Deborah Slappey Pitts
For five months, my husband, Clyde Slappey, battled a formidable enemy, primary amyloidosis, a disease that initially we didn’t know how to spell or pronounce. Clyde and I traveled the country and visited many doctors and hospitals. We desperately tried to find someone who would help Clyde found a cure. Even though many doctors gave up on Clyde, we kept searching for a cure and never gave up. We didn’t accept NO for an answer. And on February 14, 1995, through God’s infinite wisdom and grace, we made it to the Mayo Clinic, Clyde’s place of hope. During our travels, we discovered that primary amyloidosis is a very rare disease of the immune system that affects roughly eight out of a million people annually. We also learned that the disease affects all people from all ethnic origins, colors, creeds, and national origins. But the disease had taken its toll on Clyde’s body. He had begun to grow weaker and weaker as he waited 57 days for a heart transplant. The wait was too much for Clyde to bear, and on April 12, 1995, he blacked out for the final time. I Feel Okay is filled with love, despair, perseverance, and faith. Clyde’s attitude of never, ever willing to give up, has inspired many people to reach beyond their boundaries to find answers. Even though many of Clyde’s doctors had given up on him, we kept going and continued to search for a cure for his amyloid disease. It took me nine years to write down the accounts of Clyde’s story in I Feel Okay. I thought about it and wanted to tell his story so many times through the years, but it was just too painful. My prayer is that many others will be inspired by Clyde’s story to educate themselves about the disease and to never give up. This is my hope and I know it would have been Clyde’s hope as well.
