Hacked again....

Thanks for your patience as we sort out the security settings on mom and dad's email accounts.  I thought I'd shut them down properly last time, but clearly did not.

Hacked:(

Some of you may have recently received notification that this blog had been updated. Unfortunately, Dad's email account was hacked. In that process, everyone of the emails in his contact list got a spam message. One of those emails was the email link to automatically post messages to this blog. That message and the link in it were not if our doing and I hope it didn't cause anyone any trouble. The irony is not lost that this happened the week of the anniversary of Mom's passing.

Thank you all for understanding. We hope all of you have wonderful memories of Mom and Dad that you cherish and in which you find comfort.
Love,
The Williams Family

Mom's Passing

It seems that the posts that I thought were posting to this blog last week didn't happen.  I know for most people this is old information, but felt it was important to get everything recorded here too.
3/19/13 7:30pm:
Mom has progressed quite rapidly since yesterday and hospice has guessed that we don't have much time based on her symptoms. We've called close family and have had a lot of family here today. Please feel free to text, call, pray, visit if you need to. Mom is comfortable and hospice is helping to keep her that way. Thank you for all of your continues prayers and support. Much love to everyone.
3/19/13 10pm:
Jesus has called home our angel. Mom went to be with Jesus in heaven at 9:37pm tonight. She was surrounded with all of our family and just slipped into heaven peacefully We are eternally grateful for your prayers and support during this time.
3/20/13:
Arrangements for Mary:
Visitation: Friday, March 22 3-8pm at Conkle Funeral Home in Avon.
Funeral Mass: Saturday, March 23 9:30am at Sacred Heart Catholic Church (1530 Union Street, Indianapolis, IN) followed by graveside service at Westridge Park Cemetary (21st Street & Raceway Road)
3/23/13:
Thank you to everyone for your kind words, your thoughtful stories, and your prayers. Our family is forever grateful for your support through this time. Mom's life was filled with fun and goodness and we are blessed to be able to celebrate her life with so many of you.

We will continue to update the blog as our journey is not over.  Dad has been holding up well and we are all blessed by your prayers and support. 
~Melissa

The move to hospice care

Mom was discharged from the hospital on Thursday (3/14). Unfortunately, due to recent bloodwork, it is evident that the leukemia is getting significantly more prominent in her blood than before. Dr. Cripe recommended that we get hospice services involved. They will be coming out to the house in the coming week to evaluate what mom will need, etc. In the meantime, Dr. Cripe said to do what ever she wants on her good days and take it easy on the rougher days. We met with the hospice nurse today and she was very nice and helpful. Mom has a fever right now, so we may actually be calling them for some advice already! Mom had been very tired since leaving the hospital and hasn't slept well, so she's a little disoriented and groggy at times. Please pray for this fever to leave her body, sleep for both mom and dad, and strength! Thank you all!! Much love to you! 

Update 1-18-13

Praise the Lord!! Mom is HOME!!  Hooray!!

Thursday Mom was able to be discharged from the hospital.  We're getting her all settled in (she's going to need oxygen at home for awhile and needed to get a few other things to help around the house).  I've got to tell you, she's doing a lot more and a lot better than any of us would have guessed!

 

Many of you have offered to help or bring meals. We are setting up a meal planner at takethemameal.com. If you are interested in that information, please send me a private message, either leave a comment with your email address or send one of us a text message or give us a call (we do not want to post it publicly). If you would like to visit, please call or text Mom or Dad directly--they'll have a better idea of schedules, etc. Thanks again to everyone for all your wonderful prayers and support!! God has been so good and unfailing throughout!!

Update 1-15-13

I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. (Mark 11:24 NLT)

Praise the Lord! Mom had a good stable night. Her numbers look good, so the ICU doctors have agreed it's time to move her to a regular room--so we're waiting for a room on 3 east to open up and then we'll move there! We are in the "wait and see" phase, I guess, but things are looking up. Hopefully we'll have more great news to report over the next several days. Thank you again for all your prayers and support!

