Friday May 29, 2009

As we prepare to lay Lisa to rest, we as a family would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you again for the tremendous outpouring of Faith, Love and Support you have shown to Lisa and to us over these last months. Our deep love for Lisa combined with the energy and love we felt from each of you each and every day is truly what gave Lisa the will to fight each day and what sustained us through this journey.

As difficult as this has been, it has brought us memories that will last a lifetime. It has brought us closer together as a family and helped us to understand how truly blessed we were and how wide her reach was.

I cannot begin to tell you how much your support impacted Lisa and how much energy it gave her. The first thing she we ask me to do every day without fail was to read the blog updates and then your comments. It lifted her spirit and we were blessed to witness the impact that you had on her.

I hope that all of you will join us at the house tomorrow to continue celebrating Lisa's life As you all know, she loved to have a party and this is exactly how she would want to be sent off.

With Love and Thanks
The Stephensons
Jim, Josh and Melissa

Thursday May 28, 2009

Hello All,

Again, The memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday May 30, 2009, at Grace First Presbyterian Church in Long Beach. It is located at 3955 Studebaker Road, Long Beach, CA 90808.

The graveside service will be held immediately following at Forest Lawn in Cypress.

If you don not wish to attend the graveside service, we could use a couple of volunteers to help set up at the Stephenson household.

The Stephenson Home will be hosting a reception to celebrate Lisa's life after the graveside service, all are welcome.

If you would like to make a charitable donation in Lisa's name in lieue of flowers, our first choice would be Grace First Presbyterian Church at the address above(To be used in the children's ministry). They will accept Cash or check donation.

The second option is the Breast Cancer Care & Research Fund, 6022 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 201, Los Angeles, CA 90036

Thank you all for your support and prayers!

With Love,

Joshua, Melissa, and Jim

Tuesday May 26, 2009

We would like to once again thank everyone who has been with us through this whole experience. We would not have been able to stay as strong as we were without the support of all of you. Mom was always so glad and excited to hear of the comments that were posted daily. We appreciate all that you meant and still mean to Mom and our family.

We are taking things day by day and managing well, spending as much time together as possible.

The memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday May 30, 2009, at Grace First Presbyterian Church in Long Beach. It is located at 3955 Studebaker Road, Long Beach, CA 90808.

The graveside service will be held immediately following at Forest Lawn in Cypress.

The Stephenson Home will be hosting a reception after the graveside service, all are welcome.

With Love,

Joshua, Melissa, and Jim

Friday May 22, 2009

Team Lisa,

This has been a long journey. Tonight we celebrate an amazing mother, wife, teacher, warrior, and friend. Shortly after 10:00 p.m. although Mom's spirit was still wiliing, her body failed. She has now gone to be with our Lord, and is at peace.

She takes with her the love and support that all of you provided during this journey. Once again we can't express our gratitide for those who stood by her in thought and prayer.

Through this experience, Mom has brought our family closer together in so many ways that we never would have imagined before. We spent countless hours learning more about each other than we ever new exsisted. We have mom to thank for that and will continue to be blessed by the many ways that she touched all of our lives.

We hope that you will continue to share your favorite memories with us through this blog. Please feel free to post any or all of your favorite memories or experiences shared with our wonderful Mother and Wife.

We will continue to update information on this blog including upcoming service times, as we know this will reach the largest amount of Team Lisa in the shortest amount oftime.

With love,

Joshua, Melissa, and Jim

Friday May 22, 2009

Mom's status has not changed since yesterday. The outlook does not look good.

All of her family is by her side. As always we appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers. Feel free to share any thoughts or wishes that you would like to share with us or Mom to get us through this time.

We will continue to post updates to keep all of you informed.

Love always,

Josh, Jim, and Melissa

Thursday May 21, 2009

Mom had a difficult day. Her right lung has collapsed again today.

We will keep you posted.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers!

Wednesday May 20, 2009

Quiet day again today which we’ve come to appreciate. Her vitals are good and they were able to lower her O2 concentrations today so we’re heading in the right direction.

We’re continuously grateful for all of the love and support you have all offered through this entire process, and please know she smiles every night as my dad reads her the cards you’ve sent and the messages you’ve left on the blog.

With love and appreciation,
Mel & the Fam.

Tuesday May 19, 2009

Today was another quiet day. Not much to report. She had Physical Therapy earlier and that took a lot out of her, she has spent much of the day since resting and napping. Her vitals remain stable and they are focusing on getting her lungs healed and improving her breathing.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Jim, Josh and Melissa.

Monday May 18, 2009

Today was a good day for Lisa. Her vitals and her breathing have remained stable all day. Her infectious Disease Dr. tells us her White Blood Cell counts have continued to improved and they are going to back-off on several of the heavy duty Antibiotics. This is great news! It appears she may finally be making some progress with the Sepsis. Now the focus will reamin on getting the chest tube out and continuing the improvement in her breathing while they continue to monitor the sepsis. Keep those prayers coming!

Thank you for your continued support, prayers and encouragement. It is much appreciated and much needed by all of us.

Jim, Josh and Melissa.

Sunday May 17, 2009

Mom has stabilized from the procedure yesterday afternoon, and though they continue to pull fluids off of her lungs, her vitals are steady and respiratory stats improving to more normalized levels. We had a little more excitement this evening with the recent earthquake, but all is well and starting to settle down around the hospital.

Again, we are blown away by her unwavering strength and faith through this entire process. Please continue to lift her in your prayers.

Mel & the fam.

Saturday May 16, 2009

Lisa's restful day yesterday continued through the night and into this morning. She slept through the night and all vitals were stable though to this afternoon. It was good that she had the opportunity to build her strength, because she needed all of it by the end of the day. Late this afternoon, her right lung collapsed. They are not sure of the cause, but her respiration and heart rate started speeding up, over-inflated the lung and caused the collapse. Fortunately, the Pulmonary Dr. was here when it happened and was able to immediately perform a procedure to relieve the excess air and pull off fluids. He was successful in restoring her lung function quickly. Lisa is sedated and sleeping quietly and all off her vitals are stable at this time.

