4/29/2010

Pam passed away this afternoon, following a nearly two year battle with cancer. This past week, Hospice has been with her around the clock and they were professional and committed in caring for Pam. Although Pam was asleep all week from the effects of morphine and other drugs, she looked radiant and comfortable. She was strong to the end in her valiant battle with this insidious disease.

Peace came to Pam at about 6:00 p.m. She was surrounded by her family, two grandchildren and extended family who sang hymns, prayed, and reminisced for nearly six hours. Pam was aware of our presence and heard everything that was said.

We will have a celebration of life on May 8th at 2:00 p.m. at the North Stuart Baptist Church, 1950 NW Federal Highway, Stuart, FL 34994. Pam's sister, our family and our friends at the church are planning a service dominated by Pam's favorite hymns. Music was Pam's passion that shaped her contributions to the ministry of all the churches she ever attended.

We thank you all for your prayers for Pam's peace and comfort during this ordeal. We all have been strengthened by your continuous support.

4/29/2010

There has been no change in Pam's condition for a couple of days. She looks comfortable and in no pain. She seems to hear us when we speak to her and I even noticed a slight acknowledgment of our presence by a toe twitch. She has round the clock care by concerned nurses and frequent visits from our family.

May God bless you all for your prayers and support.

4/28/10

There has been no change in Pam's condition for more than a day. She looks to be comfortable and certainly has the full attention of the Hospice nurses. We all agree that Pam is a strong woman. At this point in time, however, there is little, if any, hope that she will wake up.

We thank you all for your prayers, cards, and calls.

4/27/10 Pam's condition rapidly deteriorated during the day yesterday. The Hospice nurse indicated this was part of of the natural process of Pam's system shutting down. Pam looked comfortable and relaxed and she responded to the family with a slight smile or glow. Pam definitely knows where she is going.

This morning brought no further noticeable decline in her condition. In fact, she looked more comfortable than she did yesterday. Maybe the fact that our dog Sadie was on the bed with her was more comforting than the pain relievers.

Hospice has been a real blessing and responsive to Pam's needs. We will monitor Pam's condition and update this blog regularly.

4/25/10 Pam is now in Hospice critical care and will be receiving around the clock nursing starting tonight. I thought the nursing coverage would be for 12 hours, which is all I requested, but I learned that once a patient is assigned to critical care, 24-hour coverage is offered. Beverly will still be able to tuck Pam in at night and be here to get her up in the morning as she has done for a couple of weeks. It's a blessing that Hospice is here to help the entire family and not just the patient.

Pam has become very weak and I felt additional assistance , particularly at night, is necessary for her comfort and safety. It so happens that Pam and I know the nighttime nurse and Pam thought that was wonderful, even though we had nothing to do with this assignment. I know she will be in good hands.

God is watching over us through the continuous support and prayers of our friends.

4/24/2010 Pam has two aides from 9:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. Our daughter Bev, who works from 11:00 P.M. to 7:00 A.M., comes in the evening to get Pam ready for the night and stops in the morning for a couple of hours to get Pam ready for the day. Pam sleeps much of the time, but is alert when awake. The medication affects her speech and causes her to slur her words.

Pam has been comforted by the support of all our friends. She knows God is talking to her through your cards, calls and prayers. Pam is not afraid of dying and has expressed this to all our family, pastors, her business partners and nearly every one else who has visited. Pam is strong in her faith and truly an inspiration those who know her.

4/19/2010 Pam is resting comfortably after a weekend of activity. Her sister extended her visit until yesterday. Son David spent two days with us. All our family members in Florida stopped in to see Pam. The pain management seems to work, although some of the medications make her very sleepy. She has had little energy and limited mobility but she has had an active mind and good recollections with the family.

Hospice has been very accommodating and responded to our medical needs. We continue to bless all of you for your continuous support and prayers. May God bless you!

4/14/2010 On Monday, Pam visited her oncologist who basically stated that all that can be done medically has been done. There is no chemo or surgery or radiation protocol that has been effective for Pam's cancer. Her oncologist said she needs to be in hospice to control her pain and make her comfortable. We agreed and Pam was admitted to hospice on Tuesday. Pam now has an aide 4 hours per day. She spent many hours with the social worker and nurse from the hospice group and the nurse from the home health agency who assigned the aide. The whole plan is to make Pam comfortable, ease the nearly constant abdominal pain, and stabilize her weight. Her pain medication has been changed and it seems to be working. Her pain level on a scale of 1 to 10 has come down from a 7 to a 4. She has rested much of the day and we look forward to a comfortable night.

Pam's sister has been with us this week and extended her stay until Sunday. Our daughter Beverly will be here to see that Pam is set for the night before she heads to her nursing home job at 11:00 p.m. Everyone involved with this home care has been efficient and responsive to Pam's needs. We thank God for guiding us to this decision and feel comfort in the unfailing support and prayers from our friends and family. May God bless you all!

4/10/2010 -Our visit to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville enabled us to review all of Pam's treatments and test results. The doctor was thorough, spent a lot time with us and seemed genuinely concerned for Pam and her condition. Regardless of the source of the tumor, which apparently was the gall bladder and bile duct, the chemotherapy treatments administered over the past two years were the ones that would have prescribed if the origin had been identified in the first place. The six different chemo treatment protocols Pam received were systemic to the whole abdominal area. It seems the cancer was rejecting the treatments that science and research have shown to be effective. The conclusion is that the treatments were consistent with the information made available through the various test results. The tumors are so wide spread that any surgery or radiation is not possible, and this decision is consistent with earlier conclusions regarding surgery.The tumor is pressing against Pam's stomach which is causing her lack of appetite and feeling of fullness after a small amount of food.

The Mayo oncologist spoke briefly about some options that may be available, as follows: hormone therapy, oral chemotherapy, a feeding tube, and use of the drug avastin that starves cancer cells of oxygen. He will have discussed these options with Pam's local oncologist when we meet on Monday, April 12th. Meanwhile, Pam is struggling with pain management, lack of energy, and poor mobility.

We thank God for your prayers, concern and support.

4-6-2010 Pam had a wonderful Easter when all our children and 7 of 8 grandchildren and relatives brought food, cooked food, and ate food most of the afternoon. There were a lot of games and activities for everyone. By afternoon's end, all were sated with food and fellowship. It was a grand day.

As we prepare to go to the Mayo Clinic for Thursday's appointment, we have been truly blessed by the prayers and comforting words from our friends and family. We believe God has a treatment plan for Pam.

4/2/2010 We finally have the results of the tests of Pam's recent liver biopsy that were conducted by a lab in Arizona. The report indicated the primary tumor site is the gallbladder, while the specimen site was the liver. These tests were conducted because no definitive primary site had been established. Some of the treatment agents associated with this type of tumor have already been administered without success. We also had hoped for a DNA micro-array but the test could not be performed due to insufficient tumor present in the specimen.

The test specimens will also be evaluated by the pathology clinic at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. We do hope our visit to the Mayo Clinic on April 8th will result in a thorough review and an effective treatment plan. We canceled our planned trip to the Moffitt Cancer Center G-I department in favor of the Mayo Clinic.

Pam's oncologist seemed to be in favor of the cutting-edge lab work that we just received. This was a real comfort to us.

Meanwhile, Pam is experiencing problems with appetite, energy and nearly constant pain. She has been unable to participate in the Easter music programs this week, but will make every effort to sing on Easter.

We treasure your prayers and blessings and wish you a Happy Easter.