We have received this e-mail from Dwight’s wife today.
"Dwight had heart attack today - things looking grim, surgery in a few days once he's stronger. Please, would you let others that know him know what's going on... I don't know the AnswerPool crowd, and son is too beat to handle this.
Thank you... and prayers are very much in request.
Mrs. Dwight, aka MaryB"
I know those of you that pray will be more than willing to do as Mary has requested, and that everyone here will be sending their love and thoughts to Dwight and his family.
Dwight is one of the most loved and respected people here at AnswerPool, and I hope he is soon back amongst us.
Get well soon, Dwight. ******************************************************* 05-11-04, 06:17 PM DorianGreyed I echo Karrow's sentiments. Get well soon, Dwight.
05-11-04, 06:29 PM bedstor You are in my prayers tonight We'll look after the store for you Smile Take it easy! Mike
05-11-04, 06:32 PM mystery250 Will be praying for you Dwight.
05-11-04, 06:46 PM gizmogram Dwight my friend,
You will be in my prayers, and I hope we see you back soon.
Joni
05-11-04, 07:58 PM juanruiz Oh wow. May he have a speedy and full recovery.
05-11-04, 08:01 PM Sailracer Dwight will be in my prayers until he makes a full recovery, which I am confident he will; my prayers extend to his family, to help get through this trying time, until he he is back and up on his feet.
Anyone know what hospital he is in, and what kind of Cardiac program they have?
05-11-04, 08:42 PM Kelleygirl Poor Dwight! Yes, I wish we had his hospital address; would love to send him a card. Sure hope that he's doing better.
05-11-04, 09:46 PM clarebear {{{{{ Dwight and Family }}}}}
Dwight's Family:
All my love is sent your way. Try to stay positive and if there is anything you need feel free to email me anytime. I am here for you all.
Dwight:
Please get well soon. We love you and need you!
05-11-04, 10:33 PM Nadca2 So sorry to hear this news. Dwight and family will be in my thoughts and prayers.
05-11-04, 10:49 PM tsaeb Dwight has been giving of his own generous self to this website for so long that I know that God knows what blessings for health and prosperity He must return to Dwight.
05-11-04, 11:17 PM Sherasi Dwight, you have been a terrific friend and I am so sorry you are sick! You and your family are in my prayers and I pray you recover soon. FrownFrownFrown
05-11-04, 11:25 PM Kelleygirl If anyone wants to send Dwight and his family a card, NerdQueenDeluxe gave us the hospital address on DP:
Dwight Blackburn Adult Critical Care Providence Hospital 3200 Providence Drive Anchorage, AK 99508-4615
05-12-04, 07:39 AM Silja I will certainly pray for Dwight's recovery, and for strength for his family and friends in this difficult time.
05-12-04, 02:11 PM juanruiz Is there someplace here or another board where updates will be posted?
05-12-04, 02:54 PM Karrow Update from Mary.
"It is almost 8 a.m. here, gray and drizzle day. Dwight came out of surgery about 2 hours ago, and has returned to ICU. He made it through - but he is still very sick, and prayers are much appreciated. We're taking this one bit at a time - I think that we're up to 1/2 hour blocks now, not really sure as I've not had much sleep in the past couple days. But Jacob & I are doing fine - I am so very proud of the boy... and I will do my best to keep you guys updated. Thank you so much for the thoughts and prayers, they are much appreciated. Your messages have touched my heart, and I can hardly wait until the old man is well enough to read them as well."
05-12-04, 03:29 PM juanruiz Thank you, Karrow.
05-12-04, 10:01 PM Tree Dear dear Dwight,
I'm praying for you and your family. You're needed here, so you MUST get well soon! You've been an absolute great help for me and many others here at AnswerPool.
Thank you for posting updates, Mary. Your husband is a wonderful man!
05-13-04, 02:31 AM VivienneHa My thoughts and prayers are also with Dwight and his family.I pray you all find strength to get through this terrible time. Viv
05-13-04, 04:33 AM Ritzmar I have just found this thread. My prayers and sincere best wishes are with you, Dwight, and your family. All the very best to each of you. Ritz.
05-13-04, 07:31 PM Karrow Prayers requested for Dwight A further update from Mary.
"Dwight is stable but stll very ill at the moment."
She has also asked that we thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers, and apologises for being unable to answer e-mails etc at the moment. As you can imagine, her son and hospital visits are filling her days right now, but Mary stressed how much the messages of support on the site have helped.
05-14-04, 05:12 AM dogspit My thoughts are with Dwight, Mary and Jake in their time of need. Get better soon my friend, there are many of us computer illiterate dorks counting on you.
