Bob Perez
May 2002 Spotlight Patient

Bob and Emily
Christmas, 1998

I want to tell you a little bit about my husband, Bob Perez, and about how he changed my life for the better.

First, I never knew until I met him that anyone could or would love me so much—that anyone could be so sweet and kind and caring, so generous and selfless, and so charming all at the same time.

These last nine months I have missed Bob so much, and only recently have I begun to realize that he has not left me. I used to ask him what I would do without him in the future; and he would say, as he put his hand over my heart, “I’ll be right here.” And he was right. Each day that passes, I feel his presence more in my heart than I did the day before.

I am even finding that because he and his love are within me, I am transforming into a new person—a more kind, loving, and happy person, I think (and I hope). These days, I am finding myself doing things that only he would have done, such as surprising people with gifts and notes, or infusing my speaking and my writing with humor. I enjoy brightening people’s lives with that humor by lovingly teasing them, as Bob used to do so often.

Ten minutes after his doctor told him he would likely never leave the hospital (another way of telling him that he was dying), Bob told me that I would find love again. What a tremendously unselfish and loving thing to say to me in his most trying moment!

I will love him and carry him with me in my life always, wherever that life takes me.

_____________________

On June 3, 2001 , Bob died from many complications of diabetes, including renal failure, immunosuppression from transplantation, and, finally, sepsis. His death was not caused by Gastroparesis. However, he suffered from Gastroparesis for many years, and he endured increasingly severe nausea and stomach pain with each passing year. Eventually, he could no longer eat by mouth; he needed to receive his nutrition through a j-tube that delivered liquid nutrition directly to his gut. Please help us in our quest to educate the public and the medical community about this terrible disease, and join us in our fight for new treatments and, ultimately, for a cure. 

Emily Rader

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