Hello Everyone
Today is a glorious day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ana is coming home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a real miracle, thank God and all of you for your incredible love and energy
I won’t fill you with details or explanations.
I’ll leave that for later.
The equipment company just finished setting up the hospital bed here at home and I’m off to the Baptist to pick up Ana.
Today is exactly 8 weeks that she was admitted to the Kendall Regional Hospital
If you want to mail her get welcome home cards or you want to drop by and visit our address is
Gospodinoff Family
5350 SW 154 Court
Miami, FL 33185
Tel (305)221-8640
Cel (786)431-6959
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Ana Updates 019 January 21st 2009 (English)
January 21st 2009
Ana has been hospitalized for more than 7 weeks and is continuing to do very well. She’s recovering movement in her arms and legs. She’s starting to sit up and hopefully will start to stand in the near future.
Yesterday was a busy day. In the morning Ana’s very best friend, her “other sister” Ana Ines arrived from Argentina and will be with us for 2 weeks to help take care of Ana and manage the kids. Ana Ines is also Chiara’s Godmother. Ana was so happy to see her.
Ana received another dose of her intrathecal chemotherapy (the one that goes directly to her spinal fluid). Since the last sample was clean of cancer cells now those applications have been reduced to once a week.
Today she will receive her other chemotherapy that goes to her bloodstream.
Ana was moved up to a new category regarding her swallowing and eating abilities. She can now eat real solid foods instead of the pureed. So now she can eat pasta, rice, shredded meat, soft vegetables and fruits. She still can’t eat a steak or something hard or tough. She flashed a million dollar smile and blurted the word “Lasagna!!!!” when she heard that pasta was finally an option.
After proving to be strong enough to sit for a while and following a very good suggestion from Jorgelina Allende we got Ana into a wheelchair and for the first time in weeks Ana was able to see something different than her own hospital room. We did a few laps around the 5th floor, and then Ana went for the real excitement when she asked to go to other floors so we wondered around the 4th floor and took her down to the lobby. We even went outdoors for a few minutes. She had some real fresh air.
On our way back to her room we tried drag racing against a few stretchers but got caught by the hallway police, our wheelchair was impounded, we need to go to traffic school and do 35 hours of community service.
All kidding aside it was really nice for her to get a change of scenery.
We also got a visit from “Lucky”. He’s an 11 year old French Hound dog. He’s a therapy dog that comes once a week to the hospital to visit patients who are dog or animal lovers. Ana spent a good amount of time just petting and smiling at Lucky.
She’s become extremely emotional and going thru very strong mood changes over the last few days. At times she will break into tears over trivial things like the door to her room being left open, and also about serious things like fearing for her life and anxiety about the future. The peaks and valleys can be quite extreme and it does wear you out, but its part of the path and from day one we knew it would be very long and difficult. We just have to stay strong and keep on that path.
In four days it will be eighteen years that Ana and I met. So the real path of our lives together started way before she got ill. When we married we chose a theme song that talks about that long path. It’s a song by Genesis from 1978 it was released a few years before Phil Collins had released his first solo album it’s called Follow You Follow Me. I’ve placed the lyrics at the end of this message and you can listen to the song at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvA8XsDku2o
On Sunday my brother in law Luciano went back to Italy. We will miss him very much. Luciano, just like his sister Nunzia was awesome with Ana and the kids. His caring for her with absolute love and devotion was beautiful to witness. He would feed her; make her do her exercises and even making delicious Italian gelato for Chiara, Eric and Sophia.
During this past month my Italian brother and sister in laws have been so wonderfully collaborative and helpful. If I stayed at the hospital with Ana I knew the children were in wonderful hands. If I stayed at home with the children I was in peace knowing that Ana was in wonderful hands. That kind of peace of mind during difficult times is really priceless and I will always be grateful for the time they spent here with us.
I know Nunzia is planning on coming back in April for Ana’s 40th birthday. Hopefully she will be able to.
To keep things exciting my sister Maria arrived from Washington on Friday with her husband Andrew, my 9 year old niece Emily and 8 year old nephew Julian for a 4 day weekend.
