It Is Done

I've made it through three of the most difficult days I will likely face in my life. We had the viewing for my mom on Wednesday. It was really hard to see her lifeless body again. Depending on where you were standing, she looked like herself, or she didn't. I know she is no longer in that shell, so that is what I had to rely on. I would be comfortable in saying there were probably between five and seven hundred people during the two hour (really was more like three and a half hour) viewing. She touched so many people. We were surrounded by friends, family and prayers. I haven't shook so many hands or hugged so many people in my life.

The funeral took place yesterday, Thursday, Jan. 6, 2011. It really was a beautiful service. The flowers were amazing and the casket we picked out was lovely. I didn't count, but there were at least a hundred people there, probably more. One of her nieces and one of her nephews were able to speak. I would have liked to, but I honestly didn't know what to say, and I don't think I would have been able to get more than a word or two out before I broke down. Her music was a mix of hymns and more current songs. She requested "Temporary Home" by Carrie Underwood, "Amazing Grace" - I chose the Susan Boyle version, and "It's True" by Ivan somebody. Dusty and I came up with the fourth song - "Song for Mama" by Boyz II Men. Boyz II Men probably aren't played at too many funerals, but the song really spoke to us. She really was the queen of our world.

My best friend from elementary school surprised me and showed up at the service. At the time  I was really just shaking hands and hugging people, somewhat in a daze, and not even really knowing who I was talking to. When I saw him, I was able to smile and I really appreciated him coming. I hadn't seen him since the mid-90s.

After the service at the funeral home, we made the five minute drive to the cemetery, where we had another short service (after all, it was cold out there!). It too was very nice and attended by many. She was laid to rest next to her still-born son and two plots away from her mother that died a little less than a year and a half ago.

From there, we went to my grandpa's church, where the congregation had prepared a feast fit for a king. Most of the people that attended the graveside service also followed to the church, so we were able to talk and reminisce about the great life she led and enjoy a time of fellowship and comfort.

So, while these days were so hard, they were also a great comfort. My mom will be so missed, but I know she is always with us. The coming days, weeks and months will surely bring times of sadness, but with friends and family, it will be lessened. In closing, I offer the words my mom wrote in her journal and the words that were used throughout her service. Love is Forever. God is Love.

- C

Arrangements

Today we went to the funeral home and made the arrangements for mom's services. She is being memorialized and buried in the town where she and my dad grew up and where most of our extended family lives. You can find her obituary here (http://www.willisfuneralhome.com/ - click on Vicki Johnson on the right of the page). Thanks again for reading and for all of your support over the past six years. I know mom is in a better place with no more suffering and no more pain.

Calling hours - 6 - 8 p.m. (eastern) on Wednesday, Jan. 5
Funeral - 11 a.m. (eastern) on Thursday, Jan. 6

The End

I just wanted to let everyone know that my mother passed away at about 8:05 p.m. eastern time tonight. She fought this awful disease of cancer for six years. She is my hero now and always. RIP Vicki Johnson - 1954 - 2011.

The battle is coming to a close

Oh, how I hate to write this post. My mom has battled for nearly six years now. She's had good times and bad times. She's been steadily declining for the past few weeks. Yesterday she really turned for the worse. She had absolutely no energy, was vomiting on occasion and just generally felt terrible. Then she became more and more confused and agitated. We had to make the difficult decision to call in hospice last night. Right now me, my brother and dad, as well as her father, sister, two brothers and two nieces are here. We don't know how long this might go on, but we are clearly nearing the end of her battle. So, if you can, please say a little prayer or give us some good thoughts as we deal with this.

A Quick Update

The new, larger stents seem to be helping. Mom's color is getting better. She went in to get her blood tested last Friday and goes again this Friday. If things have progressed well enough, she will probably be going in to get permanent metal stents inserted. They work better and last longer. She's still off and on when it comes to feeling good and she has no energy. If the stents do what we hope they will, she will probably start chemo soon (but she can't do that until the stents are draining the bile-rubin from her body, or else the chemo will be toxic to her). She tries to stay upbeat, but I can tell it is hard for her. I'll update again when I know more.

- C

The Roller Coaster Ride Continues

Mom's situation took a downward turn over the past several days. Her color was getting yellow again and she was feeling worse. She had an appointment scheduled for Monday with her oncologist, so she saw him and he told her that her level had increased quite a bit, so the duct is blocked again. He told her that she would need to get an external drain put in. She was scheduled for a CT scan on Tuesday. We did that and then heard from her oncologist's office this morning that the vascular radiologist said that they couldn't do an external drain because of where the blockage is. So, now we are down to her going in and getting larger stents put in. It looks like this is our final option, so we are hoping and praying that this works. Thanks for listening. It helps to be able to write things down.

-C

Update

Mom is getting better. The level they are monitoring is going down slowly, but surely. She is still very fatigued, and has bouts of feeling back, but she has good times too. Once the level gets down to where it should be, we're hoping her energy comes back and the sickness goes away. Just wanted to drop a quick update for the readers!