~~"But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8~~

Sent from Melissa's iPhone

Update 1-14-13

So far the update is there isn't much to update. Mom was extubated around 2:30pm and is holding her own. She's had a few coughing spells and is a bit anxious, so the doctors are going to help her with that. We just wait and see what God has in store for us and this mighty lady! Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers.

Update 1-13-13

Mom has been pretty much the same today. She has been on the cpap setting for the majority of the day. She's had a few more bouts of restlessness today, but that is pretty normal for cpap. Mom has been resting for the last several hours. Tomorrow they will attempt to extubate and we will see how it goes.  We don't really have any concept of how long she'll have after the extubation...could be hours, days, weeks. She's fooled us all before. What we do know is that Mom has asked not to be intubated again, even if her lungs can't handle it.  The last time they extubated, she did well for about 12-18 hours and then started having high heart rate and breathing issues...but she's had more antibiotics at this point and we just don't know.  We will just trust in God's plan even if we don't understand it. Please keep all of us in your prayers tomorrow.

Update 1-11-13

Today's recap: whew, what a day. I don't really know how my eyes are still open. This is what we know: overnight Mom's heart rate went way to high and we are fortunate that the medications available to her got the rate down, but that also means she had to get the tube in again. She was fairly stable today, but she has another pneumonia. Dr. Cripe spoke with us all tonight (including mom) and said we'd wait and see how much of this infection she can fight and if she can tolerate being extubated again. If they take out the tube and she cannot tolerate it, mom does not want it back in again. We will cross that bridge when we get there. In the meantime we are praying that this infection leaves her body and that her lungs and heart stay as strong as her spunk and spirit. She's trying to keep her sense of humor and faith in her arsenal, and so we will too. Lord please hear all of our prayers and the prayers of all who know you!

Update 1-10-13

After a couple of tense days of electrolyte imbalance, it looks like Mom's numbers are stabilizing. James was at the hospital this morning when the doctor decided to extubate. Mom got the breathing tube out this morning and she's done great today. She can talk pretty well and says her throat doesn't hurt when she talks. She is a little confused (common for anyone who has been intubated) and starts to say some things that don't make sense, but comes back pretty quick. She is very adamant that she wants to come home and asks just about everyone that comes in to either take her home (if they're family) or "what are we waiting on" (if they're staff). They'll continue to monitor in the ICU for a little bit and then they'll transfer her to a step down unit. Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support. Thank God for her extubation and stability!!

Update 1-7-13

For those of you that haven't been caught up yet, just a quick update: Mom got admitted to IU hospital on 1-5-13 for the flu and double lung pneumonia. In true Mary fashion, it has not been as simple as that. Her breathing was really labored and her heart rate was high so we transferred to progressive care that night and started on the bipap machine--that sort of forces air into the lungs and has a very uncomfortable face mask. She didn't stay there long before moving to the ICU and when they saw the discomfort of the machine and that she still needed much support, they decided to intubate her. She has the breathing tube now and is being watched closely, but is very alert for someone with a tube. She sleeps a lot, but will interact with staff when they come into the room (and of course let us know when she needs something)! Today they switched the settings on the vent to "cpap", settings, which basically means she's doing the breathing work on her own with just a little back up help. They're also stopping the blood pressure medication to see if she can hold those stable. If the breathing and blood pressures stabilize, that will lead to getting the tube out! They placed a feeding tube today to make sure she's getting the nutritional support she needs, but we all know she really just wants a diet coke:)
We will try our best to keep this blog updated because I know everyone does not have Facebook, but I do make frequent updates to the Facebook page "Prayers for Mary". Thank you to everyone for your support and prayers!!

Mary's TV Debut

Mary was asked by Dr. Cripe to help with a Channel 13 News Story on Monday, October 22.  Here is the clip from Channel 13.  They asked a LOT more questions and took a LOT more video than what is shown, but we are so proud of Mom's courage to get in front of the cameras!! Enjoy!!