Please continue to keep Lisa in your prayers as she continues to face each of these new obstacles with courage, faith and a strength that is beyond my ability to describe. We appreciate your unwavering love and support.

Jim, Josh and Melissa.

Friday May 15, 2009

Today has been a calm and quiet day for Lisa. All of her vitals are stable today and her breathing is good as well. She has spent most of the day resting and conserving her strength. We are thankful for these days that bring no new obstacles for her to overcome and that allow her to gather strength and focus on getting well.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers and for your constant encouragement.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Thursday May 14, 2009

Today was another quiet day. Lisa continues to progress on her breathing and they were able to lower the oxygen concentration again as a result. They continue to focus on the sepsis and fight it aggressively with the antibiotics. They are also dealing with the effects of the aggressive antibiotics as we found out today, she now has a bacterial infection that is a result of the antibiotics being so strong they reduce the population of good bacteria which then allows bad bacteria which is always present to grow. They tell us this is fairly common in situations like this. So ironically they are now adding a new antibiotic to combat this new issue.

Thank you for you prayers, encouragement and support.

Jim, Josh and Melissa.

Wednesday May 13, 2009

Not much change to report today. Lisa's respiration remains stable and and blood work is stable as well. White blood Cell counts remain elevated, but well below where they were initially. They continue to fight the infection aggressively while working on her breathing. They are using three different antibiotics, making sure her electrolyte balance is properly maintained and also making sure she is getting necessary nutrition through her tube feeding.

Thank you for your continued thoughts, prayers and encouragement for Lisa and the family.

Jim, Josh and Melissa.

Tuesday May 12, 2009

Mom's respirations continue to be good. Her labs continue to show signs of improvement. Doctors are still managing heart rate and blood pressure through medication. Things have remained relatively the same since yesterday.

Today Mom was moved to the master suite! It's the largest hospital room we've ever seen! We figure we've earned VIP status around here. (Well, at least Mom has, she's doing all the work!)

Thank you again for all of your support, thoughts, comments, and prayers!

Josh, Jim, and Melissa

Monday May 11, 2009

Today was another good day for Lisa! Her breathing has improved to the point that they were able to take her off of the Pulse Ventilator and put her on the traditional ventilator. She is doing well with the change and is maintaining her oxygenation at good levels. Her labs continue to show improvement and her Doctors are positive about the changes they are seeing.

Thank you for your continuing prayers and support. We want all of you to know what an important role you have played in this journey for Lisa and the rest of our family. We sincerely appreciate your unwavering support through prayers and encouragement and we give prayers of thanks daily for this wonderful wonderful support team.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Sunday May 11, 2009

Happy Mothers Day!

Today was a great day to spend with our mom and celebrate the amazing, inspiring and courageous woman that she is. Her spirits remain high and though her attempts to communicate are endlessly frustrating for her (because we’re so slow at lip reading!) she continues to try and always maintains her sense of humor.

Both her cardiologist and her pulmonologist said they saw small improvements in her blood counts today and that her stats are looking stronger. Once again we’ve been so blessed with great Dr’s and attentive nurses and it looks like mom is fighting her way back to health.

Thank you again for all of your love and support and we hope you all had a chance to celebrate the wonderful women in your lives on mothers day!

With Love,
Melissa & The Fam

Saturday May 9, 2009

As a family we’re blown away with Mom’s emotional, spiritual and physical strength. She continues to improve each day and fight all of the obstacles with every ounce of her being.

Though the doctors are still aggressively fighting the infection and looking for improvement in her lungs, her oxygen levels are steadily heading to more normalized levels and she is communicating through a lot of frustrating chart pointing and mouth reading.

We can’t thank you enough for your continued support and prayers.
With complete love, gratitude and appreciation,

Melissa & The Fam.

Friday May 08, 2009

Lisa continued to become more responsive today. She is now able to communicate with us and the medical staff by shaking and nodding her head as well as mouthing words. Her strength and spirit has amazed even the doctors. They continue to aggressively treat the Sepsis and we remain hopeful that soon we will begin to see signs that the infection is retreating.

Thank you for your thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement. Lisa continues to find strength in your love and support.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Thursday May 7, 2009

The last few days have been very difficult, but Lisa has again fought hard and with the help of your thoughts and prayers, exceptional doctors, Nurses, and Therapists and her tremendous fighting spirit, she has begun to stabilize. She is still battling the sepsis in conjunction with the related breathing difficulties but the medical staff here are treating it aggressively and she is responding. Today was the first day she has responded to voice stimulus and opened her eyes and moved her hands for us. As you can imagine, we are elated!

Please keep her in your prayers as she continues to fight.

Jim and the family

Wednesday May 6, 2009

There's has been no change since Monday.


Thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and support!

Jim, Josh, Melissa

Monday May 04, 2009

Lisa's Tracheotomy went smoothly today. It took a little time after the surgery for her vitals to stabilize but as of this evening she is stable. We met with the Doctor today and he let us know that Lisa is suffering from Sepsis as a result of the Liver blockage. This is what has caused the re-emergence of the respiratory problem. They are treating it aggressively with antibiotics and using meds to maintain her vitals.

Please continue your prayers and encouragement for Lisa. We continue to read her your comments daily and they comfort her and us.

Jim,Josh and Melissa.

