I need to say a HUGE "Thank You" to everyone who made the trek to Carmel this weekend. And, above all, for standing in line at the calling Thursday night to pay respect to the family. Simply put, I was floored.
Never before had I witnessed such a multifarious atmosphere composed of sadness, gratitude, love and embrace. Yes, I was utterly exhausted after shaking hands and hugging for 5 hours straight, but the moment was incredibly special. I didn't want to sit down. Strangely, the more my back ached the more real became the moment. Ambivalence (yearning for both another individual to greet and for the line to end) took on another connotation.
The funeral home said that 350 people visited that night -- I would have guessed 1000. The room was decorated with over 60 bouquets from various groups, and more were delivered from the florist on Friday. Way to go Dad. Way to push the limits of capacity. We always knew the rules didn't apply to you.
On a similar note, I sincerely appreciated all the comments about this blog. It was truly my pleasure to keep you all informed about his condition. As a busy-body, I could think of no better way to "contribute" to the situation. I'm glad the address was passed along so quickly too. Dad had so many friends, most of whom I never before had the honor of meeting. I know he spoke so highly of us kids but it was very nice to hear it from a third party. We always did want to make him proud.
To that end, I am going to continue to blog. However, since Dad is now speaking to us through a living legacy, I decided to create another site dedicated to that subject. The link is here: Dad's Living Legacy. Perhaps it will be more personal than informative, but you all are welcome to join, read, and comment. Paying respect has never come easier to me than through words on a page.
Monday, February 20, 2012
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Share your best story
As we prepare for Dad's funeral, I figured this site could be used to remember all the great times we shared with him. If you have any memorable stories or secrets to expose, please post them here! The family would love to compile these for future laughs (and cries if due).
Monday, February 13, 2012
Funeral services
Sorry this has taken so long to get out. Not much happens during the weekend. I appreciate your patience.
Viewing: Thursday February 16 from 4pm - 8pm at Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Home (325 East Carmel Drive, Carmel IN 46032).
Service: Friday 2/17, 11am at Orchard Park Presbyterian Church.
There are a variety of hotels in the area that we can recommend:
Renaissance Hotel - 11925 North Meridian Street, Carmel, IN (317) 816-0777
Springhill Suites - 11855 N. Meridian Street, Carmel, IN (317) 846-1800
Hampton Inn - 12197 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN (317) 843-1100
Doubletree - 11355 North Meridian Street, Carmel, IN (317) 844-7994
Hilton Garden Inn - 13090 North Pennsylvania Street, Carmel, IN (317) 581-9400
Feel free to email me at jeffrey.cochran@gmail.com with any questions.
Love,
Jeff
Viewing: Thursday February 16 from 4pm - 8pm at Flanner and Buchanan Funeral Home (325 East Carmel Drive, Carmel IN 46032).
Service: Friday 2/17, 11am at Orchard Park Presbyterian Church.
There are a variety of hotels in the area that we can recommend:
Renaissance Hotel - 11925 North Meridian Street, Carmel, IN (317) 816-0777
Springhill Suites - 11855 N. Meridian Street, Carmel, IN (317) 846-1800
Hampton Inn - 12197 North Meridian Street, Indianapolis, IN (317) 843-1100
Doubletree - 11355 North Meridian Street, Carmel, IN (317) 844-7994
Hilton Garden Inn - 13090 North Pennsylvania Street, Carmel, IN (317) 581-9400
Feel free to email me at jeffrey.cochran@gmail.com with any questions.
Love,
Jeff
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Passing of a great man
Steve Cochran took his last breathe around 2pm this afternoon. He fought a long hard battle, albeit short and sudden to us. He was surrounded by his brothers, sons, wife, and other family. We miss him so much but know he is resting peacefully in Heaven
Friday and this morning were tough days. When all seemed to be going better, his lungs took an absolute nose dive. By the evening he was on 100% oxygen and being artificially kept alive. Once the family arrived, we decided not to prolong a suffering life.
