[Board] Fwd: Concerned?

[Michelle Thompson]

Bad news.

-Michelle W5NYV




---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Michelle Thompson <mountain.michelle at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Jul 9, 2021 at 3:48 PM
Subject: Re: Concerned?
To: Kegan Ritchie <keganritchie at gmail.com>


Thank you so much for letting me know. I spent a lot of time with Wally
over the past couple of years and considered him a friend. I'm very sorry I
could not have been there in person more over the summer.

Let's plan on talking soon to figure out the best path forward.

-Michelle W5NYV




On Fri, Jul 9, 2021 at 1:31 PM Kegan Ritchie <keganritchie at gmail.com> wrote:

> Dear Michelle,
>
> It is with a heavy heart that I inform you that Wally WU1Y is a silent key.
>
> On May 23rd, he was airlifted from Advent Health to Shands with unstable
> vitals. At that time, his bone marrow biopsy showed not a single
> Leukemia cell in his body. The doctors assumed his unstable vitals were due
> to his aneurysm leaking somewhere, although this was not clear. At Shands,
> the cardiovascular team evaluated him and believed that there was likely a
> leak somewhere and that could explain the rapid weight loss. Surgical
> options would likely kill him, and at best he would be paralzyed and never
> recover. He chose not to get surgery and I don't blame him. They then spent
> days trying to regulate his blood pressure while transitioning his IV meds
> to orals so he could come home to be comfortable with family.
>
> He was discharged to hospice at home and his condition was starting to
> improve. We insisted that hospice order blood work. That came back with low
> HGB and we had him transported to the ER for a blood transfusion June 29.
> There was a DNR in place for the purpose of preventing chest compressions
> (which would likely rupture the aneurysm) and intubation (which he didn't
> want). We made it clear to the doctors that this man did not want to die,
> he just didn't want to be cut open or blow out his aorta. They were puzzled
> by this, and maybe a little doubtful, as he was discharged to hospice from
> Shands. It wasn't until the next day that we learned he should have been on
> home health care, not hospice, as hospice is to make you "comfortable" not
> necessarily treat you for the purpose of prolonging your life.
>
> We had to leave him at the hospital June 29 overnight for the transfusions
> to complete. The plan was to push two units with a possible third (taking
> up to four hours a unit). On June 30, we got a call in the morning that
> said we needed to get to the hospital immediately because his heart had
> stopped twice and was consistently dropping below 20 beats. During the
> stops, they were able to revive him with sternal rubs. When we got there,
> he was more or less stable. At this point, his cognitive functions were
> greatly improving, as was expected everytime he previously went for
> transfusions to get his HGB up. Around noon-1pm, we consulted with the
> doctor and Wally pointed out that his heart issue is not related to the
> aneurysm nor the leukemia and he wanted to be treated. Doc said ok,
> discharged him from hospice and order tested as well as consulting with the
> various specialists to address the case.
>
> That evening they determined he needed a pacemaker. This brought great
> hope and encouragement to all of us, and Wally was very happy with this
> plan. The doctor didn't think that he was eligible for a temporary
> pacemaker before a permanent one was to be installed. I believe this was a
> mistake as the following morning, July 1, 08:42, his heart stopped.
>
>
> I'm currently doing the best I can to maintain everything.
>
> I don't know exactly what is needed here to get the lab running, or what
> is required to justify having the equipment remain here in an operational
> capacity. My thoughts are, if I can contribute to the project with enough
> hours a week for you to be able to justify access, that would be great.
> That being said, I am not as skilled as Wally was, yet. I can certainly
> read over what he was working on and determine what I can do that is
> currently within my capabilities. I can also learn and research whatever is
> needed but I am certainly no where close to the SME he was in RF and FPGA,
> but I am a quick study and these subjects are not unfamiliar.
>
> We certainly losted a valued mentor, colleague, and friend. I know he
> wholeheartedly wanted this project to succeed, and I want to do whatever I
> can to make sure it does.
>
> Sincerely,
> Kegan K3GAN
>
>
> On Thu, Jul 8, 2021 at 1:03 PM Michelle Thompson <
> mountain.michelle at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> The last time I heard from Wally was mid-May. He went silent with no
>> warning. There have been no updates, calls, or messages since then.
>>
>> I have to assume there was another round of chemotherapy? I thought he
>> was going to be able to skip that?
>>
>> Please let me know what's going on? I've reached out regularly over email
>> and Slack and gotten no reply at all for two months.
>>
>> His health is more important than the lab and computing equipment
>> investment.
>>
>> I'm getting very difficult questions and very heavy pressure from the
>> foundation that funded the lab. These questions are, to be quite honest,
>> harsh and painful. I've done all I can to be a firewall here. I'd like to
>> keep doing this job, but I have pulled all the rabbits out of all my hats.
>>
>> Could you please let me know what is going on? I'll do whatever I can to
>> get a (continued) positive outcome.
>>
>> -Michelle W5NYV
>>
>>
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