VAN VOORHIS FAMILY BLOG

Back home from Thanksgiving week in South Carolina. Everyone seems to be doing well for the moment. Sam is in DC – but thankful that he can come back home to a place that’s warm and he doesn’t have to wear suits. I’ve been working with the kids on school work and projects and trying to get organized for Christmas.

We begin kitchen demo and tear down on Monday for the new kitchen renovation. I’ll try to post pictures (& horror stories) as we go. Paper plates and cereal for us for a while.

Internet has been down at the house all week, so I’ve been coming to the library every day after school with the kids to do my computer work. I don’t realize how much I rely on the internet until I don’t have it. At least I’ve got my blackberry to get e-mails and texts.

Well – off to work on school projects and empty out the kitchen. J

To whom much is given, much is required….

On this Thanksgiving, I am filled with many emotions – but I am thankful.

So many blessings in my life and I do not take them for granted. My husband, my family, my children – my health, my life in general.

After spending the day with Sam’s family – and thinking often of how this most likely will be the last Thanksgiving with my beautiful mother in law Millie – I think of my life and how I want it to be when I am in my later years.

Here Mrs. Van Voorhis is – with her husband of 52 years, her 4 children, son and daughter in laws and 11 grandchildren. She is physically weak, but spiritually strong. She is at peace with death and how she has lived her life. She has survived much – polio, a serious car wreck with a fire truck that left her in traction for months in the hospital, diabetes, a variety of physical ills and now bladder cancer that has moved to her liver. Yesterday we sat as a family as she signed the papers to enter hospice care. As she signed, she had a wry little smile.

She is at the end of a wonderful life – 4 children that have grown up and had children of their own and have successful lives. She worked with families that were adopting and traveled to Korea to bring children back to their new homes. She has been an amazing mother in law – not the “monster in law” that so many women complain of marrying into. I could not have asked for a better mother in law. She has been a wonderful grandmother to our children as well. What an example she has been of a godly woman who loves the Lord and her family. She is gracious to all and a fabulous hostess – she still does not complain. She is at peace and an example to us all. What a joy to have known her for these 15+ years that I’ve been married to Sam.

I was going to write in this Thanksgiving post about all the blessings in my life – and there are many – but for now – I will stop and say how thankful I am for Mrs. Van Voorhis. Tears of sadness, but tears of happiness. J

…..is what was recommended from the oncologist today. Mrs. VV will continue home health care and hospice care at home for as long as possible.

Our prayers are for peace and comfort and little pain. The dr. today did say that the pain she is feeling is most likely from the stent that was placed in her kidney on Thursday and most likely will decrease as her body gets used to having this foreign object in her body.

We are thankful for the time our family has together with her this Thanksgiving week. J

Please keep Mrs. Van Voorhis in your prayers. She has been experiencing some pain in her side today – at times significant.

Our prayers are that this will pass soon and that she will remain as pain free as possible – especially during this week while the whole family is here.

Visit with the oncologist is tomorrow. Appreciate your prayers.

J

They were able to get the stent in today through a hole in her back, but did not have to put in the nephrostomy tube – which was good news. Mrs. VV was released from the hospital a bit after 6 and felt awful when she arrived home.

We are thankful that she doesn’t have to deal with yet another tube and that she was ale to come home tonight and rest here instead of being at the hospital.

Mr. and Mrs. VV are planning on traveling home to South Carolina tomorrow if Mrs. VV is up for it- otherwise they will wait another day.

Thanks again for your prayers and words of encouragement. J

Well, it’s been a difficult week for Mrs. Van Voorhis. After learning that the bladder cancer had returned and is now in her liver, they also discovered that her right kidney is blocked. Today they were going to try to place a stent through her stoma to unblock the ureter, but determined that it would not be possible.