05-15-04, 09:52 PM honilov I'm still keeping Dwight and his family in my prayers, and sure hope he's well and home again soon.
05-16-04, 05:32 AM soaringhorse Hope Dwight is on his way to a good recovery, just take it easy, and slow, Ok? We miss you here, but we want you to just get better. Take Care! Best wishes to the family, and prayers and thoughts always! Wink
05-18-04, 05:26 AM Karrow Dwight's wife has sent an update; I know you'll all be pleased to hear that he is slowly but surely making progress.
Dwight's doing ok, making baby steps. He is still being kept totally sedated, to allow time to get him off of the balloon cathater that's supplimenting his heart, and get him closer to ready to be off of the ventilator. He has to be able to sit up to get the ventilator off... a big step.
The reason that they're keeping him sedated is to allow time to heal, without panic attacks and outside distractions. This is a good thing, ok?
But it's looking like maybe tomorrow for the balloon, and perhaps the following day for waking... that would make it Wednesday? I'm beginning to forget what day it is.
Jake and I are doing ok. We've slept the past couple nights, and came home quite early today, with plans of sleep and laundry and home things that just have to be done. We'll be going back first thing in the morning, and I'll stay with a time out for running the boy to school.
Thank you all so much for the prayers - I know that that's helped get him this far.
MaryB & Jake
Thank you for taking the time to send us this progress report, Mary. I know that Dwight, you and Jake are constantly in the thoughts and prayers of all of us here at AnswerPool.
Please give our love to Dwight and tell him that we are all delighted with his progress.
05-18-04, 07:32 AM Lydia That is great news!! Slow and steady - - that's the best kind of progress!!! I will continue to keep Dwight in my thoughts and prayers!!!
Thanks for the update!!!
05-18-04, 08:51 AM Georgia85 Thank you so much for the update! He's been in my prayers daily and will continue to be in them. I believe all prayers are answered...and this is my favorite type of answer! Smile
05-18-04, 06:56 PM Kelleygirl So glad to hear better news about Dwight and thank you also from me to his family for the update. We're all terribly worried about him. Keep getting better, Dwight; we're all pulling for you BIG TIME!
05-19-04, 09:33 AM Karrow There has been a further update from Mary giving news of some more progress made by Dwight. Smile
Dwight got several cards at the hospital yesterday. So much love, and good thoughts and prayers - you guys made me cry. But in a good way, really. Thank you. I read them to him, and I'm saving them for when he can read them himself.
He's doing good - they took the balloon out yesterday, and he seems to be handling it ok. Had a relatively uneventful night, and we'll see how today goes. Hopefully he'll be able to wake soon, but again, we'll see how it goes.
love, maryb
05-23-04, 05:52 AM Karrow Another update from Mary.
Thursday they started the process of waking Dwight up... stopping the sedative, and letting it wear off gradually. Late Thursday night, he had what's called v-tach, where his heart went into uncontrolled rapid but ineffective beating. They had to paddle him once. About an hour later, it happened again. They put him back on the deep sedation, and won't begin to lift it until Monday at the soonest.
On Friday, they had to paddle him twice. Since then, he's been stable, very small gains but no losses.
I'm sorry to be so late in letting you all know, but have been at the hospital, or totally drained. We're back to not knowing the day of the week... and very bad jokes. This time Jake is holding out better than I am - I feel like every nerve in my body is out on my skin.
Prayers are good - angels gather in ICU. I think that most of them are pretending to be nurses.
maryb
Mary, we really appreciate you taking the time to keep us informed of Dwight's progress. Everyone at AnswerPool has you all in their thoughts and prayers.
We are looking forward to the day that Dwight can read this thread for himself, but until then please give him our love and tell him we miss him.
05-28-04, 12:57 PM Karrow The latest news from Mary.
I owe you all apologies - I'm sorry for no news, but it has been a hard week.
Dwight made some great baby steps yesterday. He was off of the ventilator for almost an hour, and was off of sedation for most of the afternoon. Towards evening, they put him back on light sedation, so he's in and out... mostly out. The plan is to keep taking him off of the ventilator to give his lungs time to work (the muscles have gotten lazy), and otherwise to keep it as low as they can, for the same reasons. Still don't know when he'll be off of it, or totally awake (probably not totally awake until ventilator can be gone, because of panic attacks). He's running a temp, spikes around 103F during the day, and then goes down with tylenol and fans... cultures are being run, but nothing has shown positive yet. It could be basically nothing, but...
