SHOCKING News

I thought last summer was a nightmare....as it turns out it was only a bad dream. On September 26th the real nightmare began...but we will wake up! 

First off I need to explain our summer. My husband Dave and I have known a young woman (who will go unnamed) since she was 11. We were her legal guardians when she was 13, 14 and 15 and have done our best over the years to be a positive influence in her very tragic life. She is now a 24 year old single mother of a 3 year old whom we have loved and cared for as if he were a blood Grandson. We adore this boy and would do anything for him! Because of this boy we took her in on July 1st. What we didn't know is that she is a heroin addict and the missing $ from our wallets along with the credit card fraud was her doing. In late Aug. we discovered that she stolen and pawned thousands of dollars worth of my jewelry during the summer. On August 31st we confronted her, called the police and kicked her out. We were instrumental in getting our grandson out of her dangerous life and he is currently living with his birth father. We thought we were going to get our lives back...


Fast forward to Monday, September 26th

I was in Winthrop that rainy on Day 2 of a 4 day retreat with my artist buddies. Verizon was down in the area and I had turned my phone off. About 3:30 I clicked on Facebook and saw this posting from a friend:

"Now I know why Beau suddenly jumped straight up while asleep on my arm this morning at 6 am. Apparently a house blew up about 1/2 mile away - gas explosion. He heard it but I didn't."

I sarcastically commented to my friends that my house was about a half mile from his. Seeing a message I clicked on it and this is what I read: 

• Call me ASAP.....EMERGENCY....
  Call me ASAP .....

Talk about feeling terror! My mind took a leap that it was MY HOUSE that had blown up! I have seen it happen on film but my entire body was shaking while I tried to call someone at home. After several mis-dials I finally reached my sister and while I was relieved to know that my house along with my husband, son and dog had not gone up in a natural gas fireball, the grim news that my husband had suffered a stroke early that morning added a new dimension of shock.

I could not have been with better people upon receiving this news. Liana Bennett immediately offered to drive me the 4 + hours back to Seattle and the others, Pepper Peterson, Patty Forte Linna and Joanne Shellan all were game to go along or do whatever it took to get me safely to my husband's side.

As it turned out Liana and Pepper took me to Marblemount where my brother-in-law met us and took me the remainder of the way. Arriving around 9pm I met a surreal group of family gathered around my husband at NW Hospital in north Seattle. Those of you who have experienced something similar....it takes a special attitude to face this kind of tragedy with fortitude. I can't say I was successful but I think I did okay.