Comments (20)

By Dave ©, October 12, 2009 8:50 am

I know a man named Joe. Joe is my friend.

A friend, you see, is someone who is there for you when times are troubling.
A friend is there for your family when the days are full of stress.
A friend is someone who prays for you.
A friend listens to you pour out your concerns even though he has concerns of his own.
A friend is encouraging.
A friend corrects you when you are wrong about important things but doesn’t correct you when you are wrong about unimportant things.
A friend understands how you feel because he shares your pain.
A friend knows when to speak and when to be silent.
A friend is compassionate and empathetic.
A friend wants nothing but the best for you.

I know a man named Joe.
I’ve never met Joe but he is my friend.
I wish I was a friend to others the way Joe is a friend to me.

Joe has some concerns right now. Will you please join me and pray for Joe today? If you don’t pray or believe in prayer, that’s OK. But will you at least consider leaving a comment right now to raise the spirits of my friend Joe, a man who is going through some challenging times at the moment?

Comments (5)

By Lana, May 17, 2009 1:56 pm

Carmen update: Carmen had another fever yesterday. She is most likely brewing another respiratory infection. Carmen has her summers and winters mixed-up. She was so very sick all last summer and then healthy most of the winter. Hopefully she isn’t giving us a preview of this summer!

Yesterday, a wonderful nurse friend of mine, Hibst, offered to watch Carmen from 10am-6pm so that Dave, Lauren and I could do something we wouldn’t normally get to do. Our plan was to visit an area park that has hiking and waterfalls. Well, we woke to gray skies and a rainy forecast so we went to the outlet mall instead! We shopped till we dropped! We had a lot of fun and we were very happy to use a couple of gift certificates that we have had for a while. Lauren was so excited to wear a new outfit today and I can’t wait to try my new Nikes at the gym today. Thank you SO MUCH to Hibst for giving us a care-free day. (And only Hibst would vacuum and fold all the laundry too!)

We have had our ups and downs with nursing care but as of now, we have 4 night nurses who are taking very good care of Carmen. They seem to genuinely love Carmen and that makes all the difference in the world. One of Carmen’s nurses braids her hair. I love that this nurse not only suctions and changes and gives meds, but also makes sure Carmen looks lovely for the day.

The love from others helps us get through the toughest days. Thanks.

Comments (8)

By Lana, March 26, 2009 1:51 pm

Monica the Magnificent came over yesterday and gave me two of the most wonderful presents! A 3 hour nap and a scrapbook! That nap totally revived me. THANK YOU! And wow, the scrapbook is amazing. Remember Dave’s post on my birthday? http://www.beautifulcanvas.org/2008/11/33-things-i-love-about-lana/ Well, Monica took that post and all of your responses and made a book.

We first met Monica 15 months ago through an organization called Hospice Caring. http://www.hospicecaring.org/ Hospice Caring is a non-medical, volunteer Hospice. Volunteers provide practical and emotional support to terminally ill adults and children and their families. Before we had night nursing and before we had medical Hospice for Carmen, Hospice Caring was there for us. And they have stayed with us ever since.

When you go through something really tough, there are certain people who just know what to do and do it. They go above and beyond and just keep giving of themselves. Monica is one of those people. Thank you Monica!!!

Comments (12)

By Lana, March 24, 2009 4:03 pm

The past few weeks have been rough. Our wonderful nurse, Connie, moved away. In her six months with Carmen, she really revolutionized Carmen’s night care. Yesterday we found out that Carmen’s other great nurse, Susan, turned in her two week notice. Susan has been with Carmen for 11 months. She was with us when that horrible Robinul and Tylenol overdose happened. She stepped up and took over the details of Carmen’s night care and made absolutely certain every order was written correctly and that every nurse understood Carmen’s care. I don’t know what we are going to do without her! She will be working for an agency with better benefits but I sure wish we could keep her right where she is.

In the course of a month, we have gone from 84 hours per week of night nursing to 12 hours. We do have one really good nurse on Tuesday nights and I think I will pass out if she leaves!