Windford's Update 9/24/12

I found out this information about a week ago, but wanted to fill in my mother and my children first and I have been quite busy since. The cancer drug they had me on to slow it down to see if I could get a chance for a transplant in Chicago unfortunately  is not working and my Tumor Marker has went up tremendously. They have taken me off the drug. The transplant surgeon and my oncologist have conferred and agree that there is no drug or surgery I can survive. The oncologist will regulate my medicines to make me as comfortable as possible. My feet and legs are swelling very bad since my liver is not functioning properly. I am going to another doctor on 9/25/12 to get a liver reduction diet to help with the swelling. The transplant surgeon said God only knows how long I have for sure, but he thinks maybe I can make Christmas and possibly New Years, but the rest of 2013 will be very rough.

Remember the times we laughed and smile for me.

Windford

What's next?

As you know, we've been dealing with Mom's latest relapse. We met with the oncologist today to find out what options exist. Mom is very clear that she doesn't want to spend a bunch of time being sick and in the hospital if it's not going to be good for her quality of life. Knowing that, Dr. Cripe has offered a 7 day infusion (outpatient) that may keep the leukemia at bay for awhile. He said if she tolerates that ok then she'll possibly do another week in 4-6 weeks.
If at any point she doesn't tolerate it well, then they will stop. Either way, she will continue to need blood and platelets. This will help her have energy and feel better. If the leukemia continues to progress and the infusion doesn't seem to be helping then treatment will be done to make sure the symptoms are controlled, but it won't be cured.
She is staying strong and is confident in trying Dr. Cripe's plan. Please just continue to pray for strength, wisdom, and courage.
Much love to all of you!!

Devastating:(

The bone marrow biopsy results are back and the news is devastating...the leukemia is back. The stem cell transplant is not an option. We will
wait to see what we can do, but right now there is no cure for leukemia, so we pray and put our trust in the Lord. I am so proud of how Mom handled the news today and thankful that Dad took the call. Please continue to pray and send support. This battle is NOT over!

Also--please say some prayers for Uncle Ray (Mom's brother) he had surgery yesterday and is now on dialysis. Please keep our family lifted on prayer!

Melissa

Stability!

Dad got the results from his MRI on Friday.  According to the scans, it appears that the liver is stable.  The tumor is still there, but it does not appear to be growing.  In this situation, that is very encouraging.  We are still awaiting the results of the blood tests to see if the tumor markers align with the MRI results, but an signs of stability is good!  We just continue to pray that this tumor does not grow and expand anymore in the portal vein.  That is the best option to get on the liver transplant list--which is the only way to cure the cancer & liver disease.  We are also thankful for this stability after such a grim prognosis just 4 months ago. 
   In other news, Dad is continuing with his retirement plans--refurbishing the house with new windows (and now a new roof thanks to the recent hail storm/damage) and getting a new barn.  He has talked about getting a new barn for years now and after a bit of permit confusion and the discovery that the house is now in the town of Avon, that plan is on for completion by the end of September! 
    In Mom news, she continues to go for regular bloodwork and needs a blood transfusion about once every week or two.  She'll continue with the bloodwork until the date is secure for her transplant (still set for September 11 admission at this point) and then she'll need another bone marrow biopsy.
Much love to all of you for your continued prayers and support!!

Not much new to report...

     In the last month or so we haven't had much new to update.  Dad has been battling a few fevers and has had a quick stay for a few nights in the hospital and a few visits to the ER for fevers.  We're working with his doctor to make sure his medication is helping and now we have a different plan so that Dad doesn't have to go to the ER each time he spikes a fever.  Dad had an MRI this week and Dr. Wagner will be going over those results at the end of the week.  There may not be anything new to report, but Dr. Renz in Chicago wanted to monitor Dad's liver to see if there was growth of tumor in the portal vein.  We are continuing to pray for no new activity in the portal vein.
     In Mom's journey, the biggest news is no news right now.  She was initially going to be admitted in early August, but due to the donor and donor center's availability, her tentative admission will be September 11.  We're hopeful that there are no more delays.  The other thing that this delay is going to cause is the need for another bone marrow biopsy.  Please pray that the results will show that Mom is still in remission!! 

