Friends, I need to ask you all for some big time, heavy-duty prayers for the Hemmer family. In my last post, I mentioned the sister of one of my best friends who just had brain surgery, and is dealing with a lot of complications with cancer. Things have been so crazy for their family lately, that it has been hard to catch a free moment from my friend to get caught up on how she's doing, other than to be told that it's not good and the doctors can really only try to keep her as comfortable as possible from this point on. She came home from the hospital on Friday, almost two weeks after her last surgery.
As always, my prayers are with her, but now even more pressing is the condition of my friend, Jon. Jon had a heart condition as a child that had him in and out of doctors' offices and on life-long medication. This experience inspired him to enroll in a two-year program to become a pediatric echo-tech and work with other children with heart conditions after our beloved radio station was sold. However, with the return of his sister's cancer, he put that on the back burner to concentrate on helping with his niece and nephews. His family is incredibly close... His mom raised him and his sister on her own since Jon was a toddler, and he has really been their rock through all of the turmoil surrounding Angela's battle... which has left him, understandably, extremely stressed.
I was supposed to see Jon on Friday night for a VeggieTales event, but received a call from him that afternoon telling me that he wasn't going to be able to make the drive up because his back and shoulder had been bothering him, and also because Angela was coming home from the hospital that day. On Saturday I received a text from him asking me to design a poster for the band I have been working with, and for which he is the drummer/acting manager (Chad James)... I texted back that I could work on it on Sunday if he e-mailed me the specs. I never received an e-mail, but figured it was just "Jon being Jon" and spacing because he had so much else on his plate. Then, while baby-sitting on Monday morning, I received a call from the lead singer, Chad, and figured he was calling to ask about the poster, so I didn't listen to the voicemail until I was done babysitting later in the afternoon. I was shocked and saddened to hear that Jon had suffered a massive heart attack on Sunday afternoon!
From what I have learned, he was driving alone when it happened, and either went off the road, or pulled over. Someone passing by stopped, found him unconscious, and called 911. The doctors are not sure how much time passed before he was found, but they are estimating his brain was without oxygen for around 30 minutes. An initial brain scan was quite bleak, and doctors thought he may have also had a stroke. Fortunately, further tests showed that he did not also have a stroke, but they were keeping him on a ventilator in a drug-induced coma and were lowering his body temperature to 90°F. Yesterday, his condition was so critical that they were concerned that he wouldn't make it, or if he did, that he would have a very diminished quality of life... this as his sister is fighting cancer and he and his wife haven't even reached their one year anniversary...
Today, they started to bring him out of the coma, initially very gradually, so that they can do another brain scan tomorrow and hopefully receive some better results. As of this afternoon, he is off the ventilator, awake, and talking (only a little, which is very unlike Jon :) but he's pretty confused and is having trouble with his memory... he knows who people are, but if they leave the room for a while and come back, he won't remember that they were already there... Still, this is amazing progress given that only yesterday they were not sure he'd make it! Things are still touchy, but the fear that he won't make it has near dissolved, and they are now concentrating on getting him better and preserving a much quality of life as they can... as close to "normal" as possible...
This, to me, is so blatantly miraculous! Nothing, no amount of medical science could cause such a quick, however seemlingly small, turnaround in such a short amount of time except for God and all the prayers that have already been sent up on his behalf. He is still in the ICU in IL, and it looks to be a slow road to regaining his strength, so his family does not want a lot of friends making the trip down and tiring him out. Right now, what they really need is continual prayer. The whole Hemmer family has a strong collective faith in God, and I know that now, when they feel like they've just had the rug ripped out from under them, they will lean on him for strength, so please keep them in your prayers.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Thursday, October 2, 2008
4:00 a.m. Wake-Up Call...
Long time, no blog... I guess time just got away from me... Life has been so busy lately that it constantly seems I am running out of time... Here are some updates:
Kara and I had almost two more months to enjoy Teppy before her tumor grew large enough to cause difficulty walking and she stopped eating. We had to euthenize her (though Kara voted for letting her go outside, where some animal could eat her)... We took her home to our parents' house in Stevens Point and buried her in a rubbermaid container by the stump of one of my Matthew trees. I know it seems silly to bother burying a hamster, but I couldn't do anything else.
