PLEASE KEEP PRAYING

Good afternoon everyone! Once again, nothing much has changed. Royce called and said mom is resting well after her treatment today. It really wears her out. ONLY 2 MORE TREATMENTS TO GO!!!!!!! She is really glad of that as the radiation has really been hard on her. Hopefully she can build up some strength after she finishes. We see Dr Lewis (the medical oncologist) tomorrow and will see what he has to say about when she will resume the chemo. We will see Dr Nathan (the radiation oncologist) on Wednesday after her final treatment and see if he has any further plans. We all know that this is terminal, but are still praying for that miracle, and hope that in the meantime she can regain some strength and have some good quality of life. Miss Aliyah came to see great-grandma and grandpa on Saturday and mom got to see her walk. She smiled as Aliyah toddled everywhere. Mckinsy came to see them on Sunday which brought many smiles to her face also. It breaks my heart to know that these little girls will most likely not have their Grandma Glenda here to watch them grow and learn. Please continue to pray for that miracle and for strength for our family. Thank you for traveling this journey with us and thanks for everything you all are doing to help us. God bless you all.

“God is bigger than Cancer!”

Love, Lee Ann

UPDATE ON MOM

Good morning everyone! Hope you all had a good night. Mom had a long day yesterday and slept most of the afternoon but seemed to be in better spirits last night. Graig even had her laughing. Graig was able to help with mom before and after treatment yesterday and that went well. He will go again today and help and I think Royce is trying to cover the days when Graig or I can’t be there. For some reason they have added on an extra radiation treatment so her last treatment will be Thursday October 2nd. I am hopeful that after radiation is over they can decrease mom’s steroids and she will start getting stronger. Thank you to Robin Whitmore for a wonderful dinner last night. So many people are traveling this journey with us and helping every step of the way. We thank God for each and every one of you every day. Please continue to leave messages for mom in the guestbook as she enjoys them so much. I hope that each of you have a wonderful day. Please keep praying for that MIRACLE and may God bless you all.

“God is bigger than Cancer!”

Love to all, Lee Ann

MOM'S GOING HOME!!!!

Good morning everyone! Indeed it is a good morning. Mom is going home today. She had been having some stomach discomfort so they did an ultrasound last night and everything looked fine. They have an ambulance ordered to take her home this afternoon after her radiation. I wanted to share another bit of news with you. I was very upset yesterday when the insurance company refused to pay for her air mattress so we did a lot of praying and yesterday afternoon St John's Medical Supply called and said that they had an air mattress to deliver. Another prayer was answered. Graig met them to set it up and he says it is the same height as the wheelchair so it will be easier to transfer her. I know that mom will feel so much better at home. I went home last night and packed up my stuff so I can stay as long as I need to. I am still a little worried about Royce having to stay with her alone while Graig & I are working but we will pray about that also and I am sure God will see to it that everything works out. Mom still isn't eating a lot but she enjoys fresh fruit so once I get them settled this afternoon I will make a run to Sam's and see what I can find. I need to fix Royce some good meals to build his strength back up as he has lived mostly on hospital food for over a week. Well here I am rambling on again. I will try to update later after we get her home. God bless you all. Your prayers keep us going and continue to get us over the bumps in the road. Thank you all for everything.
"God is bigger than Cancer!"
Love to all, Lee Ann

THURSDAY UPDATE

Good morning everyone. Just wanted to give everyone a quick update. I know you’re thinking how long those quick updates are becoming but I will cut this one short. Mom is doing about the same today. They took out the catheter yesterday but they had to put it back in today. We were hoping that she wouldn’t have to have it in at home, but it appears that she will. The doctor is supposed to be setting things up for the air mattress at the house and to get the ambulance lined up to take her home as we cannot transport her. I left the hospital somewhat discouraged last night as she wasn’t very responsive to me and that is very upsetting. Please keep praying for strength and peace for her. I will update later if there is any news. As it stands we will be going home tomorrow. Royce just called me and said that the insurance won’t pay for the air mattress because mom’s bed sore is not deep enough. I’m willing to bet that the person at the insurance company who denied this has never suffered from a bed sore. The hospital bed that we borrowed has a gel top so the nurse thinks that she will probably do okay on it. God bless you all and please keep praying for that miracle.

“God is bigger than Cancer!”

