Update from Elaine

I postponed writing an update on Friday with the hopes that I would be updating you from home instead of the hospital. Friday, Kate's oncologist went to bat for us and got things moving in the right direction for us for a discharge today (Saturday). Unfortunately, Friday evening Kate began with some episodes of vomiting, that lasted into this afternoon. When the rounding doctors checked on Kate this morning, that were not comfortable sending Kate home with vomiting. Thus, we camped out of another day at CHP. Some of Kate's good friends came and cheered up our afternoon and graciously brought Maggie with them. When I called Maggie this morning with the news that we would not be coming home today, she was sad to say the least. I am so thankful to Kate's friends and their moms for bringing Maggie today. While she has stayed busy with friends and activities and done well with Grammie and Pappy, three weeks is a long time to be separated from her sister and mom.

So as I write at 11:00 pm Saturday night, the plan is for us to be discharged on Sunday. Please pray with us that all goes well, we don't have any more unexpected set backs and that we do finally get to go home. Maggie gave Grace a bath tonight in preparation for Kate's homecoming, so we have no choice now, but to go home:)

Kate will go home on an IV antibiotic and also receive IV fluids through the night to protect against dehydration since eating and drinking is still pretty minimal. We'll have some help from a home health nurse with the antibiotic. Today I learned to flush Kate's lines and do some of the other maintenance necessary for her broviac that I will be handling. It proved to be very entertaining to Kate who laughed at times at my efforts:)

I was blessed to share some time Friday evening with a childhood friend. While we grew up together, after high school our lives went different directions and our paths did not cross again, until Kate became sick in 2004. She journeyed the cancer road with her son (who had the same oncologist as Kate). She knows well the struggles along the way and can empathize with each step of the journey. It was special to be able to share our hearts mother to mother.

We hope that Sunday night we will be enjoying a good night's sleep in our own beds. Monday morning we must be at the clinic for a check up and blood work. So you can see they will be keeping a very close eye on Kate.

Please know how grateful we are for you carrying us through these three long weeks. Please pray that Kate will be renewed and refueled physically, emotionally and spiritually in the two weeks respite we have before her next admission.

Grateful for grace,
Elaine