Thank you to everyone for all of your prayers and support.  We will continue to keep you all updated when we have news to report. 

Highs and Lows

Well, here's an update after quite a spell without one. Mom's counts finally recovered enough to have a bone marrow done on Monday. We received the wonderful news that she is in REMISSION!!! This means that she will proceed to the stem cell transplant after a bunch of tests to make sure she is healthy enough to go through transplant. She'll go through those tests Thursday, 7/26 and probably get admitted on 8/7...that date is not set in stone yet. Please pray that all of that goes well!
On the low note, Wednesday 7/25, was a really rough day for Dad. He was very confused and disoriented the whole day--which can be a sign of hepatic encephalopathy--caused by high ammonia levels. Mom and Amanda brought him to the ER and I met them there. After a few tests, it was determined that his ammonia levels were in fact VERY high, so he is currently admitted at IU downtown. They will give him some medicine and monitor him until his levels are back into a safer level. This is very hard to see because it is SO not how Dad is...so we hope he gets back to normal soon! Please continue to pray that his ammonia levels drop and that he feels better soon.
Thanks everyone!!

Happy Anniversary!!

Happy 37^th Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

 

 

What's the latest?!?

Here's the next round of updates.  Let's start with Dad.  As you know, he was admitted on the 15th.  He had an MRI while admitted and then was able to go home on Wednesday, the 20th.  The MRI revealed that the liver tumor was growing (as would be expected since he was only on chemo a few days before the scan).  The good (?!?!?) news is that it doesn't look like there was growth near the portal vein, so maybe we will see that it is not cancer after all in that area.  Who knows?  Dr. Wagner sent the scans to Dr. Renz up in Chicago so he could have a clearer picture of what he's working with.  We are waiting to see what he wants to do next.  In the meantime, Dad has started the chemo again and it is definitely making him more tired.  He has also been a little confused and wobbly at times, which could be due to high ammonia levels in his liver from the disease and cancer.  There is a medication that he is taking, but Dr. Wagner is going to increase the dosage to help with that--the biggest side effect from that is diarrhea, because they're trying to keep the liver/bowels cleaned out.  Please pray for some relief from this fatigue and confusion--it is very frustrating.  But, Dad is still trying to be active--going to dinner with family, going to graduation parties, etc.  We just continue to pray for good options from Chicago and minimal side effects!! 

On to Mom's update...she looks great!  Her counts are sllloooowwwwlllllyyyy improving:)  She is now able to go more than a week without needing blood and platelets.  In fact, her next appointment isn't until July 5th.  As they watch her counts, then they will determine when they can do the next bone marrow biopsy to determine whether or not she is in remission.  She has to be in remission to move to the next step--stem cell transplant.  If she does not acheive remission, then we're looking at a whole different kind of battle!  The good news is that there was a donor found somewhere in the world that matches her on all 10 of the determining levels!!  This is the very best case, considering the scenario.  The other good news is that while Dad is not feeling the greatest right now, Mom is starting to feel better--I mean, neither one of them are going to run a marathon, but considering all that's going on, hey...you take what you can get.  Mom even played a round of corn hole this weekend at Kyle's graduation party.  Please continue to pray for REMISSION!! 

Also, speaking of remission--the shirts are back IN.  Please let me know if you are still interested in purchasing a shirt, I know there were several of you out there who were interested and we sold out before we got to you! 

To wrap up, all we can say is THANK YOU to all of you for your continued prayers and support!  Our entire family is so appreciative of the calls, texts, cards, messages, comments, and more.  We are grateful to have such wonderful friends and family. 

We'll keep you posted!