Monday, March 22

Dad would like to give everyone an update since it's been a few weeks since his last post.  The disease has progressed to the point where he's confined to his bed 100% of the time.  He's also sleeping quite a bit more, but he would never miss a Purdue basketball game.  The real challenge will come next Friday when they play at 9pm -- we're thinking that might need to be a Tivo game.  It's been a great surprise to see the Boilers make a good run into the tournament, and hopefully they'll keep playing well.

We've had more visitors the last couple weeks as Carole's mom and brother have both been out to help.  Countless people have donated meals, flowers, contraband or so many other things.  Everyone's assistance and thoughtfulness is very, very much appreciated.

We're busy watching Dancing with the Stars on the big screen now.  Dad is disappointed that Ocho Cinco didn't get better scores -- we thought he was great.

That's all for now.  Take care!

Sunday, March 7

I've had a good couple of weeks including several visitors. Two weekends ago my sister Barb brought my mother out to Iowa from Indiana, last weekend my sister Beth came from Peoria, and this weekend my brother Mark and sister Rita came from Indiana. It was great to spend some time with each of them and catch up. It was also nice for Carole to get some much needed assistance.

I've been continuing to watch a lot of basketball lately. I'm disappointed that the Boilermakers won't have Robbie Hummel down the stretch, but I was happy to see them win a share of the Big Ten title yesterday. We also enjoyed watching the Linn-Mar girls win a state championship last night!

I told Brian 2 weeks ago that I wished I could have some Leffe Brune - my favorite beer in the world. This is a challenge since the only way you can get it in the US is on tap on the East Coast. His work colleagues in the Netherlands came through quickly though and I received a shipment of 4 bottles when Brian arrived this weekend. I've really enjoyed having 1 each of the past couple of nights. "Dank u wel" to Enno and Ferens!

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.

Tuesday, February 16

I had a great weekend with my friend, Randy.  Randy was the best man in our wedding and is a fraternity brother.  We cried and we laughed quite a lot.  We had lots of memories to cover.  Here's a picture of the two of us.

I also got quite a bit of help having a nice Valentines Day dinner including flowers for Carole and take-out from Granite City.  Thanks to everyone who helped make that happen.

We've been watching quite a bit of basketball and of the Winter Olympics.  I have to say that ski jumping looks a lot better on my HDTV than figure skating does.

Wednesday, February 10

Not much new to report for me. The last couple weeks have been pretty uneventful. I'm still resting in bed full-time, but that's been a pretty nice place to be during the snowstorms. Everyone is taking good care of me, and I'm pretty comfortable most of the time. Thanks to all who have contributed their efforts in so many ways!

It's been a great week for the Boilers. A Super Bowl MVP and a big road win lifted my spirits this week. We enjoy watching basketball games, especially now that they're on a big winning streak!

I'm really looking forward to a visit from one of my oldest friends, Randy, this weekend.  Randy was best man in our wedding, and we're so happy that he can come out and visit for a few days.  We continue to be blessed by extraordinary family and friends.

That's all for now.  Take care and stay warm!

Sunday, January 31

It's been a couple of weeks since we provided an update, so I thought we better write something. The last two weeks have been relatively uneventful for Dad as he just rests comfortably at home. He had a couple of events requiring some nursing attention, but his Hospice nurses have been able to get him back to comfort quickly for the most part.

Mom is tired, but appreciates all of the support she is getting from family and friends. Grandma Bell (Carole's mom) and Jim (Carole's brother) both spent a week at the house with Mom, Andy and Tory are here on a near daily basis, Brian is here every weekend, and Jeff talks with dad on Skype as much as possible.

Mom and Dad celebrated their 38th Wedding Anniversary on Friday. Tory brought flowers for Mom at Dad's request as well as chocolate malts from Whitey's - always a big hit! We also got a To-Go order from Red Robin which Dad enjoyed along with a little bit of beer.

Dad asked me to let everyone know that he appreciates their thoughts and prayers.

Saturday, January 16

Dad left the hospital on Wednesday afternoon as planned and is now resting comfortably at home. He continues to be extremely weak and needs more and more sleep. Unfortunately, he is no longer strong enough to stand the chemotherapy and therefore has made the decision to stop curative treatments. He is now under Hospice care and the focus is on ensuring he is as comfortable and pain-free as possible. This is a hard time for all of us, but we understand that he does not want to continue like this.

Dad had a great morning today spending time with his family. His mother Shirley was able to spend a couple of hours by his side and they both enjoyed this valuable time. Grandma was accompanied by dad's sisters Rita and Beth as well as his brother Mark and sister in-law Brenda. It was great to see everyone.

Tuesday, January 12

Last Monday (1/4) dad went to the University of Iowa Hospital's Emergency Room because he was continuing to feel weaker and also had some swelling of his legs. They found that his blood oxygen was a little low and also discovered that he had developed some blood clots in his lungs. He was placed on Oxygen and blood thinners, but then started to have some other problems as well. On Wednesday he started developing severe belly pain and on Thursday they performed a decompression of the colon (colonoscopy) to relieve the pressure and this helped right away. He began to have some bloody noses on Thursday and Friday at which time they stopped the blood thinners. On Friday the belly pain returned and they performed another decompression - this time leaving in a nasogastric (ng) tube down the nose as well as a tube from the colon to help things exit properly. The belly issues seem to be something called Ogilvie's Syndrome (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ogilvie_syndrome) and were treated accordingly. Over the weekend, they continued to keep him comfortable and the tubes did their job. On Monday the ng tube was removed and everything continues to function normally - the second tube will eventually pass on its own as it is not "attached" in any way. This morning he was cleared to start eating again, and we're hoping to go home tomorrow assuming everything continues to go well.

Dad would like to thank everyone who continues to think of him and pray for him.