it was clean and had an elevator so I told Salome if I was unable to stay at the hospital I would stay there.  Salome spoke to the receptionist in Fijian and she told me we were all set. The hotel was a five minute drive from the hospital but I knew I would still need to take a taxi because I had no idea how to walk to and from the hospital through all the weaving and winding of the city streets.

Salome took me back to the hospital and 45 minutes later Richard emerged from the hyperbaric chamber. He needed a lot of help to get out and onto the gurney.  I was so hoping to see him walk out on his own power after six hours of treatment.  The first thing he asked me was if he had a room.  I had to tell him there were no paying rooms available and he would be staying in the men’s ward for the night and I could not stay with him.  Richard took the news better than I did and said he would be fine, but I had my doubts.

To be continued…

Part 2 of The Rest of the Story…

Before we left Matangi Christine informed me she had made arrangements for us to meet with some doctors from the United States that were just at their resort and had left the day before to go to Taveuni.  She felt Richard would receive better medical care by seeing the US doctors to get a diagnosis before going to the hospital.

The boat ride to Taveuni was without incident once Richard was finally able to get into the boat.  Upon arriving at the dock in Taveuni the new task became getting Richard out of the boat and up the bank to the transport van.  Richard complained of needing to urinate immediately yet he was unable to do so once given the opportunity.  The van ride to the resort where the doctors were staying was rough and seemed like it took forever.  Especially since we had to stop several times for Richard to try to go to the bathroom as Sareli and Tolar, another employee from the resort, helped him in and out of the van and helped him stand up as his legs continued to deteriorate.

After a 45 minute van ride we reached the resort where the American doctors were now staying.  Dr. Lance was the first one to come out to the van to see Richard.  He asked all the questions doctors usually ask during an exam, he checked his reflexes which seemed to be fine, and then told us he believed it was decompression sickness (the bends).  Dr. Lance had treated numerous cases of decompression sickness and one patient only dove in 30 feet of water for 30 minutes.  He told us it is very unusual to happen in theses circumstances but it can happen.  He also informed us the only way to confirm the diagnosis is to treat it and the only way to treat it is with a hyperbaric chamber and the only hyperbaric chamber in the South Pacific is in Suva, Fiji.  Richard would need to be medevac’d to Suva.  By this time it was 9 pm and dark.  Planes do not fly in or out of Taveuni at night because there are no lights on the runway so Richard would have to be admitted to the local hospital overnight in order to get back on fulltime oxygen.  Another member of Dr. Lance’s organization (Loloma Foundation), Linda had received the insurance paperwork from Christine and started making arrangements to have Richard flown out via a low altitude flight in the morning.  She asked if I wanted her to find a hotel room for me for the night.  I told her I would stay with Richard in the hospital and she responded, “Oh honey, this is a third world country.  You don’t want to stay at the hospital.”  There were no rooms available at the time so whether I wanted to stay at the hospital or not became a moot point.

Dr. Lance met us at the hospital emergency room which consisted of three walls and a curtain.  It was dirty and there were bugs on the walls and flying around the room.  I had to swat the mosquitos away from Richard’s head while he laid in the ER.  Dr. Lance explained to us nitrogen bubbles appeared to be attacking Richard’s lower spine causing the paralysis in his legs and bladder so he is unable to walk or urinate.  By this point Richard had drank so much water (hoping that would help) that his bladder was extremely full, so much so that his belly was freakishly extended.  He was in a lot of discomfort.  The medical professionals stood around his gurney discussing a treatment plan as Richard lay in pain.  I finally spoke up and said, “This is all great but can someone please give Richard a catheter immediately in order to get him some relief, then we can discuss what to do next.”

At that point I left the room so the ER doctor could insert the catheter.  Dr. Lance followed me out but several others stayed in the room to watch Richard get his catheter.  He felt like he was on display but he was in so much pain he really didn’t care who watched as long as it got done.  Richard told me later as the doctor went to insert the catheter her nose was running, she did not wear a mask and she wiped her nose with her hand then proceeded to do the catheter.  That is when he started praying, “Dear Lord, please don’t let me get an infection in a foreign country.”

On the other side of the curtain as Richard was getting his catheter Dr. Lance arranged for food to be brought in for us and talked to me about decompression sickness and the treatment.  At about that point Richard screamed as the catheter was inserted which sent immediate tears to my eyes.  Dr. Lance thought I was crying about the illness and treatment and kept telling me he was going to be fine.  In an attempt to distract me, Dr. Lance told me about the foundation he founded which brings medical treatment to a lot of islands in the South Pacific all from volunteers in the medical community.  His organization is called the Loloma Foundation which means “love” in Fijian.

