In several of the videos Karen refers to her fathers emergency surgery and difficult recovery. What was the nature of his illness?
Before his illness, Bob Brown was a vigorous 82 year old who maintained his own home, gardened, cooked his own meals, volunteered at church and drove his own car. When Bob came down with a stomach virus his esophagus became entangled and emergency surgery was performed to save his life. During the surgery, part of Bob’s stomach was removed and the esophagus was drastically shortened. The name for this condition is an incarcerated esophagus. After the surgery Bob’s ability to eat normally was severely reduced and he was only able to eat small amounts at a time. Several weeks in ICU left him in need of long term physical therapy to regain enough strength and balance to walk again. Although Bob was never able to return to his normal active life after the surgery, he maintained his sense of humor, his friendly interest in others and his faith.