Currently they are doing a nephrostomy procedure where they go in through her back and insert a tube directly into her kidney that will then drain through that tube. This was really tough for Mrs. VV to hear, knowing that now she will have one kidney draining through the stoma and one through the nephrostomy tube and that she now will have to have 2 drainage bags to deal with. She still has a portion of her incision wound that has not completely healed – so this just adds another thing. We’re not sure if she’ll be released from Mayo tonight or if they’ll keep her till tomorrow. They are ready to return home to Greenville, South Carolina – and the entire family will be there with them for Thanksgiving week.

Please continue to lift her up in your prayers – for strength, comfort, peace and as little pain as possible. She does not want to do anything extraordinary to extend her life – but wants to live the time she has here in as little pain and discomfort as possible.

As just her daughter in law who has only known her for 16 years – I have come to love her as a mother – she is an amazing woman and about as perfect a mother in law as one could ask for. As emotional as this is just for me as her d-in-law, I can’t imagine how difficult this is for her husband (John), and the kids: Sam, Tim, Julie and Elizabeth. Please pray for them also (as well as the 11 grandkids).

Cancer sucks – that about sums it up – but God is good – and we have a hope for eternity.

Thanks for lifting us all up. J

Sam’s parents have been here with us since Saturday for her follow up visit at the Mayo Clinic Jacksonville. Tests on Monday showed that the cancer has returned and is now in her liver. This came as a surprise to us all and we are extremely saddened that it has returned just a few short months after her July 28 surgery for bladder cancer. Follow up tests showed today that there is a blockage in her right kidney and she will go back on Thursday for a procedure that will place a stent in her kidney to help open up the blockage.

Lord willing, Mr. and Mrs. Van Voorhis will return to Greenville on Friday and will then meet with her nephrologist/oncologist early next week.

Our prayers are for peace for Mrs. Van Voorhis and the absence of pain. She is at peace with her life but this has been an exceptionally emotional time for her and all the family.

All the children and grandchildren had already planned on spending Thanksgiving together in Greenville, South Carolina next week – so we look forward to a wonderful family time together.

We will try to keep things updated as we have new information – for the time being, we appreciate your prayers for Mrs. VV (Millie) and her husband John as well as Sam and the other kids. Thanks much. J

Two….

Originally uploaded by SisterPV

Well, our prayers were answered and we had an amazingly beautiful day for Anna’s “friends” birthday party today. She had a few friends sleep over last night and the rest of them joined today since we had the day off of school.

The kids pretty much spent 5 hours outside – playing ping pong, swimming, kayaking and paddle boating and having a shaving cream war (the aftermath seen here in the photo).

A great time was had by all – and I am now sitting quietly with an ice bag on my knee looking forward to a quiet night’s sleep. J

OK, well – not necessarily running, but back to my normal schedule. I had my first physical therapy session at 7:20 this morning and after an hour and 1/2 of stretches, exercises, electrical pulses on my leg and ice – I actually was pretty encouraged. So – did a Target run, went to the grocery store and got things ready for Anna’s “friends” birthday party tomorrow (& sleep over tonight with 3 of her friends from school). After all that early morning action, I promptly fell asleep for an hour before I went to pick up the kids from school.

Tomorrow is Veteran’s Day, so we have no school – and it gives us the opportunity to celebrate Anna’s birthday with her friends, since her party was delayed due to my knee surgery. Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. – the rest of the party guests arrive: a few more girls as well as a few boys. I’m praying for no rain, so that the kids can swim – or at least no lightning, so I can still toss them in the pool with no fear of electrocution. Sam’s not at home tomorrow, so I’m winging it solo – but thankfully have one of my friends that is doing the lunch time pizza run for me.

So…. back to the normal mom activities – just no tennis for a while, but hopefully the 4-6 week “recovery” time will be true and I’ll be back to tennis after the new year. We’ll see how tomorrow goes and I’ll give an update (after I take a nice, long nap)! J

Air show

Originally uploaded by SisterPV

This was the view this afternoon from our back yard. The Jacksonville Air and Sea spectacular is this weekend at the beach. Since I’m convalescing at home, we just sat out back today and took some pictures from the patio.