Life without my best friend 

The Fourth of July was hard. Dad loved the fourth. We always had a party with fireworks, family and friends!

Life without dad is hard. There is no other way to say it.

My husband and I bought dad and this whole crew you see pictured above, tickets to George Straight and Chris Stapleton for today, June 8th, 2024. This was dad's 64th birthday present. He was SO EXCITED to go. Dad absolutely LOVED George Straight. As a matter of fact, both shirts you see him wearing here are his favorite "George Straight" shirts. They are only allowed to be washed separately and hung to dry. He was SO handsome!! Chris Stapleton was another of dad's favorites. Him and Justine fell in love with Stapleton's songs. I loved to watch them slow dance to these songs. I miss seeing the love they shared. 

I can not believe I am writing this right now. He is gone. Gone from this earth, but not gone from our hearts. I love you dad. I will miss you and think of you every single day. 

This little canoe looks worn, and old. But it is floating. Just like we are, floating above the water. We are not sinking. 

Kevin and I stayed at The Suites at Yale New Haven last night. We did not want to leave dads side. Let me tell you all, these Suites are amazing! Discounted rate for family/ patient, kitchenette, living area, bedroom with 2 queen beds and full bathroom. So cozy and comfortable, and clean! Parking and 24hr transportation to and from the hospital all included. We left the hospital at 7pm just before visiting hours were over. We got Pepe's pizza for dinner and then settled in at the Suites.I called the floor at 5AM and got an update from dad's night nurse. He had a restful, quiet night. His blood pressure is stable. Plan is for paracentesis today, which will make him more comfortable. (Paracentesis is when they drain the abdomen with a needle to make a patient more comfortable). They will continue to treat the pneumonia with IV antibiotics. We will do our best to keep you all updated. Please text my dad, as he will be bored in the hospital. Just refrain from texting between the hours of 10PM and 8AM so he can rest. He is not accepting visitors at this time so we do ask that you respect his wish. He loves to chat via text, and might be up for a phone call if you ask him. He is a fighter and is not giving up just yet!

Kevin called me at 9am to say dad was having chest pain, and pain all over. He also was shivering and freezing. I got to his house and he was in bed. He didn't want to go anywhere. I explained that he had a scheduled procedure today that NEEDED to be done to make him more comfortable. He refused for me to call 911, so we managed to get him in the car and to St. Raphael's campus for the IR appointment. When we checked in to IR he started to shiver so we went straight to the ED. He had a full work up done in the ED as you can imagine. EKG was negative for any cardiac events. His temp was elevated and he had a chest XR that is positive for infection. He is being treated with IV antibiotics/ IV fluids for pneumonia + possible sepsis. He was admitted to the ICU step down unit at St. Raphael's campus (Yale New Haven Health). He will be here until he stabilizes and we can figure out a plan to get him comfortable/ back home. Please keep the prayers going!! XOX

The past few days have been difficult. Dad does not really answer his phone, nor does he want visitors. He is very tired. He sleeps more than he is awake now. Yesterday was what I would consider a good day. He was up out of bed, sitting in his recliner thinking about his food cravings. He wanted a chocolate malt shake from Dari Serv yesterday. So of course, auntie and I went to get that. He had one sip. He had some tomato soup as well. He is really liking the red white and blue popsicles and Vecchitto's Italian ice! Today we will be going to the hospital for a procedure. He will be getting a CT scan soon as well to see what is happening with the cancer. We still pray for a miracle but know the reality. What else can you do? 

Dad is getting very tired. He is still fighting, but he is tired. He rests a lot during the day. He goes to bed early at night. We went to the clinic on Thursday, May 9th, and his labs were good! His liver function is improving. His kidneys are struggling but they are working! He did not require a blood transfusion, which is good! We are hoping to have a good weekend together as a family. He was so happy to see Nina, Kevin's girlfriend, yesterday who just got home from Italy. My dad loves Nina. We all do! 

We are family. This is us. Blood relation does not mean anything in the Crompton world. Sure our blood relations mean the world to us, and we have the best auntie and uncle, we had the best Grandpa and Grandma Crompton, we have the best cousins, and brothers. BUT, friends that become family, friends that we chose to be part of our family mean just as much. 

Photos by Jessica Masters Photography

Last night was really rough for dad. Kevin and Justine stayed at the house with him and I received a call at 1am from Kevin. Dad had been having the hiccups all night and could not lay down. Kevin and Justine had him sit up in the recliner which helped some. I don't think anyone really slept at all last night. I got here at 5:30AM and dad was still up in the recliner. The hiccups have stopped. We finally got him to go back into bed and lay down where he is somewhat comfortable now. This is just awful. Awful to watch and awful for him. I wish we knew how to make him feel better.