Jimmy,
Praying for you, Jody, her Mom, and all your family in this tough time. I hope Jody's Mom passes peacefully.
Take Care, Mark
At 11:53 AM 5/14/2005, you wrote:
Just wanted you to know that I'm putting Jody on a plane to Eugene, OR Monday afternoon. We got a call from one of Jody's sisters late Mother's Day telling us that Jody's Mom is in the last stages of liver / lung cancer. It flared up last week, when she all of a sudden had a terrible time breathing. She was operated on three years ago for Colon cancer and they got all of it, but in checking further in her abdominal cavity, found that she had some liver and lung tumors. Mom was 85 at the time and elected not to have any further surgery. She said, " At my age, quality of life is what counts, not longevity". We all knew that it was just a matter of time, but the phone call Mother's Day was still a shock.
She says she's not in any pain, (thank God), but her lungs are filling with fluid. They drained a litttle over a liter off them on Monday. This was only a third of the fluid that had accumulated. When Jody's sister called this morning about draining more, the Doc said it wouldn't do any good and immediately recommended Hospice. Mom is hardly eating anything and has a tuff time swallowing. Four of Jody's sisters live in the Eugene area. Kay, the oldest, next to Jody, will call the Hospice on Monday, to see if they can come and set up Oxygen at Mom's house. We all feel it would be better if she could be in her home, especially since Jody will be there for Mom until the end, which according to a very close friend doc of ours, will come quickly, what with the fluid build up, breathing difficulty and not eating. He said this was the "shutting down syndrome" of the body when death is iminent. He explained how his Dad did the same thing as Mom is now doing and it was just a short time until he passed.
I'm not asking for your prayers for Mom to get better, only that you pray that she will not suffer any pain and discomfort in her last days and that it won't be long, forher sake. She's lived a long and fruitful life, raised 6 girls and one boy and has really enjoyed life to its fullest. She's a God fearing woman and is ready to "go home" whenever God elects to take her.
So, I'll be "batching" like I did last year, when Jody flew out there and stayed for three weeks. Now to make this a legal Fishing Post, my plans are to finish my book, tie flies and do a little fishing on Lake Waco.
JIMMY D
