Healing Prayers

Thank you to our friends who are asking if there are any changes, 

(since we have not updated our blog in awhile).  

Since our days are beginning to "level off" into some kind of even routine 

we need reminders to blog the "baby steps" details of recovery!

Gerry is still struggling with air & fluid in his chest cavity.  

Both will, eventually, be absorbed into his body 

but for now it's uncomfortable and puts a bit of pressure on the heart & lungs.  

'Nothing dangerous.  He won't be harmed by this.  

It's simply a disagreeable situation, 

(hardly anything to make a fuss over considering this could all be so much worse).  

Gerry began occupational therapy a few weeks ago, 

(to learn how to breathe properly for maximum oxygen intake 

& to be efficient with his movements so that he is able to do more as he heals).

This week he started respiratory therapy 

to strengthen & recover from the surgery.

He's set to task on treadmill, stationary bike and other exercise equipment

for fitness while under observation of a respiratory therapist. 

Thank you to everyone who reminds us that they are praying for us.

Everyday someone will remind us that they are praying.

Praying for Gerry to heal well, praying for our family to be strong,

praying for the "surprise" retirement to go smoothly,

praying as well as for our happiness as a family

and for things to "get back to normal".

There are no words to describe how touching this is.

We hope that you know whenever you tell us that you're praying for us

we are thinking of your health, happy heart & peace of mind

and asking God to please give these blessings to you too.

It might be a little late for a St. Patrick's Blessing, 

but it IS still March so here goes.....

At Tara today in this fateful hour

I place all Heaven with its power,

And the sun with its brightness,

And the snow with its whiteness,

And fire with all the strength it hath,

And lightning with its rapid wrath,

And the winds with their swiftness along their path,

And the sea with its deepness,

And the rocks with their steepness,

And the earth with its starkness

All these I place,

By God's almighty help and grace,

Between myself and the powers of darkness.

"The Rune of St. Patrick", derived from "The Lorica", 

both traditionally attributed to St. Patrick, published in Lyrica Celtica (1896);

 also in Celtic Christianity : Ecology and Holiness (1987) by Christopher Bamford and William Parker Marsh, p. 54

May you have God's help to place Heaven's Power

between you and any darkness in life.

May your days have the twinkle of joy,

the warmth of love and the lightness of peace.

May you and your family be strong and healthy.

May you remember that you are loved.

Gerry, Korina, Christie & Josie

News Tidbits

The news here at 29 Sherwood is rather on the boring side

but compared to what it could have been

that, our friends, is completely acceptable and quite beautiful.

Gerry is healing.

It's not much to talk about...

Incisions flattening out and getting less red / more white.

Pain is evident, (most especially during sneezing!), 

but daily as Gerry takes on more activity 

he works through the discomfort

and can "take the edge off" with an ibuprofen or two. 

Strength is very slowly coming back.  

Sleep is not as elusive.

Telling you about Gerry's progress 

is like describing moments of a plant growing.

It seems silly to go on about each little improvement.

That's pretty much what's happening though,

(moments, hours & days of slight recovery),

so that is what we blog about today.

For the next month or so he will be going 

to respiratory / pulmonary therapy two times a week.

From the beginning of December 

he was using electronic cigarettes,

(which was a big improvement over smoking the standard cigs).

But as of February 2nd he has quit all of it "cold turkey".

Not an easy feat when you've got a 40 year habit.

We are very proud of Gerry 

for completely quitting all forms of smoking!

_______________

Another little tidbit of news is that as of March 1st 

Gerry is retired from Metro North Commuter Railroad.

There are two questions that most people ask immediately:

Q.) Will there be a party?

A.) Yes.  Here at our house sometime in July,

(the date to be announced).

Q.) Are Korina and Gerry fighting more?

A.) No. (Sorry to disappoint you by not having any lively stories!)

For many years Gerry has pondered what would be the right time to retire.

He certainly did not plan to do so this year,

but maybe in the next few years.

So this is a little earlier than he had hoped 

but not an extreme difference from what he was thinking he would do.

Korina is delighted about having Gerry here 

during the 2 most stressful times of the day for our family, 

(early mornings & evenings),

when she used to have to handle everything solo while working.

In the next couple weeks when Gerry is "fully functioning in life" again

Korina looks forward to the prospect of focusing more on her work

and feeling a better sense of completion in her tasks.

____________________________

More unimaginative news....

We are feeling relief as we see the results of "digging out" 

after months of ups & downs and chaos in our lives.

There is a lot less dust in our house, 

(although it is not truly presentable yet).

There are less piles of paper.

Correspondence is slowly getting completed.

There are few medical forms 

and very little left to do for college application.

Some of you might be wondering 

if Korina ever did get the Christmas Tree put away?

