"Little White House"
Lori and I, and the kids; Katie, Kelly, and Daniel all caught the flu in February-March of 1989. So severe was the flu that we were not able to go to work or school for almost a month. This caused Lori and I to drop out of school, which led us to rethink whether we wanted to stay in Lawrence or return to Bozeman, as we had heard the economy was starting to turn around there.
Praying about it, the Holy Spirit told me quite clearly, “Whatever you want to do, do so quickly, as wherever you are in a couple of months, you will be for the next two years.” We sold our mobile home and took off for Bozeman in late May.
We decided to rent a one-bedroom apartment for a month at the apartments we used to manage, while looking for a more permanent place to live. We found a little white house for sale close to Main Street in Bozeman that we liked. We made an offer to purchase it that was accepted.
Interestingly enough though, I had met the owner of the house during my days transporting Ryder Trucks. She had been hitch-hiking and was late for work. I gave her a ride home and had dropped her off at that house. It had really helped her, and she was gracious in her dealings with us. She was a motorcycle enthusiast and was rebuilding an engine in her basement.
The day we signed the agreement to purchase the house, we had also taken Danny to the doctor as he had never quite recovered from the flu, and something just seemed to be off because he was sleeping twenty hours a day and not eating very well. The doctor had told us to just give him lots of fluids and rest, but I informed him that something was seriously wrong and if he couldn’t do anything, I was going to take him to the hospital. In response, he agreed to give him a blood test, that might at least tell us something about what was going on.
When we came back to the apartment after signing the papers on the house and running errands, there was a note on the door from the doctor. The note said to call him immediately. I did so and he informed me that Danny had Leukemia and we needed to get him to the hospital right away.
The doctor arranged to transport him to Denver Children’s Hospital, but we had to go to the hospital to get another blood test first. The results of his first blood test had his white cell count at over 500,000 which was extremely rare and would kill most people.
Danny had his blood tested again and his white cell count was 650,000. A plane arrived and the medical personnel came to check Danny at the Hospital to see if he would make the trip. They decided it was worth a try and Danny and I left Lori, not knowing if she would ever see him alive again.
We made it to Denver Children’s Hospital and began treatments. We went through the first few days not knowing whether he would survive at all. The staff at the hospital were so amazing it is hard to even express my gratitude for their help through it all.
The chemotherapy induction treatment took ninety days. The first thirty days Danny was in the hospital but the next sixty, we stayed at the local Ronald McDonald House.
I remember when I went to pick up Danny’s medical supplies, before we headed to the Ronald McDonald House, and was asked what my name was. I told them the patient was Danial Reynolds, but she wanted to know my name. My stress level was so high, I just couldn’t remember my own name. Then I had the thought of looking at my driver’s license. That worked, and I gave her my name.
Lori had to accomplish the move into our new house by herself and the kids. In addition, she had been pregnant and delivered our fourth child, Melissa.
Marshall flew his then wife, Geri, to Bozeman to help Lori for a few weeks. She helped Lori move and get settled into the house. She built a kitchen counter and did various repairs that were needed around the house.
Lori’s pregnancy was overdue, and on the day before Geri was to leave Bozeman, Lori was induced and gave birth. Geri was a life saver for Lori and the kids and a huge help during a very stressful time.
Lori and the kids came to visit a few weeks after Melissa was born, staying at the Ronald McDonald house, too. Danny had stopped talking and walking when he got sick but when he saw everyone, he started talking and walking again.
Danny and I came home in early September, and he did pretty well in remission but the next summer, on July 1st, we found out the Leukemia had come back. He lived another month and a half and passed away on August 21, 1990.