Our children were thrilled to spend 4 days with their cousins. Ana was ecstatic to see all of them.
Uncle Andrew carried most of the kid care duties while Maria and I spent a lot of time with Ana at the hospital. There were numerous visits to the hospital with all 5 cousins in full force. The most notable of all visits was yesterday afternoon when Emily, Chiara and Sophia put a Hanna Montana blonde haired wig on Ana and with a make believe beauty salon kit gave Ana the “full spa treatment”. According to Chiara she was transformed into Hanna Mom-tana. We have a few pictures and video that will be posted to the Facebook site shortly.
Friday we also had the Mass at the Good Shepherd and once again it was very nice to greet many of you. Thank you so much for coming and supporting us.
Actually the list of hospital visitors and people supporting us from near and far is impressively long. Each and every one of you is helping to make a positive difference in Ana’s recovery.
Some of you have come to the Baptist or Kendall Regional Hospitals, some to the Masses, some have sent post cards, some have prayed, some have cooked meals, some have made gifts, some have made donations, some have taken care of the children, some have taken care of Ana, some have sent positive energy, some have given blessings, some have done many of the mentioned, no matter what each has done all have given from your hearts and we will always be grateful for the enormously positive effect you have had on Ana.
We are slowly but surely approaching the moment that Ana will be released from Baptist Hospital and be sent to a rehabilitation center, who knows we might even be able to go straight home.
It’s a real miracle to be talking about rehabilitation processes and going home when a few weeks ago it was suggested to me that I start picking a funeral service.
Thank you,
Victor
---------------------
Here are the lyrics for Follow You Follow Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvA8XsDku2o
Stay with me,
My love I hope you'll always be
Right here by my side if ever I needed you
Oh my love
In your arms,
I feel so safe and so secure
Everyday is such a perfect day to spend
Alone with you
I will follow you will you follow me
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you will you stay with me
Just one single tear in each passing year
With the dark,
I see so very clearly now
All my fears are drifting by me so slowly now
Fading away
I can say
The night is long but you are there
Close at hand I'm better for the smile you give
And while I live
I will follow you will you follow me
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you will you stay with me
Just one single tear in each passing year there will be
I will follow you ...
Ana has been hospitalized for more than 7 weeks and is continuing to do very well. She’s recovering movement in her arms and legs. She’s starting to sit up and hopefully will start to stand in the near future.
Yesterday was a busy day. In the morning Ana’s very best friend, her “other sister” Ana Ines arrived from Argentina and will be with us for 2 weeks to help take care of Ana and manage the kids. Ana Ines is also Chiara’s Godmother. Ana was so happy to see her.
Ana received another dose of her intrathecal chemotherapy (the one that goes directly to her spinal fluid). Since the last sample was clean of cancer cells now those applications have been reduced to once a week.
Today she will receive her other chemotherapy that goes to her bloodstream.
Ana was moved up to a new category regarding her swallowing and eating abilities. She can now eat real solid foods instead of the pureed. So now she can eat pasta, rice, shredded meat, soft vegetables and fruits. She still can’t eat a steak or something hard or tough. She flashed a million dollar smile and blurted the word “Lasagna!!!!” when she heard that pasta was finally an option.
After proving to be strong enough to sit for a while and following a very good suggestion from Jorgelina Allende we got Ana into a wheelchair and for the first time in weeks Ana was able to see something different than her own hospital room. We did a few laps around the 5th floor, and then Ana went for the real excitement when she asked to go to other floors so we wondered around the 4th floor and took her down to the lobby. We even went outdoors for a few minutes. She had some real fresh air.
On our way back to her room we tried drag racing against a few stretchers but got caught by the hallway police, our wheelchair was impounded, we need to go to traffic school and do 35 hours of community service.
All kidding aside it was really nice for her to get a change of scenery.
We also got a visit from “Lucky”. He’s an 11 year old French Hound dog. He’s a therapy dog that comes once a week to the hospital to visit patients who are dog or animal lovers. Ana spent a good amount of time just petting and smiling at Lucky.
