Funeral times

Mom's funeral will be held next Monday, August 31 at 11:00 AM at the graveside in Wellsboro, PA. This is open to friends and family. There will not be a viewing. Thank you for your love.

Home

My mom's brief cancer journey came to an end this afternoon. She spent the last week in the hospital, and this morning the oncologist told me (Heather) in not so many words that basically there was nothing more they could do. The cancer was too aggressive and the chemo was not doing what they desired it to do. Since she had a bad blood infection there were many other complications and even if the chemo had been working, she was too weak to be able to fight anymore. He suggested we have her admitted to a hospice program that was part of another hospital in town. After Dad got there we were getting her ready to go in an ambulance to Divine, when the nurse took her blood pressure and told us that we should not move her. Her blood pressure was low and her breathing was sporadic. So we settled in for a long afternoon of watching, praying, and counting breaths. God was gracious in the end and it was quick and low key. Mom's pastor, Dave, was there too and I was grateful for his involvement and help.
This journey has been a very short, fast one. She was diagnosed in mid June and rapidly got worse. Yet in it all she was an example to people of God's love and faithfulness...just as she was during her lifetime.
Many of you have blessed us through all this by praying, giving money, food, or gas, watching kids, loaning cars, giving rides, and many other things. May you all be blessed double for your kindness and love.
Tomorrow Dad meets with the funeral home and I will post final arragements. There will not be a viewing, but there will be a graveside service fof family and friends. I am not sure what day yet. After I find out I will post my last post. Thank you so much for joining us on this journey.

Constant prayer is needed for 1. mom's healing 2. friends and family to come to know God through this and 3. for the emotional pull we have. We want to be with mom and our families but it is so hard to do both right now.

Ann, Heather and I left for a day or so to be home with our kids. Very hard to leave because Mom cried when we left.

Keep the prayers coming!

We want to thank you all for faithfully praying for our mom Connie and our whole family. We are feeling your prayers. It has been an emotional ride the past few days as each day could be her last in this fight against Stage 4 Ovarian Cancer according to the world's standards. We do pray for peace for her and if it is God's will to heal her by taking her to eternity with him that it would happen soon so she is not in pain anymore. BUT!!!! We believe in a Mighty God who is bigger than this cancer and we are still praying for a miracle and an earthly healing. Please pass this on to your prayer warriors and keep lifting her up in prayer.
Love
Connie's Crew

August 20th

Wow...what to say about today? When Shawn and I (Heather) arrived at the hospital this morning, Dad had spoken to the oncologist before we got there, and gripped me in a big hug and said that they told him she would probably not make it through the day. This should not have been a shock, but since we had seen her the night before and she had responded somewhat, we were not expecting it to be such an extreme. Dad said that she had been in and out of consciousness all night and saying all of us girls' names and muttering. Then she started with a fever when a blood infection set in. Apparently the stent that was put in the liver is blocked again and not working properly, but they cannot do anything because her platelet counts are so low and she is constantly bleeding. Her lips, gums, and nose look awful.

Dad left and took a walk when Shawn and I got there and I text the other "kids" to get there as soon as possible. It seemed like we watched her get worse as the minutes ticked by. She had stopped responding and was breathing heavy. She would occasionally mumble and cry out, but there was not a lot of things being said that we could understand. Earlier in the day she kept repeating, "I love you, I love you."

By the time all of us, plus Aunt Cathy (mom's sister) and our cousins and Aunt Judy had gathered she was no longer responding. Pastor Dave and Karen came and prayed (mom's pastor) and so did Pastor Michelle (Gram's pastor) and we are grateful for the prayers of all you saints out there!

The decision was made to drain an abcess filled with bile from the liver that was not working properly, and they did that in the evening. After wards they cleaned her up a bit and it seemed she was aware and responding. We were all able to tell her we loved her and know that she heard, because she responded to each of us.

We do not know what to expect now. God granted us another day with her that we did not expect to have. Each day is a gift, and we are living in that. To have a day where we were crying one minute, praying another, even singing at one point, then crying again...and laughing over dinner with the extended family while waiting around...it seems surreal. Anyone who has ever dealt with grief would understand this.

On the way back to Covington Andrea, Randal, and Sommer rode in our van...and we had a flat tire! Thank goodness for having some of our husbands with us - late at night and route 15! We will need to replace both front tires tomorrow before we can get back to the hospital, but maybe we need to rest a little here. I am confident God is in control.

Thank you for your continued support, love, and prayers.

Yesterday, Aug. 19, was a very emotional day for a lot of us. Most of us wound up at the hospital at one time or another to see mom. When Andrea and I walked in it took her a minute to recognize us...that was the start of it. Her vision is not right, her platelets were low again, she has an infection in her blood, she was very jaundice again and needed to go in for a scan. They were unable to read the first scan so they took her for a second time. They gave her an antibiotic for her infection and also more platelets. She seemed to be in on the conversation at times just listening and other times comments were made that we weren't sure where they came from. She did however on the plus side show us a smile and eat-as well as enjoy a rootbeer float! We continue to praise God in this storm and ask for your continue prayers. Our God still heals in this world today and we are praying for a healing on this earth.

Today has been a rough day for mom. She has been admitted to the hospital (Williamsport where she is receiving chemo.) because she is dehydrated and her counts are not good. Due to these low numbers she will not have her chemo treatment tomorrow. They need to get everything where it belongs. She is being rehydrated 8 oz at a time, she needs a blood transfusion, and they believe that the stent is blocked. They will be checking the stent tomorrow. Please keep her in your prayers! Please stand with us in faith that she will be healed.

Mom had asked me to post the name of the book I gave her last time I posted and I forgot to...here it is.
Hope Beyond Reason by Dave Hess
It is a wonderful, encouraging book on how God still does heal!

Thank you!