Welcome to A Gravel Road Journey!

NOT SO LONG AGO, Dad RE-named his art studio, "A Gravel Road Studio", and so this seemed an appropiate title for his blog.

Why 'Gravel Road'? As Dad explains, "Gravel roads take us off life's busy highway and force us to slow down. When we slow down we have time - time to notice the things around us; the things that matter the most; life and breath, the flowers and the trees. Gravel roads allow us to taste the dust of our travel and give us time to breathe."

Since his studio is a place of quiet reflection and contemplation, we wanted to create a space for family and friends to do the same as we journey together down this new and unknown path. We also wish to keep family and friends updated on his diagnoses and treatment, so please check in often for updates and new information.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Roller Coaster Ride

Well, the birthday pictures should be working now - the hospital computer wouldn't let me download them from my email to post on here....

Anyway....just wanted to post an update to let everyone know how the weekend has been unfolding. Jared and I, along with the rest of the family, were at the hospital till about 9:30 last night. A few friends dropped in to say hi, but for the most part, the day was spent talking in Dad's room, watching TV in the family room down the hall and taking Xavier and Shaela outside to the little park that is at Riverview. Dad slept the whole time, and while it was a very deep sleep, his breathing was very laboured, and he was very clammy most of the day. The nurses started him on a low dose of morphine, since he is now feeling some pain in his chest, and they are continuing the antibiotics in case of any infections (like pneumonia).

Today we were all back at the hospital again and Dad was doing much better today than he was yesterday. He was awake a little bit this morning and we were actually able to talk to him for a short while. He slept for the majority of the day, but he would occasionally open an eye for a moment, and if we talked to him, he would respond quietly under his breath with a groan or a small smile. So that was encouraging to see.

He is, however, still in a state of decline. He hasn't eaten at all for the last two days, and there are a few other signs that his body is starting to shut down. But, that doesn't necessarily mean this is the end. I think the entire family is no longer feeling like we're journeying down a gravel road - we've now boarded a roller coaster and are on a constant wave of ups and downs. It was like this way back in December when they told us they didn't think Dad would make it until Christmas. We all thought for sure the doctors and nurses were right, because he kept getting worse and worse. And now, here it is, almost 6 months later, and Dad is still with us! We're so grateful for the extra time with him, but it's emotionally exhausting. It becomes really hard to balance living the rest of our lives and wanting to spend every last minute we have with Dad. I think for the most part, we are all finding that balance and handling things as best as we can. But we continually need to be lifted up in prayer. This is definitely not an easy journey, and we couldn't survive it without the support of friends and family. Thank you to all of you who have followed along with us through this blog, praying for us, bringing meals. It's been such a huge blessing, and we hope that you will continue to be there with us no matter what the future holds.

1 comment:

Diane said...

Thanks for the update. Yes the ups and downs are not easy. I went through that when my mother had cancer. You would be at the hospital all day not knowing what was going to happen. I understand exactly what you are going through and my prayer is that you would continue to feel the presence of our heavenly Father during this time. May he continue to give you the strength, peace and comfort that you need. I continue to hold all of you up in prayer.
Diane