Sunday May 3, 2009

The responsive nursing and respiratory staff worked hard last night and they were able to stabilize mom and bring her stats to a more normalized range. They’ve placed her on a pulsating ventilator that has been running for 24 hours now and seems to be doing its job. Because they are now seeing that she will be on the ventilator for longer than a couple of days, she has a scheduled tracheotomy for tomorrow.
The good news is that the surgery to fix her liver function has worked and her system is flushing quite nicely. Although mom enjoyed the new tint of her skin that the jaundice provided we appreciate the more pinkish tone she is fading back into. Thank you again for all of your thoughts and prayers… we appreciate your continued love and support.

Melissa and the Fam.

Saturday May 02, 2009

The procedure went well last night, they were able to relieve the obstruction which turned out to be a large stone. They found infection behind the blockage and were able to drain a significant portion of it. Tests indicate that the liver function is starting to improve. Unfortunately her breathing continued to deteriorate through the night due to fluid build up related to the liver problem. This morning they had to put her back on a ventilator as she was wearing herself out trying to breath. We (and the DR) are hopeful that this will only be for a couple of days as she fights off the remaining infections.

Please continue your prayers for Lisa and the family. We appreciate your love and support.

Jim,

Josh & Melissa

Friday May 1, 2009

Things took another turn for the worse today. Mom had some breathing difficulties this morning and was moved back into ICU. The doctors have decided to perform the endoscopic procedure tonight. They believe that the blockage is the cause of the recent issues.

Thank you all for your continued thoughts, prayers, and support!

Jim, Joshua, and Melissa

Thursday April 30, 2009

Today was spent doing a battery of tests and working on managing Lisa's heart rate down. They have been able to bring it down from where it was but still not down to where they would like it to be. No Physical or Occupational therapy as they wanted to keep her activity minimal while managing the heart rate. No procedure today but we are hopeful they will be able to perform it tomorrow. We will keep you posted.

We appreciate the prayers, thoughts and words of encouragement.

Jim,Josh and Melissa.

Wednesday April 29, 2009

The results of last nights MRI indicated a blockage. Today Mom was scheduled for and endoscopic procedure to determine the cause of the blockage and relieve the obstruction. Unfortunately, due to the procedure she was unable to eat or drink and as a result was unable to take her meds. Mom's heart rate elevated and they were unable to perform the procedure.

They have moved Mom to the Telemetry unit to keep her monitored, while administering meds. Once Mom's heart rate has stabilized, they will reschedule the procedure. We expect that the procedure will happen within the next day or two.

Mom remains in good spirits and they will continue physical and occupational therapy while in the Telemetry unit.

Thank you all for your continued support, thoughts, and prayers!

Jim, Joshua, and Melissa

Tuesday April 28, 2009

A bit of a setback today. Last night Lisa's color was a little off so they ran some tests. Unfortunately, the results showed elevated enzyme levels for the liver, indicating a possible blockage or other problem. They performed additional tests today including an MRI and we are awaiting the results. Lisa still managed to get in a couple of good walks today with PT. No speech today as she had to go without food or water for 8 hrs. before the MRI.

Your prayers are much appreciated as well as your encouragement and positive thoughts.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Monday April 27, 2009

Back to full schedule today. A couple of long walks for Lisa today along with her full regimen of exercises with both OT and PT and an hour sitting in her chair. They also had her stand at a table and shoot baskets(Nerf basketball)! She had to keep at it until she sank 5. Melissa brought her her favorite soup tonight from CPK so she finished off the day on a high note!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Jim, Josh & Melissa.

Sunday April 26, 2009

Back to work today. Lisa was up twice with PT walking with the help of the walker and the therapist today. She also had speech therapy with more work on her swallowing. We also got to practice for the first time, me (Jim) transferring Lisa from her bed to her chair and from the chair back to the bed. It seemed to go well ( I didn't let her fall once!). Tomorrow will be back to a full schedule.

Thank you for the support, encouragement and prayers.

Jim, Josh & Melissa

Saturday April 25, 2009

Lisa was feeling much better today. She got off easy with a light work-out for OT and no PT today. She is settling in to this eating routine, but has not found anything on the hospital menu that she really likes yet! I am sure tomorrow the rest will be over and she will be back to the full workout.

Thank you for all the encouragement and prayers.

Jim, Josh and Melissa.

Friday April 24, 2009

Lisa had a rough day today. She was feeling nauseous all morning which hindered her ability to do her therapy to the fullest extent. She got most of her morning therapy in but had to go light this afternoon. This has also been her first full day with no nutritional supplement through her feeding tube. She is now fully dependent on hospital food :( and she is having to take all of her meds and supplements orally.

Thank you for all your words of encouragement as well as your prayers and support.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Thursday April 23, 2009

Another day of work. They continue the intensive therapy with PT and OT twice a day and speech once a day. Her leg strength is a major focus as she continues to experience weakness. She continues to work hard and make progress every day.

Lisa continues to enjoy hearing your comments every day and she and the rest if us (the fam!)continue to appreciate the thoughts, prayers and encouragement.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Wednesday April 22, 2009

Work, Work, Work. More of the same for Lisa today. Nothing new to report other than Lisa continues to work hard and make progress. Somehow I think we all knew that would be the case.

Thank you for the prayers and encouragement and constant support.

Jim, Josh and Melissa.

Tuesday April 21, 2009

Another day of hard work. More standing , sitting, walking and swallowing today. They continue to work on strength and balance and they push a little harder every day. Lisa continues to push herself every day with the goal of getting home as soon as she can.

Thank you for your encouragement and prayers.

Jim, Josh and Melissa.

Monday April 20, 2009

More of the same! Another day of work for Lisa. She had PT twice, OT twice and speech (swallowing)today. More standing, sitting and walking with the help of the walker and therapists. In addition, a full routine of exercise just in case she has any energy left. She is feeling the effect with lots of aches and pains, but these too are signs of progress.

Thank you for all of the support, encouragement and prayers.

