Today has been a long day for dad. Unfortunately his white cell count has come down a little bit. He received blood, platelet, and plasma transfusions.
The doctor is somewhat concerned about possible internal bleeding. It is one explanation for his blood counts. Dad is also still struggling with his lungs. Part of the problem is that he doesn't have enough energy to cough hard enough to get the fluid out.
Dad's body is really aching. Not being able to move around on his own, and being confined to a hospital bed has left him in pain most of the time.
On the bright side, his esophagus is slowly getting better. And I think that his coloring looks better, too.
We would like to ask you all to pray for my dad's continued healing. Please specifically pray for his lungs, esophagus, and that he will not have internal bleeding.
Thank you all for your help during this trial. We love you all so much.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Rough week
As I sit here in my dad's hospital room today, I can't help but think of all of our blessings. And I know that they have come to us as an answer to prayers from around the world. From all of you.
This past week as been a very difficult one, indeed. Dad has been so very sick. His lungs have been a great point of concern. But we have been blessed to see some improvement.
Another major problem for dad, and the one causing him the most distress and pain has been the infection in his esophagus. He has been in extreme pain from this infection, unable to swallow anything, and virtually unable to speak.
We have seen some gradual improvements in this area. Today he was able to be spoon-fed an 8oz can of glucerna. A whopping 220 calories! We are extraordinarily thankful for this improvement. It gives us such encouragement. His voice is a bit stronger, too.
The other blessing that we are seeing is his white cell count is continuing to rise. When he was admitted to the hospital they were 0.1 and today they are 3.3! In eleven days we have witnessed this miracle. A white cell count of 4 is considered low, but we see his body making these small (but major) improvements.
Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts, good wishes, good deeds and kindnesses. We love you all so very much and could not get through this without your support.
I love reading my parents your comments, so if you have a moment, please leave one. They mean more to us than you could ever know.
This past week as been a very difficult one, indeed. Dad has been so very sick. His lungs have been a great point of concern. But we have been blessed to see some improvement.
Another major problem for dad, and the one causing him the most distress and pain has been the infection in his esophagus. He has been in extreme pain from this infection, unable to swallow anything, and virtually unable to speak.
We have seen some gradual improvements in this area. Today he was able to be spoon-fed an 8oz can of glucerna. A whopping 220 calories! We are extraordinarily thankful for this improvement. It gives us such encouragement. His voice is a bit stronger, too.
The other blessing that we are seeing is his white cell count is continuing to rise. When he was admitted to the hospital they were 0.1 and today they are 3.3! In eleven days we have witnessed this miracle. A white cell count of 4 is considered low, but we see his body making these small (but major) improvements.
Thank you all for your prayers, thoughts, good wishes, good deeds and kindnesses. We love you all so very much and could not get through this without your support.
I love reading my parents your comments, so if you have a moment, please leave one. They mean more to us than you could ever know.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
in the hospital
a week ago today my dad was admitted to ucsd thornton hospital.
we took him in the middle of the night to the emergency room because he was running a fever. with such a low white blood cell count any fever was dangerous. he was also experiencing a lot of pain in his sternum area and his lungs sounded pretty bad.
long story short, they have been treating him for pnuemonia and esophogial candidia. they performed an endoscopy and saw the most severe case of yeast in his esphogus that they have ever seen. he also has ulcers down his esophogus. he has not been able to eat in at least a week and a half, and talking is also too painful.
his white cell count has come up a very tiny bit, which is encouraging us. however, they have a long way to go. they are treating his esophogus, but so far he has had no relief. since his white cells are so low he cannot have visitors. even his nurses have to wear masks and gloves.
scott flew in last thursday, the day that dad was admitted to the hospital. he left yesterday to go back home. we sure loved having him here. and alex and hayley were here with their little boy the week before.
yesterday, as i was leaving the hospital, i asked my dad what i could do for him. he asked me to pray specifically for his esophogus and his white blood cells, and to pass that along to others. so, will you please join us in this prayer???
we believe in miracles. we believe that God gives miracles, and can give us one now. please join us in praying for healing for his esophogus, his lungs, and that his white cell count will rise up quickly. and i am praying that my dad will be completely healed from his brain tumors.
thank you for your love and support.
we took him in the middle of the night to the emergency room because he was running a fever. with such a low white blood cell count any fever was dangerous. he was also experiencing a lot of pain in his sternum area and his lungs sounded pretty bad.
long story short, they have been treating him for pnuemonia and esophogial candidia. they performed an endoscopy and saw the most severe case of yeast in his esphogus that they have ever seen. he also has ulcers down his esophogus. he has not been able to eat in at least a week and a half, and talking is also too painful.
his white cell count has come up a very tiny bit, which is encouraging us. however, they have a long way to go. they are treating his esophogus, but so far he has had no relief. since his white cells are so low he cannot have visitors. even his nurses have to wear masks and gloves.