Such a fighter, amazing father, and loving friend.
We'll update again with details about the viewing here soon. I'm sorry to be brief, but please email me with questions about his last days.
Love
Jeff
Friday and this morning were tough days. When all seemed to be going better, his lungs took an absolute nose dive. By the evening he was on 100% oxygen and being artificially kept alive. Once the family arrived, we decided not to prolong a suffering life.
Such a fighter, amazing father, and loving friend.
We'll update again with details about the viewing here soon. I'm sorry to be brief, but please email me with questions about his last days.
Love
Jeff
Thursday, February 9, 2012
On the upswing
Lots of development since the last post. I visited Mom at the hospital around 10am today and the doctors happened to be making their rounds at that time. Dr. Roe walked in and made a very warm introduction. After a few minutes of pleasantries, he cut to the chase. The transplant committee met Wednesday night and had made its decision about the course of action:
Overall - he is a prime candidate for transplant, but he needs to pass some preliminary tests beforehand, including:
1. Heart cath to ensure the arteries and ventricles are strong, to be done Thursday afternoon around 2pm.
2. Colonoscopy to ensure he had no polyps, anticipated for Friday morning.
3. If passing, the transplant board would review the results, talk to the insurance, and submit his candidature by the weekend.
**About the lung transplant: Steve's blood type 'A' is one of the rarest in America, so finding donors won't be easy. However, the severity of his disease puts him toward the top -- if not at numero uno -- for recipients in the nation**
The report was quite sobering, although graciously earnest. Dr. Roe even said that he was delivering this news with "cautious optimism", a metaphor of the precarious position we find ourselves in. Steve's lungs continue to decline and each passing day that he sleeps while on heavy sedation and steroids is another day of gradual muscular atrophy. Plus, the longer he stays on a ventilator the harder it will be to wean him off post-transplant. There is a narrow window of opportunity, and they're doing everything in their power to hit the mark.
So, after discussing contingencies, Mom and I broke for lunch. Other friends were going to visit that afternoon so I headed back north and worked the rest of the day. I didn't see Marian again until this evening around 7:15. Since I hadn't heard from her I assumed the procedure (heart cath) went smoothly. I was right...he passed solidly...and even more encouraging news followed. It seems that since Steve had a colonoscopy within the last couple years, they are going to skip tomorrow's scheduled test and go right toward getting him on the list.
We ended tonight on a positive note. The Griffins drove back with Marian to the house and we had a nice dinner (a small array of food delivered previously to the house by friends -- we are too lucky!). Marian said that Dr. Roe made another round toward the end of the evening and his tone was much more optimistic. The atmosphere felt light and uplifting. Then, at 9pm, Papa and Minerva arrived. It was like a small family reunion. Laughter and dessert ensued.
A final word and important detail: Steve will most likely stay sedated until after the transplant. He also will not be getting a tracheotomy for risk of infection. We aren't out of the woods, but it was a relief to see some light. THANK YOU all for your prayers, calls, and letters. We continue to believe.
Overall - he is a prime candidate for transplant, but he needs to pass some preliminary tests beforehand, including:
1. Heart cath to ensure the arteries and ventricles are strong, to be done Thursday afternoon around 2pm.
2. Colonoscopy to ensure he had no polyps, anticipated for Friday morning.
3. If passing, the transplant board would review the results, talk to the insurance, and submit his candidature by the weekend.
**About the lung transplant: Steve's blood type 'A' is one of the rarest in America, so finding donors won't be easy. However, the severity of his disease puts him toward the top -- if not at numero uno -- for recipients in the nation**
The report was quite sobering, although graciously earnest. Dr. Roe even said that he was delivering this news with "cautious optimism", a metaphor of the precarious position we find ourselves in. Steve's lungs continue to decline and each passing day that he sleeps while on heavy sedation and steroids is another day of gradual muscular atrophy. Plus, the longer he stays on a ventilator the harder it will be to wean him off post-transplant. There is a narrow window of opportunity, and they're doing everything in their power to hit the mark.