- C

What a difference a week makes

So, here is a thought - doctors aren't always right. The hospital doctors had us all thinking my mom's time was short and we were nearing the end. We always kept some hope in reserve for her appointment with her real oncologist today. Well, come to find out, that was a good plan. He said that her liver is still functioning and the number they've been watching has continued to drop since they put the stent in (that is a good thing). He also said that the amazing thing is that the cancer hasn't changed since the last time they did a scan, which was in January, after she finished radiation. He said that blockage to her duct was likely caused by inflammation or scar tissue created by the radiation itself.

So, she is supposed to continue getting her blood work done each week to see if that number continues to decrease. If it levels off before it gets low enough, they may still have to consider putting in a drain to help it rid itself of the extra fluid.

Thank God for miracles! This is pretty amazing stuff. Last week at this time, we all thought she was going to die soon. This week, we have her oncologist saying to turn the "live" light back on because she's nowhere close to the end.

That's all for now!

- C

Things aren’t going well

Well, I knew one day I’d have to post bad news on here – I had just hoped it would be a lot further in the future.

Mom had to go into the hospital last week because she had been feeling fatigued for a couple of weeks and there was a noticeable yellow hue coming into her skin and eyes. She went to see her primary care doc, who ran blood tests, which showed her liver function was high. She contacted her oncologists office and they admitted her to Ohio State University Medical Center. She was there Wednesday through Saturday. On Friday they put stents in her liver to see if unblocking a bile duct would help to relieve her jaundice. It didn’t help immediately, but they sent her home and told her to get blood work done this week and then see her oncologist as scheduled on Monday, Sept. 20.

She hasn’t seemed to get any better since she’s been home and her fatigue seems to be increasing. We’re still hoping for the best, but the jaundice is not a good sign. She also has said that even if the oncologist says there are things to do, she isn’t sure she can go through chemotherapy or radiation again.

So, if you are so inclined, please pray for my mom and my family. If that’s not your thing – some good thoughts will work too. I will update this once I know more next week.

- C

Another update on my mom

Mom had an appointment with her oncologist on Monday. They did blood work to see how things looked. He said everything checked out pretty good, so she’s clear of any treatments until late September. At that point she’ll be getting a CT scan to see how things look, as well as the normal blood work.  So, all good for now and she gets to enjoy her Summer!

No more grandmothers

I lost my last grandmother last Friday (April 16). This one was my dad’s mom. I never thought both of my grandfathers (who were older than my grandmothers) would be around after their wives passed.

My grandma found out last month that she had lymphoma. She started chemotherapy on Thursday, April 15 and was expected to make a decent recovery. Unfortunately, her heart didn’t agree with that prognosis. She passed away in her bed at about 11:30 a.m. They said it was heart failure. My grandma had pretty specific final wishes and she had already planned it all out. She wanted to be cremated and she didn’t want a service. So, we did have a small, family-only viewing on Sunday and she was then sent on be cremated.

My grandfather isn’t in the best of health either, so we had to help him get into an assisted living establishment. We did that on Wednesday.It has been another tough time, but we’re all managing to get through it.

Just an update

Good afternoon readers. Just wanted to say hi. Actually, I just got a computer with Windows 7 and I wanted to try out this blog writer program to see if it works.

My grandpa (my mom’s dad) went in for a heart cath procedure last week and they discovered severe blockages, so he had open heart quadruple bypass on Wednesday of last week. He is doing great with the recovery and was actually able to go home on Saturday, which I found remarkable, considering the complexity of the surgery.

He is now resting at home and is doing fantastic. He should feel better than he did before he went in for the procedure before he knows it.

Mom is doing well. She’s got another month before she sees the oncologist again.

I’m leaving for a pretty cool trip next month. My cousin and I are driving his brother’s (my other cousin’s) jeep to San Diego. We are taking a northern scenic route and plan to see the Field of Dreams from the movie and Mt. Rushmore, among other sites. Should be exciting. I’ve never been through that portion of the country before.

That’s about it from here now. Talk to you soon!

-C

An Update

So sorry for the lack of updates. Mom finished her radiation in late January. She has been recovering from it since then. She's doing much better now - pretty much back to normal. She saw her oncologist on Tuesday and he said that they are just going to watch things for a while. The spots are showing little activity, so the radiation was effective and it continues for work for up to six months. She goes back in for blood work in two months and we'll see where to go from there. So, things are going pretty well for now.

- C

Mom's radiation

Hello all. Mom started her radiation yesterday, Dec. 2. She's doing it five days a week, for 30 treatments. She's also taking an oral chemotherapy pill which works in conjunction with the radiation. I took her to her second appointment today and will be taking her to most of them. It only takes about 15 minutes once they get her into the room to do it.

Unfortunately, she is already feeling sick and queasy. It looks like this is going to be a long, hard road, but hopefully one that leads to better days ahead.

I'll keep you all updated as we get further into the treatment regimen.

- C

Another update

Mom had her first appointment with the radiologist today. He threw her for a loop and suggested full blown radiation, rather than the seeding. He wants her to do radiation for 20 minutes a day, five days a week, for six weeks, starting on Nov. 30. She goes in on Wednesday for a CT scan to figure out exactly where to blast with the radiation.