Thank you all for the prayers and cards and everything (Patti, the banana bread was greatly appreciated - thank you!) I will try to do better on posting progress... it's just getting harder to keep saying that nothing is happening.
Jake is doing ok - not great, but ok. I took him out shooting on Sunday, so he could blow off some steam (at a range, at targets, with definite rules...) It was nice - no one knew us, no one asked questions we couldn't answer, no one offered sympathy... for a short while, life was normal. The guys at the range were great, with advice and kibbitzing and sharing info and ammo and a love of shooting. Jake might never tell you, but he is on the riflery team at school, and hopes to go to West Point with riflery being his sport of choice.
As for me, depends on the day. Mostly, I'm fine. Somedays I'm easily distracted. Somedays I'm quite fractured. But God is with us, and that is a great comfort to us all.
with laughter and love, MaryB & Jacob
Mary, you do not owe us an apology! We all realise that you are trying to spend as much time as possible with Dwight and Jake, and we are just very grateful when you can find a few minutes to let us have the latest news.
This latest news is very encouraging, and everyone here at AP will continue to send their thoughts and prayers to you all.
05-29-04, 03:59 AM tsaeb God, speed up this recovery--and get Dwight a safe lifestyle. You know that Dwight has a generous spirit, and for this very reason, you, God, must be generous with him.
05-29-04, 11:20 AM Karrow I am sorry to report that Dwight has had a setback, and that he is unable to move his hands and feet. They don't know yet whether it is due to a build up of drugs or nerve damage from, perhaps, a stroke.
Mary thanks everyone for their prayers, and asks that they continue.
05-29-04, 01:40 PM Silja Things had been going so well... let us hope that the exception proves the rule in this case, and that Dwight will only improve from now on. I will certainly continue to pray for him and his family.
05-30-04, 05:25 AM roogalator I just found this thread, I can only repeat my personal prayers go out to Dwight, Mary & Jake. God speed the recovery and really hoping for some positive news. Thanks for the constant updates. God Bless Roog
05-30-04, 05:26 PM juanruiz Suffice it to say that I am very sorry to hear of this setback. I think about Dwight and his family every day. For personal reasons, I can identify with what they are going through. I hope that things improve and that Dwight will be back with us soon.
06-04-04, 10:51 AM cattywampus The Lord has promised to heal our ills; that we need only ask and our pleas will be heeded. May He shower down on Dwight, Mary and Jake all blessings in His power. Lord, mind our friend Dwight and bring him quickly to healing. In the meantime, bless him and his family with peace. In Jesus's name. Amen.
06-05-04, 11:24 AM Dwight Dwight is off the respirator!!!!!!
Got off Thursday, is doing well - almost has a voice again... and what a joy to see his unencombered face (unless you count the feeding tube in his nose)
There has been nerve damage, but mostly of the fine motor skills. He's working so hard, and gets confused if you ask too much in one fell swoop. But his face lights up when he sees us, and he is full of smiles, and winks, and laughter. Thank God for the laughter.
He's been very sick. But don't lose hope - he's still getting better. It's going to be a long haul, and a lot of work, but he's coming home again. And while I don't know what the future holds, I don't think that the docs do either. I know that I've had my faith shaken, and shaken quite firmly, but it is only with His help that I'm still sane. Well, at least as sane as I was before...
Thank you all for the prayers - they've gotten him this far. The docs think that he'll be out of ICU the beginning of this next week, to progressive care or rehab. So - let's pray him home!
with laughter - for the world wouldn't exist without laughter and love - for it couldn't exist without love
MaryB
06-05-04, 11:54 AM Karrow Mary, thank you for taking the time to update us with your wonderful news. I'm sure that everyone will be as delighted as I am to hear how well Dwight is progressing. Please tell him that Karrow says "And about time too". Big Grin
My love, thoughts and best wishes to you, Dwight and Jake.
06-05-04, 04:35 PM jusork Yay! That's great. Can't wait to see him back in action.
06-05-04, 10:29 PM honilov Prayers requested for Dwight That is great news. I'm so glad to hear of his progress. I'm still praying for him.
06-15-04, 10:49 AM Karrow Mary has sent this very reassuring update.
Quick update - Dwight is doing better daily, but is still in ICU. He is only on a drip for insulin and the feeding tube... but he is finally able to eat. They are supplimenting feeding by tube because he doesn't eat enough yet.
Right now the biggest concern is his skin - most of his skin is sluffing off, like a bad sunburn. The docs are puzzled, but believe that it is due to the same thing that caused the paralysis - being very sick and the high doses of meds that he was receiving for his heart. It is weepy, and he is in variable amounts of pain, making it hard to do pt. He's gaining strength daily, and is clearer in mind as well.