She’s become extremely emotional and going thru very strong mood changes over the last few days. At times she will break into tears over trivial things like the door to her room being left open, and also about serious things like fearing for her life and anxiety about the future. The peaks and valleys can be quite extreme and it does wear you out, but its part of the path and from day one we knew it would be very long and difficult. We just have to stay strong and keep on that path.
In four days it will be eighteen years that Ana and I met. So the real path of our lives together started way before she got ill. When we married we chose a theme song that talks about that long path. It’s a song by Genesis from 1978 it was released a few years before Phil Collins had released his first solo album it’s called Follow You Follow Me. I’ve placed the lyrics at the end of this message and you can listen to the song at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvA8XsDku2o
On Sunday my brother in law Luciano went back to Italy. We will miss him very much. Luciano, just like his sister Nunzia was awesome with Ana and the kids. His caring for her with absolute love and devotion was beautiful to witness. He would feed her; make her do her exercises and even making delicious Italian gelato for Chiara, Eric and Sophia.
During this past month my Italian brother and sister in laws have been so wonderfully collaborative and helpful. If I stayed at the hospital with Ana I knew the children were in wonderful hands. If I stayed at home with the children I was in peace knowing that Ana was in wonderful hands. That kind of peace of mind during difficult times is really priceless and I will always be grateful for the time they spent here with us.
I know Nunzia is planning on coming back in April for Ana’s 40th birthday. Hopefully she will be able to.
To keep things exciting my sister Maria arrived from Washington on Friday with her husband Andrew, my 9 year old niece Emily and 8 year old nephew Julian for a 4 day weekend.
Our children were thrilled to spend 4 days with their cousins. Ana was ecstatic to see all of them.
Uncle Andrew carried most of the kid care duties while Maria and I spent a lot of time with Ana at the hospital. There were numerous visits to the hospital with all 5 cousins in full force. The most notable of all visits was yesterday afternoon when Emily, Chiara and Sophia put a Hanna Montana blonde haired wig on Ana and with a make believe beauty salon kit gave Ana the “full spa treatment”. According to Chiara she was transformed into Hanna Mom-tana. We have a few pictures and video that will be posted to the Facebook site shortly.
Friday we also had the Mass at the Good Shepherd and once again it was very nice to greet many of you. Thank you so much for coming and supporting us.
Actually the list of hospital visitors and people supporting us from near and far is impressively long. Each and every one of you is helping to make a positive difference in Ana’s recovery.
Some of you have come to the Baptist or Kendall Regional Hospitals, some to the Masses, some have sent post cards, some have prayed, some have cooked meals, some have made gifts, some have made donations, some have taken care of the children, some have taken care of Ana, some have sent positive energy, some have given blessings, some have done many of the mentioned, no matter what each has done all have given from your hearts and we will always be grateful for the enormously positive effect you have had on Ana.
We are slowly but surely approaching the moment that Ana will be released from Baptist Hospital and be sent to a rehabilitation center, who knows we might even be able to go straight home.
It’s a real miracle to be talking about rehabilitation processes and going home when a few weeks ago it was suggested to me that I start picking a funeral service.
Thank you,
Victor
---------------------
Here are the lyrics for Follow You Follow Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvA8XsDku2o
Stay with me,
My love I hope you'll always be
Right here by my side if ever I needed you
Oh my love
In your arms,
I feel so safe and so secure
Everyday is such a perfect day to spend
Alone with you
I will follow you will you follow me
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you will you stay with me
Just one single tear in each passing year
With the dark,
I see so very clearly now
All my fears are drifting by me so slowly now
Fading away
I can say
The night is long but you are there
Close at hand I'm better for the smile you give
And while I live
I will follow you will you follow me
All the days and nights that we know will be
I will stay with you will you stay with me
Just one single tear in each passing year there will be
I will follow you ...
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Ana Updates 018 January 15th 2009 (English)
January 15, 2009
Today we got some awesome news.
As you may recall Ana is getting chemotherapy in her bloodstream to fight the breast tumor. She is also getting chemo applied directly into her spinal fluid since the cancer has also attacked the meninges membrane the wraps around the brain.