About a week later Kara and I moved to a new apartment... actually the bottom half of a duplex... making it the 7th summer in a row I have packed up my possessions and relocated... It almost doesn't seem worth unpacking anymore, but I am determined to stay in the place for at least three years... hopefully longer. Our situation is quite unique as I am working as a Resident Counselor at my alma mater, and the duplex is included as part of my stipend... Yep, "free" rent, not to mention utilities, a meal plan, and a decent cash stipend as well... This is a GREAT job and I love being part of Res Life again! I oversee a group of 5 RAs, all with apartments on the upper-campus, 9 buildings, and about 100 or so residents... Of course there are the responsibilities like going on rounds at 3am, making up mandatory residential meetings at 5am, writing disciplinary sanctions, breaking up students guilty of pelvic "grinding" at the homecoming dance (Which is now referred to by a group of students as "The dance that Kate ruined!"... It has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you agree?) ...but it is also incredibly rewarding in a way I do not think I could accurately describe...
I have also taken a position as a part-time nanny for one of the other RCs. He is the campus pastor at a local high school, and his wife teaches third grade... they have three daughters: one in 1st grade, one in 4-K, and an incredibly strong-willed 18 month old who. Every weekday I come over to "play" (makes the kids feel more independent if I don't call it "baby-sitting"...) with the toddler from 7:30am-2pm... I know I'm probably a bit biased, but she is cute as a button and I miss her (and the other girls) over the weekends. What's the most fun is that so much is new to her and she is so easily amazed, plus now I have an excuse to be watching Curious George and VeggieTales (who I'll be meeting in two weeks :) I try to take her for a walk outside everyday because she thinks we're going "exploring" but I know that a short walk for my long legs is a long walk for her short legs and then she goes down for her nap pretty easy... Actually, she's napping right now... I usually bring my computer and homework and get work done while she sleeps, but I am soooo sick of homework.
Speaking of which, I am so close to finishing my graduate degree I can almost taste the huge beer I'm going to celebrate with after... I only have two weeks left in my current class, Managerial Accounting, and then my 8-week capstone, in which I will be creating a portfolio and doing a research project rather than a thesis. I have already received all my graduation garb and was quite disappointed to see the ugly hue of the hood... the piping for an MBA is a light shade of brown that I have only see in diapers (which I've been changing a lot lately)... still I will wear that hood with pride for graduation before probably taking a two-week nap... I'm currently looking for teaching positions and have applied for one teaching communications at an area tech school. It starts in January, so it seems ideal... please pray...
And since we're lifting up prayer requests, yesterday was a big day for people I know to have brain surgery. A cousin who is just more than two years younger than me had her second operation in a year to cauterize an artery that was "choking" a nerve and causing severe debilitating pain. She's been struggling with this for around three years now and all doctors seem to know is that it was spurred by a virus that irritated the arteries or something like that. It has been so terrible that she has fallen way behind in college (she should've graduated last year but is only a junior) because she cannot concentrate and reading (one of her favorite activities) is too painful. She is honestly the smartest person I know and is such a gifted writer, yet even writing papers was too hard because she couldn't concentrate enough to put her thoughts into sentences on paper. This summer she had to make the tough decision to drop-out of her dream school :(
Also on Wednesday, the sister of one of my best friends from my former job had surgery to remove tumors in her brain that were pressing on her spinal column and causing a radiating pain throughout her body. Sadly, these were all cancerous tumors and she has been battling cancer for almost two years now. She first found out she had breast cancer when she was pregnant with her third child. She started chemo during her third trimester and radiation immediately after he was born. Since then it has metastasized to her lymph nodes, lungs, liver, and now brain. She is determined to fight this to the end so her children will know she did everything possible to stay with them as long as she could, but what she's gaining in time, she's giving up in quality because she's so sick from the treatments and in so much pain from the cancer. Her husband has to keep working for the insurance, so my friend and his wife have basically stepped in as surrogate parents when need be, but it is all just so incredibly sad, especially when I think of their three young children who need their mom... but the good part in this is that they all have such amazing faith that has only continued to grow...