The nursing agency did send out two nurses who both fell sound asleep on their first shift. Falling asleep before Dave and I even go to bed does not make a good impression. Nurses who are too tired to stay awake, especially at the beginning of their shifts, start making mistakes. There is no room for error with Carmen. Been there, done that with the Robinul mess and we will do everything we can to ensure that Carmen is safe and well-cared for. As of now, the nursing agency does not have anyone else to cover the shifts.

We would greatly appreciate your continued prayers that we find good nurses.

Yesterday, I felt like I was hanging on by the thinnest of threads. The doorbell rang and a package was on the porch. I didn’t recognize the return address from Oregon. We opened it up and found the prettiest handmade elephant, coloring book and markers, stickers, a lovely plaque that says, “Treasure Yesterday, Celebrate Today, Dream of Tomorrow”, Oreos, a card and a picture for Carmen.

Debbie and her two beautiful girls sent the package. Debbie said that she made both of her girls an elephant before they came home from Guatemala so she made one for Carmen to share with Lauren. Debbie’s daughter colored a picture of her and Carmen on the swings at the park and said that Carmen is her friend.

Thank you Debbie for such wonderful gifts. Thank you for sending them at the perfect time. I think God knew I needed something to lift my spirits. Thank you for sharing Carmen with your girls. We so much appreciate your prayers.

Here is a picture of the lovely elephant!

Comments (9)

By Lana, October 20, 2008 9:34 pm

This is a true story….

Once upon a time a mom was looking for a stroller for her daughter. The little girl was very special indeed and needed a stroller that would recline just right so that she could sit comfortably. The daughter had heavy medical equipment that needed to fit in the stroller. The mom looked and looked, to no avail. She called bunches of people, asking for suggestions and got some great ones, but nothing quite worked for her daughter. She emailed and posted on several message boards, asking for more suggestions.

The mom spent an hour in a baby store, testing out strollers, hoping her daughter could sit in one and that somehow her daughter’s medical equipment would also fit. A young man walked up to the mom and said, “Did you find what you needed?” The mom said she didn’t think so. The young man said, “Don’t worry. God will make a way.” The man walked away and left the mom wondering who he was and thinking that maybe he was an angel.

The mom was about to give up when she got an email from a lady saying she had just the stroller for the very special little girl. So the little girl and her whole family drove to the lady’s house. The little girl and her family had never met this lady. The lady was right, she had the perfect stroller for the special little girl. It was a stroller from New Zealand, no longer made. It had a hammock style reclining seat that the little girl could lounge in. It had a small second seat behind the big seat for ALL of the little girl’s equipment. It had bags to hold all the extra stuff that the little girl needed. The mom was excited because the stroller was light-weight and easy to get into the car. And it had a big swivel front wheel to make walking through stores easier (The mom really liked to go to the mall so this made her very happy!) Out of the goodness of her heart, the kind lady gave the stroller to the family for the very special little girl.

Thank you Kathi for your amazing generosity. I am sure that you just added a big jewel to your crown in Heaven! And thank you to God for showing Yourself faithful once again. Over and over and over You have provided everything for Carmen and left us amazed and thankful.

The stroller is a Phil & Ted Kiwi Explorer. It is similar to the Phil & Ted inline stroller that you can find in stores, but the main seat is bigger and the second seat is further back from the main seat. This extra space between the main and second seat accommodates all of the equipment. The stroller is approximately 25 inches from top to seat so Carmen has quite a bit of growing room. I would have NEVER known to look for an older version of this stroller so thank you, thank you, thank you to Kathi!

Here are some pictures from today. I haven’t taken the girls to the park in months so this was a VERY special treat. And now that we have wheels, we are going to take advantage of the beautiful weather for as long as possible!

This is the stroller with Carmen in the front and the suction machine, oxygen tank, feeding pump and bags, and stroller backpack in the back seat. I am not sure I put the side pannier bags on correctly but they provide even more storage (one pannier bag on each side).

Carmen resting in the stroller.

Lauren getting tired of me taking pictures of the stroller and pointing to the playground!

Lauren thoroughly enjoying the swing!