Arrangements

We will celebrate the life of my mother with the following plans:

Visitation:  Friday, June 12, 2009, 5:00pm - 8:00pm

Elden A. Good Funeral Home

2620 Erie Avenue

Cincinnati, OH  45208

(513) 871-3433

Click here for a map to the funeral home.

Funeral Service:  Saturday, June 13, 2009, 10:00am

Hyde Park Community United Methodist Church

1345 Grace Avenue

Cincinnati, OH  45208

(513) 871-1345

Click here for directions to the church.

Memorials may be directed to Hyde Park Community UMC Special Music Fund.

blessings,

tim

heavenly blessings...

August 10, 1932  -  June 5, 2009

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want; he makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies; thou anointest my head with oil, my cup overflows.  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

- Psalm 23

i love you, Mother.  until we meet again...

eternal blessings,

tim

hospice

my mother is now in room 306 at hospice of cincinnati in blue ash.

blessings,

tim

"is there any hope?"

my dad was there.  my brothers were there.  i was there.  all of us gathered to meet with my mom and her doctor to share with her the fact that her leukemia had returned.

i guess i knew this was a possibility when i was with my parents on march 4th when the oncologist first told us about AML.  i just hoped for the best.  i knew my mom could beat it.  i've never met a more positive, up-beat, fighter in my life.  why shouldn't she get to be part of the 10% that beat it?  why shouldn't the treatments go exactly how dr. sigmund "hoped"?

i will never forget that look in her eyes when she heard it.   

if you've heard my mother speak in the last few weeks, it's not always that easy to understand.  at this moment, her response hung in the air as clear as a bell,

"is there any hope?"

with the leukemia back and advancing again, there are really no treatment options available to her.  the best option for her is to spend her time being comfortable and visiting with her family and friends. 

the best place for her to do that is in hospice.  our friend, sally fee, gave my father the tour of the hospice facility in blue ash yesterday and he and i met with the hospice admitting nurse today.  my mom will move there friday morning.

many times the "right" thing to do is far from the "easiest" thing to do.  this is one of those times.  on some level, my mom wants to come home (and she still may).  given her various medical needs and immobility, the hospice environment is the right place for her now.

i must thank you all, on behalf of our entire family, for the outpouring of support over the last few months.  it's become harder for me to post entries here because i don't know what to write.  i can't find the right way to say what needs to be said.  i'm uncomfortable talking to people about how my mom is doing because she hasn't been doing well.  i wanna be a "good news" guy.  well, the good news is probably the Good News in this case.  our time here is but a stop on the journey.  there are truly better days ahead.

there's always hope, mom.  i'm choosing hope and prayer.

blessings,

tim

not so good....

i wanted to let folks know that my mom is not doing very well at drake center.  she is not able to do much in the way of physical therapy or rehab.  the last round of chemotherapy has affected her cerebellum and the diminished speech and motor skills don't seem to be returning.

over the last few days, her white blood cell count has started to climb again.  this could be the leukemia coming back or another virus of some kind.  we are talking to various doctors at drake center and her oncologist about the diagnosis.  she is also retaining fluid and having some difficulty breathing.  they have been increasing the oxygen she is getting over the last few days.  definitely not moving in a positive direction.

as tough as it is for my mom, it's increasingly difficult for my dad to be there at her side.  he very much wants her to show some progress and she really hasn't for the last couple weeks.  the last few months are really taking a toll on him.

we're not sure what the next couple days will bring but we ask for your continued prayers and well wishes.  we all appreciate them.

blessings,

tim

the road is long....

not much changing on the rehab front.  my mom continues to get therapy but the progress is slow.  my dad had to go to columbus yesterday so my brothers and i took turns visiting and helping her with things.  i had lunch duty complete with airplane noises as she got bites of food.  priceless.

she spends her days watching tv, listening to books on tape and trying to get her strength back.  she is really appreciating the cards and notes that people are sending.  

more to come as it develops.  keep up the prayers!

blessings,

tim

little by little....

my mother is beginning her second week at Drake Center.  i wish i could tell you that she is making wonderful strides and is up and waltzing around the room.  unfortunately, the going continues to be slow.  her speech is improving and there may be "some" improvement in her motor skills.  regardless, we continue our prayers and positive thoughts.  

she is getting a flock of visitors as the policy at drake is more loose than jewish.  if you'd like to visit, give my dad a call.  he continues to be her gatekeeper.  we took her a CD player so she could listen to books on tape.  she needs a distraction from the endless gunsmoke marathon my dad watches on TV Land....geesh.

thanks for your continued well wishes.

blessings,

tim