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A Message from Ricky

Many of you know Gregory Case who shoots the still photography for The Quilt Show. On Monday night (May 9), Gregory began experiencing chest pains, neck pain, and other typical symptoms of a severe heart malfunction. He was rushed to the ER in Pueblo. After 21 hours in the ER, they ascertained he had an aortic aneurysm. It did not burst or he would have died instantly. He was life-flighted from Pueblo, CO to Colorado Springs for immediate surgery. Due to lack of blood to vital parts of his body, his kidneys were failing and his legs were not getting blood. There was the possibility of amputation and perhaps, if he survived, life-long dialysis. He underwent an 8-hour surgery to repair the aorta from his heart to his brain stem.

He is in ICU and the good news so far is that there are small signs of improvement. His kidneys seem to be recovering and his legs are going to be okay. However it is too soon to determine if he is getting proper blood flow to other vital systems. He is not out of the woods. There could be other complications due to this traumatic experience. He is uncomfortable and mentally aggravated (which is not unusual for the situation he is in) and that is not helping with the immediate recovery as he needs to be up and moving.

Personally, I have faith that he will pull through and that there won’t be any lasting damage. He will have a slow road to recovery. The scenario was bleak for the first three days. I spoke with Elena, his wife, and she indicated that the last two days have brought the slightest improvement and any improvement is a step forward so we are taking that as hopeful signs that he will recover. There is no way to determine what his “new normal” may be from here forward.

Your thoughts and prayers for Gregory and Elena are much appreciated.

(Photo: Elena, Lyric Kinard, and Gregory)