Family & Flowers

Last weekend Mom stayed at Tina's and attended two big events - Makayla's first birthday party (shared with Daddy who turned 28 last week) and the Kratochvil family reunion. Makayla received a lot of great presents from family and friends. Her favorite was a little scooter car that has lots of buttons and knobs and makes all kinds of cool sounds. Of course, it was also Devon's favorite and there were a few confrontational moments.

On Sunday Mom, Tina and I went to Wilma and Paul Alpers' house for the Kratochvil family reunion. They have turned the old family cherry orchard into The Iris Farm. Absolutely amazing place. The iris were spent of course, but the daylilies were glorious. Here's Tina in one of the trails of Wilma's back yard.
Many of the Kratochvil cousins were there, some that Mom hasn't seen in many years.





Mom picked on her brother Howard a few times, comparing their heads.

Wilma was a gracious hostess, sending Mom home with corned beef , pumpkin mousse, and a bouquet of the biggest, loveliest lilies I've ever seen.

We stayed over three hours. Mom was tired but she had a great time. In the evening Bill and Pattie came to Tina's and we played cards. We didn't capture the moments in pictures but it was a fun time. Years ago we played cards every Sunday afternoon after dinner. It was just like old times, except that Tami is now an adult and she won both games.

Monday Mom rested a lot. In the early evening we said goodbye to Tina and left for South Boardman to visit with Grace and Dick. We had a very nice time with them. Suzy picked Mom up around 8:00 p.m. to go home to Boyne. It was a full, fun weekend.

Visit to TC!

I spoke with Suzy a couple hours ago. She dropped Mom off at Tina’s and Mike’s house around noon. Tami, Dan and the kids were there when Suzy left. Mom is spending Friday through Monday at Tina’s. I’ll be there tomorrow morning.
Mom is experiencing a little dizziness again, most likely related to the chemo she received on Tuesday, just like the first time. All in all she’s doing really well.
Saturday there will be a birthday party for Dan and Makayla. Makayla turned one on Thursday – how in the world did that happen? Our little baby! Sunday is the Kratochvil family reunion at Wilma and Paul Alpers’ farm. And Monday Tina has the day off so she can spend time with Mom.
Thanks, as always, for your support and prayers. I’m sure I’ll have some pictures to share next week.

Tuesday's Child is Full of Grace

Another successful round of chemo today. Mom called me about 5:30 p.m. on the way home from the hospital. She feels fine. She was disappointed that the Benadryl administered prior to the chemo injection didn't make her sleepy - she didn't get enough sleep last night. I asked her if she told them she loves morphine. She said she's sure everyone at the hospital knows she loves morphine.

She mentioned to one of her health care workers that she was concerned about her weight, and the person jokingly told her she should stay on steroids all the time. But Mom has a secret weapon that's cheaper and more accessible than steroids.

We're thankful for God's grace, for good reactions to chemo, for your prayers, and for ice cream sundaes.

Monday's Child is Fair of Face

Here's a recent picture of Mom and Suzy together in Mom's room.

I just got off the phone with Suzy, Jodi and Mom on their way home from Traverse. Suzy and Jodi had appointments in Traverse and received good news - very welcome right now in a busy, intense time. Mom spent the day at Bill's and Pattie's house. Mom is getting to spend lots of time with her kids and grandkids now that she's not working, and we like that a lot.

Suzy and Mom spend a lot of time together on the road. Well, collectively they do. Suzy's always on the run of course, and depending on what Mom has going she may be in the car with her several times a week. She has family doc appointments (recently due to the nasty cold thing everyone got), physical therapy appointments, and - less frequently - chemotherapy appointments. Tomorrow is Mom's second chemo appointment. It's an all day affair for Suzy and Mom, leaving the house around 9:00 a.m. and not returning home until around 6:00 p.m. We're encouraged from Mom's response to her first chemo dose that even though the day will be long, the procedure will go well and Mom will feel well too.

Suzy takes all of the running around in stride. She's taken on a lot - we all know it. She doesn't ask for thanks, but I'm very thankful for Suzy. We all are.

