On the home stretch

Bob has the most attentive "TLC Team" around him these days. Here are the three nurses that surrounded him yesterday after they had administered their medical care. THEN they proceeded to make lunch for us!!!



Later in the afternoon Brian and Myrna, our pastor and his wife, came by for a visit and had communion and prayer with us.



Bob's sisters Vi and Lois arrived this morning for three days. Lois came from Alaska where she and Duane are speaking in missions conferences, and Vi came on her way home from a holiday in Hawaii. What a extra special treat to have them both.



This afternoon a hospital bed was delivered to our condo and it sits right in front of the BC lighthouse scene given to Bob by the District Office when he retired--entitled "Protected Passage"!!! The nurse also put ikn the sub-q lines and Lois is giving him his medication in that way.

Bob is declining every day and today isn't able to really look us in the eye and converse, although he does speak and smile a little bit. The goal is to keep him comfortable and we are all doing our best to do that.

He isn't eating anymore and hardly drinking at all. The expectation is that he will be in the Lord's presence pretty soon--in the next couple of days possibly.

Barbie is absolutely fantastic with her dad. She stayed with me beside him even longer than I did last night and was so attentive, teasing, and loving!! This evening I heard her singing "Jesus Loves Me" to him.

Chris went home to be with Lyle while Lois and Vi are here. Both Chris and Jill have been incredible gifts to us this past week and will come at a moment's notice.

Thanks for your continued prayers as we walk through the "valley of the shadow". Although we don't fear evil, we're sad at the prospect of loss and separation. But the good news is that soon we'll be together again in our heavenly home!!

Precious days

Yesterday was an enjoyable day. Jim Sawataky came by for a visit and brought a CD he had recorded of himself singing all four parts in quartet arrangements complete with his own backup!! Jim and Bob go way back to CBC days in the 60's up to the present, as Jim and Dawn also attend our church. Jim leads occasional Hymn Sings at the church and Bob plays the piano. Here are a couple of pics. The second one is of Bob and Barbie listening to the CD while Barbie rubs his feet.



Last evening Bob and I had some time alone together that was precious. Barbie and Chris went out for a couple of hours. We just enjoyed being quiet together and then talked about the future and what lies ahead of us. We went into our little library and Bob laid down on our hide-a-bed while I read him many emails that we've received over the past few weeks. What a rich time of rehearsing memories, receiving thanks from so many, and enjoying reminders of God's faithfulness.



We also talked about the future and what lies ahead of us, not knowing what would face us in the night and today. During the night he had a relapse of his fever and chills and by the time he got back to sleep, he slept continuously until after noon, missing his scheduled dialysis treatment.

He's so much weaker, less mobile and we feel as though we're heading into the "home stretch". Jill came this afternoon and spent over three hours with us. She talked to Bob in particular about her observations, what the next few days may look like, and so graciously and gently encouraged him to decide to terminate his dialysis treatments. He loves her so much and respects her and when she finished her little monologue, he thanked her as only Bob can with such words of appreciation and affirmation.

We've decided that Bob will stay at home rather than go to hospice or the hospital, as there is so much support that can come in--and four women who are committed to his care almost 24/7!! We have asked for a hospital bed and a variety of support help to aid us in our care for him. Bob is eligible for two visits each day from a nurse to assist with personal care, bathing, etc. Probably they will insert sub-q lines whereby he can get his medication very easily and directly into his body.

Barbie had intended to fly home to Regina tomorrow but has decided to stay longer. When Bob heard that she was strongly considering staying, he lit up with a wonderful smile!!! And although Jill is working, she wants us to phone her any time day or night and she will come when she can. She's going to come back tomorrow afternoon as well. What a gift from God!!!

This morning Chris, Barbie, and I sat in the living room with Bob as he slept, and read "Jesus Calling" together. What a timely promise on the very day we needed to be reminded of it. The scripture was John 11:25 where Jesus says, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die." What a marvelous hope we have!!

All of us feel a certain amount of relief having made this decision and also the decision to terminate dialysis. Bob is so easy to care for--not the least bit demanding and so cooperative and kind. I look forward to sleeping with him in his hospital bed, as our recliner is WAY too small for two of us. He's been sleeping mostly in the recliner.

Chris and Barbie are a tremendous help. And Vi arrives on Monday morning for two days. Hopefully Bob and Vi will have some good visiting time together. When he's awake his mind and heart are very clear and he still makes us laugh.

Again, we appreciate your thoughts and prayers so much.

The last day of February

Today has been quite good, considering Bob's recent problems with chills and fever. He's had no recurrence today as he's been taking Tylenol regularly every four hours to stay ahead of it.

We saw our wonderful family doctor this morning. Bob had the opportunity to give her a very heartfelt and slightly teary "thank you" for her wonderful care and she asked if she could give him a hug and teared up herself.



We then went to dialysis where all went well. Barbie's his resident massage therapist and daughter extraordinaire!!
Our friends Bob and Cath Shatford came for a visit. Bob has visited our Bob almost every week since he's been on dialysis. He was the worship leader at our church when we first came 17 years ago and we've asked if he would lead the congregational singing at the Memorial Service.