Love to all, Lee Ann

WEDNESDAY UPDATE

Good afternoon everyone! Mom seems to be holding her own today. There really haven’t been any big changes. It looks like she will probably be able to go home Friday afternoon. She is still very sick but we can do everything at home that they are doing at this point. Please continue to pray for her as she still has several more radiation treatments which means once we get her home she will still have to go to town Monday thru Friday for treatment. They have not resumed the chemo yet, but the doctor indicated that they would probably resume it after she gets finished with the antibiotic that she is taking for the UTI and the infection in her blood. She is more responsive than she has been but she still doesn’t have much to say. This is all so very hard for her and she hates being dependent on us for everything. Before she went into the hospital she was at least able to feed herself and she can no longer do that. They seem to have finally gotten her blood sugar under control which was a chore in itself especially since she isn’t eating much. The doctor told us NOT to try to control her sugar intake at this point. They want us to let her eat anything, even if it is pure sugar, because she doesn’t have much of an appetite and she needs to gain some strength. She seems to have trouble chewing so we are trying to feed her soft things. She is eating a lot of blueberries, pineapple, strawberries, grapes, oatmeal, mashed potatoes, chocolate mousse, pudding, etc. We let her eat as much of these as she wants. I guess I will stock up on fruit before they go home. I know that Royce is anxious to get home and have a decent meal. I’ve tried to convince him that he needs to keep his strength up also so he needs to start eating better. I will work on that once we get them home. I will spend the weekend and try to help them get into a routine. I’m not sure mom will be getting out of bed much except to go for radiation treatments, so Royce will be renting an air mattress like the one she is on at the hospital for home. Please bear with me as I know that I seem to be rambling, but I always leave something out and don’t realize it until someone calls and asks about something. This journal gets harder to update everyday as I see mom failing more and more, but I want to thank all of you loyal people who check it everyday and leave her messages. She really enjoys hearing from everyone. Please continue to pray for that miracle and pray for our entire family as this is really taking a toll on everyone and some days we feel really lost. It is by the grace of God and all of your prayers that we are able to hold up to the pressures brought on through this journey. On the days when things are really bad, we rally together and press forward. It seems hard to believe that a week has gone by since mom was so very critical that the doctors didn’t think she was going to pull through. I believe with all my heart that we witnessed a miracle that night. The doctor had asked if we wanted her put on a ventilator if it came to that, because her breathing was so labored, and we expressed her wishes on that matter which was so difficult for us as we were not ready to let her go. We watched her blood pressure plummet and her breathing became more and more labored. She was so sick & fragile and then……. Pastor Dennis showed up. We gathered around her and he prayed the most beautiful prayer and almost immediately her breathing became less labored. That was a miracle, because the doctor had given us no hope at that point. Mom is still so very sick, but she is so much better that she was a week ago. MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!!! I have added some links about Glioblastoma Multiforme at the top of the page. Just click on the links tab and you can find out a little more about this disease. This is a terribly aggressive and devastating disease, but mom is a fighter and I believe she will continue to fight this with what little strength she has left. I will get off my soapbox now and quit rambling. Thanks again for traveling this journey with us. God bless you all.
“God is bigger than Cancer!”
Love to all, Lee Ann

Pictures for mom for her birthday

SATURDAY UPDATE

Good morning everyone! I think mom is feeling a little better today. Her appetite is coming back little by little. We didn’t have a very good night as they didn’t give her her Trazadone (sleeping med) or her Mirapex (restless leg medicine). The doctor said this morning that he would see that she gets her Trazadone tonight. She has also developed a bed sore which is extremely uncomfortable. They have put a patch on the sore to help clear it up and they have ordered her an air mattress. They have taken her off the oxygen as she doesn’t seem to need it anymore which is great. We are very hopeful that she will build some strength back up over the weekend so she can resume the radiation and chemo. We had a very close call on Wednesday, but she is not ready to give up the battle yet. Meredith & Audrey made it in last night and it was very good to see them. I think it really lifted Royce’s spirits. Graig & Larry are going to pick up a hospital bed and set it up at the house tomorrow so that will make things much easier when we get mom home. They have not indicated to us yet when they think she might go home but we don’t believe that it will be anytime real soon. She is still very sick and they need to get her infection under control before we go home. That would have been easier if the infection hadn’t gotten in her blood stream, but it has so it will be a little tougher to get a handle on. They seem to FINALLY be getting her blood sugar under control. It was 221 this morning which is still high, but very good compared to 350-500 it has been running. They made some adjustments to her insulin yesterday and are making some more today. I believe that once they get rid of the infection and get her blood sugar under control she will feel much better. She did ask for some pain pills a little while ago which is unusual for mom as she usually only takes a pain pill about twice a week. I am hoping that she is just hurting because of the bed sore and because she didn’t sleep last night. She is resting comfortably right now which is what we have been praying for. I will try to update again later today. I think I will go home tonight and sleep if she is doing okay. We have a nice big room here with two beds so Royce has a place to sleep also, but I don’t think I can handle this recliner another night. (Of course, my leaving will depend on how mom is feeling later). Thank you again to everyone for everything. Thanks for traveling this journey with us & pray that this is only another speed bump in her road to recovery. Thank you all for prayers, support, & encouragement! We are lifted up and made stronger everyday by God’s grace and your prayers, kindness, comments, & support. God bless you all.
“God is bigger than Cancer!”
Love to all, Lee Ann