scott flew in last thursday, the day that dad was admitted to the hospital. he left yesterday to go back home. we sure loved having him here. and alex and hayley were here with their little boy the week before.
yesterday, as i was leaving the hospital, i asked my dad what i could do for him. he asked me to pray specifically for his esophogus and his white blood cells, and to pass that along to others. so, will you please join us in this prayer???
we believe in miracles. we believe that God gives miracles, and can give us one now. please join us in praying for healing for his esophogus, his lungs, and that his white cell count will rise up quickly. and i am praying that my dad will be completely healed from his brain tumors.
thank you for your love and support.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Setback
This morning my dad was admitted to UCSD Hospital with a fever. The doctors suspect pneumonia but we will know more later. Along with other complications such as severely low white cells, he will be in the hospital for a bit. We thank you all for your continued love and prayers.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
the rollercoaster ride continues
it has been too long since my last post. my apologies. so let's pick up here and move on. thanks for following us along on this journey and lending your support to my dad and our family.
instead of recapping everything that has happened in the last 2 weeks, i'll give you the highlights:
dad has had to temporarily hold off on his chemotherapy due to low platelets. he had a platelet transfusion last week, and on tuesday, which went well. he also gets dehydrated easily, and has to be re-hydrated at the infusion center at ucsd from time to time. the radiation has continued, and leaves him very exhausted.
he is continuing to see small improvements in the mobility in his left arm and leg. we are so encouraged by these tiny pieces of progress. the doctor feels that the tumors must be shrinking in order to be recovering some movement.
dad only has 4 more radiation treatments to go!!! on the last day of his radiation he will be allowed to ring a big brass bell that hangs on the wall in the waiting room. we have been waiting for that day and are really excited for it be here.
thank you to everyone for your prayers, words of encouragement, and your loving concern. our family has been blessed by you all in countless ways.
through all of these trials we continue to be reminded of our Heavenly Father's love for us. He is aware of our every movement, and our every need. He is blessing us and holding us up during this difficult time.
if you would like to, please feel free to leave a comment below. my parents love reading your notes of encouragement.
instead of recapping everything that has happened in the last 2 weeks, i'll give you the highlights:
dad has had to temporarily hold off on his chemotherapy due to low platelets. he had a platelet transfusion last week, and on tuesday, which went well. he also gets dehydrated easily, and has to be re-hydrated at the infusion center at ucsd from time to time. the radiation has continued, and leaves him very exhausted.
he is continuing to see small improvements in the mobility in his left arm and leg. we are so encouraged by these tiny pieces of progress. the doctor feels that the tumors must be shrinking in order to be recovering some movement.
dad only has 4 more radiation treatments to go!!! on the last day of his radiation he will be allowed to ring a big brass bell that hangs on the wall in the waiting room. we have been waiting for that day and are really excited for it be here.
thank you to everyone for your prayers, words of encouragement, and your loving concern. our family has been blessed by you all in countless ways.
through all of these trials we continue to be reminded of our Heavenly Father's love for us. He is aware of our every movement, and our every need. He is blessing us and holding us up during this difficult time.
if you would like to, please feel free to leave a comment below. my parents love reading your notes of encouragement.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
over one-third down!
thanks for sticking by us, even though i haven't updated this blog in far too long. we have been on a rollercoaster ride for sure!
friday night found us at the fallbrook emergency room. my dad's feet were both purple and ice cold, and we were concerned about possible blood-clots. after being there for about 5 hours the doctor ruled out blood-clots, but did tell us to follow up with a doctor to further monitor the blood flow in my dad's legs. we are hoping to get in to a doctor at UCSD tomorrow about this situation.
last thursday the radiation doctor at UCSD lowered the amount of steroids my dad is taking. the steroids help with the inflamation around the 2 tumors. even with that reduction we have seen marked improvement on my dad's left side. talk about blessings and miracles!
dad has been able to move his left arm more, even twice lifting his arm off of the bed and onto his chest. we are now seeing movement in dad's left leg as well! sometimes he can move his left ankle back and forth, and up and down. it is so exciting to see this because the neuro-oncologist was not originally very encouraging about my dad regaining mobility on his left side. we are just thrilled!
as of last thursday my dad was one-third of the way done with the radiation and chemotherapy treatments. we have renamed the chemo pills "tumor busters."
the treatments are very hard on dad. they leave him extremely exhausted. driving him to and from ucsd each day is grueling for him. but everytime he comes out of radiation he is so happy. he knows that it is helping him and he is so thankful. dad has lost about 50 pounds since his diagnosis. the treatment has really reduced his appetite. thanks to dear friends from church and other friends and family nearby, we are frequently blessed with lovely and healthy meals for our whole family.
