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