This morning I was informed by the doctor that there are no more cancer cells in her spinal fluid that means that there is no more cancer in her meninges!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dr. Kaywin called me at 7:30 this morning I was getting the kids ready for school. When he told me I was jumping, crying and shouting and the kids were looking at me like I was due for the loony bin.
Of all the problems we are facing this was the most acute. If we couldn’t stop the attack on her central nervous system everything else would be useless. We needed to stop this so we could have a chance to fight the other battles. This is a major breakthrough a giant step forward.
In our conversation with Dr. Kaywin he told me he was totally amazed with her progress. When we started with the combination of radiotherapy and chemo simultaneously he told me it was basically against the “better judgment” of other doctors who recommended that he “let her go in peace”. So here we are instead of planning a funeral we’re setting up her rehabilitation process.
I’m too tired to get into details. I promise to update other aspects of what’s happening with Ana later on.
There will be a special Mass for Ana at Good Shepherd 14187 SW 72nd Street Miami FL on Saturday January 17th at 6:30PM. This one will be in Spanish. I would like to keep praying for Ana’s health and recovery but also express gratitude for the incredible progress she has made.
We need all of your strength and encouragement to keep fighting the multiple battles we have before us.
Thank you
Victor
Today we got some awesome news.
As you may recall Ana is getting chemotherapy in her bloodstream to fight the breast tumor. She is also getting chemo applied directly into her spinal fluid since the cancer has also attacked the meninges membrane the wraps around the brain.
This morning I was informed by the doctor that there are no more cancer cells in her spinal fluid that means that there is no more cancer in her meninges!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dr. Kaywin called me at 7:30 this morning I was getting the kids ready for school. When he told me I was jumping, crying and shouting and the kids were looking at me like I was due for the loony bin.
Of all the problems we are facing this was the most acute. If we couldn’t stop the attack on her central nervous system everything else would be useless. We needed to stop this so we could have a chance to fight the other battles. This is a major breakthrough a giant step forward.
In our conversation with Dr. Kaywin he told me he was totally amazed with her progress. When we started with the combination of radiotherapy and chemo simultaneously he told me it was basically against the “better judgment” of other doctors who recommended that he “let her go in peace”. So here we are instead of planning a funeral we’re setting up her rehabilitation process.
I’m too tired to get into details. I promise to update other aspects of what’s happening with Ana later on.
There will be a special Mass for Ana at Good Shepherd 14187 SW 72nd Street Miami FL on Saturday January 17th at 6:30PM. This one will be in Spanish. I would like to keep praying for Ana’s health and recovery but also express gratitude for the incredible progress she has made.
We need all of your strength and encouragement to keep fighting the multiple battles we have before us.
Thank you
Victor
Monday, January 12, 2009
Ana Updates 017 January 12th 2009 (English)
January 12, 2009
I’m so proud of Ana.
Ana is improving day by day.
On Friday she had her last application of radiotherapy (at least for now). This will help her to start feeling a bit stronger as each day passes. She will continue to receive the different chemotherapies.
On Friday she started to eat pureed food in very small amounts. Today she was able to eat a saltine cracker and swallow it without any problems. She was able to sit up straight for about 5 minutes. She had the strength to do it but her balance needs work. She has been in bed for more than 6 weeks. Her folly catheter (pee pee tube) was also removed.
Tonight she called home for the first time to speak with the kids before they went to sleep and make sure they had done their homework.
Ana is getting two daily sessions of general physical therapy and one of occupational therapy (to rehab fine coordination in her hands and arms), plus the speech therapy. It’s pretty exhausting for her. She gives it her 101%. To be proud of someone has a whole new meaning in my book.
She was moved to a different room. She’s still on the 5th floor in the cancer ward, but she was switched out of the critical care room that’ she’s been in for the last 3 weeks to a normal room. This is another important step. A short time ago Ana was in such a bad situation we were on the verge of going to the intensive care unit.
The new room number is 5205 instead of 5217. The new room is a lot bigger. The head nurse said to me “We should get you a room with stadium seating so you can fit all the visitors your wife receives”. She made me laugh. It’s so wonderful to see the concern that so many people have for Ana’s health. I can only say thank you.