Bob has been craving pizza, so we picked one up on our way home from dialysis!! Chris Hopwood's still with us, and she's just great to have around. She made a delicious salad to accompany our pizza so at least we can say that we got our veggies.

I was so tired after supper that I laid down for a nap. I awakened to talking and laughing in the living room. Chris and Bob had gotten into a good conversation and she decided to take a video of him talking to each of the grandchildren individually and they were happy with the results--yeah!! Eventually they'll receive it.

Barbie plans to return home to Regina on Sunday morning and Bob's sister Vi is coming on Monday for two days. We are so blessed with a marvelous family, wonderful friends, and an amazing God!

News on the homefront

We've had two wonderful days at home together, so far!! Barbie's here and also Chris Hopwood, so our little condo is a pretty full space--AND full of such joy and peace and love.

Bob is feeling pretty well considering all that he's dealing with. We were able to get both a walker and transport wheelchair from the Red Cross yesterday. Today Barbie and I took him back to the hospital for dialysis. Barbie just loves showering her dad with TLC.



Then we came home to a lovely roast beef dinner prepared by Chris. Lyle also joined us. There's nothing like "old friends"!!



Every day is precious!!

Home Sweet Home

Well, we're home from the hospital. Bob had dialysis this morning and was discharged mid-afternoon. He was pretty tired by the time he got home--but SO glad!!! Chris Hopwood is staying with us for a couple of days or more.

Here are a few "father/daughter" pics. The last one was just as we were leaving the hospital. Barbie and her dad have had such a good time together. Lots of talking, laughing, and massaging!!



Bob has been saying over and over, "I feel SO loved"!!

We appreciate your prayers as we adjust to caring for him at home for a while. A home care nurse is coming tomorrow to assess our needs and respond accordingly.

Enjoying every single moment of each day to the full and grateful for God's unfailing presence, care, and peace.

Hopefully coming home tomorrow

Two attempts were made yesterday to put a tube through some ducts in Bob's liver. The first wasn't successful, however later in the day the doctors decided to go in from his side and WERE successful!! This will make him much more comfortable. Thanks so much for your prayers.

It was a painful night for Bob. He felt as though someone had sat on his chest and broken his ribs, but pain medication has really helped and as healing takes place, he will get relief.

We have been overwhelmed by the care and attention given Bob at the hospital this past week. The "hospitalist" (doctor assigned to Bob's ward to personally monitor each patient's care) has been particularly amazing. He's given us such wise and caring counsel that ultimately led to having this procedure done to deal with Bob's liver problems.

We are made aware constantly that nothing can be done medically for Bob's cancer, but that the dialysis and stent in his liver will enable at least those organs to function. We are quick to share with doctors and nurses that our strength and peace come from God, and that Bob's life and times are in His hands. This delightful Lebanese doctor encouraged us to "keep praying"--and we will most certainly do that!!

Barbie will be with us for another week. Chris and Lyle Hopwood, who are like a second set of parents for our kids, provided taxi service every day this past week for our children and Lois and Alison--driving them all to and from the airports and train station. I wanted to stay overnight with Bob last night so Chris offered to come to our home and stay with Barbie and will be with us whenever we need her.

We are blessed with such wonderful family and friends. Since we live such a distance from family, our friends have become like family. Here are two who are like family to us--Jill and Debbie. The three of us gals sat with Bob for almost two hours while he waited for the second procedure yesterday and his feet and back were rubbed almost continuously!! Such a wonderful harem!!



And when Bob gets home, you can be sure that Barbie and I will totally pamper him!!

Family time at the hospital

Sorry for the silence the last couple of days. I’ve spent the last two days and nights with Bob at the hospital. Last night I even slept with him in his hospital bed—and we both slept amazingly well!!

Lois and Alison left on Wednesday morning and David and Tim left this morning. Barbie’s still here until March 3. We’ve had an amazing week as a family and there’s been a revolving door of friends visiting us at the hospital. We feel so blessed.



This picture is of Papa opening all of the letters, drawings, and cards from our grandchildren!

Bob had a CT scan yesterday morning and we received the results today. The cancer has definitely spread to the liver and the other two tumours have grown, and in addition the lymph nodes continue to enlarge. This news was not unexpected, but still quite sobering.

At 5:00 pm tonight, a doctor who specializes in liver disorders visited us and told us that he could do a surgical procedure tomorrow morning whereby he would put a stent through Bob’s bile duct to his pancreas, etc. It’s hard to remember all of the particulars and how it will actually work, but it would definitely increase Bob’s liver function. This would be similar to the stent that Bob has in his ureter between his left kidney and bladder. There are some small risks but the benefits could likely outweigh the risks.

Of course this won’t address Bob’s growing cancer, but it will help the toxins to be elimiated from his body. We were given a few hours to decide whether to go ahead with it or not. We talked a lot and prayed together and both of us felt that Bob should have this procedure done.

If you read this before 8:30 am Pacific time on Friday morning (just nine hours from now), we’d appreciate your prayers.

Now it's time to go to bed and get some much-needed rest.