Devonviolet
Herd Master
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2014
- Messages
- 3,343
- Reaction score
- 7,844
- Points
- 483
- Location
- East Texas - Near Sulphur Springs
It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of our beloved Latestarter. He passed away on Saturday Feb. 23, 2019, at approximately 9:00 PM.
Joe admitted himself to the hospital, on Saturday February 16th and was admitted to the ICU. He called me on Sunday afternoon, and asked DH and I to go feed his goats. He knew he was going to be in the hospital for a while, and asked us to give them enough food, that we could go every other day, since it is a bit of a drive to his house. He was planning to be home by Friday.
At the time he called they put him on a breathing mask, and he couldn’t talk. So we proceeded to text. He INSISTED that nothing be posted on BYH, and that when he was able, he would post on his journal and explain everything that had happened. So, I gave him my word, that I would not say anything on BYH. When people started commenting, on his journal, wondering how Joe was, I asked if I could at least say something. So he allowed me to post the bare minimum, saying he would fill in the details when he was able.
As many of you know, Joe has been sick for a while now. I believe the worst of it started last December, when he came down with the flu, which left him with a bad cough. Although he has had pain in his hands and feet for a while, which made it increasingly difficult to do anything on the farm. I believe about two months ago he was in the hospital for kidney issues.
This time, when he went to the hospital, I believe it was for pneumonia, for which they used a Bi-PAP Oxygen mask and antibiotics. The initial diagnosis was for a rare autoimmune disease, which causes extreme pain in wrists and ankles, as well as fluid on the lungs and heart and kidney failure. As the first week went by, he seemed to get better, and they moved him from ICU to a step-down unit and then to a regular floor bed.
Last Monday, I talked to him, on the phone and he sounded fine. But by Monday night he was back in ICU using a ventilator, to help him breathe. I didn’t hear from him for a couple days, in spite multiple phone messages and texts, so I called the nursing station and learned that he was in critical condition and that his family had been called.
By yesterday, multiple medical treatments had been attempted, but it was becoming clear that he was going down hill.
This afternoon, the doctors told his family that he didn’t have more than 72 hours left. I was making plans to drive to Shreveport tomorrow, to see Joe one more time.
Then tonight, his son texted me that he had passed sometime after 9:00 PM. My heart is broken. I had come to love him like a brother, and I am really going to miss him!!!
I remember the day he joined Backyard Herds! He was our 10,000th member and I was the first one to welcome him. Little did I know how much I would come to love him. He was a kind, intelligent, stubborn, gentle soul.
I am so grateful, that he was able to accomplish his dream and have his goats. He truly loved those goats!!!
Rather than put this on his journal, I decided to give him his own special tribute. Please post your thoughts and memories of this very special man. His passing will definitely leave a big hole here on Backyard Herds!
Here are some photos I have of him. The first two are one of the first times we saw his place here in Texas. He was loving on his big lumux (Pyr/Anatolian LGD), Mel. What a sweet boy Mel is.
This third one is the day he came to our place to help build gates. This one was for one of the shelters for our new 16X16 chicken run, with a dividing wall and gate, for two 8x16 runs. We had a great time that day. On another visit, Joe helped us butcher chickens. The man was a work horse!!!
Joe admitted himself to the hospital, on Saturday February 16th and was admitted to the ICU. He called me on Sunday afternoon, and asked DH and I to go feed his goats. He knew he was going to be in the hospital for a while, and asked us to give them enough food, that we could go every other day, since it is a bit of a drive to his house. He was planning to be home by Friday.
At the time he called they put him on a breathing mask, and he couldn’t talk. So we proceeded to text. He INSISTED that nothing be posted on BYH, and that when he was able, he would post on his journal and explain everything that had happened. So, I gave him my word, that I would not say anything on BYH. When people started commenting, on his journal, wondering how Joe was, I asked if I could at least say something. So he allowed me to post the bare minimum, saying he would fill in the details when he was able.
As many of you know, Joe has been sick for a while now. I believe the worst of it started last December, when he came down with the flu, which left him with a bad cough. Although he has had pain in his hands and feet for a while, which made it increasingly difficult to do anything on the farm. I believe about two months ago he was in the hospital for kidney issues.
This time, when he went to the hospital, I believe it was for pneumonia, for which they used a Bi-PAP Oxygen mask and antibiotics. The initial diagnosis was for a rare autoimmune disease, which causes extreme pain in wrists and ankles, as well as fluid on the lungs and heart and kidney failure. As the first week went by, he seemed to get better, and they moved him from ICU to a step-down unit and then to a regular floor bed.
Last Monday, I talked to him, on the phone and he sounded fine. But by Monday night he was back in ICU using a ventilator, to help him breathe. I didn’t hear from him for a couple days, in spite multiple phone messages and texts, so I called the nursing station and learned that he was in critical condition and that his family had been called.
By yesterday, multiple medical treatments had been attempted, but it was becoming clear that he was going down hill.
This afternoon, the doctors told his family that he didn’t have more than 72 hours left. I was making plans to drive to Shreveport tomorrow, to see Joe one more time.
Then tonight, his son texted me that he had passed sometime after 9:00 PM. My heart is broken. I had come to love him like a brother, and I am really going to miss him!!!
I remember the day he joined Backyard Herds! He was our 10,000th member and I was the first one to welcome him. Little did I know how much I would come to love him. He was a kind, intelligent, stubborn, gentle soul.
I am so grateful, that he was able to accomplish his dream and have his goats. He truly loved those goats!!!
Rather than put this on his journal, I decided to give him his own special tribute. Please post your thoughts and memories of this very special man. His passing will definitely leave a big hole here on Backyard Herds!
Here are some photos I have of him. The first two are one of the first times we saw his place here in Texas. He was loving on his big lumux (Pyr/Anatolian LGD), Mel. What a sweet boy Mel is.
This third one is the day he came to our place to help build gates. This one was for one of the shelters for our new 16X16 chicken run, with a dividing wall and gate, for two 8x16 runs. We had a great time that day. On another visit, Joe helped us butcher chickens. The man was a work horse!!!