Dear Friends and Family,
Wes here, with Ashley next to me, resting. Just thought we'd give some upcoming deadlines and other useful links and info so you guys can stay informed.
If you hadn't heard, Ashley's sister designed some support T-shirts available for purchase here. There are only 4 days left to purchase and they look quite snazzy. They'll get made on September 1st and ship out so you can take selfies in them or whatever kids these days are doing and post them on your favorite social media site.
Also, we are very grateful for all contributions received so far and the time period for Ashley's fundraiser is ending in two days, Friday the 15th, so if you've been thinking about it and want to do it, now is the time. We have been and will continue to put these contributions to good use, buying all necessary things to ensure Ashley makes a swift and comfortable recovery. Of course, all extra funds that we don't use will be donated to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Tonight, I'll do another post which will contain an interview with Ashley on how she's doing and her feedback from all her support. Stay tuned and have a wonderful day!
~Wes
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Friday, August 1, 2014
Transitioning Home
Hi everyone, Wes here, blogging from home in Seaside and I figured I'd let you know how Ashley's first full week at home is going. There have been some noticeable differences between life in the hospital and life at home:
Cons:
-No nurses in the other room when we have a question/concern/panic moment
-No one to clean up, do laundry, make food, etc
Pros:
-Basically everything else
-More comfortable, more calming, and of course, there's no place like home.
And aside from getting all the referrals and prescriptions figured out, it hasn't been a bad transition process, just quite a bit of keeping lots of plates spinning: scheduling appointments, calling in and picking up prescriptions, housekeeping, nurse duties including administering and tracking medicine doses. I guess another pro is that all this is giving me the opportunity to be more responsible.
Ashley's been feeling better overall. Of course, some days are better than others. And of course Ashley wants to maximize the good days so she goes hard and tuckers herself out. But I'm doing all that I can to keep her comfortable and on-track for her recovery.
I hope you all spread the word that Ashley is doing well and has made it home. I've been told multiple times that people are so relieved to hear it, so I would hate to have people unnecessarily anxious because they hadn't heard the good news.
Thanks again for all your continued support, love and prayers. I'll see if I can get Ashley to either write or dictate part of a post sometime soon, so you can hear from her directly!
Take care and God bless!
~Wes
Wednesday, July 23, 2014
Can you believe it's been a month?
Hey everybody, I know you've all been hungry for an update, so I'll cut to the chase:
The docs say she is doing so well, she may get to go home as early as Friday! That's right! She has been getting up more, going on 3-5 walks of increasing length every day, she's been eating more food. She even had a whole hamburger for dinner the other night. So the docs and nurses have been prepping us for transitioning to home; lining up providers, making sure the pharmacy is ready for our prescriptions, training us on how to give her medication at home, recommendations of what to do, what to eat, what not to do, etc, etc.
So, its been an exciting few days and I'm sorry the blog has been a little quiet, but now you know that things are looking up, and that the worst of the storm has passed (God willing). But the docs said in the beginning, "If we can get you through this first month, you are going to start making significant progress in your recovery." And guess where we are? June 23rd was when we went to the ER for the first time. So the docs were right. Almost like they studied for this kind of thing. :)
Anyways, when we know the exact date we get to go home, we'll let you know, but for now, maybe hold off on more packages/cards/etc because we wouldn't want you to send it tomorrow and then we leave before we get it.
Thank you so, so much for all your continued prayers, happy thoughts, support and love throughout this. It has truly been a massive group effort on all of our parts to get Ashley through this, and for that we are eternally grateful. Ashley's still recovering and still having side effects from her medications and some residual pain from her surgery, so continued prayers of relief from those things would be appreciated.
Thanks again, God bless, and have a great day!
~Wes
The docs say she is doing so well, she may get to go home as early as Friday! That's right! She has been getting up more, going on 3-5 walks of increasing length every day, she's been eating more food. She even had a whole hamburger for dinner the other night. So the docs and nurses have been prepping us for transitioning to home; lining up providers, making sure the pharmacy is ready for our prescriptions, training us on how to give her medication at home, recommendations of what to do, what to eat, what not to do, etc, etc.
So, its been an exciting few days and I'm sorry the blog has been a little quiet, but now you know that things are looking up, and that the worst of the storm has passed (God willing). But the docs said in the beginning, "If we can get you through this first month, you are going to start making significant progress in your recovery." And guess where we are? June 23rd was when we went to the ER for the first time. So the docs were right. Almost like they studied for this kind of thing. :)
Anyways, when we know the exact date we get to go home, we'll let you know, but for now, maybe hold off on more packages/cards/etc because we wouldn't want you to send it tomorrow and then we leave before we get it.
Thank you so, so much for all your continued prayers, happy thoughts, support and love throughout this. It has truly been a massive group effort on all of our parts to get Ashley through this, and for that we are eternally grateful. Ashley's still recovering and still having side effects from her medications and some residual pain from her surgery, so continued prayers of relief from those things would be appreciated.
Thanks again, God bless, and have a great day!
