Posted for Sheri...
Dear Family and Friends,
Wally has now been home under hospice care for 4 weeks. I am amazed at the human body, what it can endure. As Psalm 139:14 says, "I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made..." How can the human body function on no nutrition and little hydration for almost 6 weeks? To watch the human body try and heal itself and accommodate for the parts that stop functioning is truly miraculous.
Wally is very tired, very weak, and very 'foggy' in his head. He decided on Monday to stop the IV hydration so his body is slowly shutting itself down. It wasn't the easiest of decisions and one I couldn't make for him but I did remind him that his days have already been ordained by God and that the Lord would bring him home on that appointed day. The Scriptures have brought him tremendous comfort during these last days. I am so thankful that he has not been in a lot of pain. He will get some spasms of pain but they only last a few moments.
I am able to get him dressed every morning - he doesn't want to wear sweats, only his jeans because he doesn't want to look like he's laying around in his pajamas all day!
He still has his smile and his sense of humor and of course I still tease him when at all possible. He can sometimes get a little crotchety and I certainly don't blame him but I do remind him that I kind of have the upper hand here and he needs to remember to be nice to me :)
I don't think he will be able to last more than a week so please keep us all in your prayers. Pray that the Lord would give us that peace which passes all understanding (Phil 4:7), strength from His Word (Ps. 119:28) and as the children and I grieve and mourn the loss of a wonderful husband and father, pray that like the Psalmist, we can have the same heart - "Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be Thou my helper. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing; Thou hast loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness; That my soul may sing praise to Thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to Thee forever." Psalm 30:10-12
Again, thank you all for your support and prayers. I am able to read the blog responses to him and any emails I receive.
Sheri
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Dear Family and Friends
Posted for Sheri...
Hello Dear Family and Friends,
I figured it was time for an update and since I found a minute, I thought I should fill you all in. Wally has been home for about 14 days now under hospice care. His nurse comes once a week to check on him and replace the line to his port. Two weeks ago, he had his drainage tube to his liver removed and for some reason was craving a good ol' PP&J sandwich. He insisted on making it himself since he wanted just the right amount of peanut butter and jelly - yes, he is even a perfectionist about his PP&J's:) We quickly learned what flows easily through his stomach tube and what doesn't - PP&J's don't! He moved on to slurpees, about 3 or 4 large ones a day! Do you know how much sugary syrup is in a slurpee? He has moved on to root beer floats or milk shakes now along with a lot of juice, soda and ice water. He can consume more liquid than anyone I have ever seen. It just goes in his mouth and through his tube and into his bag so he enjoys the taste of things but doesn't get any nutrition from what he puts in his mouth. Needless to say, he has lost quite a bit of weight so I took the scale away from him so he can't weigh himself anymore! His blood pressure and heart rate are perfect but he gets dizzy standing up due to lack of nutrition.
My sister-in-law, Kim, has been here every day playing nurse. For those of you who know me, nursing would probably be my last profession - ask my kids. Kim's good at hooking him up to his IV at night and unhooking him in the morning and not panicking when we "screw up".
He is looking forward to Heaven now and I think is sometimes disappointed when he wakes up in the morning and sees me instead of Jesus! I certainly can't compete with God so I try not to take offense that he isn't overly pleased to see me like he used to be. His heart and mind are focused on eternity right now so I just try to keep him comfortable and his glass full of whatever he seems to be craving at the moment.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our family.