FRIDAY UPDATE

Good morning! Mom seems to be feeling about the same today. She is complaining of her stomach hurting which was a little concerning since she never complains but Dr Lewis (the medical oncologist) was in this morning and checked her out and thinks everything is ok. He said that the infection had gotten into her blood which we were hoping had not happened. We were hopeful that it was contained in the urinary tract but that is not the case, so they have changed her antibiotic once again. On the upside she seems to be getting her appetite back a little today. Dr Lewis says we can put in a feeding tube if needed but he would rather not as long as she is at least taking some liquid nourishment. He said they prefer not to put in a feeding tube in patients that are terminal. He is going to go ahead and hold her chemo again today and he said Dr Nathan (the radiation oncologist) will decide whether or not she will have radiation today. I mentioned to Dr Lewis that Hospice had called the house and he was very surprised by this because he had not ordered this and he and Dr Nathan had not discussed it. He says he believes once mom builds her strength back up she can resume her chemo. Dr Nathan has not been in yet so I haven't been able to ask him, but I suspect that Dr Benedict has ordered it and she really has no idea what is happening with mom at this point. We know that GBM is terminal, but we still have God on our side and miracles do happen. We almost lost mom on Wednesday night and I believe that God chose to give us more time. Thank you to everyone who has called, visited, prayed, etc. Thank you to Aunt Pat for everything she is doing and thank you to Linda Cone who is at the house cleaning as I type this. It has been so good having Pat this week. She has been such a help to Royce (and all of us) and it has lifted his spirits. I can tell you from experience that having someone else around, if just to talk to, while caring for someone with moms prognosis is so helpful. Graig and I would give anything to be able to be there every day but the reality of it is that we need our jobs. We can't thank Royce enough for taking such wonderful care of our mother. He told us from the beginning that he would treat her like a queen and he continues to do that and I know that some days that is very challenging as she can't even feed herself at this point. We are anxiously awaiting Meredith & Audrey's arrival this evening. It will be so good to see them and I am hopeful that it will boost Royce's spirits. It is so hard for all of us to keep our spirits up when we seem to be losing the battle everyday and everything is spiraling out of control. We are very encouraged that she has more of an appetite today. We would like to thank everyone here at St John’s for everything. The staff here is wonderful. We are on the Cancer Floor in room 7259. These are the most compassionate people in the world. So much for a short update. God Bless you all.
“God is bigger than Cancer!”
Love to all, Lee Ann

UPDATES ON MOM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008 04:25 PM, CDT
Just wanted to give you all a quick update. Dr Nathan (the radiation oncologist) and Dr Lewis (the medical oncologist) were both in this morning. They have decided to hold the chemo and radiation for a day or two and see how mom is doing at that point. Her breathing is so much better today but she is so weak. She ate about 4 bites of a pancake today and that is it so far. I tried to get her to eat some lunch but all she wants to do is sleep. The not eating isn't good but it is not as much of an issue here as at home because they are pumping a lot of fluids through her IV. They indicated to us that she will not be going home anytime real soon as she is very sick. They are hoping to get her back on track to resume the chemo & radiation but there are no guarantees at this point. They did a CT scan of her chest today to check for blood clots but we haven't heard the results of that yet. They have decided to hold off on doing an MRI to check on the brain tumors at this time because the radiation causes swelling so it would be hard to tell at this point if the tumors are shrinking or not. We are a little confused at this point because Pat just called and said that Hospice has called the house and said that the doctor (we are not sure which one) has requested that they be called in. This is the first we have heard about this so we are unsure where things will go from here. I am so scared that we are quickly losing this battle and I am not ready for that. Don't get me wrong, I DO NOT want mom to suffer, but I am not ready to let her go yet either. We were talking last night about how quick all of this has happened and maybe that is why I am having such a hard time processing everything. Two months ago mom was, as far as we knew, just fine and now it seems that she is fading quickly. I think that she is giving up but I don't blame her. A body can only take so much. She has fought this as best she could but GBM is extremely aggressive. We still believe that God can give us our miracle and want you to continue to pray for that, but would also like you to pray that if a miracle is not to be, please pray for peace for mom. She told us the day we found out about these tumors that she is not afraid of dying, she is just afraid of leaving us behind. I'm afraid too because I can't imagine life without her. Thank you again to each and everyone of you for everything that you have done and for traveling this journey with us. God bless you all and please keep praying.
"God is bigger than Cancer!"
Love to all, Lee Ann




THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2008 06:37 AM, CDT
Good morning everyone! Unlike the last few days, there is a lot to update this morning. When we went to wake mom for dinner last night she was struggling to breathe, was very pale, her blood pressure was 83/41, and she wasn't very responsive. After speaking with the doctor, Royce called 911. By the time we got to the hospital she was not doing well at all and the doctor told us that we needed to be prepared and ask if we wanted her put on a ventilator if it came to that. Mom has made it very clear that is not what she wants and we all knew that we couldn't be selfish in making this decision. I cannot begin to tell you how hard it was for us to tell the doctor this, as we knew we could be at that point very soon. We did a lot of praying and handed it over to God and once again our prayers have been answered. She is not out of the woods by no means but her breathing is not as labored this morning. She has a urinaring tract infection and is septic so she is still extremely ill, but they are pumping her full of antibiotics and fluids and trying to flush the toxins from her system. The doctors should start making their rounds soon and I will update when we know more. Thank you to everyone (I won't list all the names as it was very hectic and I'm not sure I can remember who all was here) who came to the hospital to support us last night. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers and for taking time from your busy lives to travel this journey with us. God bless you all and remember to take a moment today to tell those who are important to you just how much you love them because we never know when we might not have that chance again. Please keep praying for our miracle.
"God is bigger than Cancer!"
Love to all, Lee Ann

MONDAY'S UPDATE

Good afternoon! Hope you all are doing well today. Mom is about the same, which in itself is good news I suppose. She is still incredibly weak and she isn't eating much. On a brighter note, she had radiation treatment #15 today which means she is halfway finished. Once she finishes her radiation she will also stop the chemo for about a month. Then when she starts the chemo again she will take it for 5 days and be off for 23 days. It is my understanding that this process could continue for quite a while but I guess they will give us more information as we get closer to the end of radiation. Next Tuesday she will be seeing Dr Ledger's PA to see if we can get her blood sugar under control. I know she will feel much better if we can get a handle on that. Thank you to the Scrivener's and the Gromer's for the dinner Saturday night from Cracker Barrel. Please forgive me if I overlook thanking anyone for anything. Some days I have so much going on in my head that I'm sure I forget to acknowledge what some of you have done. PLEASE forgive me. Once again I want to thank everyone of you for everything but I would like to send a special thank you to The Strafford First Baptist Church. You people are AWESOME! God has blessed us by putting each and everyone of you in our lives and I'm sure that he will bless you for all that you have done. A special thank you also goes out to Michele Eden as she made mom feel so special the other day by putting on her make-up and helping her get ready to go to treatment. I think we get so busy with our day to day lives that we sometimes forgot how important the little things are and we take things for granted. I continue to pray for that miracle every day and know that it can still happen. You all have done some much for us, but I would like to ask you do one more thing. I would like to ask each of you to take the time out of your busy schedule today and tell the people that you love how important they are to you because we never know when we won't have the chance to do that again. I will get off my soapbox now and quit rambling. God bless you all.
"God is bigger than Cancer!"
Love, Lee Ann

Update on mom!

Good morning everyone! Talked to mom about 6:20 this morning and she said they had a good night last night. Dr Nathan decreased her steroids yesterday so she doesn't have to get up at midnight to take them which makes it easier for her and Royce to get a good nights sleep. Thank you to Michelle Eden for a wonderful dinner last night and thanks for offering to come and help mom & Royce this morning. They are looking forward to it. They should have a fairly easy day today (I guess easy isn't really the word for it as no day is easy at this point). Mom only has radiation today. Tomorrow will be a busy day as she has blood work, radiation, and will see Dr Lewis. We will discuss whether to continue the chemo as it is really making her weak. Royce, Graig, & I talked about this last night and we will talk with mom tonight and see what she wants to do. We will keep our opinions to ourselves and let her make the decision. Her hair is starting to fall out so my dear friend Rikki will come out tomorrow after we get home from treatment and cut her hair. She picked out a wig the other day and she has several hats. Mom & Royce's friends, John & Pat Weaver from Memphis, will be coming on Saturday and staying next week to help. I just can't find the words to express our gratitude to everyone for all that you are doing for our family. I would also like to say thank you to Linda Cone as I ran into her at Harter House yesterday and I was really struggling with my emotions and after visiting with her I felt much better. This short entry has turned quite long so I will wrap up with this, we thank God for each and every one of you every day. Please keep praying and sending mom messages through the guestbook as most days this is the highlight of her day. God bless you all!
"God is bigger than Cancer!"
Love to all Lee Ann