~Wes
Thursday, July 17, 2014
So far so good
It pains me to be away from my sister for a time, but like all of you, I pray for her and think of her all day. Thank you for that. Your prayers are felt!
Slowly Ashley has been able to get more mobile, and they constantly are adjusting her meds to make her more comfortable. And scans and tests have come back within range. Praise God!
She got her first real shower and shampoo in 13 days and in my absence my mom fashioned Ashley up with a fresh set of braids.
By the generosity of over 75 people, we are getting closer to their financial help goal at youcaring.com/supportthestclairs
Right now, many are still asking what they can do. As we could only imagine, being in Ashley and Wesley's shoes has been difficult and can at times be very discouraging. I would love to help show our support/encouragement by participating in a shirt fundraiser. Proceeds get donated to the them. Send pics of you wearing your shirts in support to wesleystclair@gmail.com! And post to twitter or Instagram with hashtag: #supportthestclairs
Here's the link: www.booster.com/supportthestclairs
Much love,
The Big Sister
Sunday, July 13, 2014
Progress, slowly but surely.
Hey folks, it's been a few days so I figured I'd give an update. Things have been getting a little better every day, so I've kind of just been living in the moment, you know? But I figure we should share the good progress news with everyone so we can all feel the joy. :)
Every morning the neurology and hematology teams come in to visit us, give us a report on how she's doing, mention anything concerning and for the last few days they've said nothing but good things, really. They say her white blood cell count is looking good. They're keeping an eye on her platelet count, but they say its within a good range, and have been giving her some when they need to bump it up. They've been giving her electrolytes when they determine she's a little low, but nothing alarming. And they've been giving her chemo, of course, which takes a little out of her in the evenings but not too bad. This coming week, when they've determined the danger of bleeding has passed, they are going to resume the blood thinner medication, gradually and carefully, in order to resume helping her body absorb the clots in the sinus arteries. The doctors say they the clots are shrinking, barely, but that is great according to them. As long as they aren't growing, which they're not.
As Ashley is recovering from the surgery, her pain is coming down to lower levels, so they don't have to give her such heavy duty meds to reduce it, so she's able to stay awake during the day more and get back into a routine. The doctors are emphasizing her getting up as much as possible; going for walks, sitting in a chair for meals, etc to stimulate her muscles and help with her recovery. Of course when you're recovering from surgery in the back of your head/neck area, the stiffness makes most movement painful and difficult, but Ashley is a fighter and has been, a little reluctantly, getting up and out of the hospital bed and room. Today, for instance, we went (with sunglasses) outside and sat in front of the nice fountain near the main doors to the hospital. It was sunny but nice out so we sat under an umbrella and enjoyed the warmth. She liked it. Also, we checked out the hospital gift shop because, as those who know Ashley know, she likes giving presents and was browsing to pick out souvenirs to give her niece and nephews.
Ashley had had some pretty troublesome nightmares a few nights in a row and that was keeping her from getting a good night's sleep, but they have since subsided. Also she is eating more regular food: PB&J sandwiches, goldfish crackers, chicken nuggets, etc. You know, good ol' comforting favorites. :)
Each day has its challenges, of course: pain spikes, feeling exhausted or weak from medicine/recovery process, etc. But the nurses are continuing to do everything they can to ensure she's comfortable and the doctors assure us that she's making excellent progress and they say she has a very good outlook.
So things are looking up, although we know this chapter isn't over yet, but through your love, prayers and support we are powering on and pushing through it.
Straight from the mouth of Ashley, "Thank you so much for the love and support. I can feel it and I can't imagine anyone going through something like this without it."
~Wes
Every morning the neurology and hematology teams come in to visit us, give us a report on how she's doing, mention anything concerning and for the last few days they've said nothing but good things, really. They say her white blood cell count is looking good. They're keeping an eye on her platelet count, but they say its within a good range, and have been giving her some when they need to bump it up. They've been giving her electrolytes when they determine she's a little low, but nothing alarming. And they've been giving her chemo, of course, which takes a little out of her in the evenings but not too bad. This coming week, when they've determined the danger of bleeding has passed, they are going to resume the blood thinner medication, gradually and carefully, in order to resume helping her body absorb the clots in the sinus arteries. The doctors say they the clots are shrinking, barely, but that is great according to them. As long as they aren't growing, which they're not.
As Ashley is recovering from the surgery, her pain is coming down to lower levels, so they don't have to give her such heavy duty meds to reduce it, so she's able to stay awake during the day more and get back into a routine. The doctors are emphasizing her getting up as much as possible; going for walks, sitting in a chair for meals, etc to stimulate her muscles and help with her recovery. Of course when you're recovering from surgery in the back of your head/neck area, the stiffness makes most movement painful and difficult, but Ashley is a fighter and has been, a little reluctantly, getting up and out of the hospital bed and room. Today, for instance, we went (with sunglasses) outside and sat in front of the nice fountain near the main doors to the hospital. It was sunny but nice out so we sat under an umbrella and enjoyed the warmth. She liked it. Also, we checked out the hospital gift shop because, as those who know Ashley know, she likes giving presents and was browsing to pick out souvenirs to give her niece and nephews.