Jim, Lisa and Josh

Sunday April 19, 2009

Another day of work for Lisa. More practice standing, sitting and walking as well as a full compliment of exercises. No Speech Therapy (swallowing) today but she continues to receive three meals a day of soft hospital food which, according to Lisa, lives up to the reputation for hospital food.

Thank you for the prayers and support.

Jim, Josh & Melissa

Saturday April 18, 2009

First day in the new digs today and there is no resting on the weekend anymore. Lisa had PT twice and OT twice as well as Speech today. She got up and down and in and out of bed multiple times today as well as walking with her walker and the help of the therapists. She also did a variety of exercises with and without weights. She is certainly tired but this is definitely the road home!

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Friday April 17, 2009

Good news today! Blue shield approved the move and Lisa is now officially in Acute Rehab. It will be a lot of hard work on her part, but it is the next step in getting home and she is excited about that. She also had PT twice today with lots of steps and exercises and her first adventure with a walker (and 2 PT's). She also had OT and Speech today as well.

Thank you for all the prayers and encouragement, they continue to motivate and sustain!

Jim, Josh & Melissa

Thursday April 16, 2009

Another day filled with standing, sitting, exercising and eating. Normal routine for the day. She was a little tired today after the big day yesterday and she is a little nervous about going to acute rehab. The hospital appears ready to make the move, but they have not received clearance from Blue Shield. We have made the appropriate calls and now will wait for their response.

Thank you for the constant support and prayers.

Jim, Josh and Melissa.

Wednesday April 15, 2009

Lisa had her first meal in almost 3 months today. She enjoyed Mac & Cheese and peaches for lunch with an Arnold Palmer to wash it down. She had OT and also had PT twice and was taking multiple steps with the assistance of the Therapist and the parallel bars. She managed to do this several times and managed up to 16 steps at a time. Her doctor and Therapists thinks she is ready to move to Acute Rehab which is the next step with 3 hours a day of therapy. The Dr. has requested an evaluation and if she is ready, will move her to the Acute Rehab unit.

Thank you for all of the support, encouragement and prayers.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Tuesday April 14, 2009

Another busy day for Lisa. She had Physical Therapy twice, Occupational Therapy once and she also had her swallow evaluation. PT consisted of exercise, standing, turning and sitting in a chair. OT was pretty much the same. The swallow eval went well, showing significant improvement from the last one and they will start her on soft foods tomorrow!

We hope everyone is enjoying Spring break and appreciate very much the continued prayers and support.

Jim, Josh and Melissa.

Monday April 13, 2009

Back to weekday work schedule for Lisa! Today she had Physical Therapy twice and Occupational Therapy. In the morning and afternoon, she stood with the help of the PT's then sat in the wheelchair. She also did a full regimen of exercises in both sessions and in the afternoon worked for 5 minutes pedaling on a portable exercise machine. OT worked on self-care. No speech therapy today as she had it yesterday. She is scheduled to have her next swallow evaluation tomorrow so keep your prayers strong that all goes well and she can begin working on eating foods.

Thank you for the continued support and prayers.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Sunday April 12, 2009

Today was a quiet and restful day. She had a good Easter with dad and I and even got to eat some jello and graham crackers today!

All is well. Back to intense physical therapy again tomorrow.

Thank you for the continued prayers!
Melissa and the fam.

Saturday April 11, 2009

Although today was a relatively quiet day, it was a big day none the less. Today Lisa took her first steps, it was only a couple of baby steps, but steps none the less! After that she got to cruise the hospital again in her wheelchair and see the sights. No Occupational or Speech therapy today so she got to rest the remainder of the day.

Lisa also wants to thank Team Lisa for the beautiful roses and lovely card that are now brightening up her room.

We can't thank you enough for the wonderful words, prayers and support.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Friday April 10, 2009

Today was another good day. Lisa did all her therapies today, PT times 2, OT once and speech once. She even stood an extra time this afternoon! (I think it is all the positive energy flowing from Team Lisa!) Swallowing continues to go well and she is looking forward to the next evaluation and hoping it will lead to tasty treats. It is truly a Good Friday and Lisa wishes everyone a happy Easter/Passover.

Thank you for all the positive energy, wonderful words and sincere prayers.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Thursday April 9, 2009

Lisa continues to work hard and improve. Physical Therapy twice a day with standing, Occupational Therapy once a day with weights and speech therapy once a day with swallowing exercises. Her swallowing has improved a lot, yesterday she was able to eat applesauce and jello and she had more jello today. The Speech Therapist thinks she is ready for another swallow evaluation so they will try to schedule it for next week. If that happens and all goes well, she will begin to get real food (as real as pureed food can be) as part of her nutrition.

We all appreciate the continued prayers and support and Lisa looks forward to hearing your comments each day at "mail call".

Thank you,

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Wednesday April 8, 2009

No slack here for Lisa! She had PT twice again today and both times going to the rehab center and standing with the parallel bars. After the morning PT she followed up with an extended sit in the wheelchair and then with OT and Speech Therapy. In the afternoon, after PT, we got to take her on a wheelchair tour of the ground floor of the hospital. It was her first foray outside the unit and she enjoyed seeing her surroundings.

Thank you for your prayers, support and encouragement.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Tuesday April 7, 2009

No rest for the weary! Today was another busy day for Lisa. She had Physical Therapy twice today. In the morning she did her exercises then got out of bed (with lots of help) and sat in a wheelchair for 30 minutes. In the afternoon, she got into the wheelchair again, but this time got to go for a ride to the rehab center where she was able to stand 3 times with the help of the therapists and the parallel bars. She also had Occupational Therapy with some weight lifting and she had Speech Therapy as well. She continues to push hard and is making progress every day.

Thank you for all the positive thought and for your support and prayers as well.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Monday April 6, 2009

Today was a busy day for Lisa. She had Physical Therapy twice , Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy. She was able to stand twice and do lots of exercises. She did a little weight lifting as well. She is plenty tired but did well with all of the therapies. she is gaining strength daily and remains in good spirits.