Now finally, for the first time in 26 years, my beloved Milwaukee Brewers are in the play-offs. I was there last week to see them clinch the NL Wild Card and will be in the stands on Sunday if the NLDS makes it to four games (which it will have to for the Brewers to win since Philly won game 1...) I am just so thrilled!
Lastly, the title of my post... One of my favorite things in the world to do, is sleep... I don't think I could ever get enough... I am an incredibly heavy sleeper and can fall asleep almost anywhere... put me in front of the TV and I'll be out as if I were hypnotized... Lately, however, I have been experiencing a great deal of insomnia and have stayed up way later than I would like to, considering I have to be chasing around a toddler at 7:30 in the morning. Last night I finally put down my book and turned off my lamp at midnight. I woke up when it was still dark out and was not the least bit tired. I LOVE the feeling you get when you wake up, look at the clock, and realize you have an hour left to sleep... well when I looked at the clock, it was only 4am... giving me three more hours of blissful rest... except that I could not fall back to sleep... I was NOT tired! So, after tossing for another 10 minutes or so, I decided to just get up... at 4am! I washed two loads of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, took a nice looooong shower, ate a big breakfast and watched "Transformers"... I loved getting so much done before the sun came up! I expected to tucker out early and crave a nap by the time the baby went down, but I am still insanely wired... what's up with that?! At first I had this feeling of impending doom, just because it was so unusual for me, and I prayed for pretty much everyone I know, but I haven't received any devastating phone calls, so for now I am just going to feel blessed that God gave me so much extra time today... I hope yours has gone just as well...
Kara and I had almost two more months to enjoy Teppy before her tumor grew large enough to cause difficulty walking and she stopped eating. We had to euthenize her (though Kara voted for letting her go outside, where some animal could eat her)... We took her home to our parents' house in Stevens Point and buried her in a rubbermaid container by the stump of one of my Matthew trees. I know it seems silly to bother burying a hamster, but I couldn't do anything else.
About a week later Kara and I moved to a new apartment... actually the bottom half of a duplex... making it the 7th summer in a row I have packed up my possessions and relocated... It almost doesn't seem worth unpacking anymore, but I am determined to stay in the place for at least three years... hopefully longer. Our situation is quite unique as I am working as a Resident Counselor at my alma mater, and the duplex is included as part of my stipend... Yep, "free" rent, not to mention utilities, a meal plan, and a decent cash stipend as well... This is a GREAT job and I love being part of Res Life again! I oversee a group of 5 RAs, all with apartments on the upper-campus, 9 buildings, and about 100 or so residents... Of course there are the responsibilities like going on rounds at 3am, making up mandatory residential meetings at 5am, writing disciplinary sanctions, breaking up students guilty of pelvic "grinding" at the homecoming dance (Which is now referred to by a group of students as "The dance that Kate ruined!"... It has a nice ring to it, wouldn't you agree?) ...but it is also incredibly rewarding in a way I do not think I could accurately describe...
I have also taken a position as a part-time nanny for one of the other RCs. He is the campus pastor at a local high school, and his wife teaches third grade... they have three daughters: one in 1st grade, one in 4-K, and an incredibly strong-willed 18 month old who. Every weekday I come over to "play" (makes the kids feel more independent if I don't call it "baby-sitting"...) with the toddler from 7:30am-2pm... I know I'm probably a bit biased, but she is cute as a button and I miss her (and the other girls) over the weekends. What's the most fun is that so much is new to her and she is so easily amazed, plus now I have an excuse to be watching Curious George and VeggieTales (who I'll be meeting in two weeks :) I try to take her for a walk outside everyday because she thinks we're going "exploring" but I know that a short walk for my long legs is a long walk for her short legs and then she goes down for her nap pretty easy... Actually, she's napping right now... I usually bring my computer and homework and get work done while she sleeps, but I am soooo sick of homework.
