This may seem like a bit of an odd update, but there’s no adequate way of conveying what the 80’s era ‘Karate Kid’ franchise meant to my Dad in his youth and throughout his life. When The Karate Kid universe carried into the Cobra Kai television series in 2018 - it was a decades-long dream in the making and childhood wish of Bob’s come true.

Over the course of watching the series, his eyes would tear continually, during all the ‘Miyagi moments’, when an integral character from the old movies appeared or even just when spouting off trivia relating to the films & show.

Obviously my Dad wasn’t holding on just for the sake of being able to see the final stretch of episodes in this saga (released today), but it WAS something he and we all desperately hoped and prayed he’d be granted the gift of living to see. Having him pass a mere week prior to the grand finale of this fourty-year long franchise he held so near and dear to his heart was such a monumental blow. 

Cobra Kai is a series that always felt created just for him, in a sense. So if you believe spirits linger… if you want to feel close to Bob or enjoy in his honour something he cherished so deeply, please know how much it would have meant to Bob - how much it very well still may mean to him wherever he is now - if friends & family thought of him while watching.

We don’t know how to exist without you. You were the best of us. Kind, giving & beautiful to the core. The Bob shaped hole you leave behind in our hearts will never be filled.

Please, everybody, pray like you’ve never prayed before! Bob is in the hospital, his liver and kidneys are in trouble. We’ve been told he may not survive the night if his body is overwhelmed by the minor procedures they plan to do. We’re not ready to lose him, and we need to come together with all the positive thoughts possible. Please keep this beautiful man in your hearts tonight and pray that he pulls through.

January 18th (Bob's Birthday) - A date doctors said you would not see.

But here you are. The weeks leading to this update have not been easy. The setbacks we have met with are too numerous to mention. You put on a brave face, and refuse your pain medication in order to remain mentally present, but we know you're scared. So are we, every single minute. There have been so many nights we didn't think you'd see the morning. Our hearts have broken a hundred times over, watching you suffer. Your voice has grown hoarse, you've lost your appetite, your bones protrude, and your strength wanes; But your eyes haven't lost their twinkle. Your smile still makes our hearts soar. Your will to live remains. You haven't given up, and as so many have told us, where there is breath, there is always life - and hope. You deserve to be here, Bob. You deserve to get better. Despite how hard it is to sleep, to swallow supplements, to take a slow walk aroud the kitchen with your walker "Stella", you are giving it everything you've got to come out the other side of this, stronger than ever. There are countless people nearby and far away who love you deeply, who think of you all day long, and who know you're worthy of more time here. You can do it, Bob. There isn't a soul alive who knows you who isn't rooting for you. We love you so dearly and so desperately. To all reading, as cliché as it sounds, we wouldn't have come this far without you. Your endless offers to help, your sweet texts, care packages, precious prayers, uplifting cards, constant kindness & crates of food. Your steady check-ins, unwavering encouragement and mindblowing generosities of spirit have FUELED us - and given Bob his absolute best shot at beating this. Bob misses you all so much. It means - quite literally, EVERYTHING, to know you're in his corner. From us and our beautiful birthday boy, thank you for keeping Bob's name on your lips, his health in your prayers and his face in your mind. He's drawing strength from all of you, to stick around this place.

Bob had a difficult time getting through this, but gave us his blessing to post it: An Audio Message from Bob. ❤️