In Loving Memory

Rick Nevels

6/21/52-1/26/09

Loved and Missed

When I started blogging a little over a year ago, I never intended to post a personal picture or to write about my personal life. In fact, when I first "discovered" blogs, I was too afraid to even leave a comment on anyone else's site. My how a year changes things.

My husband, Rick, passed away unexpectedly a little over a week ago. Rick was a talented and passionate photographer and had gone up to Covington, KY on Friday, 1/23, to attend a Photoshop workshop with a friend of ours. He grew ill after lunch, was taken to a local hospital, and by Monday evening he was gone. Because his condition deteriorated so quickly, the hospital performed an autopsy that showed the "worst case" of pancreatitis they had ever seen. The pancreatitis was caused by "sludge" in the gallbladder getting trapped in the duct leading into the pancreas, and the pancreatic enzymes backing up into the pancreas. It was a quick and devastating process.

I share this information with you in hopes that it may help prevent the death of someone you love. Rick had been having severe abdominal pain for about a month, and had gone to see his doctor on Thursday. Even though his blood work from Thursday was within normal ranges, his doctor had set him up for an ultrasound to look for gallstones on the Monday he actually passed away. The episode that sent him to the hospital on that Friday was "attack" number five. According to the doctor who performed the autopsy, Rick was already exhibiting signs of pancreatitis when he began seeking medical attention for the stomach pain. The only thing that could have prevented his death is if he would have had his gallbladder out long before this past month.

Words cannot express how much I will miss him, nor what a wonderful relationship we shared. Our love of photography and the outdoors is what brought us together. In fact, the reason I started blogging is that Rick started a blog at the same time (a story I will share sometime). You can see some of his work on his blog, Photography in the Bluegrass. I will do my best to continue his work and to honor his memory and my love for him through our photography and his website.

Now that I've moved from the impersonal to the personal, please know that my intention is to continue this blog as a way to share my love for needlework and to not dwell on the personal. Circumstances, however, have a way of making life and relationships all the more meaningful. Rick and I have been blessed by the love of many here in the Louisville area. I know, too, that the online community cares as well. Please don't let someone you love die from a stomach ache.

Rick & Teri