We realized yesterday that we might be running short of firewood up close to the house... Vern didn't want me to carry it or push the wheelbarrow, so he found a solution! Didn't use duct tape - just motorcycle straps!

Life can sometimes throw up a roadblock that brings things to a stop for a while... On Dec. 21, Vern was working on a plumbing issue out in the shop building. He has known for sometime that he had an anuryism behind the knee on his left leg, but was going with the theory "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!" He was careful to not squat which would restrict blood flow - until that Monday...

He sat back on his heels to study the situation, and the artery clamped shut and almost immediately began to form a huge clot. Pain was immediate, so he got up and came in the house, walked around a bit and it eased up, so we ate lunch and he decided it was okay to go back to work - although on a different project that did not require squatting!

He walked out to the trash barrels, but that did it - he barely made it back to the house and was in acute pain. We headed to Tulsa to the ER - no long waits there - the nurse immediately assessed the situation and he was moved quickly through the process. A CT scan showed absolutely NO blood flow below the knee, so he was prepped for immediate surgery. Muscle tissue will start to die after 6 hours if there is no blood supply - when he was taken in to surgery it had been 6 hours since the episode began... We later learned that one of the nurses on the trauma team in the OR that day goes to church with our daughter. He told her later that when he walked in and reviewed the history with Vern and saw his leg - he assumed that an amputation was about to happen. However, the doctor came in and said, "not yet!"

We're not done but we've moved in and it is great!

See latest pictures on our website http://www.vernstreet.com

Vern and Sara Street