Thursday, June 13, 2013

A Few Inspirational Facts... About our Number 1 Inspiration....

{FYI: All of these have been shared on facebook... and we have been slacking on the blog.... sorry to those who don't facebook and haven't been able to keep up!} We have been working hard at trying to get our Dad and Hero in to the World Championship IRONMAN in Kona Hawaii. We will be better at updating the blog after votes are done!!

But here are some INSPIRATIONAL FACTS we have been posting on facebook about our Dad!

 
 INSPIRATION FACT #1 Did you know that our Dad does a round of Chemo every month? Every 23 days he starts another dose of the poison. He just finished his 7th cycle. Each time before he takes the pill everyone at the house gathers in a cirlce and cheers... "kick cancers ........" filled in with the nicest or nastiest word. If you feel INSPIRED go vote and share it! You can vote every day!




 INSPIRATION FACT #2: Do you know what an Ironman is? Oh its only a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, and 26.2 mile run...for total of 140.6 miles in one day!!! AND he has done it 3 times! AND in the last Ironman he beat his two sons!!! That's our IronDean! If your inspired by that go vote today!!



INSPIRATION FACT #3 Did you know that LESS THAN ONE WEEK after having PART OF HIS BRAIN REMOVED, Dean started back up on his training!!!!! he started by slowly walking around the block and then worked his way up from there. Does that inspire you? Go give Dean a vote! 

 INSPIRATION FACT #4: Back in November of 2012, just 4 months after Dean was diagnosed we organized the most amazing 5K ever! The Team IronDean 5K and with the help of you and sponsors we were able to raise a grand total of .......

$12,643.26!!!!

Thank you for your continued support. And thank you for being an inspiration to us! We feel such a sense of community and hope you do too


 INSPIRATION FACT #5: A lot can happen in nine months. Persistent headache. Rush to the ER. Discover mass. Mass is a tumor. Brain surgery. Remove 3 inch round tumor . Diagnosis....cancer.

This is tough information for anyone to digest, but can you imagine having to digest it alone, thousands of miles away from those you love? Our little brother, Alex, was serving his mission in Paraguay when he received that dreaded phone call from my mom. He'll have to share his story with us, but I know that news must have been the shock of his life. Thankfully, my dad was able to call Alex before and after his surgery and before starting radiation and chemotherapy to assure him that everything was going well.

And now after diligently serving the Lord and the people of Paraguay for two years, in spite of the obstacles and trials he was dealt, our little brother, Elder Alex Bullock, returned home last night!!!! It was a very sweet reunion, especially between my dad and Alex.

We are so grateful for Alex's faithful missionary service and certainly felt the blessings of his service in countless ways.

Now help us celebrate Alex's return by voting!!


 INSPIRATION FACT #6 Running saved our dad's life.

On Tuesday July 10th 2012, he went for a 6 mile run and came home with a splitting headache. He tried to ignore it. On Wednesday he did a 14 mile bike ride, and on Thursday, July 12th 2012, he was rushed to the Emergency room where doctors found a tumor that had burst. There was now bleeding on the brain, and the cause of that splitting headache.

The doctors said that the 3 inch tumor {which had already overtaken the majority of the left frontal lobe of his brain}, had probably only been growing for a short amount of time. It was growing FAST.

The burst tumor caused by a 6 mile run was the first miracle that we saw. And that tumor did not stop him from running again. Now he wants to race those 170 miles in the KONA IRONMAN. Help our Dad get there!! Thank you again for your VOTES!!!


 INSPIRATION FACT #7: The days after my dad's diagnosis were emotionally dark and difficult. Our dad was recovering from traumatic brain surgery, and it was extremely hard to watch. Too much movement caused him pain. Too much noise caused him pain. With everything his brain had just gone through, it took longer for him to process things. It was hard for him to form the words for the sentences he wanted to say....so he really didn't talk much at all. But that didn't stop my dad from talking to the one person he knew could understand everything he wanted to say without having to say it out loud....his Heavenly Father.

A few days after coming home from the hospital, my mom found my dad kneeling next to his bed, praying to his Heavenly Father. That one small act filled us with so much faith, hope, and strength. It was a reminder to us that no matter what happens in our lives, no matter what burdens we are asked to carry, our Heavenly Father is always there, listening and loving.

Thank you for supporting our dad and our family during this time of trial. We pray that we can share with others the hope you have provided us with.


 INSPIRATION FACT #8: Days after surgery, despite dad's pain and inability to form sentences, Dad never lost his funny, crazy sense of humor. He was always joking with the nurses and trying to get them to laugh.

Each day for his "daily brain test", the nurses would ask him a series of questions. They would ask him his name, date of birth, where he worked, how many kids he had, and mom's name. He would answer all the questions flawlessly except for mom's name.

Each time they ask that question, dad would come up with something crazy and outlandish to say. Here were some of his names: Gloria, Momma Uganda, Rapunzel, and Miss South Jordan City. The first time he did the the nurses looked at each one of us kids with real concern. Then realized dad was joking and learned quickly to not take him seriously.

His sense of humor was what made us realize he was going to recover. His sense of humor turned our fear into faith, our despair into hope, and our grief into joy.

