Bill's reconstruction on his face was changed to July 29th because Dr. Hunt had a important cancer case that he had to deal with. It has just made Bill more nervous, but I was able to take care of some insurance issues.

Reconstruction of Bill's face

On Tuesday, May 28th 2013, Bill had an appointment with Dr. Hunt at the Huntsman Cancer Hospital and a date was set for the reconstruction surgery on Bill's face. The date is Monday, July 8th 2013. The surgery will be 10-12 hours long and he will be in the hospital for 6-10 days, then recovery at home. The bone, skin, muscle, and blood vessels will be taken from the bottom part of one of his legs. The bones in his face will be held together with titanium plates and screws. When Bill gets home he will walk with a cane for 2 weeks and then he will be able to do everything that he normally would do. Right now Bill can drink from a soda pop bottle (without the obturator) and can eat soft food with his obturator in, we still put most of his meds and food in his G-tube that goes right into his stomach. After the surgery and the flap is in his mouth, that is the new roof of his mouth is healed he will be able to take all his meds and soft food through his mouth and the G-tube will come out of his stomach. We will have to wait until the bone is completely healed (6-8 months) before Bill will get implanted teeth and then be able to eat his favorite food - hard or not. The obturator is like a retainer that fits somewhat in the hole that is in the roof of Bill's mouth. It helps him talk better. Dr. Rodney Andrus, here in St. George is the wonderful prosthodontic specialist that made the obturator.

As you can see, Bill did not pass away after 2 months. He kept getting better and stronger each day after leaving the hospital on April 25th, 2012. By November 2012, Dr. Horani, our Infectious Disease doctor here in St. George felt that Bill needed an MRI. After seeing that there was significant improvement from the MRI in April, he told us to contact Dr. Hunt about reconstruction.

Dr. Hunt was very surprised and happy when we made the appointment. Very few individuals survive having mucormycosis. The nurses, hospital staff and doctors on West 8 at LDS hospital were also very happy and surprised to see Bill alive and doing well.

Just catching everyone up on the Black family story. Bill was still having hyperbaric chamber treatments and Dr. Beninati added another fungal medicine (Posaconazole) in March to the big bad fungal medicine that Bill has been taking since he was at Dixie Regional. The big bad medicine is Amphotericin. He did this so that in a couple of months they would take Bill off the big bad medicine, because it was doing a lot of damage to his kidneys.

Also at the end of March 2012, Bill's aunt Margaret told us that she had sent a letter to President Monson about Bill's situation and condition. Bill's mom and his aunt's mother is a cousin to President Monson. President Monson was so kind to send a letter back and told her that Bill would be in the First Presidency daily prayers for 3 months. That sure made Bill feel better.

On April 4, 2012 Bill was told that there was nothing more that could be done and the hyerbaric chamber treatments would be stopping soon. On the 5th he was told that maybe a doctor at the new IHC hospital in Murray was willing to do another debridement around Bill's left eye and temple area. The doctor might have to take his eye to get all the mucormycosis. We prayed and talked to family and friends about this new development. Some were for it and others were against it. Bill's cousin David Schetselaar gave him a wonderful blessing on the 15th. Dr. Beninati, Dr. Pearl, and Dr. Clemmer ordered one last MRI to decide with the doctor at the new IHC hospital when to do the surgery. On the 20th all the doctors decided that it was to dangerous and disfiguring to do another debridement (surgery), so they started to make plans for us to come home. We were told that there was nothing more that could be done and we had 2 weeks to 2 months at the longest for Bill to live. We were coming home to make him comfortable and make memories. We left LDS hospital on April 25, 2012 and arrived home at 10:00pm.

Bill has been hoping to be home in time for the Dixie Junior Livestock show and that came true, because we went to the banquet on Friday, April 27th 2012 and they gave Bill the Corner Post Award. This is a big honor for him. We also went to the sell part of the show on Saturday. Bill couldn't stay to long, because he got tired so easily and he had to take medicine.

Bill started with dialysis February 22nd 2012. His kidneys hung on for a long time. The doctors told us in January that he might need to do dialysis, but his kidneys stabilized until Feb. Now that he is home, he will go to dialysis 3 days a week for 3 hours each time. He is going to Liberty Dialysis on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We have home health care coming every Thursday to check on Bill. They check his G-tube, trach, meds, heart and general health. I (Jeanne) gives the amphotericin through his pick line and other meds through his G-tube (PEG).