Jake is back at Scout Camp for the week, and will leave for DC on Sunday. I'm hoping that Dwight will be out of ICU before then, but I'm taking this day by day.
I'm off to start the day - hope your's is great! MaryB
Thank you for taking the time to keep us informed, Mary. Please tell Dwight that we are delighted to hear of his progress, and that he, you and Jake are in the thoughts and prayers of everyone at AnswerPool.
06-15-04, 02:59 PM Georgia85 Thanks for posting this Karrow, and thanks Mary for the continued update. You all have been in my prayers daily.
06-18-04, 05:16 AM tsaeb Hallelujah!
06-18-04, 08:04 AM Karrow Another update from Mary.
Dwight is better - and worse. Take a deep breath, and continue.
Better - He is off of all drips and ivs, except for the feeding tube in his nose and the iv for pain meds and insulin and the like. He is awake, becoming much more aware of what's going on, and seems to be in his right mind (As for his left mind? Well, let's leave that question unexplored... har-har humor, it's appropriate anytime.) He asks questions now, about where Jake is, where I spent my day, how he got to where he is, where is he?, and the like. He even called me at work - sorta, he had the nurse call - and asked how soon I would be there. It put a smile in my heart.
Worse - He is still in ICU, because of ... well, they're trying to figure out why. Originally it was due to an infection that they were trying to pin down and give the appropriate antibiotics for... but now his skin is sloughing off of about 75% of his body. I may be exaggerating a bit, but not much. They are not sure why, not really sure how to treat it, and doctors from all over the west coast are working on it. He is in varying amounts of pain, and resulting medication drowsiness... he gets chilled, and then overwarm, and then chilled again. It's much like a burn patient... and it has me scared. Fortunately his heart is strong - much stronger than the surgeon thought it would be - and his spirits are basically good. He's being kept in semi-isolation, with visitors having to gown up and put on gloves before entering the room - and we've kept visitors to Jake and myself, and doctors, because of possible infections with the open skin.
worse - He's not eating enough, not hungry... and so to get the nutrition that he needs, he's on full time feeding with the tube. Double whammy, it makes him not hungry more. I am trying to tempt him with milk shakes and apple pie, with limited sucess.
better, and worse - the nurses in ICU and I staged a small revolt today, asking for more agressive care for his skin. We're afraid that his needs are being lost in the search for why it's happening. We have a wonderful dermatologist on our side, and tonight she said that she'd be calling a meeting of minds tomorrow. I will be at the hospital for the duration of the day, and the weekend, as it's my weekend off, so I should hear the news as soon as they come up with anything. It's looking like it's possible that he may be flown out of state to a burn unit for treatment... don't know to where, or how soon, or anything... but will let you know once I do.
So - now you know. I'm hoping that we have an answer for treatment prior to Jake leaving Saturday night for DC... but regardless, he WILL be going. He's worked too hard, and done too much not to go.
Enough of this novel! Thanks for the cards and letters and prayers. I owe you all so very much... you will never know the full extent. (Chris, it was lovely to talk to you - and quite a surprise!! Dwight and I spoke about Answerpool for several minutes after we spoke.)
with laughter and much love, MaryB
Mary, we all appreciate you taking the time to keep us updated. It can't be easy for you to do so at the moment!
Please give our best wishes to Jake and tell him we hope he enjoys his visit to the Congressional Youth Leadership Council. As you say he has worked hard for this, and it was an honour for him to be nominated by his school.
Tell Dwight that we are all delighted to hear that he is making good progress, and we hope that they can sort out his skin problem very soon.
Remember to take care of yourself at this time, Mary. I know that is easier said than done, but it won't help you or your family if you exhaust yourself.
06-18-04, 08:04 AM Lydia Best news I've heard in a long time - - GREAT NEWS indeed!!! He's making progress and that is the most important!
SOOOOOO glad to heard that Dwight is on the mend!!
~Lydia 06-18-04, 03:03 PM Karrow Very quick message from Mary.
We're on our way to Seattle... Harbor View Hospital. I'm going, leaving in a couple of hours, so you may not be hearing from us. Good thoughts, guys. This is progress.
MaryB
Good luck! I hope the new hospital can solve the skin problem.
07-03-04, 11:22 PM redder MaryB,I am going to get personal now!, Dwight was one of the first I met on the Net,(Ask Jeeves)and I consider myself very fortunate to have met such a gentleman.
Allow me to reiterate. "Remember to take care of yourself at this time, Mary. I know that is easier said than done, but it won't help you , one of my or your family if you exhaust yourself."