we are humbled daily by the offerings of others. just today someone left "love notes" and letters from people wishing my dad well. people have brought over delicious treats, mailed beautiful letters, accompanied us to treatment, given my dad inspirational speeches to listen to, and zillions of other kindnesses. it is special to me to see people be so loving to my parents. i am brought to tears often by people's generosity.
thank you all for your continued support. please continue to pray for my dad. we believe in miracles and are seeing them unfold before us. please feel free to leave comments here for my dad/family. he really loves hearing the notes that people send. they cheer him and touch his heart.
friday night found us at the fallbrook emergency room. my dad's feet were both purple and ice cold, and we were concerned about possible blood-clots. after being there for about 5 hours the doctor ruled out blood-clots, but did tell us to follow up with a doctor to further monitor the blood flow in my dad's legs. we are hoping to get in to a doctor at UCSD tomorrow about this situation.
last thursday the radiation doctor at UCSD lowered the amount of steroids my dad is taking. the steroids help with the inflamation around the 2 tumors. even with that reduction we have seen marked improvement on my dad's left side. talk about blessings and miracles!
dad has been able to move his left arm more, even twice lifting his arm off of the bed and onto his chest. we are now seeing movement in dad's left leg as well! sometimes he can move his left ankle back and forth, and up and down. it is so exciting to see this because the neuro-oncologist was not originally very encouraging about my dad regaining mobility on his left side. we are just thrilled!
as of last thursday my dad was one-third of the way done with the radiation and chemotherapy treatments. we have renamed the chemo pills "tumor busters."
the treatments are very hard on dad. they leave him extremely exhausted. driving him to and from ucsd each day is grueling for him. but everytime he comes out of radiation he is so happy. he knows that it is helping him and he is so thankful. dad has lost about 50 pounds since his diagnosis. the treatment has really reduced his appetite. thanks to dear friends from church and other friends and family nearby, we are frequently blessed with lovely and healthy meals for our whole family.
we are humbled daily by the offerings of others. just today someone left "love notes" and letters from people wishing my dad well. people have brought over delicious treats, mailed beautiful letters, accompanied us to treatment, given my dad inspirational speeches to listen to, and zillions of other kindnesses. it is special to me to see people be so loving to my parents. i am brought to tears often by people's generosity.
thank you all for your continued support. please continue to pray for my dad. we believe in miracles and are seeing them unfold before us. please feel free to leave comments here for my dad/family. he really loves hearing the notes that people send. they cheer him and touch his heart.
Thursday, January 19, 2012
miracles
since starting treatment my dad has received 5 radiation treatments and has been on chemotherapy for 7 days.
we are seeing miracles take place before our very eyes. not only can he squeeze his left hand a little bit, but he can move it up and down his chest a little, too. and tonight he moved his left leg! these are all small movements, but such huge accomplishments!!!
they thrill us so much! we are excited to see his improvements and progression.
my dad is left very exhausted from the treatments. but he is in good spirits. thank you again for all of the love that you have shown to him and to our family. we love you all!
we are seeing miracles take place before our very eyes. not only can he squeeze his left hand a little bit, but he can move it up and down his chest a little, too. and tonight he moved his left leg! these are all small movements, but such huge accomplishments!!!
they thrill us so much! we are excited to see his improvements and progression.
my dad is left very exhausted from the treatments. but he is in good spirits. thank you again for all of the love that you have shown to him and to our family. we love you all!
Monday, January 16, 2012
treatment has begun
my dad started chemotherapy and radiation last thursday. he will have 42 days of chemo in all. the chemotherapy is in pill form, that he takes every night. the radiation treatment is performed at UCSD in la jolla 5 days a week, for 6 weeks. he has now had the chemotherapy for four days and is tolerating it well so far. he is very tired, as is to be expected.
one of the many wonderful things about my dad is his positvity. he is so optimistic and so gracious. his heart is full with love for and from our Heavenly Father. he tells us many times a day how he marvels at how good God is.
because of where one of the tumors is located, my dad has completely lost the use of the left side of his body. the tumor is pressing on the fibers in the brain that control mobility on his left side. his left arm and leg have been paralyzed. he has feeling on the left side, just not the ability to move it. the doctors don't know if he will re-gain mobility after treatment. but we have been very hopeful.
every day my mom takes my dad's left hand and asks him to squeeze her hand. of course, he has not been able to do it. tonight, however, my dad could move his fingers. he couldn't really squeeze, but he could move his hand! just a pure miracle!!!
thank you so very much for all of your prayers and good thoughts. we appreciate them endlessly. my dad loves it when you leave comments here for him, so if you feel like it - please do.
after two days of chemotherapy, we told my dad "only 40 days left!" and his response was... "like the flood." we will weather the storm of the 40 days and then we will be looking for our rainbow.
one of the many wonderful things about my dad is his positvity. he is so optimistic and so gracious. his heart is full with love for and from our Heavenly Father. he tells us many times a day how he marvels at how good God is.