Ashley had had some pretty troublesome nightmares a few nights in a row and that was keeping her from getting a good night's sleep, but they have since subsided. Also she is eating more regular food: PB&J sandwiches, goldfish crackers, chicken nuggets, etc. You know, good ol' comforting favorites. :)
Each day has its challenges, of course: pain spikes, feeling exhausted or weak from medicine/recovery process, etc. But the nurses are continuing to do everything they can to ensure she's comfortable and the doctors assure us that she's making excellent progress and they say she has a very good outlook.
So things are looking up, although we know this chapter isn't over yet, but through your love, prayers and support we are powering on and pushing through it.
Straight from the mouth of Ashley, "Thank you so much for the love and support. I can feel it and I can't imagine anyone going through something like this without it."
~Wes
Wednesday, July 9, 2014
We went outside today!
Hello everyone, time for an update.
This time it's "The Husband" aka Wes doing the update. Brittany has flown back to Texas (with plans to be back in CA soon, of course) so I decided to chime in on the blog. She'll still be doing updates with info received from me and Jonna, Ashley's mom, so if you prefer her writing style to mine, don't worry. :)
Today was a good day. Positive things of note:
- We went outside for the first time since being admitted to the hospital. She climbed in the wheelchair and we took a spin out the doors to one of the hospital patios and sat in the shade for a bit, felt the breeze and got some fresh air, although she still wore the filtered breathing mask just to keep her safe. Ashley's advice for a better trip outside next time: sunglasses. Yes, dear. :)
- She's getting up and walking to the the bathroom when she needs to (with assistance)
- Today they removed the IV that was in her neck, which Ashley is quite happy about. No more pinching and having to worry about it catching on things when moving around.
She's been resting during the day in between the short walkabouts. I ask her sometimes and she says she's not dreaming, but in between naps, she'll ask me things like, "How was your test?" she says. "Did I take a test?" I ask, slightly confused. "You said you had to take a test a while ago..." she says, sleepy but confident.
"Mmm, no not really. I might take the DLPT soon, though..." (my language proficiency test) "No, that's not it...," she says as she drifts off to sleep again.
Too cute.
She's being a real trooper through it all, especially when the nurses ask her to get out of bed and move around, which is always a little painful, but necessary for her recovery and healing.
To wrap up, I want to thank everyone who has helped us throughout this ordeal. Every single bit of it has helped. Every positive message of love and encouragement, every donation, every care package, get-well card and gift. All of it has either reassured us, recharged us or relieved us somehow in order to keep our spirits up and keep fighting this thing. God has blessed us with the best friends and family on earth, as well as the best nurses and doctors who just reassured me that Ashley is doing great. So all is well on this bumpy road of ours. Praise the Lord! and keep the prayers coming.
Until next time,
Take care and God bless,
Wes aka "The Husband"
This time it's "The Husband" aka Wes doing the update. Brittany has flown back to Texas (with plans to be back in CA soon, of course) so I decided to chime in on the blog. She'll still be doing updates with info received from me and Jonna, Ashley's mom, so if you prefer her writing style to mine, don't worry. :)
Today was a good day. Positive things of note:
- We went outside for the first time since being admitted to the hospital. She climbed in the wheelchair and we took a spin out the doors to one of the hospital patios and sat in the shade for a bit, felt the breeze and got some fresh air, although she still wore the filtered breathing mask just to keep her safe. Ashley's advice for a better trip outside next time: sunglasses. Yes, dear. :)
- She's getting up and walking to the the bathroom when she needs to (with assistance)
- Today they removed the IV that was in her neck, which Ashley is quite happy about. No more pinching and having to worry about it catching on things when moving around.
She's been resting during the day in between the short walkabouts. I ask her sometimes and she says she's not dreaming, but in between naps, she'll ask me things like, "How was your test?" she says. "Did I take a test?" I ask, slightly confused. "You said you had to take a test a while ago..." she says, sleepy but confident.
"Mmm, no not really. I might take the DLPT soon, though..." (my language proficiency test) "No, that's not it...," she says as she drifts off to sleep again.
Too cute.
She's being a real trooper through it all, especially when the nurses ask her to get out of bed and move around, which is always a little painful, but necessary for her recovery and healing.
To wrap up, I want to thank everyone who has helped us throughout this ordeal. Every single bit of it has helped. Every positive message of love and encouragement, every donation, every care package, get-well card and gift. All of it has either reassured us, recharged us or relieved us somehow in order to keep our spirits up and keep fighting this thing. God has blessed us with the best friends and family on earth, as well as the best nurses and doctors who just reassured me that Ashley is doing great. So all is well on this bumpy road of ours. Praise the Lord! and keep the prayers coming.
Until next time,
Take care and God bless,
Wes aka "The Husband"
Monday, July 7, 2014
While you were sleeping
Dear sister,
While you are sleeping...
They play for you.
Sweet dreams my sweet baby sister. :)
~ The Big Sister
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