It’s hard to believe that watching a 39 year old woman eating a cracker or sitting up for a few minutes could cause so much joy but life is full of surprises. Things that we take for granted all of a sudden become significant accomplishments.
Like I said before I’m so proud of Ana. Normally a cancer patient will get their different therapies separately. In other words they complete radiotherapy then have a period of a few weeks to recover, then chemotherapy followed by a recovery period and then followed by any other treatments that may be necessary.
Until last Friday Ana was receiving daily sessions of radio therapy, the two types chemotherapy in her blood stream plus the chemotherapy in her spinal fluid simultaneously. Obviously this was not a voluntary decision; it’s the only path we had to fight for her life. Anyone of these individual therapies can be extremely taxing on a person. Ana is taking on all four at once and is doing great.
She also gets her blood sugar tested twice a day, she has to take massive amounts of steroids to help keep the inflammation in her brain controlled and this raises her blood sugar levels. Even though she’s not a diabetic, she is has a temporary diabetic situation so she needs insulin to keep her physiology as normal as possible. Her blood pressure is also measured 3 times a day. She gets a full battery of medications like steroids, insulin, antibiotics, anti convulsive, anti depressants and only God knows how many others.
It’s incredible how well she’s standing up to this. After 6 weeks in bed and 3 weeks of chemo and radiotherapy her blood count remains remarkably strong. Her skin is in great shape. Her face looks fresh.
Instead of getting weaker and fading she’s getting stronger and shinning. Once again, I’m so proud of Ana.
I always knew I had an absolutely incredible person as my wife, but after knowing her for almost 18 years I’m starting to realize that I had barely scratched the surface.
Music has always been a huge part of my life. It has always been a key part of my emotions; a magnifying glass thru which I can see the outer world and also view my inner world. Ana began to know and understand me by listening to “my music”. Some of the music I love can be very unconventional and some of it pretty standard.
I’ve always loved to have people listen to “my music” and eventually understand exactly what they’re listening to, what the artist is trying to say or what it means to me. Not in vain after so many years I still miss working as a DJ and doing radio.
So for what it’s worth I decided to start sharing some of that music with all of you. You have give me so much energy with all your visits and messages that I want to give something back. I will try to pick one song a day to share with you. I’ll send a link to listen to it and the lyrics.
Since I’m so proud of Ana let’s start with the song Proud by Heather Small.
Sincerely
Victor
------------------------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6994kxPSDI
Proud – Heather Small
I look into the window of my mind
Reflections of the fears I know I've left behind
I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It's never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
Still so many answers I don't know
Realise that to question is how we grow
So I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It's never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
We need a change
Do it today
I can feel my spirit rising
We need a change
So do it today
'Cause I can see a clear horizon
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
'Cause you could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today
You could be so many people?
Just make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
I look into the window of my mind
Reflections of the fears I know I've left behind
I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same
I’m so proud of Ana.
Ana is improving day by day.
On Friday she had her last application of radiotherapy (at least for now). This will help her to start feeling a bit stronger as each day passes. She will continue to receive the different chemotherapies.
On Friday she started to eat pureed food in very small amounts. Today she was able to eat a saltine cracker and swallow it without any problems. She was able to sit up straight for about 5 minutes. She had the strength to do it but her balance needs work. She has been in bed for more than 6 weeks. Her folly catheter (pee pee tube) was also removed.
Tonight she called home for the first time to speak with the kids before they went to sleep and make sure they had done their homework.
Ana is getting two daily sessions of general physical therapy and one of occupational therapy (to rehab fine coordination in her hands and arms), plus the speech therapy. It’s pretty exhausting for her. She gives it her 101%. To be proud of someone has a whole new meaning in my book.
She was moved to a different room. She’s still on the 5th floor in the cancer ward, but she was switched out of the critical care room that’ she’s been in for the last 3 weeks to a normal room. This is another important step. A short time ago Ana was in such a bad situation we were on the verge of going to the intensive care unit.