After Richard finally got his catheter he felt a lot of relief and became very sleepy.  The staff got him set up in their version of ICU which had the only air conditioned room on the ward.  The walls were dirty and wires were hanging from the ceiling which came from the nurse’s station on the other side of the wall.  When I was asked where I would sleep I told them I could sleep on the floor in Richard’s room, but I was told it would be better if I slept in a “paying room.”  I had a difficult time understanding the accents of the hospital staff and I thought they were saying I would be staying in a “pain room.”  I couldn’t imagine what that could be but I trusted they were putting me somewhere safe.

After Richard was settled in and fell asleep I was escorted to the paying room.  It was a small, non-air conditioned room down at the end of the hallway.  When I walked into the room I saw a small gurney used as a hospital bed and a lizard crawling across the far wall up to the ceiling.  There were bars on the window and a dirty fan hung from the ceiling.  I placed my backpack and phone on the small table near the bed and went into the bathroom.  Upon entering the bathroom I was startled by a large roach crawling up the mildew covered wall.  There were shower mats laid over the shower bar covered in mildew.  I was very happy to see a toilet and have running water.  The nurse warned me not to leave my cell phone lying around because cell phones tend to disappear when left unattended.  He had numerous phones stolen.  So I plugged my phone into the charger stretching the cord to reach under my pillow hoping it would charge enough to continue taking pictures and have the ability to use the flash light setting before the power was turned off for the night.  As I lay down to try to get a few hours of sleep before our morning flight to Suva I prayed for healing for Richard, strength and wisdom for myself and thanked God for all He had provided for us during this difficult time.  I was so grateful for Dr. Lance from the Loloma Foundation for his knowledge and kind words and for the staff at Matangi for helping us this far and providing for our needs. Around 11:00 pm I drifted off to sleep.

At 1:00 am I woke up to check on Richard.  I walked down the hall towards his room and saw Tolar standing outside of his room as if he were guarding it.  I asked him, “Is Richard okay?”

Tolar responded, “Yes, he is fine.  He is sleeping.”

As I peeked into Richard’s room to see him sleeping comfortably with his oxygen mask still securely on his face I noticed a mattress on the floor at the foot of Richard’s bed.  Sareli was asleep on the mattress.  At this point I was overwhelmed with emotion and started to weep. I felt so alone yet God had sent warriors to protect us. It was hard for me to comprehend how two men we had just met from another country would go out of their way to help and protect us. I returned to my room praising God for His provisions once again and slept for a few more hours.

I returned to Richard’s room at 4:30 am to find everything as I had left it. I sat on a bench outside of Richard’s room and wrote in my journal until he woke up shortly after 5:00.  We talked for a while and then Sareli woke up. Richard told me the alarm on his oxygen machine kept waking him up throughout the night because the power kept going off periodically which would cause the oxygen to stop flowing and the battery alarm to go off. I was surprised the power stayed on at all during the night because I was told the power is usually turned off by 10:00 pm.  By the time everyone got up and moving it was 7:00 am and time to get Richard to the airport to catch the medical evacuation plane to Suva.

Richard was loaded into an ambulance and we drove 30 minutes to the Taveuni airport.  As we waited for the plane to arrive Sareli offered me the cell phone he had been using to communicate with the doctors and the resort.  He told me it was a prepaid phone and I could use it to call home or anyone else I needed to contact.  I initially declined his offer because I did not want to take his phone, but he assured me it was a company phone and told me how to check the minutes and if I needed minutes added Christine would gladly add minutes.  I went ahead and accepted the phone which would later prove to be a very wise decision.

It took eight men to get Richard from the ambulance stretcher onto the plane stretcher.  As the men were loading Richard onto the plane, the nurse for the flight introduced herself to me as Ming.  Once Richard was loaded up Ming took all of his vitals to make sure he was stable enough for the flight and we were ready to go.  Now I was on my own again.  Sareli and Tolar were returning to Matangi, Dr. Lance was back with his group and we were on our way to Suva.  At this point Richard could no longer walk or stand on his own.

To be continued…

And Now for the Rest of the Story…

A lot of our friends and family have seen the pictures and heard the story from Richard and mine’s 30^th anniversary trip to Fiji but few have heard the whole story.  It has taken me awhile to compose all my thoughts and get them into writing.  For those of you who are wondering about the pictures of Richard in the hospital and what happened in Fiji, here is the rest of the story.

I have dreamed of scuba diving in Fiji since I was 15 years old.  I often told friends and family through the years I was going to Fiji on my 30^th wedding anniversary.  That date seemed so far away for so long.  In the spring of 2015 I started planning the trip for 2016.  Years of saving and planning were about to pay off. 

