How's Mom?

Many have been asking how Mom is doing. She is doing really well - better than the rest of us. Sometimes I am concerned that she is doing too well. My concern is that she is simply emotionally and physically relieved right now and the fact that she has lost her husband of 41 years will hit her really hard at some point. However, Mom has reminded us that she has been grieving this over the past year and a half as Dad's disease progressed. Mom and Dad handled a lot of things privately between the two of them. Mom was very open and honest with us kids about Dad's condition, but she also chose not to burden us with a lot of the day to day issues she had to deal with. Over time, Mom lost pieces of Dad as the disease progressed and Mom did grieve every one of those loses. Mom knew how very much Dad hated being sick. Mom and Dad had both come to terms with Dad's illness and were very much at peace with each other and at peace with God's plan. Of course, Mom misses Dad, but right now she is enjoying spending time with the grandkids, getting out with friends, etc.

My Tribute

Dad -

You gave me wings. You let me fly. But, you always made sure I had a place to land.

Details

This is not a post I ever wanted to write. Everything is still very surreal at this point. However, I know it is a post I have to write.

Visitation for Dad will be on Thursday, Dec 10 from 4pm until 7pm at Starks & Menchinger in St. Joseph and also on Friday, Dec 11 from 11am until 1pm at Midway Baptist Church in Watervliet. The funeral will be Friday, Dec 11 at Midway at 1pm.

We as a family cannot say THANK YOU enough for all the love, encouragement, help and prayers that have been so generously given over the past year. We have been overwhelmed and so very blessed by the support of our friends and family.

Thanks Mom!

The gift of having this past year with our Dad was a gift to us from our Mom. The care she gave him is unbelievable! Day and night she was by his side and cared for his every need. She kept meticulous records and adjusted Dad's medications and IVs daily to keep everything balanced. Dad often apologized for all the work Mom was doing to care for him. But, she always gently reminded him that that is what she was called to do. She never complained. She always focused on the good and had a song in her heart. Thanks Mom! What a gift you gave us!

It is well

Our hearts are heavy, but our souls rejoice. At 6:30pm Dad went home to his Savior Jesus Christ. No more sickness, no more pain. We rejoice!

Tomorrow is now Today

Dad keeps hanging in there. His condition is very fragile. Last night he had a few episodes in a short period of time where he stopped breathing for over a minute. At that time, calls were made and all the family gathered with Dad. Well, that must have been what he was wanting because he settled right in, started breathing regularly again and rested peacefully all night. He seemed to enjoy the big sleepover. Mom slept well knowing she had everyone there with her. Dad has not had any fluids or nutrition in a while now. But, he is peaceful and has not had to have any medication. We keep saying how blessed we are that we are not having to watch him suffer. God's plan is good, His timing is perfect.

I think it is Sunday

The days and nights are becoming a blur. Dad has declined significantly over the last 48 hours. He is not able to communicate with us anymore. He still knows we are there though. It is very hard to see a frail old man laying in your parents' bed. I keep waiting for Dad to pull in the driveway after a weekend of fishing up north or to walk up from the barn for his lunch. It just breaks your heart. It will be well with my soul.

Day by Day

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast because they trust in you.

Not much has changed with Dad. He continues to be very weak. We have all been with Dad today. He responds to each of us, but is not able to stay awake very long. He knows we are with him and thanks us for being there. We are taking one day at a time and trusting Jesus with tomorrow. Our hearts ache seeing Dad like this, but it is well with our soul.

But he said to me...

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. 2 Cor. 12:9

Dad is very weak right now. He is not eating well and is having very high output. All of this is very discouraging to Dad. We are taking one day at a time and trusting in the all sufficient grace of Jesus Christ to give us power in our weakness. Please pray for comfort for Dad, peace as He trusts in the perfect plan of His Savior Jesus Christ. Our earthly desire is that Dad's strength and physical health will be restored. Our eternal desire is that God's perfect plan will be accomplished and that He is glorified in all that we are and all that we do. We trust His perfect love and are resting in the palm of His hand. While we continue to pray for Dad's healing, we are comforted in knowing that God's plan is good.

