Saturday August 31

Today Julia & I visited mom for a couple of hours. She is so blessed to have a window sill lined with beautiful bouquets of flowers from the wonderful people in her (our) life.  She is also very touched by the messages that people have been sending us and that we have been adding to her special binder at the hospital.... Please keep them coming; it is very helpful for all of us to feel the support around us.

We had the pleasure of taking her outside for some fresh air and to let her touch her bare feet to the grass & ground.  It was a bit of a short time outside as some of the odours were bothering her. She also took another walk with me down the hallway near her room. So she is doing her best to move around, but her breathing continues to be a huge challenge for her.  She also seemed to need much rest in the past two days after a busy week.

As always, her spirits are pretty good! 

Friday August 30, 2013

Today I (Ileana) took a break from the hospital while Julia is still in town and was able to spend some time with mom. 

After spending several hours with our mom, Julia returned and reported that she ate quite well today and was making good attempts at moving around.  They even walked all the way to the t.v. lounge from her room together. This may not sound like much, but this is further than she has walked in many days. She is still quite weak and relying heavily on oxygen, but as I said in my first post - her spirit is shining and she isn't going to sit back & just let this thing lick her so easily.

Julia & I continue to bring her healthy goodies on a daily basis (freshly juiced veggies, organic vanilla yogurt, organic berries, and other various items that she needs or desires).  It never ceases to amaze me when I see what they bring her to eat from the hospital kitchen.  Ick!

Tomorrow we are looking forward to spending some time with her and having a mini birthday celebration for me.  We will move through this week end as peacefully as possible (she's had many visitors & much commotion this week) to get her well rested for her radiation treatments starting on Tuesday.

Thank you to everyone who has shared their well wishes and positive, healing vibes!  Please keep them coming our (her) way.

The Journey So Far

As you can probably imagine, the past couple of weeks have been a whirl wind for us.  For those of you who are hearing the news for the first time or who are unclear about the details, here’s an attempt to paint a picture in a nutshell.

For about two weeks Lise was experiencing incessant shortness of breath (which was assumed to have been caused by possible pneumonia and exacerbated asthma).  Following a trip to the ER and a series of tests, including a cat scan which led to the discovery that she has cancerous lesions throughout her body, Lise was admitted to the hospital on Monday August 19.  This news was very sudden and shocking to us all.

Since being admitted, Lise has undergone several tests and procedures and has been diagnosed with an advanced stage lung cancer which has metastasized throughout her body.  A tumor on her lung has caused two lobes to collapse resulting in her difficulties with breathing and weakness.  To date she remains in the hospital as she lacks the strength to be out of the hospital.

This week, Lise has consulted with a lung cancer oncologist specializing in chemo, a radiologist oncologist, and a naturopathic oncologist to determine the best course of treatment at this time.  It was agreed that the best first step will be to undergo radiation which she will start on Tuesday September 3.  She will have daily radiation treatments for five days with a goal to shrink the tumor on her lung.  The hope is that by shrinking the tumor the lobes will re-inflate allowing her to breathe with more ease and to regain more strength. From there she will need to make some very important and major decisions about how to move forward.

Lise’s spirit has been incredibly strong thus far and I know that her spirit will continue to shine as she continues on this journey.  The love and support coming from our community of friends and family has been incredible.  Keep the positive thoughts and healing vibes coming Lise’s way.  The more the better!

In an effort to keep folks updated in an efficient way, we decided to start this blog.  It will be easier for us to provide the information in one place rather than having to repeat information more than once.

Thank you all for your support and for keeping our family (especially Lise) in your thoughts & prayers.

Ileana