More tomorrow.

Knap 'N Knit

Last weekend Mom spent a lot of time in the recliner. Half of Suzy's family was sick with some upper respiratory bug that's been going around. Mom wasn't completely up to par, but when I asked her if she felt okay other than the coughing, she said she did. Just a little tired. So while the Wises were at a wedding, Mom and I napped. And napped. We both had a really nice rest.

When we weren't sleeping, Mom helped me knit. She feeds me my yarn while I work. She unknotted the skein I was using for a scarf and rolled up some chenille yarn I used to crochet a boa. She's great with knots - very patient.



Here she is on Sunday in the recliner, wearing her super chic hat, a lovely black sweater, the throw I made her for her birthday, and the prayer shawl Linda Darrow made her draped over the back of the chair behind her.

MRI

Mom received her MRI results. The tumor has not grown. The dizziness was probably a side effect of the chemo.

Equilibrium

Late last week Mom began to experience some dizziness, and at one point she collapsed. Saturday Suzy and I took her for another MRI of her brain. The dizziness could be a side effect of the chemo, but her doctor is not taking any chances with the brain tumor. We should have the results of the MRI this week.

While Mom was getting her scan, Suzy and I set up office in the MRI waiting room and balanced the church receipts. Did you know anyplace with an electrical outlet can be an office? It can. Mom was done in short order and Suzy balanced on the first attempt.

Sunday we had a surprise birthday party for Aunt Dorothy at Tina's in Traverse. We told her Mom was coming to visit, but what she didn't know was that four of her cousins - Wilma Alpers, Clarabelle McManus, Marion Fasel, and Richard Kratochvil were coming too. Friends and family made for a nice party of 30, and even though it was hot it was a fun, memorable time.

Below are Paul and Wilma with Aunt Dorothy...



And Mom with Marion. Marion shared a great story with us about her childhood memories of Mom's family coming to visit with sweet rolls (Grandpa worked at a bakery), of rolling down Great Grandma Kratochvil's hill with Mom, and of eating wild blackberries with Mom until they were spoiled for dinner.


It was a time of connecting and sharing stories. We took lots of pictures and video. Aunt Dorothy was embarrassed about all the fuss but she really did enjoy seeing everyone. And everyone was glad to see Mom. The big annual Kratochvil get together is the end of this month, so this was just a tiny taste of the fun we'll have at Wilma's and Paul's farm on the 29th.

Joy

Today Mom had her first course of chemo. Suzy said they were told to expect the process to take 3.5 hours from start to finish. It took 2.5 hours just to prep her for her chemo, and then they were told it would take 4.5 hours for the treatment. A long day. But the good news is I spoke to Mom this evening and she feels great. She was given benadryl, steriods and an anti-nausea medication prior to the chemo injection. She was very relieved to feel good; she has been looking forward to this first course with trepidation.
Mom had a ct scan of her lung yesterday. The oncologist had the results today. The tumor has grown a little since her x-rays in March. These scan results will provide a baseline to monitor improvement after the chemo.
Suzy prayed with Mom before her treatment today, asking the Lord to give her joy. The nurse walked in and said, "I'm your nurse. My name is Joy."
That God. He should do stand-up.
Thanks for your prayers.

Back To Boyne

Mom left for home Sunday with Tami and Dan. It was hard for me to see her go, even though I'll see her in Boyne City this weekend. We had a very nice ten days, five of them all to ourselves. I told someone over the weekend that I don't think I've had Mom to myself for any period of time since before Suzy was born.


Mom has been steadily improving in strength. She gained ten pounds during her visit here, walked a lot, slept well and enjoyed the company of friends and family. Just a few weeks ago she had no internal impetus for any activity. We credit her recovery to the power of God through prayer and through medication.

Tuesday Mom receives her first dose of chemo. She has gained in strength over the last few weeks, which was the goal of the delay between radiation and chemo. We're praying for her and invite you to do the same. We'll keep you posted on her reaction to the treatment.