Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Mom continues to improve somewhat. Plans are for her to be discharged home tomorrow with home health services. She will still need around the clock care for a few days. The plans are to get her health status improved to the point were she can start chemotherapy.

Okey and I visited with Mom this morning. She shared with us her visit with her primary care physician. He told her there is no cure for the cancer and that she has just months to live. Mom wants to try chemotherapy in an attempt to lengthen her life a little bit.

Mom has several things she wants to do before she dies. She wants to take a cruise to South America and the Antarctica; go garage saling; read a few more books, and most importantly - spend time with her family. Her immediate plans are to travel to her youngest son, Kevin's, house to celebrate Thanksgiving with her family and friends.

Plans are underway for a "Plan Your Own Funeral" party the end of November. While this might sound morbid, it will allow Mom to take time to let us know what her wishes are for her memorial service. This will help us so we won't have to make some very important decisions in the immediate hours and days after her death and while going through the initial stages of grieving. We have found a website, My Wonderful Life, that will allow us to make sure her wishes are documented and easily retrievable. If you have pre-planned your memorial services or helped someone do so, we would like to hear from you about the experience.

Mom truly does appreciate all the visitors and phone calls while she has been in the hospital. Again, I can't thank her friend, Stacy, enough for the unique role she is playing in Mom's life right now. She continually assures me she is not trying to take over but that she cares for Mom very much. If you get a chance, be sure to thank her. I also appreciate everyone's offer to help me.