Thank you for the prayers and support.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Sunday April 5, 2009

No rest for Lisa today. She changed rooms this morning so she now has a private room. She also had Physical and Occupational Therapy today. Today she was able to brush her teeth and put on make-up which really made her feel good. She is still munching away on the ice chips but no food yet.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Saturday April 04, 2009

Today was pretty much dedicated to the move. Lisa spent the morning getting ready for the move and so no Physical or Occupational Therapy. The move happened at 2pm and went very smoothly. The remainder of the afternoon was spent settling in to the new facility and going through a variety of assessments as well as speech therapy. Tomorrow Physical Therapy will assess where she is at physically and develop a preliminary timeline for getting her ready to go home.

Thank you for the continued support, encouragement an prayers.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Friday, April 3, 2009

Today, the physical therapists helped mom get into a wheel chair and let her cause a commotion as she wheeled herself around the room.

The procedure to remove the tube from her nose and place it in her stomach was successful, and she is now resting as the sedatives work their way out of her system.

The plan is to move mom to another unit within the hospital tomorrow that specializes in rapid recovery. From what we understand, she will have a rigorous physical therapy routine to keep up with.

As always, thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers!

Melissa and the Fam

Thursday April 02, 2009

Another good day for Lisa today. She had Speech and Physical Therapy today. She now feeds herself ice chips to practice swallowing and is showing improvement. She also stood-up briefly twice today with the assistance of her therapists and the sat in her chair for 30 minutes. Tomorrow morning the Doctor will insert the PEG tube and if all goes well she will transfer out of the respiratory hospital on Saturday into the Transitional Care Unit where they will focus on building her strength. Another step in the right direction!

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Wednesday April 1, 2009

A good day today for Lisa. No Physical Therapy, however she did sit in her chair for over an hour today. She did have Speech Therapy today and she is now able to have ice chips a often as she likes (within reason of course). They will Insert the PEG tube directly into her stomach on Friday which will allow them to remove the NG tube in her nose. This should be much more comfortable for her and hopefully will make it easier to progress with swallowing.

We continue to appreciate the encouragement, prayers and support.

Jim and the Kids

Tuesday March 31, 2009

A relatively quiet day today. They finished her spine MRI today which took a couple of hours. No physical therapy today, they will wait until the MRI results are in before they resume. Apparently this is standard practice for PT. Lise did have speech therapy today with more swallowing exercises and she ate a half of a cup of ice and got to chew some gum as part of her therapy. She remains positive and ready to get out of her, although the process is taking a little longer than she would like!

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Jim and the Kids

Monday March 30, 2009

Today was a good day for Lisa. She had speech therapy today and they are now allowing her to have a limited quantity of ice chips (5 to 6 per hour) but it is a start in the right direction. Lisa also sat in a straight back chair for the first time (not the cardio chair) so with the help of her Physical Therapists she stood turned and sat in the chair. She was able to stay for about 15 minutes and could have gone longer but she started having some muscle spasms in her back. All in all a big day for her. All the exercise wore her out so she napped for much of the afternoon which is good since we are hoping she will do more tomorrow and will need all of her strength.

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Jim and the kids

Sunday March 29, 2009

Today was a relatively quiet Sunday. Lisa had an MRI of her spine which took about 2 hrs. They are doing this a a precaution to make sure that the extended bed rest is not causing any damage. Other than that no speech, physical or occupational therapy. just a nice quiet restful day.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Jim and the kids

Saturday March 28, 2009

Lisa had another quiet day today. Weekend schedule, no Speech or Occupational therapy today and only minimal Physical Therapy because her blood pressure was a little elevated this morning. The blood pressure is now under control but Physical Therapy never made it back. We expect a quiet and restful evening and know she will be ready for tomorrow and whatever it may bring

Thank you for your constant prayers, support and interest.

Jim and the kids

Friday March 27, 2009

Another quiet day today. Speech Therapy today but no Physical Therapy. Lisa continues to have difficulty swallowing so the next step will be to remove the feeding tube from her nose and surgically insert one directly into her stomach so that the throat is clear and they can work more directly on strengthening the muscles. She continues to do her exercises to compliment the Physical Therapy so that she can get out of bed sooner.

Thank you for all the love and prayers. Lisa continues to move forward each day with all the support from Team Lisa.

Jim and the kids

Thursday March 26, 2009

Lisa had another quiet day today. She continues to work on her strength and swallowing with Physical and Speech Therapy. She can't wait until she can get out of the bed and walk and then out of the Hospital, both are still a ways away but she is very focused on getting there and we are very focused on getting her there as well with the continued support from Team Lisa.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

Jim, Josh & Melissa

WWednesday March 25, 2009

Lisa had a quiet day today, not much to report. No tests today, however she did have Physical Therapy , Speech Therapy (swallowing) and was able to sit in the cardiac chair for an hour. She is sleeping better at night and breathing well.

Keep up the prayers and positive thoughts and we will continue sharing your comments with her. She loves "mail call" every day when we read your cards and comments to her.

Thank you.

Jim and the kids

Tuesday March 24, 2009

Today was a frustrating day for Lisa. They performed a video evaluation of her swallowing and determined that she still has muscle weakness in the throat related to the mechanics of swallowing as well as the need to re-develop the muscles instinctive responses. As you all know this does not sit well with Lisa. She continuously expects to be moving forward and knows this is an essential step toward getting home. It is a minor setback and they have a plan to try and help stimulate and strengthen the muscles. Meanwhile we will have to deal with her frustration and know that tomorrow is another day!

Thank you for your continued prayers and support and please know that your freindship, support and prayers are what sustain us through this journey.