On May 7, 2016 Richard and I left for Fiji.  Our first flight of the day was from Orlando to Houston, then from Houston to Los Angeles, then from Los Angeles to Nadi, Fiji, then from Nadi to Taveuni then a boat ride from Taveuni to Mantangi.  About 30 hours after leaving Orlando we arrived at the resort we were scheduled to spend the next eight days diving, fishing, and hiking.  We were upgraded from a beachfront bure to a treehouse bure and it sure was an upgrade; amazing room with an amazing view.  I loved the outdoor shower, outside day bed, inside bed with a canopy and all the bamboo walls.  The only complaint I had was there was no door to the bathroom.  Richard and I developed a plan to announce when we were going to the bathroom so the other person knew to stay in the living room until given the all clear. 

Our first day was a bit cloudy but we instantly fell in love with the resort and the people.  Richard fished as I scoured the shoreline for treasures and indigenous life forms.  After an incredible gourmet meal we settled into our plush bed for a good night’s sleep.

The next morning I awoke refreshed and ready to go.  The weather was still cloudy and windy but we were assured we could still go diving.  Richard failed to mention to me he was not feeling well.  He was still exhausted from the previous day’s travels and had experienced a strange sensation in his spine while on the flight to Taveuni.  I was a little apprehensive of diving because of the weather but the desire to get in and see what the ocean had to offer overtook my insecurities.

Upon first descending I had my normal anxiety which has occurred on every first dive of a trip since an unfortunate diving experience in Monterey Bay, California. I knew I was breathing rapidly and I tried my best to calm down as I took pictures and enjoyed all the bright colors the wall dive had to offer.  I got so engrossed in the dive I forgot to check my air gauge.  When I did check it I only had 700 pounds left.  We had already started ascending at that point and were ready for our first of two safety stops on top of the reef.  I noticed it was getting harder to breath and checked my gauge again. It was now at 200 pounds.  I decided to go ahead and cut my safety stop short and start ascending.  While on my way up I went to take a breath and there was no air left in the tank.  Thankfully I was about 20 feet or so from the surface and I went straight to the top.  I skipped my last safety stop figuring breathing was more important than decompression.  Bale, our dive master, immediately came up to check on me.  Through hand signals I told him I was fine, but out of air.  He descended back to where Richard was stopped and I got in the boat.  I felt great! I was so excited.  I just did a wall dive in Fiji!  I knew I did not do too well on that dive but we were going back for a shore break then doing a second shallow dive later in the morning.  I was confident my second dive would be much better as I would be more comfortable.  By the end of the week, after 10 dives it would be a piece of cake.

About 10 minutes later Bale and Richard surfaced.  Richard was excited as well as he climbed into the boat.  He slipped a little on the ladder as the ocean was a little rough and the ladder a little slippery.  But he appeared to be fine.  He sat down next to me as the crew helped him remove his gear.  As I was talking his ear off as fast as I could talk he gave me a funny look and said, “I can’t move my arms.” 

I gave him a puzzled look and said, “What do you mean you can’t move your arms?”

 Richard tried to move his arms but all he could do was move his shoulders a little bit.  I asked Bale for a drink of water for Richard.  He gave me a cup of water but Richard was unable to grab it so I lifted it to his mouth to get a drink.  After he took a sip he asked me to lay him down on the bottom of the boat before he fell down because he was unable to catch himself if he fell.  I asked Bale for help and he asked if I wanted oxygen.  I told him that would probably be a good idea.  We laid Richard on the floor of the boat and tried to make him as comfortable as possible for the ride back to the resort.  At this point Richard was paralyzed from the neck down.  Bale got out the oxygen but did not know how to work it. 

After what seemed like hours but was probably only 10 minutes or so Bale got the oxygen flowing and had it on Richard.  It took us 20 minutes to get back to the resort where people were on the beach waiting for us. By the time we got to the resort Richard was able to move his arms and feet.  The owner of the resort, Noel, asked if anything like this had happened before and I told him no.  Noel mentioned that Bale told him Richard slipped getting up the ladder after the dive and asked if that could have damaged something.  Richard also thought the slip might have caused the problem if he pinched a nerve.  I told him possibly, but it appeared to be the bends (diving term for decompression sickness which is a condition that results when sudden  decompression causes nitrogen bubbles to form in the tissues of the body causing symptoms consisting of joint pain, rashes, paralysis and possibly death).  Noel asked about our dive, the depth, safety stops, etc.  I explained Richard’s was text book.  He followed all the safety procedures under Bale’s direction.  I, on the other hand, did not, but I felt fine.  Noel said he would look at the report on Bale’s dive computer and get back with me.  By the end of our discussion Richard had been on oxygen for almost an hour and got feeling back in his extremities and was able to stand up with some assistance.  He said he was feeling better and was ready to go back to our room.  Sareli, the activities director, and Christine, the co-owner/daughter of Noel, accompanied us back to our bure.  Richard was able to climb the stairs, take a shower, and decided to lay on the day bed to take a nap. 

