Health Status update 9/20/09

Dear Friends,

I want to take a moment to share some updated news with each of you regarding my health status. For those of you who might not know, our family has been dealing with a serious health issue that I have had for the past 3 and a half years. I have a lung disease called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis, which in short is a disease that attacks the lungs ability to produce oxygen. The "Idiopathic" word means unknown source and due to the fact I have never smoked or been exposed to chemicals which could bring about damage to my lungs and most of the people with this disease have a history of smoking, doctors have no idea as to the origin or cause of the disease.

As a result of our trip to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville on 9/14/09, I am on full time oxygen and am on the "Active List" for lung transplant as of 9/18/09. Transplant is the only cure for this disease and based upon the results of the current tests, the doctors have told us that without transplant and based upon the current decline I am experiencing, I have been given 6 months to live without transplant. Obviously God is the great physician and can intervene at any time and heal me. It has been a long journey, but we look forward to seeing how God uses this in our lives.

Going forward, upon being notified by the Mayo Clinic for immediate departure to come to Jacksonville for transplant surgery, plans are in place for Debbie and I to fly up there and we are prepared to stay in the Jacksonville area for a minimum of 3 months. Kylie will remain here and be taken in by Pat, Nancy, Kim and Patrick Kelly. The Kellys are like family to us and we are very blessed to have them in our lives. Pat and Nancy are like a second set of parents to Kylie and will be fully engaged in helping her with her academics and basketball. Pat has been assisting us with many of the preparation plans and will be flying with us to Jacksonville upon notification from the Mayo Clinic.

God has been very good to us through this trial. We can look back and see just the right doctor, the right contact and the right friend being provided at just the right time over these past 3 and a half years. Some verses that I have claimed through this journey are found in Genesis 22: 1-19 (Abraham being obedient to God) and in
John 9:1-5 (the blind man glorifying God). As I have shared with others in the past, my desire is to be obedient to God in my life as we go through this trial and that God would be glorified through us.

We are overwhelmed with the amount of support and prayers given to our family and we thank you in advance for your continued support and prayers. With all the preparation and countless hours put into this, we decided to give this journey a name: Operation Breath of Life. Please join us by praying for our family. Our specific prayer request at this time would be for a perfect match to become available very soon as it is important for me to be physically strong going in so that I am physically strong coming out of transplant. As the disease progresses, you not only loose the ability to breathe, but you lose much needed body strength. As you pray for that perfect matching lung[s], please pray for the family who will lose a loved one through this event.

We will be sending out periodic email updates and prayer requests. What is sent out on those emails can also be found on the following website: http://rickhornsby.blogspot.com/


Love in Christ,
Rick and Debbie