We made an unexpected trip to Chicago last weekend. My brother was driving down to MS with his boss to pickup the jet they fly. He was in a tragic accident in IN and flown into Chicago IL. He and his boss did not survive. Last weekend was emotionally draining. We went from being in a hospital in Chicago to another one in Detroit in a matter of days.
On Tuesday Tom & I got up at 4:00 a.m and were on the road by 5:00 so that Tom could get through his clinical trial. He needed to do this to continue with his medicine as you can't get his drugs through any pharmacy. The people at Henry Ford Hospital were trying to accommodate our request to get through quickly & be back on the road ASAP. They rushed us through and did a pretty good job, except that he was poked 4 times instead of just the once. His arms are still black & blue almost a week later. Tom will be heading back to Detroit before March 8 for all his scans once again.
It amazes me how strong my husband is. He was continually by my side and assisted with anything the family needed done. On Tuesday on our drive we talked, laughed and cried during our trip to Detroit. I wrote down some of my fondest memories and would share them with Tom. I think it was good for us to go through this process together as part of our grieving. I also wrote a poem in Dan's memory. Tom wanted to share these with the family & friends. I knew that as much as I wanted, I could not stand up and put to words what I had put on paper. On Thursday night he decided to speak at the funeral. He did such a great job! I am not sure how he got through it but it made us laugh through our tears. I am so proud of the man that I married. I could not imagine going through this without him.
Instead of the verse that I usually write, I would like to share the poem that I wrote in memory of Dan Van Dyke December 6, 1966 - February 4, 2011:
To My Big Brother
As we grew I looked up to you
My brother and my friend
It's so hard to say goodbye
This can not be the end
As memories fill my mind
The years that have flown by
You lived your life to the fullest
As you jetted through the sky
In life you brought laughter
Your smile filled the air
You will be so dearly missed
I'll never forget our time we shared
God called you home & I'm sure the Angels did sing
As you were given your forever wings
-Valerie Andrews