There was no television or Wi-Fi in our room and I could not concentrate enough to read.  I quickly became restless and needed to get out.  I took Richard’s fishing pole and decided to go fishing while he was asleep.  I went to an area which had been recommended to us the day before by one of the staff.  On my first cast I caught a snapper.  I have often heard catching a fish on the first cast is bad luck.  I was soon about to find out how much bad luck.  I forgot to grab a slime rag on my way out.  Actually I didn’t think I would catch anything so I wasn’t worried about it.  So I grabbed the fish with my bare hand in order to get the treble hook from the lure out of its mouth.  As I grabbed the fish it flipped and the other treble hook on the lure went into my ring finger up past the barb.  Now I was hooked to the fish.  I sat there looking at my finger with the hook in it and the fish on the other hook and thought I really need to get help. But I was so embarrassed by the problems we already had earlier in the day after diving so I did not want to ask for any further help.  I picked up the needle nose pliers, grabbed the hook in my finger and snatched as hard as I could and it came out. I quickly took my rings off as my finger immediately started to bleed and swell.  I then unhooked the fish and released it.  I went on to catch two more snappers and safely release them without incident.

Upon returning to our room I found Richard in about the same condition as I had left him so I decided to go on the 3:00 island tour.  I was gone for a little over two hours.  When I returned Richard was worse.  He told me he was having a hard time urinating and it was getting harder to walk.  He said he felt pretty good on the oxygen and asked if he could get the oxygen again. 

I found Christine and asked her for the oxygen.  Christine, Noel and Sareli brought the oxygen to Richard.  As Christine and Sareli got Richard hooked up on the oxygen, Noel told me he looked over Bale’s dive records and it looked like a perfect dive.  He felt it was impossible for Richard to have decompression sickness.  I agreed.  Noel had Richard speak to a doctor from the main land.  The doctor told him to rest for 24 hours and if he gets worse to go to the hospital.

Noel and Christine left after showing me how to work the oxygen.  Sareli initially started down the steps but then turned around and came back up.  He said he would like to stay for a little while and he would just sit outside on the balcony if that was okay with me.  I told him that was fine. 

I went to talk to Richard again and he appeared to be getting worse even though he had the oxygen.  I then went outside and told Sareli something bad was wrong.  I told Sareli, “He may not have the bends and it may be nothing related to the dive, but something is wrong.  I don’t know if he has had a stroke or what, but he needs to go to the hospital.”

Sareli responded,”Okay. Medical evacuation and treatment are very expensive.  Do you have any travel insurance?”       

Thank God I did.  I usually don’t buy travel insurance and because it was so expensive I almost didn’t this time.  But the travel agent highly recommended it and I felt the Holy Spirit nudging me to do so.  I handed the insurance paperwork to Sareli, he took it, and that was the last time I had to deal with the insurance company for several days.  The staff at the resort took care of everything in order to get Richard the care he needed.  All I had to worry about was taking care of Richard.

Within 20 minutes the staff was at our bure to get Richard and take him to Taveuni by boat.  I barely had enough time to take a shower and throw a few things into a backpack and go.  Richard required assistance to get down the stairs and needed a lot of help to get into the boat.  His legs did not want to work any longer.  I started to cry for the first time when I watched Richard struggle to lift his leg 12 inches to get into the boat and eventually need assistance from two other men.  I quickly choked back the tears and helped Richard to sit down. 

To be continued… 

Looking Past The Pain

High Voltage Disciples: A Journeyman's Journal



Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? Well, to start with according to God’s Word, we are like filthy rags compared to His righteousness(Isaiah 64:6). So when I say good people I mean people that try their best. So we try our best to do good in the eyes of the Lord and bad things still happen.

What if God doesn’t see our trials as bad, but rather as direction? Philippians 2:13 tells us, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” So when we go through trials in life instead of asking why, we should be asking what.