Thankful

We are all thankful for the past year. This time last year we did not think we would have Dad with us much longer. This past year has truly been a gift. It has been filled with ups and downs, but it is still a gift and we are mindful of that each and every day.

Mom and Dad have been able to get away for a few days up north. Dad is not able to get around much at all anymore, but he is enjoying seeing Mom be able to take a bit of a break and just get away. More updates and photos soon to follow.

Oh Deer!

This past week, cousin Brian (hunter extradinaire) gave a deer to Allen. So, on Saturday Dad and Al played butcher boy in the barn. Dad really overdid it, but he was determined to stay for the whole thing. And he loved every minute of it! But boy, did he crash when he made it back to the house. He didn't move off the couch for the rest of the day. We're all learning to let Dad do the things he enjoys even when we know he is overdoing it. If it is too much for him and he is wiped out for a few days, that is OK. At least he got to enjoy the moment. Trying to tell him he shouldn't do something is pretty useless anyways, so we might as well get some benefit out of seeing him enjoying himself.

Hands up in the air, all together now "Whhhheeeee...."

What a roller coaster of a ride it has been this week! Dad has just had a rough couple of weeks. We were all pretty much saying, "OK, God, it's all You now." I just picture God responding "well, it's about time you got out of my way! I can handle this so much better than you all!" And then the most humbling thought hit me - who are we to think that we can even get in God's way anyways! He is God - the King of the Universe! And He is very much in control of Dad's situation, just as He has always been. We're just a little forgetful sometimes!

Earlier this week, the Hospice nurse and Dr. determined that Dad was having some prostate issues. This has likely been a big contributor to the repeated urinary tract infections Dad has been suffering from. These infections combined with the chemo and the disease itself have just been about more than Dad's frail body can handle the last few weeks. The bit of good news out of this is that Dad is getting back enough of his feeling that he is now feeling pain and symptoms. So, we don't know how long this has been an issue since his peripheral nervous symptom has been greatly affected by the amyloidosis. He is on medication that should help to resolve some of these problems. And for the first time, Dad is having to take pain medication. The good news is that Dad's nervous system is showing signs of improvement. The bad news is that now Dad knows that he hurts.

The Dr. appointment went well on Thursday. Dad's blood work continues to look good. The Dr. has decided to increase the time between the chemo treatments. So, instead of every four weeks, they will now be every six weeks. Hopefully this extra time will give Dad's body a chance to recover and build some strength between treatments. Mom and Dad also got the doctor's approval to spend a week up north. Traveling with Dad is a lot of work! But, Mom and Dad both need a bit of a break, so I'm glad they are able to get away.

Thanks for your prayers!

Time for a change?

Dad is scheduled to see his doctor on Thursday. The doctor will review his recent blood tests and check his overall progress. At this time, it seems as if Dad has reached a lower plateau. He is still pretty weak, but stable. In the past, he would have a few down days and would rest up and regain his strength. But right now, he is just not bouncing back. On Thursday, Mom and Dad are going to ask the doctor if Dad's body needs a break from the chemo. He has been on chemo since August of 2008 and over time it does take a toll on your body. His test results continue to show a decrease in the amyloid levels. However, he is continuing to get weaker and there has been a general decline in his functional abilities. At this point, we are questioning if his current weakness is a product of the disease or the treatment.

Please pray for this doctors appointment as some difficult decisions may need to be made.

When you're up, you're up.....

and when you're down, you're down.

And Dad is pretty down right now. He had a pretty down week last week and I was hoping he would have a better week this week so I could have positive things to post. But, that just isn't the case right now. So, if you could keep Dad in your prayers, he and Mom would certainly appreciate it (as would the rest of us too!). Dad has been pretty weak and when he isn't doing as well physically as he would like to, he gets very discouraged. His blood pressure is very low and the IVs don't seem to be helping that much. We know HIS strength is made perfect in our weakness and we are all praying that Dad will very much be surrounded by HIS strength right now.

All the older grandkids have been sick, so we haven't been able to visit with Dad due to the risk of passing something on to him. He is just not strong enough to handle that right now. So, we're hoping to get everyone healthy so Dad can visit with the grandkids this weekend. If anything, that gives him a little encouragement.

We appreciate all of you! Thanks so much for praying for Mom and Dad!