If this story has made you laugh or smile, remember to VOTE and SHARE. Thank you



 INSPIRATION FACT #9: Dean's first marathon was the St. George Marathon. He was 34, and had 5 kids. His time....3:23.
Dean's last marathon was once again the St. George Marathon. He was 57, and had 9 kids. His time....3:24!
In 25 years his marathon time went up by 1 MINUTE!!! That is our IronDean! He is a fighter! He just keeps getting stronger! Now that is an Ironman!

If you think that is an incredible! Go VOTE TODAY!!


 INSPIRATION FACT #10
We've told you some inspiring things about our dad but we also wanted to share somethings about all the angles that surround and inspired us.
First off, through this FB page and through our blog we have been able to find many others who are in our same situation and who have reached out to us. What a blessing these people are. Something about them going through the same thing and knowing that they truly know exactly how we feel brings so much comfort and peace. Also all of you who have been willing to repost and share and vote to help our dad's dream come true. It brings so much happiness to know so many people care.
Another overwhelming blessing as we mentioned before is all the family, friends, neighbors and even strangers who came out and supported our Dad and family in our 5k race and helped us raise money for The Huntsman Cancer Center.
There Have also been several other random acts of kindness shown towards our family. Countless Meals brought over, mowing our lawn and yard work, and even girls from the neighborhood Babysitting the grandkids so we could be with our dad in the hospital. We have been so overwhelmed in seeing the goodness in people.
With the recent Boston Marathon bombing that hit a little too close to home for our family, it's so comforting to know that the good in this world far out weighs the bad. THANK YOU for bringing all of that good into our lives.

THANKS FOR YOUR VOTES!!!


 INSPIRATION FACT #11 It’s no secret that our Mom is AMAZING. A-MA-ZING. As we sat in the waiting room the day of my Dad’s brain surgery, one of the surgeons came into the room to tell us that they were able to remove the entire tumor and that they were now stitching him up. He then proceeded to tell us that the tumor was in fact malignant. It was cancer.

I remember looking around at my siblings and thinking, why is no one crying? Did I understand him correctly? Am I the only one that feels like I’m about to throw up? Did I just get punched in the stomach?

Then as we all piled into the elevator to go up to our Dads room it was silent. The sound of shock and devastation. No words. All you could hear were sniffles, and tears running down cheeks. After we all made it into the room my Mom gathered us in a circle and we all wept. I don’t know about my siblings, but I know it was the worst moment of my life.

But the entire time our Mom was a rock. As we cried in that circle she told us that our Dad was a fighter, and that he needed us to be strong. She told us that she felt peace and that Heavenly Father was in charge. She told us this was just Dads ironman for the year. She is our Dads biggest supporter, friend, confidant, cheerleader, partner, and fan. Their relationship is something we all admire. And today they celebrated 36 years of marriage. Let’s help them celebrate by giving our Dad a vote


 INSPIRATION FACT #12
Our dad has been selected by Real Salt Lake to be honored as a hero as part of their "Heroes Among Us" program!! He will be honored on June 8th, 2013 at the Rio Tinto Stadium during the pre-game ceremony. My dad feels extremely honored and humbled to have been selected, and we are thrilled!

LA Galaxy is RSL's biggest rival so it will be a sell-out game! If you want tickets, get them quick! And if you can't make it to the game, you can watch on ABC4 or ESPN 700.

Our dad has always and forever will be our biggest hero.


 INSPIRATION FACT #13
Dean is has done a round of radiation and has been on chemo pills since July. But he has never once complained! Infact, you would think it was like taking a multi-vitamin. For him this is just another bump in the road that he doesn't just walk over he JUMPS, LEAPS, HURDLES! His strength and confidence has helped all of us. Especially his children. We love him so much! Anytime we get to help him beat this we want to be there.
-He never went to a radiation appointment alone.
-He has never taken a chemo pill without his wife, or multiple children by his side to cheer him on.
-Everynight he does take a pill we cheer "Kick Cancers .....(fill in the blank)"
Thank you Dean for having such amazing faith and confidence and sharing it with us...your family...and sharing it with others! You will forever be a beautiful example of how to have faith and confidence during adversity!

If his confidence and example has helped you VOTE TODAY!


 INSPIRATION FACT #14: Races, Triathalons, and now Ironmans have always been a way our Dad has shown us that he loved us.

Five of us kids ran cross-country and track in high school and our Dad was always there. Cheering the loudest, calling out splits, taking pictures and supporting us. He traveled to Oregon, California, Idaho, Wyoming, and all over Utah to cheer us on. If there was any possible way for him to make it, he would.

After we all started to graduate from high school he continued to run with us as a way to strengthen our relationships. He has run a different marathon with all 3 of his daughters, and he has run multiple marathons with 4 of his sons. All three of his IRONMANS were trained for and raced with 2 of his sons. In 2004 there were 7 of us {even a few in-laws} that ran the St. George Marathon together!!

This time it’s different. Instead of him cheering for us, we want to cheer for him. Help us get him there so we can help cheer him across the finish line in KONA!


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