Jim, Josh & Melissa

Monday March 23, 2009

Mom had another swallow test today. They gave her a full meal and though it started off well, she began to struggle part way through. Tomorrow they will begin more tests to assess the cause of the difficulty.

As each day presents new challenges, we are continuously grateful of your thoughts and prayers. Thank you all for your support.

Melissa & the Fam.

Sunday March 22, 2009

Today was a quiet day. No new tests today. Lisa spent the day resting for the most part. She did have Physical Therapy today so she was able to sit up on the side of the bed and stand up twice with help from the Therapists.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Saturday March 21, 2009

Another step forward today! This morning, they de-cannulated Lisa (removed her tracheostomy tube) and she is doing just fine. She had a swallow evaluation today with dry foods which didn't go as well as hoped but they are hopeful that as her throat muscles build strength and her salivary glands start to kick in that she will be able to tolerate dry foods. Meanwhile they will start feeding her soft foods next week which should also help the process. Her spirits remain high and she is looking forward to getting home and understands that it will be a journey of many steps.

we all (including Lisa) remain thankful for the continued prayers and support from Team Lisa and all of her friends. (Lisa also wants to thank her dear friends for the special "support"):)

With Love and Thanks,

Jim, Josh and Melissa

Friday March 20, 2009

Mom got to have pudding today!!! She was a little disappointed that it was only vanilla but she'll take it where and when she can!

I can’t tell you how excited we all are to be reporting to you that she's eating pudding. It sounds trivial but to all us who have been following Mom through this journey we see it as a celebration of how far she's come.

In other news: Today was once again filled with great steps in the direction of healing. She's practicing her hand strength so that she can get her handwriting back on track (you all know how meticulous she is about that stuff) and the doctors continuously report that it’s going to be a long process but she's doing what she needs to, to be well again.

Once again, sincerest thanks for all of your loving prayers and support.

Melissa & The Fam.

Thursday March 19, 2009

Mom had an excellent day. She has been able to sustain sufficient blood oxygen levels without any assistance from a respirator or having any additional O2 support. She is now effectively breathing on her own. The best news today was that, if her progress continues they are hoping to be able to feed her some sort of solid food tomorrow! (It won’t be her favorite from CPK, but after not having food for nearly 7 weeks, I don’t think she’ll mind!)

I know we say this every day, but please know that we truly mean it when we say thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers. Mom has come such a long way, and although there are still more hurdles to overcome, we have truly seen the blessings that abound from having a strong support team. Know that you have all been an essential part of her healing, and now that she is able to communicate with us again, Mom wants everyone to know how grateful she is for all of your love and support.

With Sincerest Appreciation,
Melissa & The Fam.

Wednesday March 18, 2009

Lisa had another good day today. They changed her trache again to a smaller diameter, which will be the last one. They capped the trache tube so she is now breathing entirely on her own with only a light oxygen flow through a nasal canula. she sat up again today on the side of the bed, stood briefly and then sat for over an hour in the cardiac chair.

Thank you to all of you for your continued support and prayers. We read your comments daily to Lisa and we cannot begin to tell you how much your comments lift her spirits.

With love and thanks, The Stephenson Family.

Tuesday March 17, 2009

Mom continues to do well. She continues to work with the Physical, Occupational, and Respiritory Therapists daily. Today they had Mom standing with assistance. The ventilator has been completely removed from the room!

Thank you all again for your support, comments, and prayers!

Sunday March 15, 2009 & Monday March 16, 2009

Mom has been doing well the past two days. She is now speaking with a one way valve. It sounds great to hear her voice again! She was able to sit up for two hours today! Mom continues to work daily with the Physical, Occupational, and Respiritory Therapists. We've been catching her up on the past month of our lives, which primarily consisted of living in a hospital.


Thank you all for your continued prayers and support!

Saturday March 14, 2009

Mom is still doing well. She remains off the ventilator with no plans to put her back on. Today Mom was able to talk for the first time in over a month. They used a speaking valve over the trache to allow her to speak.


Thank you all again for your continued prayers and support!

Friday March 13, 2009

Mom had another good day today. She spent all day off the ventilator and the doctors have no plans to put her back on because she is doing well. Mom was also able to sit up in a chair today for about an hour.

Thanks again for all of your continued prayers, comments, and support!

Thursday March 12, 2009

Mom is doing well. Today she finished phase 14 of the weaning process. She spent several hours today without the assistance of the ventilator. She was just as strong at the end of the trial as she was when she started. Tomorrow the the therapists will run two tests to determine Mom's lung effeciency. If the tests go well they will attempt to leave Mom off the ventilator for the entire day. If Mom remains strong after a full day off the ventilator, the therapists will attemp to allow her to reamain off the ventilator for up to three days. If that goes well they will then remove the ventilator from the room altogether.


Thank you all for your continued prayers and support!

Wednesday March 11, 2009

Mom had another good day today. She has now completed 11 of 19 stages of weaning off the ventilator. Mom was able to sit up a couple of times today. She has continued working with the Physical and Occupational Therapists daily. Today Mom's oxygen level was lowered down to 21%. This is the same percent of oxygen that we breathe without the asssistance of a ventilator.


Thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers!

Tuesday March 10, 2009

Mom had another good day. She is now on phase 9 of 19. Mom succesfully underwent 3 steps today. Mom sat up again today and was able to stand very briefly twice. She has steadily been regaining her strength. She continues working with the Physical and Occupatioinal Therapists and continues to make progress daily.

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

Sunday/Monday Update

Hey all,

I’m sorry for the delayed update on this but we were having some trouble accessing the log in last night. Mom is doing very well at the new facility and continues to improve each day. She advanced to step 6 out of 19 last night and all of the doctors and nurses that we have spoken to have similar hopes for her progression to continue. Yesterday she was able to sit up on the side of the bed (the first time in 5 weeks!) and was ecstatic to be able to do so.