P.S> MaryB.. one of my favourite Quotes `Strength comes from within`..anon.
07-08-04, 06:15 AM Karrow Good news about Dwight. Big Grin His skin condition is said to be "dramatically improving", and he has asked for his thanks to be passed on to eveyone for their cards, prayers and good wishes.
He is still in Harborview Hospital, and you can send him a greeting via the link below. The room number field is only if known, and some members have typed "burns unit" in its place. You will need to enter his full name, Dwight Blackburn.
Harborview Hospital Email a patient service
07-08-04, 06:47 AM Kelleygirl Thanks, Karrow --- I've never seen this option before --- email for those in the hospital --- very cool!
08-04-04, 03:33 PM Karrow I'm sorry I'm a couple of days late with this update. I haven't been around to post it.
Vansrme spoke to Dwight on the telephone, and this is what he reported.
"Great news everyone! I just caught up with Dwight at the hospital in Alaska, and he's doing much better now, even was able to chat on the phone with me, though all he can do yet is whisper! I was still able to hear him well though. He thanks everyone for the cards,emails, stuffed animals, calendar and the poster! I asked if he's been flooded with all that stuff, and he said yes, but he loved it! LOL He is supposed to go home Thursday to continue his recuperation! How about that?"
It's certainly the best news that I've heard for some time! Smile
08-11-04, 11:44 AM Karrow I'm delighted to tell you that Dwight was allowed home - with strict instructions to rest.
We are all looking forward to seeing him back at AnswerPool when he has recovered a little more.
Take it slowly and rest Dwight - but hurry up and get back to us! Big Grin
08-12-04, 09:02 PM soaringhorse Best news I've heard today! Smile Was very happy to get an email notification in my inbox about this! Dwight, hang in there, you doing sooooooo good!
08-13-04, 02:45 AM Nadca2 Thank goodness. I was thinking of him earlier today.
08-16-04, 03:14 PM Karrow Mary has sent an update.
He's been here at home for just over a week, and things are going great! He's been approved for cardiac rehab - a well-monitered excercise program at the hospital, with moniters on the heart and breathing. It's a great program, and will do wonders for his recovery. But the wound on his coccyx needs to complete healing before he begins the other... we're looking at another couple of weeks.
Bottom line - recovery is going to be long, and probably hard. There are some things that will never be the same. However, he is alive and alert and getting better every day.
with laughter and love, MaryB and Jake
Thank you for taking the time to update us Mary. We are all pleased to hear that Dwight is doing so well, and send our love and best wishes to you all.
08-16-04, 03:56 PM DorianGreyed GREAT NEWS !!!!!!!!!
09-10-04, 07:08 PM Karrow A message from Dwight. Big Grin
Thank you so much for all of your kind words. I have received many cards and emails and even some phone calls. They meant so much to me while I was laying in the hospital bed!
I'm at home now and continuing to recover. I'm taking cardiac therapy three times per week and hoping to be able to return to work in 4 to 6 weeks. All of your thoughts and prayers have meant so much to my family and me. Dwight
It's wonderful that Dwight is feeling well enough to be back at the computer. Big Grin
09-10-04, 07:17 PM juanruiz This is absolutely great news. I hope your recovery continues well and that you are back with us on a continuous basis soon. All my best, jr
09-10-04, 08:23 PM jusork Yay. Great to finally see you back.
09-11-04, 08:44 AM Silja That is great news indeed. I shall continue to pray for Dwight and his family for a full and speedy recovery!
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
This is the post that I've been waiting to make for 4 months!
Dwight is back moderating in Computers!
Welcome back Dwight, we've all missed you.
09-11-04, 11:27 PM redder Dwight! stop kidding around, and get back to the serious game of advice!
09-12-04, 07:33 AM Ritzmar Welcome back, Dwight! Brilliant to have you on board again; everyone has missed you so much...well done!!! .... Big Grin ...
09-12-04, 10:48 AM Lydia Truly awesome news indeed!!! Big Grin Welcome back Dwight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
~Lydia 09-12-04, 12:09 PM Sherasi Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy Dwight! I am so glad you are back! Big GrinBig GrinBig GrinBig Grin
09-12-04, 09:15 PM tsaeb Best wishes for a bright future for you and yours to one of our favorite people!
09-12-04, 09:18 PM Kelleygirl Yo Dwight!!!! So glad to hear this news and that you've fought your back. We sure have missed you ---- got lots of questions, too. Big Grin
09-14-04, 11:47 AM gizmogram Dwight - I was so thrilled to hear that you're back, we certainly have missed you!
AnswerPool.com 