This is a far cry from the one-time procedure of the radioactive seeding, but it is what he says gives the best chance of killing the cancer, so that's what she'll do.

That's all I've got for now. Thanks for reading and I hope you are all well.

Lastest news on my mom

Mom had her appointment with the oncologist and surgeon this morning. She had her PT scan last week to make sure they knew exactly what they were dealing with. We originally thought there was one spot on the liver and two cancerous lymph nodes. The PT scan showed there are actually four spots on the liver and the two lymph nodes. The surgeon said that he took nearly half of the liver the last time she had surgery, and while it does grow back, it doesn't have the same functioning ability after it grows back, so he can't take from the other side of the liver.

They are going to do radioactive seed therapy. She'll start out for a week with an oral chemo drug, which basically lights up the cancer areas and then they go in through a blood vessel with small instruments and place radioactive pellets in the liver to destroy the cancer cells. If that all goes okay and works well, they will likely then do some "clean up" of the areas with radiowave ablation treatment (where they burn the affected areas with high-frequency radiowaves).

This is all still very preliminary, but it is the recommended plan and there is no major surgery coming up. Unfortunately, the major surgery would have had the best chance at permanent success. It is clearly an on-going battle.

Just a quick update

Nothing really to report yet. Mom had her PT Scan on Monday, but she won't know anything more until this coming Monday (Nov. 2) when she meets with the oncologist and surgeon. She's been trying to enjoy her time without chemo or anything, but I can tell she is really nervous about the upcoming appointment. It'll be interesting to see when they schedule whatever they end up doing, and how that'll affect the upcoming holidays.

Update

Here's another update. My mom went to get a CT scan a couple of weeks ago. She had a chemo treatment last Monday. Today she went to see her oncologist to get the results of the CT scan and to see if there are going to be any more chemo treatments.

The doctor said that she doesn't have to do any more chemo for now. But, he said that his preferred option for the next step is to do another full-blown surgery to remove part of her liver again. This is the first time he's brought up surgery. In her previous appointments he mentioned radioactive pellets inserted into the liver and radiowave ablation as option. Needless to say, the surgery news is somewhat shocking and concerning. He told my mom that surgery gives her the best chance of staying away from chemo and other treatments for the longest period of time. The last time she had surgery, it was almost a year before cancer showed up again.

That's about it from here. They are meeting on Nov. 2 to determine the specifics on the surgery. I'll update when I know anything else.

- C

Quick Update

Just got back from a great visit to Texas. I enjoyed seeing many of my friends.

Anyway, my mom had a doctor's appointment today. The oncologist said that her cancer marker number has gone way down with the chemo regimen she's on. He said that he wants her to do two more treatments and then they will do a CT scan to determine the next steps. So, it is good news so far. My mom is upbeat about it, since the chemo is working.

- C

The end

My last post was on July 27th. In that post, I mentioned that my grandmother had been informed that she had a maximum of six months to live. Well, it turns out that was a very generous estimate. She passed away on August 16th, about three weeks later.

My aunt called in Hospice on Friday, Aug. 14th, when it became apparent that the pain was getting worse and she needed more intense treatment. They came and let us know that she didn't have much time left, and if we wanted to talk to her, we needed to do so immediately. She continued to speak with us well into Saturday, Aug. 15th. By Saturday night, she was no longer talking. She was on pain medicine and her breathing was shallow.

On Sunday morning, at about 9:30 a.m., she drew her last breath, just about the time she'd normally be starting church. It was a beautiful, sunny morning. My grandpa had decided earlier that he was not going to church on that morning, but he went on to get his church clothes on, splash on some cologne, etc. After she died, I realized that he knew that she wouldn't be there after that day. He got dressed up to see her off. I found out later that both he and my mom had prayed earlier that morning for a quick end to her suffering.

My grandpa, mom, aunt, two uncles, two cousins and myself were all there when she died. It was very peaceful - no laboring, no gasping, etc. I know my grandma was so tired of hospitals, so it was fitting that she was able to die at home.

We had her viewing this past Wednesday evening. There were well over 500 people there. She touched a ton of people in her life. She was the epitome of a good person. The funeral was held on Thursday afternoon. Everything was perfect. The sermon, the flowers, the casket - everything. I was able to help with some of the services. I wrote the obituary, put together a picture slideshow and created the CDs with the music for the service.

The forecast called for rain all day, but when we made our way to the cemetery for the graveside service, the sun was shining brightly and all was well. We then made our way to her church, where they had prepared a meal for the family and friends. As we were finishing up at the church, it started to pour outside. This lasted for five minutes or so. Afterward, everyone began making their way to the cars. We noticed a double rainbow. It seemed to be almost pointing at the church at one end. the other end seemed to be going to the cemetery and it was visible for more than 10 minutes. It almost seemed like she was telling us goodbye and letting us know she was okay.

I spent the better part of the week before she passed at her house. In fact, I've spent a lot of time with her over the past three years, since I moved back to Ohio from Texas. I feel so lucky that I was able to be around her so much. I see now just how important it was that I make the move. I miss all of my friends dearly, but family is just too important to ignore.