Speaking of which, I am so close to finishing my graduate degree I can almost taste the huge beer I'm going to celebrate with after... I only have two weeks left in my current class, Managerial Accounting, and then my 8-week capstone, in which I will be creating a portfolio and doing a research project rather than a thesis. I have already received all my graduation garb and was quite disappointed to see the ugly hue of the hood... the piping for an MBA is a light shade of brown that I have only see in diapers (which I've been changing a lot lately)... still I will wear that hood with pride for graduation before probably taking a two-week nap... I'm currently looking for teaching positions and have applied for one teaching communications at an area tech school. It starts in January, so it seems ideal... please pray...
And since we're lifting up prayer requests, yesterday was a big day for people I know to have brain surgery. A cousin who is just more than two years younger than me had her second operation in a year to cauterize an artery that was "choking" a nerve and causing severe debilitating pain. She's been struggling with this for around three years now and all doctors seem to know is that it was spurred by a virus that irritated the arteries or something like that. It has been so terrible that she has fallen way behind in college (she should've graduated last year but is only a junior) because she cannot concentrate and reading (one of her favorite activities) is too painful. She is honestly the smartest person I know and is such a gifted writer, yet even writing papers was too hard because she couldn't concentrate enough to put her thoughts into sentences on paper. This summer she had to make the tough decision to drop-out of her dream school :(
Also on Wednesday, the sister of one of my best friends from my former job had surgery to remove tumors in her brain that were pressing on her spinal column and causing a radiating pain throughout her body. Sadly, these were all cancerous tumors and she has been battling cancer for almost two years now. She first found out she had breast cancer when she was pregnant with her third child. She started chemo during her third trimester and radiation immediately after he was born. Since then it has metastasized to her lymph nodes, lungs, liver, and now brain. She is determined to fight this to the end so her children will know she did everything possible to stay with them as long as she could, but what she's gaining in time, she's giving up in quality because she's so sick from the treatments and in so much pain from the cancer. Her husband has to keep working for the insurance, so my friend and his wife have basically stepped in as surrogate parents when need be, but it is all just so incredibly sad, especially when I think of their three young children who need their mom... but the good part in this is that they all have such amazing faith that has only continued to grow...
Now finally, for the first time in 26 years, my beloved Milwaukee Brewers are in the play-offs. I was there last week to see them clinch the NL Wild Card and will be in the stands on Sunday if the NLDS makes it to four games (which it will have to for the Brewers to win since Philly won game 1...) I am just so thrilled!
Lastly, the title of my post... One of my favorite things in the world to do, is sleep... I don't think I could ever get enough... I am an incredibly heavy sleeper and can fall asleep almost anywhere... put me in front of the TV and I'll be out as if I were hypnotized... Lately, however, I have been experiencing a great deal of insomnia and have stayed up way later than I would like to, considering I have to be chasing around a toddler at 7:30 in the morning. Last night I finally put down my book and turned off my lamp at midnight. I woke up when it was still dark out and was not the least bit tired. I LOVE the feeling you get when you wake up, look at the clock, and realize you have an hour left to sleep... well when I looked at the clock, it was only 4am... giving me three more hours of blissful rest... except that I could not fall back to sleep... I was NOT tired! So, after tossing for another 10 minutes or so, I decided to just get up... at 4am! I washed two loads of laundry, cleaned up the kitchen, took a nice looooong shower, ate a big breakfast and watched "Transformers"... I loved getting so much done before the sun came up! I expected to tucker out early and crave a nap by the time the baby went down, but I am still insanely wired... what's up with that?! At first I had this feeling of impending doom, just because it was so unusual for me, and I prayed for pretty much everyone I know, but I haven't received any devastating phone calls, so for now I am just going to feel blessed that God gave me so much extra time today... I hope yours has gone just as well...
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