Richmond Family Updates

(written by Becky)

Hi all, Sorry for the delay in getting an update to you. Things are a bit crazy the last two days. Mom is now unofficially bed-ridden. The oncologist reviewed the scan from the ER on Saturday and confirmed that there is deterioration in the pelvic bones from the cancer. The doctor is worried that if Mom falls, her pelvic bone will break badly, necessitating a hip replacement surgery which will halt chemo for over a month. Since chemo (starts tomorrow morning) is so urgent, right now, Mom needs to stay in bed as much as possible. She can use crutches in the house when it’s necessary to use the bathroom and someone has to be there when she showers. Additionally, she will now be using a wheel chair when she’s out of the house. (And, if you’ve seen their house – you’d gasp. It’s a split level ranch with three different sets of stairs.)

The oncologist is confident that chemo will help sterngthen her pelvic bones, but the back-up plan will be to do targeted radiation in that area after chemo.

Her spirits were up today. She was very cheerful after a few different visits from friends and says she’s looking forward to time to rest, pray and read.

Chemo starts tomorrow. This is a hard time for all of us… especially for Mom physically. The rest of us need to step it up to an even higher level of cleanliness around the house while her white blood cell count is down and ’round the clock waiting on Mom.

Many people have asked what they can do in addition to praying. Here’s what I can think of:
1. Ladies to sit, pray, chat with Mom. Get her tea or a snack. (If she’s sleeping while you are there, I’ll always have a list of things that need done like chopping her daily truckload of veggies.) One of Mom’s friends is putting together a schedule to spread out visits, so I can put you in touch with her.
2. One-off cleaning projects, like wipe out the fridge or a mid-week vacuum/mop the kitchen floor. (My cousin comes once a week but during chemo, we need to be extra vigilant.)
3. Bring meals for Dad that can be in the frozen or in the fridge for a few days incase he has plans the night you bring something. Ideally, in those cheap aluminum tins that you don’t need back.

Thanks for your prayers!

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