The new room number is 5205 instead of 5217. The new room is a lot bigger. The head nurse said to me “We should get you a room with stadium seating so you can fit all the visitors your wife receives”. She made me laugh. It’s so wonderful to see the concern that so many people have for Ana’s health. I can only say thank you.
It’s hard to believe that watching a 39 year old woman eating a cracker or sitting up for a few minutes could cause so much joy but life is full of surprises. Things that we take for granted all of a sudden become significant accomplishments.
Like I said before I’m so proud of Ana. Normally a cancer patient will get their different therapies separately. In other words they complete radiotherapy then have a period of a few weeks to recover, then chemotherapy followed by a recovery period and then followed by any other treatments that may be necessary.
Until last Friday Ana was receiving daily sessions of radio therapy, the two types chemotherapy in her blood stream plus the chemotherapy in her spinal fluid simultaneously. Obviously this was not a voluntary decision; it’s the only path we had to fight for her life. Anyone of these individual therapies can be extremely taxing on a person. Ana is taking on all four at once and is doing great.
She also gets her blood sugar tested twice a day, she has to take massive amounts of steroids to help keep the inflammation in her brain controlled and this raises her blood sugar levels. Even though she’s not a diabetic, she is has a temporary diabetic situation so she needs insulin to keep her physiology as normal as possible. Her blood pressure is also measured 3 times a day. She gets a full battery of medications like steroids, insulin, antibiotics, anti convulsive, anti depressants and only God knows how many others.
It’s incredible how well she’s standing up to this. After 6 weeks in bed and 3 weeks of chemo and radiotherapy her blood count remains remarkably strong. Her skin is in great shape. Her face looks fresh.
Instead of getting weaker and fading she’s getting stronger and shinning. Once again, I’m so proud of Ana.
I always knew I had an absolutely incredible person as my wife, but after knowing her for almost 18 years I’m starting to realize that I had barely scratched the surface.
Music has always been a huge part of my life. It has always been a key part of my emotions; a magnifying glass thru which I can see the outer world and also view my inner world. Ana began to know and understand me by listening to “my music”. Some of the music I love can be very unconventional and some of it pretty standard.
I’ve always loved to have people listen to “my music” and eventually understand exactly what they’re listening to, what the artist is trying to say or what it means to me. Not in vain after so many years I still miss working as a DJ and doing radio.
So for what it’s worth I decided to start sharing some of that music with all of you. You have give me so much energy with all your visits and messages that I want to give something back. I will try to pick one song a day to share with you. I’ll send a link to listen to it and the lyrics.
Since I’m so proud of Ana let’s start with the song Proud by Heather Small.
Sincerely
Victor
------------------------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6994kxPSDI
Proud – Heather Small
I look into the window of my mind
Reflections of the fears I know I've left behind
I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It's never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
Still so many answers I don't know
Realise that to question is how we grow
So I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
It's never too late to try
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
You could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
We need a change
Do it today
I can feel my spirit rising
We need a change
So do it today
'Cause I can see a clear horizon
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
'Cause you could be so many people
If you make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today to make you feel proud?
What have you done today
You could be so many people?
Just make that break for freedom
So what have you done today to make you feel proud?
I look into the window of my mind
Reflections of the fears I know I've left behind
I step out of the ordinary
I can feel my soul ascending
I am on my way
Can't stop me now
And you can do the same
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Ana Updates 016 January 7th 2009 (English)
January 7th 2009
Welcome to the New Year.
I know it’s been a few days since I wrote anything but before I get into details just want to let you know that Ana is doing GREAT!!!!! The improvements we’ve seen since Friday are amazing. So many things have happened in the last week that it’s almost unbelievable.
Since Christmas I had seen different signs of improvement in Ana’s condition. Like the sudden reduction in her need for pain killers and the short one or two hour bouts of real awareness. These were very nice indicators, sort of like milestones but for some reason they just weren’t becoming a visible path.