The past 2 months have probably been the hardest of my life. I have a plan and goals for my life, but I am also a disciple of Christ and His plan and my…

View original post 576 more words

TRAMP

High Voltage Disciples: A Journeyman's Journal

You are probably wondering what is a “Tramp”? I am considered a tramp because, I am an IBEW Journeyman Lineman that travels from place to place to work. My wife, Carrie, and I travel around the country making a living building and maintaining power lines. What an adventure it has been! A year ago, we decided to quit the local utility and travel to work. A lot of my union brothers asked, “Why would you quit a comfy utility job to tramp around the country to work?” To me the answer was simple; Carrie and I love to travel and meet others while building relationships and telling them about Jesus! In one word, “Discipleship.” It tells us in Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey…

View original post 339 more words

Why Peter?

I have been studying the Gospels for the past six months or so.  It has been so awesome to delve deeper into the life of Jesus through the eyes of his disciples.  I have found clarity on aspects where I once thought Jesus was rather harsh on those around him, greater appreciation for His great patience with His followers and His overwhelming compassion for all of us messed up people.

Peter was one of Jesus’ closest disciples along with James and John.  I often wondered why Jesus would pick him to invest so much of Himself into because Peter seemed to be a bit slow on the up-take and rather impetuous.  For example, it was Peter who left the boat to walk on the water to Jesus and promptly took his eyes off Jesus and began to sink. (Matthew 14:21-34) Peter had the audacity to take Jesus aside to rebuke Him for speaking of His death and was quickly corrected by the Lord. (Mark 8:31-33) It was Peter who suggested setting up three tabernacles to honor Moses, Elijah, and Jesus and then fell to the ground in fearful silence at God’s glory. (Luke 9:28-36) In Gethsemane Peter drew his sword and attacked the servant of the high priest and was immediately told to put down his weapon by Jesus. (John 18:10-11)  Just before the sword incident Peter boasted that he would never forsake the Lord, even if everyone else did yet later that very evening he denied three times that he even knew the Lord. (Luke 22:31-34, 54-62) What did Jesus see in this guy?

Then today I read Acts 4:8-12, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people!  If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the mankind by which we must be saved.”

Wow! Such boldness, confidence, and authority!  This truly must be the result of the Holy Spirit which filled Peter.  What else could explain how a rash, impetuous, and unwise man could speak such bold truth to a crowd who crucified one of his closest friends?  I find so much hope in Peter’s transformation though the Holy Spirit.  As immersed believers we all have that same indwelling Holy Spirit which transformed Peter.  Oh, to have the confidence and boldness of Peter when proclaiming the Good News in the face of persecution.  Now I understand why Jesus choose Peter.

There is a Down Side

34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Mark 14:34

One of the down sides to tramping with my lineman husband is being so far from home when those I love are suffering great losses in their lives. Currently we are 1,260 miles from our home base in Clermont, Florida. Yesterday this distance seemed even farther upon hearing distressing news from back home. Yesterday morning I received a call to tell me a dear friend, one of the strongest Christian women in my life, lost her husband of over 30 years to cancer. Several hours later I heard another friend who walked with us at the start of our Christian journey and who helped Richard get sober lost his 25 year old son to cancer. I met both friends through Celebrate Recovery (CR). While on our recovery journeys we experienced the difficulties of facing our inner demons, dealing with resentments from being hurt and hurting others, the freedom in forgiveness, and the joy of Christ’s healing grace together. We shared in each other’s’ struggles and victories. Even though time and geography has taken its toll on our relationships, my CR family remains so dear to me.

I was told by another CR friend yesterday that my friend who lost her husband was confronted by her mother for not having a “home” church to have a memorial service for her husband. Her quick reply to her mother’s rebuke was, “No, but I have my bible study sisters.” This brought me great joy and sadness.  My bible study sisters are rallying to help her with any needs that may arise and I so want to be there with them. I miss my Thursday afternoon ladies.

Mark 14:34 kept coming into my head yesterday as I prayed for my friends and their families. I am saddened by the news of their losses. But the deep sorrow Jesus is expressing is being felt by my friends. My friends have a difficult road ahead of them, but I know God will be glorified in the end. This is where I find my peace.  I know God will point me to Florida in His timing, not mine.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;  persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. – 2 Corinthians 4:8-10

Loving Others

The simplest acts can have the greatest impact.

High Voltage Disciples: A Journeyman's Journal

I have a question for you; If you had 1 day to live, who would you spend it with? Family and friends; the people who you love and that love you. The people that you have done life with. That is exactly what Jesus did. He spent his last night with the ones he loved the most, his disciples. 
As we look at this intimate time that Jesus spent with the ones that he loved,which we can find in John 13,I don’t think most of us truly appreciate the example that He left us. Even when Jesus, God in the flesh, washed the disciples feet, they did not really understand what gravity of the simple act of love. That was a task of the lowest of the slaves and their teacher humbled himself to that position to make a illustration that love for one another has no bounds. John 13:8…

View original post 463 more words