Thank you all so much for your continued concern, thoughts and prayers. We truly appreciate each and every one of you!

With love and appreciation,
Melissa and The Fam.

Sunday March 8 & Monday March 9, 2009

We apologize, the last two days we were having difficulty accessing the blog. Mom has been doing good the last two days. Yesterday she ha completed phase 6 of 19. Mom was able to sit up on the side of the bed with assistance (She was really excited about that). Mom has been working with the Physical and Occupational Therapists an. Is getting stronger everyday.

Thank you for all your continued prayer and support!

Saturday March 7, 2009

Mom is doing well today. They started weaning her from the ventilator today. She did well during the first phase and is now entering the second phase of nineteen. Mom's stats and vitals still remain good.


Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!

Friday March 6, 2009

Mom had another good and quiet day. The doctors have determined that they will start weaning Mom from the ventilator first thing tomorrow morning. Mom continues to be alert and responsive.

Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers!

Thursday March 5, 2009

Mom has settled in well at the new facility. They have lowered her oxygen to 30%. They plan to start aggressively weaning Mom off the ventilator tomorrow. The pulmonologist thinks that the chances are good for weaning Mom off the ventilator and removing the trache tube. The longer part of this journey will be rebuilding Mom's physical strength.

Thank you all again for your continued thoughts and prayers!

Wednesday March 4, 2009

Today was another good day for Mom. She continues to progress as she did yesterday. She has now been transferred to a facilty that specializes in respiritory rahabilitation.

Thank you all again for your prayers and support!

Tuesday March 3, 2009

Mom had a good day today. The Doctors have indicated that her pneumonia is in the healing phase. The Doctors have continued weaning trials throughout the day. Mom needs to continue building strength and rehabbing. Within the next two days Mom will be transferred to respiratory rehab facility.

Thank you all again for your continued prayers and support!

Monday March 2, 2009

Mom had a good day today. Today they continued weaning trials throughout the day. In addition to four hours with just pressure assist, she had two hours on c-pap, which is basically oxygen flow only. In addition, Mom's white blood cell counts have continued to improve. We are currently negotiating with Blue Shield to find a location for her rehab.


Thanks again for all of your continued prayers and support!

Sunday March 1, 2009

Mom had a good day today. The doctors continue to wean Mom from the ventilator for short periods of time. Mom continues to make progress with her breathing. As of today, the x-rays remain the same.

Thank you all for your continued support and prayers!

Saturday February 28, 2008

Mom has continued to have a good day. They have begun trying to wean Mom from the ventilator little bits at a time. Mom's stats continue to improve. Mom's chest x-rays remain the same as yesterday.

Thank you again for your continued support and prayers!

Thursday February 26 & Friday February 27, 2009

Yesterday Mom continued to improve. Her vitals have been improving since she was transferred back to the original facility.

Yesterday Mom had a CT scan yesterday, the results came back clear. This has confirmed that the respiratory issues are a result to the pneumonia and shows nothing abnormal. Mom has been more alert and the Respiratory Therapist has been lowering the level of oxygen support, which means Mom is more able to breathe on her own.


Thank you all for all your support and continued prayers!

Wednesday February 25, 2009

Mom was transferred to the original facility early this morning. Her vitals are stable and she has been resting quietly. Her respiration rate also has remained stable.


Thank you for your continued support and prayers!

Tuesday February 24, 2009

Mom's condition took a couple of steps back today. X-rays showed that the pneumonia returned in both lungs. She has been put back under sedation to control her heart rate and blood pressure.

We have successfully initiated a transport back to the previous facility to make sure Mom's case is provided with the maximum amount of specialists and care available. Late tonight Mom will be transported back to the original hospital.


Thank you again for all your continued prayers and support!

Monday February 23, 2009

Mom's status has not changed much since yesterday. Her heart rate and respiration rate remain elevated. We have not had the opportunity to speak with her doctors yet.


Thank you for your continued prayers and support!

Sunday February 22, 2009

Mom's vitals are all stable.  The move to the new facility has agitated mom' s respiration rate slightly.  They have placed her under sedation again to keep the respiration rate more consistent.  They ran blood gases and Mom's oxygen level appears to be good.  

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support!  We appreciate all the support you continue to provide for our family!

Saturday February 21, 2009

Mom had another quiet day today. Moms white blood cell count continued to improve today. This evening they are moving her to an acute care facility so that they can continue to wean her off of the ventilator.

So, Dad, Melissa, and I (Josh), will be moving with mom to her new facility. We will once again set up our posts, just with a different view.

We all are very thankful for your continued prayers and support!

Friday February 20, 2009

Early this morning they took mom of the ventilator for 45 min and she was able to breathe on her own. Later in the morning they started her breathing on her own at 10 a.m. with only pressure support from the ventilator and 35% oxygen.

She was able to sustain that for more than 7 hours. Her white blood cell counts have come down significantly. Mom no longer requires blood pressure medicine. They have started her back on nutrition and she is tolerating it well.

If she remains stable and progressive through the morning they will transfer her to an acute care facility to continue the process of weaning her off of the ventilator.

Thank you again for all your continued support and prayers!

Thursday February 19, 2009

Yesterday's surgery went well. Mom seems much more comfortable with the Trache tube. She no longer requires heavy sedation, as a result she is able to communicate at a basic level.

This morning she was able to breathe on her own for over an hour. Mom had a quiet day and all her vitals remain stable. Mom's white blood cell count is still elevated, which suggests that there is still and underlying infection. Doctors are continuing to look for the source of the infection.

Thanks you again for all your continued prayers and support!

Dad, Melissa, and I (Josh) are continuing to hold strong and stay by Mom's side.

Tuesday February 17, 2009 & Wednesday February 18, 2009

We apologize that we were unable to post yesterday's update. We were experiencing some technical difficulties.