Yes.  Finally on March 3rd she cleaned and put away all Christmas 

and managed, (on that very sunny Saturday afternoon), 

to get the St. Patrick's decorations out and put on the Irish music.

Straight from St. Nick to St. Pat!

All this tedium to say

that we are getting back to normal here.

We could not have done it without you.

We were carried along by your words of encouragement,

by your prayers, your hugs & smiles,

and by nourishing us with food for the body, mind & soul.

We can't thank you enough!

Love,

Gerry, Korina, Christie & Josie

The "Fun" Never Ends - Double Check

Just when Gerry felt like he was making good progress 

in recovering from the latest surgery,

he felt a tingle in the tooth
that had needed a bit of attention

but was lower on the list of health priorities
than lung tumor issues.

He also knew that he needed an oral surgeon
for 2 other procedures.

So on Tuesday he went for oral surgery!

He absolutely HAD to get the one tooth removed 

in order to be pain free, 

then decided that while he's there, 

(and while he's got pain medication),

he'll go ahead and get the implant post & bone graft that are recommended

for a happy smile and strong jaw.

Now the swelling in the chest has gone down considerably 

and moved to his face!

The "Fun" never ends!

_____________

Gerry's appointment with his Oncologist 

yielded the "Double Check" result that he wanted.

He needed to hear from Dr. Smith-Marrone 

that he will not need treatments after this last surgery

and that's what she told him!

He will, for the next two years, get a chest scan with contrast every 4 months.

For the third year he gets the scan every 6 months, then annually after that.

Although he was holding his face due to the tooth pain

he had a BIG smile as he received the news!

Great news.... again!

Check... and double check!

_____________

Thank You, Friends!

You inspire us 

by your generosity, encouragement & love.

Gerry, Korina, Christie & Josie

Mr. Clean

The Morans were all over the place today.   Christie & Korina were due at a college open house this morning.  So Korina was up at 3:45, on the road by 5:00 and drove 3 1/2 hours to Lake George to pick up Christie & her friend, Kaelene, from another friend's home.  Then we headed back south for an hour, (all the while discussing an essay that was to read for a "mock lecture"), to Albany to attend the Siena open house.

Meanwhile Gerry was going to drive, (for the first time since February 2nd), to Phelps to get an x-ray & check up with Dr. Merav.  After checking in at radiology to get the x-ray Gerry headed up to Dr. Merav's office and got some good news.... The pathology report came back from the part of his lung that was removed.... Mr. Clean!.... It's all clean.  No cancer cells hanging around.  'No sign of 'em!  The other tidbit of good news for Gerry was that he could get a stronger prescription for the pain of his rather large incision, (not to mention the healing going on inside that we can't see).  He's had a very hard time getting rest and sleeping using only ibuprofen.  That problem has been remedied.  He's happy and looking forward to a full night's sleep.  But... you won't see Gerry driving for awhile again!  :)

Thanks for checking in with us!  'So glad we have good news!
Hope you have as good as a week as we're having!
Love,
Gerry, Korina, Christie & Josie

Patient & Nurse

This photo depicts life at the Moran house these days.  There are a few minor differences, of course, (such as Gerry not being on an IV or in a hospital bed and Korina does not wear a nurse's uniform). Gerry & Korina both do, though, have that "button-eyed", blank, do-what-has-to-be-done, glazed-over look from unwilling patient and even more unwilling nurse.

Gerry is healing nicely and moving through various levels of pain / discomfort. He was feeling quite discouraged before he received many an out-of-town visitor this weekend.  Cousins galore were in the area to celebrate a 50th birthday and made time to stop in to see him.  He is now happily exhausted.  The time recounting memories with family has been a successful elixir for his tired soul.  Thank you to everyone who drove miles out of the way to provide this happiness for Gerry!

Since Gerry is convalescing at home we do welcome visitors.  If you call us prior to coming, (at 914.941.8931), we can assure you when he'll be showered, up & about and ready to receive guests.  If you just happen to be driving by and want to swing in, please do so.  You'll be able to chat with Gerry if he's awake and if he's asleep we'll give him good news that a friend stopped by to wish him well!

In addition to having the "button eyes" of the nurse above, Korina has spent many a moment blushing over the past month as the Moran Christmas tree is STILL standing proudly, (in all it's glory complete with presents underneath), in the living room.  It stands as a tribute to the chaos of the past couple months. Korina is determined EVERYDAY to find the time to take it down.  We'll be sure to let you know when the goal is met, but you may hear Korina's cry of triumph, (where ever you are), when it finally happens.  The nicest thing anyone has said about the Christmas Tree in late February is "Wow!  This shows me that you guys have your priorities straight!" However true or untrue that may be Korina thanks you, (and you know who you are), from the bottom of her heart!  :)

The BIGGEST news in our house this weekend is that Josie's 6th Grade Girls' Basketball Team won a game after 3 years of, (as a dear friend puts it), experiencing the agony of defeat.  Yes.  You read right.... 3 years.  They achieved their victory at a tournament and, therefore, were immediately presented with a trophy, (which made the win even more delicious)!  Although Gerry was extremely disappointed to miss that glorious moment, it's a really good thing that he wasn't there.  All of the parents from the team spontaneously started jumping up and down at the final buzzer of the last quarter and acting a bit too exuberantly than we should have.  Gerry may have had some incision issues had he been there!