because of where one of the tumors is located, my dad has completely lost the use of the left side of his body. the tumor is pressing on the fibers in the brain that control mobility on his left side. his left arm and leg have been paralyzed. he has feeling on the left side, just not the ability to move it. the doctors don't know if he will re-gain mobility after treatment. but we have been very hopeful.
every day my mom takes my dad's left hand and asks him to squeeze her hand. of course, he has not been able to do it. tonight, however, my dad could move his fingers. he couldn't really squeeze, but he could move his hand! just a pure miracle!!!
thank you so very much for all of your prayers and good thoughts. we appreciate them endlessly. my dad loves it when you leave comments here for him, so if you feel like it - please do.
after two days of chemotherapy, we told my dad "only 40 days left!" and his response was... "like the flood." we will weather the storm of the 40 days and then we will be looking for our rainbow.
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
changes
i have heard it said that the one thing we can count on is that things change. and, boy, is that true.
dad's appointment for today has been cancelled, so his radiation treatments and chemotherapy will begin tomorrow.
thank you for your continued support and prayers.
dad's appointment for today has been cancelled, so his radiation treatments and chemotherapy will begin tomorrow.
thank you for your continued support and prayers.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
a big thank you
tonight we wish to thank all of you. every single one of you.
thank you for your kindnesses, your generosity and your love.
our family has been greatly blessed by so many people. people have given us so much. from oranges, avocados, beautiful dinners, cinnamon rolls, cards, posters and balloons, to heartfelt letters of support and the offering of fervent prayers. i cannot even begin to list everything that people have done for us.
we are amazed daily by the love that is in this world. we have felt this love and been humbled by your support and many kindnesses. my dad has been brought to tears many times as he marvels at the deeds and words of comfort and support from of all of you. some of you have sent letters of sweet memories of my dad. they have brought him great joy.
mark and julia ballif have retrofitted their huge van to accomodate a hydrolic wheelchair lift. this will enable my dad to go to his daily treatments in san diego in comfort. we can now even take him out for a drive, or go out and get a frozen yogurt!
it is so beautiful to see that in the midst of a very difficult trial we are so surrounded by goodness and love. we are ever mindful of our Father in Heaven and the love that He has for us. it is wonderful to see this love manifested through all of you. tender mercies, indeed.
dad will be starting his radiation and chemotherapy treatments tomorrow, tuesday january 11th at UCSD. we appreciate you remembering him in your prayers, and in your good thoughts.
thank you again for the outpouring of support. we can't imagine making it through this without every single one of you.
thank you for your kindnesses, your generosity and your love.
our family has been greatly blessed by so many people. people have given us so much. from oranges, avocados, beautiful dinners, cinnamon rolls, cards, posters and balloons, to heartfelt letters of support and the offering of fervent prayers. i cannot even begin to list everything that people have done for us.
we are amazed daily by the love that is in this world. we have felt this love and been humbled by your support and many kindnesses. my dad has been brought to tears many times as he marvels at the deeds and words of comfort and support from of all of you. some of you have sent letters of sweet memories of my dad. they have brought him great joy.
mark and julia ballif have retrofitted their huge van to accomodate a hydrolic wheelchair lift. this will enable my dad to go to his daily treatments in san diego in comfort. we can now even take him out for a drive, or go out and get a frozen yogurt!
it is so beautiful to see that in the midst of a very difficult trial we are so surrounded by goodness and love. we are ever mindful of our Father in Heaven and the love that He has for us. it is wonderful to see this love manifested through all of you. tender mercies, indeed.
dad will be starting his radiation and chemotherapy treatments tomorrow, tuesday january 11th at UCSD. we appreciate you remembering him in your prayers, and in your good thoughts.
thank you again for the outpouring of support. we can't imagine making it through this without every single one of you.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
a little introduction...
hi to everyone reading this blog.
thank you for joining us on this journey.
this blog is dedicated to following my dad, richard holladay, "there and back again" as he courageously battles two brain tumors. i will give more information on his diagnosis in further postings. right now i just want to get this blog started.
he is scheduled to begin radiation and chemotherapy on wednesday, january 11th.
we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your concern, and most especially for your prayers for him.
i will be updating this blog with information as we go along. please feel free to leave comments and to pass the blog address on to any who may be interested.
thanks for the love.
thank you for joining us on this journey.
this blog is dedicated to following my dad, richard holladay, "there and back again" as he courageously battles two brain tumors. i will give more information on his diagnosis in further postings. right now i just want to get this blog started.
he is scheduled to begin radiation and chemotherapy on wednesday, january 11th.
we thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your concern, and most especially for your prayers for him.
i will be updating this blog with information as we go along. please feel free to leave comments and to pass the blog address on to any who may be interested.
thanks for the love.
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