Movin' On Up

Dad is moving upstairs to rehab today. They have his liver and lungs under constant care and things are looking good.

They are excited to have a new room on the fifth floor and it's nice to know that the doctors are just downstairs should they need them.

Dad has been really optimistic and positive this week. We are so proud of him for being such a fighter. We are so grateful for your comments and your prayers. And as always, we'll continue to keep you posted!

Pulmonary Embolism

Last night just when we arrived at the hospital to visit Dad, Mom was rushing out to get the nurse because Dad was in a cold sweat and his arm was swollen.

They ordered a CT scan and I called Mike to come give him a blessing. Mike arrived soon thereafter and was able to help Dad feel a lot better after the blessing.

The CT scan showed that he has a pulmonary embolism, meaning that blood clot has moved to his lungs.

They did an EKG and are monitoring his heart.

Prayers are needed!

Thanks and I'll update when I know more.

Always Something

It seems like we just can't get a break; there is always something going on with Dad.

He should have received his bone marrow transplant by now but he can't get it until he is feeling better.

Right now he has Hepititis in his liver which is basically an infection that only time can heal. It was caused by the medications he has been taking.

And tonight Mom just noticed that his hand was swollen so she expressed her concerns to the nurse who just confirmed that he has a blood clot from his collar bone down his arm caused by the pic line.

We are so blessed and lucky to have Mom with him all the time. She is truly his angel, his guardian angel.

In addition to all these sudden issues, Dad has also lost over 30 pounds since this all began.

Your prayers have meant the world to us and your comments have bouyed up his spirits. Please continue to show him your love and support. We are a family who believe in the power of prayer. For example, just one minute ago here in Dad's hospital room, the nurse came in to take out his pic line. She was having a difficult time inserting his IV and was almost ready to give up. We needed her to be successful so the site of the clot could start healing. Mom told us to say a prayer that she would get it to work. Her exact words were "If you say a prayer, she'll find it." in the midst of my prayer the nurse tried again and was successful. Mom said, "See? Heavenly Father knows."

Happy Birthday to Mom and Another Update

Today is Mom's birthday. Happy birthday to the sweetest, most beautiful, completely selfless, always positive, ever cheerful woman on earth who still doesn't look, feel or act a day over 40. Or maybe 30.

She is spending her birthday at Dad's bedside in the hospital, which is exactly where she wants to be. And all she wants is for her handsome sweetheart to be healthy again so they can grow old together hand in hand.

We love you so much Mom. Happy birthday to you!

In other news, Dad has a yeast infection in his throat. It was caused by his chemo medications so they have discontinued all his meds until they can help fix this problem and the others.

For now, they are also holding off on his liver biopsy until the cancer doctor and the gastrointestinal doctor can discuss together which options will be in his best interest.

As always, we will update when we know more. And as always, if you are reading this blog, please leave a comment so he knows of your support. Thanks.

More Tests Less Meds

We are sitting in Dad's hospital room. April has been reading him all your comments. He and Mom both love to hear your words of encouragement and love. So please continue to leave them.

Right now is when your support is most needed. This disease takes a toll physically, mentally AND emotionally.

The Gleevic he has been taking as part of his chemotherapy might have had a bad reaction on his liver so they have taken him off of all his medications. He is consistently nauseated, extremely tired and has been feeling really, really down.

Mike, April, Karen and I have been able to spend time with him here tonight and have thoroughly enjoyed seeing him smile and hearing him laugh. We do all we can to keep his mind off the cancer and on positive memories and uplifting news.

The doctors are trying to get to the bottom of these issues he has been having lately. He needs to be in better health before they do the bone marrow transplant. Three of his siblings were a match so now they are doing further testing to find the most perfect match for him.

Dad appreciates your love and support and especially your faith and prayers so much. Thank you for checking up on his progress. We will continue to post updates as much as possible.

Readmitted Again

I was about to sit down to post about the great visit I had with Dad last night. Although he was freezing cold despite having a pile of blankets on him, and though some persistent nausea was bothering him, he was in great spirits and we had a wonderful visit.

The doctors took him off the morphine which made such a difference. He has been back to his non-confused-all-the-time self again.

But he went in to the Cancer Institute this morning and the doctors have admitted him back into St. Mark's Hospital again.

They say he shouldn't be as tired and nauseated as he has been. They are going to do some tests to make sure the Leukemia is not in his brain.

Please continue your fervent prayers on behalf of our sweet Daddy. We want him back. And we want him back for good!

Coming home Friday!

Diana and I tried to cheer dad up last night, he's been a little down and he doesn't like being in the hospital anymore. I think we finally made him smile by giving him kisses before we left.

He had a lot of testing done this week and his doctor said he doesn't have any signs of infection, his spinal tap looked great and there is no leukemia in his bone marrow. He still has delirium which is most likely from his morphine, so hopefully he'll be off that soon and we'll have our sweet dad back for good! WE LOVE YOU DAD!!!

Back in the Hospital

Dad was admitted back into St. Marks Hospital again today. The doctor was concerned about how confused Dad has been lately so he wants to do some tests.

He and Mom will be there tonight. They are going to do another Spinal Tap and some other blood tests.

That's really all I know right now but I wanted to make sure everyone is up to speed.

I'll post again when I know more.

Super Susie

Mom definitely has her hands full.

Taking care of Dad at home is more than a full time job. She told me the other day that it is easier for her to watch ten babies than to watch Dad all day. She has to be with him constantly. She can't leave him for even a minute. He's so confused that he can get himself into trouble if left unsupervised.

He doesn't realize how weak he is so he often tries to get up and walk around. He wants nothing more than to take the car and run errands. We have to remind him that he is sick right now and can't do anything like that. He forgets how to do simple tasks like washing his hands or putting on socks.

Mom has been amazing. She is the perfect example of unconditional love. She is always by his side, hugging him, rubbing his back, telling him how handsome he is and how much she loves him.

And through all the trials, she always looks on the bright side and can often be found giggling. When Dad does silly things, she is the first to laugh about it. When she gets frustrated or overwhelmed, she still laughs. And luckily for all of us, her laugh is contagious.

Mom really is a super woman. And I can think of no one better suited to care for Dad than his super sweetheart.