Synopsis

Dave and I were in the middle of a coast to coast relocation. Our children were safely and securely nestle into college back in Maryland. I was busy tying up lose ends, getting the house sold and packed up, winding up my job and planning to help find my replacement. Dave was already in California, working hard to come up to speed on his new job, staying with a childhood friend of mine and looking for a new home for us to move into.

On the morning of a planned business trip to Las Vegas (June 16, 2008), Dave couldn't get out of bed. He had been experiencing some back discomfort for a couple of months but had attributed it to moving boxes around and generally over doing it. When the alarm went off at 5 am to get up and catch his flight he was experiencing excruciating pain. He managed to get out of bed and make it to the bathroom, but quickly returned to bed, just to rest a little longer in the hopes that it would pass. It didn't. It got worse.

Little CJ, age 9, Dan & Sarah's daughter, hated it when "Uncle Dave" left to go on a business trip. True to her past behavior, she had woken up very early in the morning and camped outside near his bedroom door on the floor with her blanket and pillow. She didn't want him to leave without saying goodbye. Knowing CJ was outside his door and desperately trying to keep his pain at bay, Dave calmly and quietly called to CJ and asked if she could get her mommy. "Sure!" CJ said, happy to have an important task from Uncle Dave. She ran upstairs to tell her mom, who was getting ready for work, that Uncle Dave needed her right away!