On Friday evening because nobody can be at two places at the same time Ana was left by herself for about 3 hours. When I arrived at her room at about 8PM for the first time in 5 weeks Ana was watching TV and paying attention to it. Some might consider that watching TV and actually being interested in it could be a strong symptom of involution, but to see her so aware and following something in depth after so much time was a clear sign of progress in my book. When she looked at me and said “What are you looking at?” with absolute clarity and a depth in her expression that I hadn’t seen in weeks I started to cry and didn’t know what to do. I wanted to hug and squeeze her but was afraid of hurting her, I was tempted to leave the room and scream all the way down the hallways, but wanted to share my joy with Ana, so I just started jumping up and down like an 8 years old on Christmas morning while looking at her straight in the eyes.
Everything involving Ana’s plight has been so patchy that I held back on my initial reaction of writing to all of you about it. Even though I was convinced that something inside of Ana had changed and that something had finally clicked I decided to make sure we had a real trend before writing about it.
It’s so amazing to see all the things that have happened since I wrote the last time on December 31st.
The Mass that was held for Ana on December 31st was a great way of ending the year and getting a jump start on 2009. I was finally able to attend one of the Masses held in her name. I went with the three kids; numerous friends were there to give us further support and to share prayers and blessings.
Later on that night I ended up taking the children to The Baptist close to midnight so we could be with Ana at the break of the New Year. We went there with New Year hats, horns, 2 bottles of Italian Asti (a sweet Italian type of champagne that Ana likes very much) and a basket full of delicious fresh fruit and chocolate covered strawberries that we had received as a gift from my brother in law David’s family. We all gave Ana a big kiss and multiple hugs at midnight. We celebrated with the Oncology ward staff that was on call. I thought that sharing that delicious basket with the people who are in the front line caring for Ana everyday even when most would rather be with their families was the right thing to do. One of the nurses was really grateful that we remembered them. Honestly the quality of the nursing at Baptist is outstanding.
I will deny any allegations of hospital personnel raising Styrofoam cups toasting to a patient’s recovery and having a few sips of sparkling Italian wine while on duty. Any suggestion that an oncology patient received a few drops of said liquid on her lips will also be denied. Same goes for any minors whose lips may have been moistened with said liquid.
Ana was totally lucid and the kids were in such a good mood that we ended up staying until about 2:30AM. They went to bed at 3:30AM; I left them at home with my sister in law and went back to the hospital to sleep in the room with Ana.
Ana’s brother Luciano arrived from Italy on Saturday afternoon. Ana was so happy to see him. The same as Chiara and Eric, Sophia is too young to remember him.
She’s very awake, and has maintained her alertness consistently since Friday evening. Her speech has improved significantly; she’s starting to move her arms and legs so much more. Due to her improvement her physical therapy will be increased to twice a day. As of yesterday she is no longer getting oxygen either.
Yesterday she almost passed her swallowing test, she was close so hopefully in a few days she will be able to eat normally and start taking a new medication called Lapatib. This drug will significantly improve the effects of the chemotherapy without causing additional side effects. This medication can only be taken orally and can’t be split or ground, she must be able to swallow it correctly.
Two short incidents will define how Ana is doing.
On Monday I had a conversation with the hospital’s care coordinator about setting up Ana’s rehab treatments at home. I would like you to keep in mind that about two and half weeks ago the same person came to me to see if we had any type of funeral plans in place. A very different type of conversation.
Yesterday we were at the hospital with the children and Chiara started to get a bit rowdy, so Ana gave her that special look that mothers give from time to time. Chiara froze in her tracks and blurted out “Uh oh we’re back to normal”. I couldn’t stop laughing for 10 minutes. I don’t think any medical explanation can be as clear or as concise as Chiara’s words.
We are all so happy and grateful to see this amazing turn around of the last few days. I know we have a very long way to go but it feels so good to see this initial progress.
Even though things are looking better we will still need all the prayers, positive energy, love, support and hospital visits you can muster.
Thank you once again
Victor
Welcome to the New Year.
I know it’s been a few days since I wrote anything but before I get into details just want to let you know that Ana is doing GREAT!!!!! The improvements we’ve seen since Friday are amazing. So many things have happened in the last week that it’s almost unbelievable.
Since Christmas I had seen different signs of improvement in Ana’s condition. Like the sudden reduction in her need for pain killers and the short one or two hour bouts of real awareness. These were very nice indicators, sort of like milestones but for some reason they just weren’t becoming a visible path.
