Dr. Brian Loggie's PMP Poster Boy

Desperate for information about Psuedomyxoma Peritonei (PMP) in November 2003, I sent a desperate message to a website where the creator of the website had not posted since 1998. I hoped someone might read my post and respond.

Bob Peterson emailed me. He invited me to the PMPbellybuttons@yahoogroups.com. I was the 17^th person to sign up for the group and Bob became our encourager.

Sometime before husband’s surgery in 2004, Bob flew into Omaha for his checkup with Dr. Brian Loggie at Creighton Medical. Bob invited husband and me for dinner. Bless his heart, Bob didn’t know how financially strapped we were by then and he paid for the meal. 

A professional phot of Dr. Brian Loggie

Bob encouraged Gary (husband) to trust Dr. Loggie. He shared his own PMP journey with us. How he’d followed Dr. Loggie from one location to the next because of the doctor’s expertise. 

Gary did have surgery in February 2004, the week after our 43^rd wedding anniversary.

Two memorable incidents before husband’s surgery:

A sweet nurse rolled husband toward surgery. “Oh, Mr. Crawford, you have such pearly white teeth.”

Husband popped out his teeth and handed them toward her. “You wanna use them? I won’t need them for awhile.

The second, when husband looked at Dr. Loggie and said, “Doc, I do believe you will see a miracle today.”

When prepped for surgery we were told it would take somewhere  between 13-17 hours, but nine hours after they wheeled husband away, Dr. Loggie showed up. He grinned at me.

Dr. Loggie's poster boy, Gary Crawford

“Mrs. Crawford, I do believe I’ve seen a miracle—I believe we removed every bit of PMP cells.”  

More of this story is found on my "More Than a Caregiver" website and in my book Capsules of Hope: Survival Guide for Caregivers.\

Husband lived seven more years (to the day from the first time he told me he had a problem). He did not die of PMP. My dear hubby of almost 51 years died of a sudden heart attack. 

It's hard to believe November 25, 2009 will be five years since husband died.

I first set my cap for Gary L. Crawford at Bible School at age 10. That’s lots of years to love one of God’s chosen people.

God Told Me To Sing Again

On my devotional page you’ll read about the man I married. The man his mother named Gary but I called Luke or husband or honey. 

When I wanted something special, I buttered him up with kisses and called him “Sweetie.” 

I’m speaking about the guy I lived with for almost 51 years. The man supposed to die in 2002.

God had other plans.

In January 2007, five years post death sentence, Gary walked out of the bathroom and said, "Mook, God told me to sing again. If you can find me a pianist and places to sing I’ll do it.”

Wow, what a change in attitude. I’d begged the man to sing. Over the years I’d felt he’d wasted a God given gift. When husband sang he touched my heart strings, but often he said, “I can’t sing.” Or “I’m too nervous to sing.” Or “Pianists play what’s written, I sing from the heart.”

Knowing all his past excuses, I began to pray for the right pianist and places to sing.

Because I’d written about all the churches in Cass County for the prior year, I found immediate openings for his voice. But, like he said, the first pianist volunteered her time, yet often spent the practices trying to keep husband “on beat” with her. I could see him getting frustrated, yet God called him to sing.

I’m not sure what happened, but the first pianist wasn’t available and we needed another one like yesterday. And God provided. Karen Collier followed husband. They were a perfect team. And God continued to open doors for the gifted man named Gary Crawford, the man of my dreams. 

Come back for more to the story.