Yesterday Mom's progress took a step back. She was placed back on the ventilator at about 5:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. She is once again heavily sedated.

Today her vitals are stable. They will be performing a Tracheostomy procedure to insert a Trache tube. This will allow easier access to her airway and will be easier to manage weaning her off of the ventilator. It will also allow for her to rest more comfortably. Mom continues to rest and we continue to be by her side.


Thank you all again for your continued support and prayers!

Monday February 16, 2009

Today is a good day. Mom had a restful night and restful morning. This afternoon at 2:00p.m. they took her off the ventilator. She has so far doing well and breathing on her own with only the assistance of an oxygen mask.

Mom has been maintaining 96% oxygen level and resting comfortably. We pray that her breathing will continue to improve to a level that she will no longer require the use of the oxygen mask. All vitals remain stable.

Thanks again for all the prayer and support! We are encouraged by all of your comments that you have been posting, to know that we have the greatest family and friends in the world!

Sunday February 15, 2009

Mom had another quiet night. This morning they were able to move her oxygen level down to 35% for about 4-5 hours. Dr's say no change in x-rays and airways sound clear. She just needs to start building strength so that she can be weaned off the ventilator. She continues to fight the infection, and the Doctors continue to reinforce that this will continue to be a long journey.

Again, thank you all for your continued support and prayers!

Dad, Melissa, and I (Josh), are hanging in there and are continuing to be here with Mom around the clock.

Saturday February 14, 2009 (Valentine's Day)

Mom had another restful night. She continues to make progress on her breathing. They have lowered her oxygenation to 40%. Chest x rays today remain relatively the same. The Dr. has informed us that they plan on trying to wean Mom from the ventilator as early as tomorrow, as long as she continues to progress.


Thank you all for your continued prayers and support! We are so grateful for all of your prayers! Our family is very lucky to have the friends and family that we do. We want all of you to know how much it means to us that Mom and our family have the friends an support that we do!

Friday February 13, 2009

Mom made progress again today. Her oxygen level is down to 50%. Her chest x ray showed slight improvement today. For part of the afternoon she was alert and responsive. Although we are excited to see the progress, the Dr. reminded us that this is a journey of very small steps.


Thank you again for all of your support and prayers!

Thursday February 12, 2009

Small improvement in chest x-rays today. Vitals continue to remain stable. Mom was able to maintain lower oxygen levels throughout the night. We interpret this as a step in the right direction. So far today remains relatively quiet. They were able to lower the oxygen level again this morning.

Thank you again for your continued prayers and support!

Wednesday February 11, 2009

Slight improvement in chest x-ray today. Dr. said it's important for us to have patience right now. He also reminded us that this will be a long process. It was a quite night and relatively uneventful. Mom's vitals have remained stable.

Please continue your prayers and support!

Tuesday February 10, 2009

Unfortunately, this morning's new was not good. Today the x-rays showed that fluid has begun building up again. Most likely caused by the underlying infection. As a result, they have had to increase her oxygen levels back to 80%. Her vitals have also weakened a bit.

The doctors continue to be frustrated, as the current course of treatment does not appear to be working. They continue to seek new and alternative options for treatment.

Mom is a fighter and we pray that God will give her the strength to keep on fighting! Please join us in that prayer!

At this time Mom and all of our Family and Friends need your continued prayers and support!

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Monday February 9, 2009

Good news this morning. Mom continues to take small steps in the right direction. Her vitals remain stable. Her chest x-ray shows improvement from the previous day. Today the have been giving her nutrients and weaning her off of IV fluids. She remains on a ventilator and fully sedated.


Thank you all for your continued prayers and support! They are truly appreciated by all of us!

Sunday February 8, 2009

Mom had a very good night and day. She is showing signs of improvement after beginning the steroid treatment. Her heart rate has dropped into the normal range. She is able to maintain blood pressure with minimal amounts of medication. She is able maintain good blood oxygen levels with decreased percentage of oxygen output from ventilator.

Mom is still under sedation. Her chest x-ray remains the same from yesterday. We hope to see continued progress as a result of the steroid treatment.

Keep up the prayers!

Saturday February 7, 2009

Mom had a good night last night. Not much has changed since yesterday. The lung x-rays have come back and the status remains the same, no better, no worse. She still has fluid in both lungs. Mom has been on a ventilator since Wednesday morning and most likely will remain on it for quite a while. Previous attempts to wean her from the ventilator have been unsuccessful.

The specialists are continuing to to search for the cause of the infection. They are also continuing to attempt to wean her from the ventilator and will soon try a new treatment involving steroids in the near future. The good news is that Mom continues to remain stable and continues to fight.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support! We appreciate all the comments that you leave, we are reading each of your comments to her on a daily basis. (We are sure she can hear)

Friday February 6, 2009

Although Mom had a restful night, she had a difficult morning. She experienced some respiratory setbacks, but now is stable again and sedated.

As a result of the infection, fluid has continued to build in her lungs. She is currently under the care of multiple specialists, including pulmonary, cardiac, infectious disease, and neurology. The specialists are still working on trying to determine the source of the infection in order to administer the best course of treatment. She is receiving the best of care and the hospital staff has continued to be helpful and informative through the whole process.

Although many of you have expressed your wishes to be here for us, mom is still in ICU and is limited to only immediate family member as visitors. Dad, Melissa, and Myself(Josh) are here pretty much around the clock.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and thoughts! Thanks for all of your support. Our family is very lucky to have the extended network of support that all of our family and friends provide!

Thursday February 5th

Today (Lisa) mom is in stable condition and in the ICU.  They are currently running tests to determine what type of infection we are fighting.  The specialists that are taking care of her remain hopeful that she is continuing to improve.

We thank everyone that is continuing to keep us and our mom (Lisa) in prayer and in thought!  Continue to pray and thank you all for your love and support!