We know that most of you cannot post on the blog.   Please feel free to email us at sherwoodmorans@verizon.net  .    Gerry reads the emails everyday.  He does not, however, respond.  Korina is slowly responding to those who emailed but is answering emails from 3 weeks ago at this point.  Please know that Gerry sees your wonderful words of encouragement, (even if you don't get an answer from him).

Thank you for all you do to lift our spirits!  You are fantastic friends!  Thanks for being you!

Gerry, Korina, Christie & Josie

Ups & Downs

Thank you to everyone who's asking about Gerry!  

He is doing well at home.
'Making progress and moving forward.

The first day home was the best. 

'So happy to be home that everything made him smile.  

Since then, though, he's restless and not sleeping well.

The incision is large, (from his side under the left armpit over around his back in a "hook" shape).  It makes it hard to find a comfortable position in which to lie & sleep soundly.

The good news is that we have a lot of pillows and Gerry can "construct" his bed & chair to get comfy for a short time until the discomfort sets in and reconstruction of the pillow structure comes into play.

Today, February 17th, three tiny yellow crocus bloomed in our front yard!  We feel that Spring is around the corner and hope is in the air.

The girls are very happy that they are now officially on Winter Break.  Christie will be heading off to Lake George to visit a friend for a few days, visit Siena College and play in CHSAA Basketball playoffs.  Josie will hang out with Dad, spend time with friends and play in the St. Augustine Tournament.

Although Korina just finished "reading", (audio book), an entertaining book about embracing chaos in life,  ("Perfectly Imperfect" by Lee Woodruff  http://www.leewoodruff.com/perfectly-imperfect), she is just NOT feeling like embracing the chaos of these days.  What Korina is embracing is the kindness & love of friends, happy moments like little yellow flowers smiling up from the soil in the front yard and sleep. 

We're blessed to have you in our lives!

Thanks for checking in with us.  Thanks for all you do to cheer us.  Thanks for being you!

Gerry, Korina, Christie & Josie

Coming Home on Valentine's Day!

Please forgive us, Dear Valentines,

for the lack of updates in the past few days.

We've been moving at a frenetic pace 

and the need for sleep won out over the need to update the Blog!

Gerry will be coming home later today,

(around 2:00),

Tuesday, February 14th.

He's been steadily gaining strength and good health

and after a restful weekend of feeling better each day

he was "booted" from ICU.

(The ICU suddenly flooded with patients on Sunday

and since Gerry was the healthiest of the lot

he was moved to a regular room at 10pm.)

Korina was tempted to sneak him out of Phelps

as his new room was about 1/4 of the size 

and the poor, hard-of-hearing chap that was his new roommate 

had trouble understanding the concept of the "nurse's call button"

and kept screaming "NURSE!" when ever he needed something.

Somehow Gerry seemed to welcome the activity around him

and didn't mind the added noise and chaos of the regular floor.

(A sure sign that he's ready to have more of a social life!  :)

He is definitely feeling post-surgical discomfort, pain & tiredness

and adjusting to breathing with 1/4 less lung capacity.

But he is very glad that he will arrive home 

without having to use supplemental oxygen & a heart monitor

and without needing a chest drain.

'Great progress!

_________________________________

Christie had her last at-home Basketball game at St. Vincent Ferrer.

The team had a very nice send off for the Seniors,

(complete with flowers, chocolates & pizza).

Their team is #1 in their division in NYC and will start playoffs soon.

It's good that she has this outlet for the energy of "Senior-itis"!

_________________________

Although Josie's Basketball team 

doesn't quite have the same record as Christie's team

they happily played their best during 2 games over the weekend.

What raised Josie's spirits most was receiving the music 

for the County Honor Band Concert to be held in the Spring.

She's very excited to play lots of new songs on the Saxophone,

(most particularly "The Star Spangled Banner" & "Scooby Doo"). 

__________________________________

As always THANK YOU to everyone who "checks in" here

to read about Gerry's progress,

to those of you who ask about him, 

call us, send texts, emails, letters, gifts & cards,

to the families who have cooked & baked 

then shared your meals & sweet treats with us,

and  the friends who pick up the girls, spend time with them

& take them where they need to be.

You've made our lives rich and infinitely less stressful.

We can only hope to be as wonderful friends as you are.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Gerry, Korina, Christie & Josie