On Friday evening because nobody can be at two places at the same time Ana was left by herself for about 3 hours. When I arrived at her room at about 8PM for the first time in 5 weeks Ana was watching TV and paying attention to it. Some might consider that watching TV and actually being interested in it could be a strong symptom of involution, but to see her so aware and following something in depth after so much time was a clear sign of progress in my book. When she looked at me and said “What are you looking at?” with absolute clarity and a depth in her expression that I hadn’t seen in weeks I started to cry and didn’t know what to do. I wanted to hug and squeeze her but was afraid of hurting her, I was tempted to leave the room and scream all the way down the hallways, but wanted to share my joy with Ana, so I just started jumping up and down like an 8 years old on Christmas morning while looking at her straight in the eyes.
Everything involving Ana’s plight has been so patchy that I held back on my initial reaction of writing to all of you about it. Even though I was convinced that something inside of Ana had changed and that something had finally clicked I decided to make sure we had a real trend before writing about it.
It’s so amazing to see all the things that have happened since I wrote the last time on December 31st.
The Mass that was held for Ana on December 31st was a great way of ending the year and getting a jump start on 2009. I was finally able to attend one of the Masses held in her name. I went with the three kids; numerous friends were there to give us further support and to share prayers and blessings.
Later on that night I ended up taking the children to The Baptist close to midnight so we could be with Ana at the break of the New Year. We went there with New Year hats, horns, 2 bottles of Italian Asti (a sweet Italian type of champagne that Ana likes very much) and a basket full of delicious fresh fruit and chocolate covered strawberries that we had received as a gift from my brother in law David’s family. We all gave Ana a big kiss and multiple hugs at midnight. We celebrated with the Oncology ward staff that was on call. I thought that sharing that delicious basket with the people who are in the front line caring for Ana everyday even when most would rather be with their families was the right thing to do. One of the nurses was really grateful that we remembered them. Honestly the quality of the nursing at Baptist is outstanding.
I will deny any allegations of hospital personnel raising Styrofoam cups toasting to a patient’s recovery and having a few sips of sparkling Italian wine while on duty. Any suggestion that an oncology patient received a few drops of said liquid on her lips will also be denied. Same goes for any minors whose lips may have been moistened with said liquid.
Ana was totally lucid and the kids were in such a good mood that we ended up staying until about 2:30AM. They went to bed at 3:30AM; I left them at home with my sister in law and went back to the hospital to sleep in the room with Ana.
Ana’s brother Luciano arrived from Italy on Saturday afternoon. Ana was so happy to see him. The same as Chiara and Eric, Sophia is too young to remember him.
She’s very awake, and has maintained her alertness consistently since Friday evening. Her speech has improved significantly; she’s starting to move her arms and legs so much more. Due to her improvement her physical therapy will be increased to twice a day. As of yesterday she is no longer getting oxygen either.
Yesterday she almost passed her swallowing test, she was close so hopefully in a few days she will be able to eat normally and start taking a new medication called Lapatib. This drug will significantly improve the effects of the chemotherapy without causing additional side effects. This medication can only be taken orally and can’t be split or ground, she must be able to swallow it correctly.
Two short incidents will define how Ana is doing.
On Monday I had a conversation with the hospital’s care coordinator about setting up Ana’s rehab treatments at home. I would like you to keep in mind that about two and half weeks ago the same person came to me to see if we had any type of funeral plans in place. A very different type of conversation.
Yesterday we were at the hospital with the children and Chiara started to get a bit rowdy, so Ana gave her that special look that mothers give from time to time. Chiara froze in her tracks and blurted out “Uh oh we’re back to normal”. I couldn’t stop laughing for 10 minutes. I don’t think any medical explanation can be as clear or as concise as Chiara’s words.
We are all so happy and grateful to see this amazing turn around of the last few days. I know we have a very long way to go but it feels so good to see this initial progress.
Even though things are looking better we will still need all the prayers, positive energy, love, support and hospital visits you can muster.
Thank you once again
Victor
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