April 3, 2009

Norene passed away peacefully at 6:45 this evening, surrounded by her family. She had a chance to say a few words to John earlier today. We will let you know funeral arrangements when they are made.

April 2, 2009

I hate sitting down to write a blog like this, but I know a lot of people out there are wondering how Norene is doing. Unfortunately, right now she is not well. Ever since Friday, things have been going downhill fast. She is so weak and not feeling well. We had a little problem with the tube that is draining fluid from her lungs. It broke and we considered going into the hospital to get a new one. Dad, Nathan and the nurse were able to jimmy rig the one she had back together and it seems to be serving it's purpose again. We are grateful for all the prayers and would ask you would pray for Norene to feel well enough to enjoy the remaining time that she has.

March 31, 2009

Yesterday was a little better for Norene. She was awake and alert most of the day, and was able to dictate more of the letters that she is trying to write to her children. We also had some visitors again yesterday, and Norene was awake for all of them. :) On the downside, our best efforts have not seemed to really stop the growth of this fast growing cancer. (Originally, she was diagnosed with more slow growing cancer, but the second report showed a very aggressive type of cancer). If you haven't had a chance to visit Norene, and would like to, give us a call and we will let you know if she is awake. If you do come by, we ask that you only stay for a few minutes. Thanks for all of your support.

March 30, 2009

The last few days have been somewhat difficult. Ever since the incident on Friday, Mom has been extremely tired and weak. She is only alert for a few hours a day - most of the times she just sleeps. It does seem to be more restful sleep than she has been having, which is good. But she is in much more pain. When mom is asking for pain killers, we know she is in quite a bit of pain because she has a high tolerance for pain and she is not one to take pain pills. We have thought that perhaps it is the heart medicine or the pain medication (although it's not very strong) that may be making her so tired. She said she wouldn't mind having visitors on Sunday, but felt bad that she slept through every one of them. I am glad that all of her siblings were able to come and talk to her on Friday while she was still alert.

March 27, 2009

Today was an interesting day for the family. Last night (Thursday) Mom began to be a little anxious. She had a restless night and slept most of the morning, but it was a disturbing sleep for her. She woke up about 3:00 pm in somewhat of a panic and wanted to see all of her family. Shortly after she woke, the nurse came and discovered her heart was racing. She immediately put mom on medication that would bring it back down. The nurse informed us that such a high heart rate would cause these feelings of anxiety and also dizziness (which explained why we found her on the floor this morning). By the evening, she was feeling much less anxious - although still very tired. All of her siblings were able to come in a visit with her and she was so happy to have seen them all. Thank you everyone for rushing in to see my mom!! It was a nice visit for everyone.

March 26, 2009

John returned to his mission on Tuesday morning and while we all miss his wonderful smile, we are glad he has returned to where he is supposed to be. We are so glad that he was able to come home and visit for a few days. It was great that he was able to come and give my mom a couple of blessings and spend time with her. He was also the King Carrot Juice Maker and very helpful in other ways as well. Speaking of carrot juice, this, along with wheat grass juice, is a staple in my mom's diet right now. We are battling hard at this cancer from a few different angles. Mom has always been a strong woman and she continues to show her strength by staying on a strict diet. She is determined to gain strength and pushes herself to stand on her own and walk around the room. Her oxygen also is improving and the nurse has decreased the amount of oxygen that she needs during the day (this is good). Before the snow hit us, she actually spent a few hours outside in the sunshine. Even though we have a lot of good news - she still has cancer and she is usually in pain and occasionally sick. She has been sleeping pretty well, but lately has been really groggy, even during the day. She is on blood thinner to reduce the risk of blood clots, but these shots seem to be causing excess bleeding. And speaking of shots, since she has to have those in her stomach twice a day - it is hard to find an unbruised spot to give her her next shot. On a happier note, Mom and the whole family are so appreciative of all the many, many people of have sent meals, cards, flowers, emails and their love through various ways. The meals have been delicious and very helpful. The flowers have been beautiful and uplifting. Mom has enjoyed reading all the messages. Thank you especially for all the many prayers - never under estimate the power of prayer. I personally think it is a miracle that my mom has improved after coming home from the hospital with "2 weeks to 2 months" to live.

Gift from the Relief Society!