So, after discussing contingencies, Mom and I broke for lunch. Other friends were going to visit that afternoon so I headed back north and worked the rest of the day. I didn't see Marian again until this evening around 7:15. Since I hadn't heard from her I assumed the procedure (heart cath) went smoothly. I was right...he passed solidly...and even more encouraging news followed. It seems that since Steve had a colonoscopy within the last couple years, they are going to skip tomorrow's scheduled test and go right toward getting him on the list.
We ended tonight on a positive note. The Griffins drove back with Marian to the house and we had a nice dinner (a small array of food delivered previously to the house by friends -- we are too lucky!). Marian said that Dr. Roe made another round toward the end of the evening and his tone was much more optimistic. The atmosphere felt light and uplifting. Then, at 9pm, Papa and Minerva arrived. It was like a small family reunion. Laughter and dessert ensued.
A final word and important detail: Steve will most likely stay sedated until after the transplant. He also will not be getting a tracheotomy for risk of infection. We aren't out of the woods, but it was a relief to see some light. THANK YOU all for your prayers, calls, and letters. We continue to believe.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Email a Patient: Methodist eCard
If you would like to send a message to Steve, IU Health has a cool service called eCard for Patients. Following the link below. Be sure to drop-down the arrow to "Methodist".
Email a Patient
Thursday, 2/9 Addendum -- THANK YOU to all who have written!! Your overflowing support is quite moving to us. Some of you jokesters are even making us laugh now and then. Seriously, we greatly appreciate it.
Email a Patient
Thursday, 2/9 Addendum -- THANK YOU to all who have written!! Your overflowing support is quite moving to us. Some of you jokesters are even making us laugh now and then. Seriously, we greatly appreciate it.
Roller coaster ride begins
The best thing we can do for our sanity is to accept the present situation as is. Sometimes that is easy, such as when we're bed-ridden at home with a fever but resting comfortably on the sofa with a handful of movies. Other times it is not so easy, as when we're stuck in traffic or at an airport with a dead phone and no snack.
Steve finds himself in more of the latter situation these days, begging Marian to get him out of entubation. He has done a much better job of battling his fever, although some inflammation still persists in his lungs. The docs says his lungs require a little more oxygen, so they are going to move him into isolation to ensure that he doesn't contract any more virus/bug that might slow the recovery process. The cultures taken from both bronchoscopies are "negative," which means that no new pathogens are in the lungs. However, they still don't have a conclusive reason for his recent spike in temperature. Most likely he was just all hot and bothered by the tubes, although some bug might have caused the pneumonia.
UPDATE at 1:45pm
The fever has gone down but his oxygen pressure (PEEP) has also gone down, meaning they needed to increase his O2 intake to 80%, up from 40% yesterday. The docs think that his left lung is much more inflamed than his right. They are increasing steroids to reduce this inflammation, which is the last step before the tracheotomy.
Steve finds himself in more of the latter situation these days, begging Marian to get him out of entubation. He has done a much better job of battling his fever, although some inflammation still persists in his lungs. The docs says his lungs require a little more oxygen, so they are going to move him into isolation to ensure that he doesn't contract any more virus/bug that might slow the recovery process. The cultures taken from both bronchoscopies are "negative," which means that no new pathogens are in the lungs. However, they still don't have a conclusive reason for his recent spike in temperature. Most likely he was just all hot and bothered by the tubes, although some bug might have caused the pneumonia.
UPDATE at 1:45pm
The fever has gone down but his oxygen pressure (PEEP) has also gone down, meaning they needed to increase his O2 intake to 80%, up from 40% yesterday. The docs think that his left lung is much more inflamed than his right. They are increasing steroids to reduce this inflammation, which is the last step before the tracheotomy.
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