Love,
Sheri
2 Corinthians 5:1-8
"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
Hello Dear Family and Friends,
I figured it was time for an update and since I found a minute, I thought I should fill you all in. Wally has been home for about 14 days now under hospice care. His nurse comes once a week to check on him and replace the line to his port. Two weeks ago, he had his drainage tube to his liver removed and for some reason was craving a good ol' PP&J sandwich. He insisted on making it himself since he wanted just the right amount of peanut butter and jelly - yes, he is even a perfectionist about his PP&J's:) We quickly learned what flows easily through his stomach tube and what doesn't - PP&J's don't! He moved on to slurpees, about 3 or 4 large ones a day! Do you know how much sugary syrup is in a slurpee? He has moved on to root beer floats or milk shakes now along with a lot of juice, soda and ice water. He can consume more liquid than anyone I have ever seen. It just goes in his mouth and through his tube and into his bag so he enjoys the taste of things but doesn't get any nutrition from what he puts in his mouth. Needless to say, he has lost quite a bit of weight so I took the scale away from him so he can't weigh himself anymore! His blood pressure and heart rate are perfect but he gets dizzy standing up due to lack of nutrition.
My sister-in-law, Kim, has been here every day playing nurse. For those of you who know me, nursing would probably be my last profession - ask my kids. Kim's good at hooking him up to his IV at night and unhooking him in the morning and not panicking when we "screw up".
He is looking forward to Heaven now and I think is sometimes disappointed when he wakes up in the morning and sees me instead of Jesus! I certainly can't compete with God so I try not to take offense that he isn't overly pleased to see me like he used to be. His heart and mind are focused on eternity right now so I just try to keep him comfortable and his glass full of whatever he seems to be craving at the moment.
Thank you for your continued prayers for our family.
Love,
Sheri
2 Corinthians 5:1-8
"Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord."
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Weekend Update
Posted for Sheri...
Dearest Friends and Family,
Thank you once again for all of your encouragement and prayers. I brought Wally home on Wednesday afternoon from the hospital. It was a MUCH longer stay than anticipated - 9 days to be exact. We really thought that Wally would just need his stent replaced and be in the hospital for 2 or 3 days then back home doing the things Wally does. Unfortunately, his stomach wasn't cooperating. It's hard to sustain life when your stomach won't absorb any nutrients and IV feedings could make things worse for cancer patients. Therefore, he made the decision to stop his chemo treatments and come home to be comfortable and surrounded by his family who so deeply loves him during his remaining days. We have been so blessed as a family as we look back at the tremendous life God has allowed us to live together. Wally is very much at peace knowing that God is in control of all things and he is looking forward to seeing His Lord and Savior. This is a difficult time - long good-byes are so hard and yet we are also thankful that we have the opportunity to say good-bye.
We were comforted by the Scripture from II Corinthians 4:16-18 which some friends shared with us. "Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Wally desires that we all know that peace which he has. He is not suffering in pain but is awaiting the final day the Lord brings him home to eternity.
He so deeply loves his family and his many friends. Please remember the sparkle in his eyes, the winks and hugs but mostly his faith in God who made him who he was.
Sheri
Dearest Friends and Family,
Thank you once again for all of your encouragement and prayers. I brought Wally home on Wednesday afternoon from the hospital. It was a MUCH longer stay than anticipated - 9 days to be exact. We really thought that Wally would just need his stent replaced and be in the hospital for 2 or 3 days then back home doing the things Wally does. Unfortunately, his stomach wasn't cooperating. It's hard to sustain life when your stomach won't absorb any nutrients and IV feedings could make things worse for cancer patients. Therefore, he made the decision to stop his chemo treatments and come home to be comfortable and surrounded by his family who so deeply loves him during his remaining days. We have been so blessed as a family as we look back at the tremendous life God has allowed us to live together. Wally is very much at peace knowing that God is in control of all things and he is looking forward to seeing His Lord and Savior. This is a difficult time - long good-byes are so hard and yet we are also thankful that we have the opportunity to say good-bye.
We were comforted by the Scripture from II Corinthians 4:16-18 which some friends shared with us. "Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal."
Wally desires that we all know that peace which he has. He is not suffering in pain but is awaiting the final day the Lord brings him home to eternity.
He so deeply loves his family and his many friends. Please remember the sparkle in his eyes, the winks and hugs but mostly his faith in God who made him who he was.
Sheri
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