Introducing.....

Jackson Walter Sample

The Sample Family is doing very well! Nana and Papa are as proud as can be! Andi and Charlie are hoping to bring little Jack home tomorrow.

He's here!

Baby Sample arrived at 12:53am this morning. Andi checked in to the hospital Thursday morning at 6am for a scheduled induction. She was exactly one week overdue on Thursday. After nearly 2 days of little progress, the Dr. decided it was time to intervene and Baby Sample was delivered by c-section. Baby Sample is still without a name (geez, they had enough time sitting around the hospital to figure that out, ya think?!). He weighed 8lb. 2oz. and is an impressive 21 1/2 inches long. According to Nana he's the most amazing baby with a head of black hair and big feet and hands! Andi, Charlie and little Nameless will be taking it easy today and trying to rest. So, maybe tomorrow I'll be able to get some pictures for you! (and hopefully a name too)

Not Yet!

Many have been asking if we have any new baby news to share. Not yet! Andi and Charlie are expecting a baby boy any day now, but that little guy is quite cozy right where he is and has not made his arrival yet. But, you'll be one of the first to know when he does!

Dad has had a really good week. He has been feeling so good that he has had a hard time getting himself to settle down and take a nap. Last week he had four IVs so he should be feeling pretty good! That's all the news we have for now.

Fighting off another infection

Dad has a pesky urinary tract infection again. Over the last couple weeks, he has been feeling pretty tired. He would keep trying to get himself up and going, but just didn't quite have the energy to do it. He even fell again at home trying to walk. Thankfully, he wasn't hurt. Mom mentioned to the Hospice nurse that she should probably check him for a UTI and mom was right - he had another infection. Part of the problem is that he lays down so much and that makes him more prone to get infections. But, with his blood pressure issues, there really isn't much we can do about that. So, we definitely need to check for these infections more often. They sure do wipe Dad out. He is perking right up again though since he has been on his antibiotics. Dad should have another light chain test in the next week or so. That is the test that measures the amyloid levels in his body. It tells us if the chemo is still doing its job. So far, the past tests have showed a slow but steady decrease in the amyloid levels. We are hoping that trend continues.

Mom and Dad were able to go camping for Labor Day. So many things have changed drastically for Mom and Dad over the last year that it is nice when they can do some of the things they have enjoyed together for so many years. Camping was a much different experience for them this time. They were somewhat of a mobile medical facility, but they still enjoyed themselves.

Thanks for your continued prayers and encouragement!

August Birthdays

We have a lot of August birthdays in our family. First up is Dad - he turned 62 on August 12th. Next is grandson Nathanael - he turned 10 on August 14. Oldest granddaughter, CJ, turned 14 on the 24th and last but not least is Elana Grace - she will be 6 tomorrow, the 28th.

Here is the August birthday crew.
Dad is doing pretty well. He has not been to the hospital in months and only goes to the doctor for his regular appointments. Having Hospice has done so much to help stabilize him. He is able to go on little outings - church, out to eat, grandkid birthday parties, etc. But, he still has to pay very close attention to his body and know when enough is enough. When his blood pressure is low or his output is too high, he gets an IV. If he is worn out, he stays in and gets rested up. It does make it hard to plan since Mom and Dad don't really know what each day will bring. But, they have learned to roll with it and they do what they can when they can. And some things just have to be saved for another day.

We are grateful for the progress Dad has made. He is getting stronger little by little. Instead of his walker he often walks with two canes. He does not need to sleep nearly as much during the day as he used to. Thanks for your prayers and all the love and support you give to Mom and Dad.

Mom's Turn

Not wanting to feel left out, Mom got to take her own trip to the hospital today in the back of an ambulance. This morning, she had some type of an allergic reaction to medication that she took. Fortunately, she felt it coming on and was able to call and ask for help. She is now back home from the ER. She is pretty exhausted and is resting, but we definitely will need to be sure she follows up with her doctor. This is the 2nd reaction she has had within a couple of weeks.

Dad is also feeling a little wiped out. He finished chemo this past Saturday and the week following chemo can be a bit more challenging than normal. He usually has high output and needs to be very careful about checking his blood pressure and getting IVs when needed.