new post by Zachary...

   Hello, My name is Zachary i am one of the special people who went to the Florida trip, I'm going to tell you a little about it. First, we unpacked and looked around. It was Right next to the beach it was the backyard. Then we had a family meeting and found out the house cost a lot of money...so we had to really be sure to keep our stuff picked up ... did i mention it had an elevator?? Well then it was off to bed. Well I got to go. 

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Heading to Florida

Last year our family tried what many families may have done for years.. a family vacation.  Yep, we took the circus on the road!  It was a great week, the cousins got to play ALL week long - we played games and no one ended up fighting or hospitalized..although Brooklynn's jelly fish sting was no fun.  (no one peed on her even though some thought that would really work).  

It was a great week with lots of good memories.  Pammy was only with us for another week after this trip, so it made it even more of a blessing that we got to spend so much time with her that week.  It was a real blessing.

SO, tonight is the big night.  We are loading up the rental van and my car and 'hitting the tires' as Wakil (mom's Afghan son) would say.  It is bittersweet to be sure.  Lisa is still at Hurstbourne Care Center and can't go with us.  She is really sad about it - so will you pray for her?  Also, we will surely be thinking about the empty place that is so evident when we are all together, Pammy will be missed.

Stephan and Deanna can't go - but they are sending Brooklynn and Zach with us... which may be it's own kind of vacation for them! :-)   Joe, Ashley and Alexis get to go this time - YEA!  (But that did make lisa more sad that her grandbaby would be running around all week with us and she won't be there).  Jon and Jake are also along this time, with Jake's girlfriend, Franckie too.  We have some special guests as well - 4 of Pammy's friends are going to go with us.  Christie, Julie, Michael & James.  So, we have all the elements of a traveling circus!

Jen and I are planning to dominate in corn hole, we are in for some fun with guitar hero and after beach days... we are hoping for some fun game nights.  We have big plans, who knows how they will turn out...but stories are for sure in our future.

Will you pray for us as we travel?  I am a bit nervous driving with so many of our family in one vehicle, especially the kids.  Please pray for Michael and Joe/Jon as they drive the other vehicles down.  Will you also pray for Lisa - that she will have a good week, although she doesn't know how it could be good with everyone gone.  If you want to take a field trip and actually meet Lisa - I am sure she would love some visitors!  Hurstbourne Care Center is on Stonybrook - near target on taylorsville road... she is room 23 (or somewhere outside smoking!).  Thanks for that idea Julie 2!!!  

Lisa did get encouraging news yesterday that she gets out next friday (if all continues to go as it is now).  So, that is an answer to many prayers already!  Thank you for checking out our blog and praying for us... 

more news from the road show soon!

May 29

For starters, Lisa did make it to the girls birthday party.  She stayed a couple of hours, enjoyed cake and ice cream even.  She seemed tired when she left, but was doing pretty good.  It was nice to see her in something other than pajamas for a change, although she said her pants were too tight.  They were a size S and looked to me like they might even be a bit big on her.  I think she is just not used to regular clothes.

Sunday she was sick much of the day.  Her blood pressure is just not cooperating.  When it hit 200/120 for the second time early in the morning Monday, they finally sent her back to the hospital.  Thankfully, after treating her for the day in the ER, they released her.

The nursing home, um, i mean 'rehab center, has really been depressing for her.  I can completely understand why!  They seem understaffed, Jake swears that some of the aides are hopped up on some kind of drugs and Lisa suspects the double amputee lady who rolls around in her wheelchair all day is stealing from the residents.  Yea, I wouldn't be too keen on being there.

Yesterday afternoon she was taken back to the hospital.  Her stomach problem has either returned, or she has something different and her blood pressure is back up again.  She has dialysis this morning, so maybe that will help a bit.  

Thanks for your prayers!

May 24

Happy Memorial Day weekend!  I hope this post finds your families enjoying time together. 

My last post was Lisa back in the hospital.  By Tuesday, she was stable and transitioned back to the Hurstbourne Care Center.  She lost several days of rehab and that set her back a bit.  She had hoped to be out by now and it looks like (praying nothing else goes wrong) it could be a couple of weeks away before she gets home.  I cannot imagine how frustrating it would be to be out of commissions for months at a time, but this is not new for Lisa  - and that is such a sad thing to me.

She was so happy that Jake and Franckie came up to the hospital last weekend before her prom to show off how pretty she looked and how handsome he was.  The nurses were making them stop all the way down the hall saying how cute they looked.  That brought a smile to Lisa's face.   Until jake tried to eat some dorito's in his tux... oh well, he didn't get any on his clothes - thankfully.  

Today is the birthday party for Graylen and Caroline.  They will be 3 and 8 year milestones.  We are hoping that Lisa can come - the kids would be so happy to see her and it would do her well to get out for a bit.  She had to have an extra dialysis treatment yesterday and has to go today as well - so i am not sure she will be feeling up to it.  I hope to report next that she was there and had fun... maybe i'll even  have some pictures from the birthday circus!

thanks for checking in!

The Flying Trapeze...

Well, I am beginning to see that life is like being on a trapeze...soaring high one moment, swooping low and sometimes even flying in mid-air without even the trapeze to hang onto.  Life has been crazy this week.  I got home from Poland on Sunday night - I left Monday afternoon for a 5 hour drive to So. Bend and spent 2 days with some great people from mega church mission programs.  I drove back home and then had a full day on thursday at work and a mission team meeting Thursday night.  No matter how much you travel, jet lag still creeps in.  So, I battled sleepiness various points of this crazy week.  Then on Friday Lisa moved from the "rehab center''  back to the hospital.  Her hemoglobin is very low and her blood pressure was really high.  I think this is the part where we are again flying mid-air.  She is back at Baptist East in their transitional care unit - a step down from ICU.  They had been talking about letting her go home this weekend and I think that was exciting and scary for her.  She can do so much more than when she went to the rehab center, but still is not completely self-sufficient.  We'll see what today holds.

Tonight Jake is taking his girlfriend to her Jr. prom.  I am sure the teachers at Bullitt East are going to be so excited to see him back! :-)  

more soon from the circus!

Polish Family

Our families are often made up of both our biological families and those that 'become' family. There are those here in Poland that are definitely part of our extended family. I am glad that over the years, they have moved past just me and are integrated into my family at home. My Polish family have spent holidays with us, vacations and Pam spent a summer here in 2006 with them and they looked after her, encouraged her and gave her the experience of a lifetime.

It is nice to be with them and a little bittersweet. I have not been back here, a place that is so dear to me, since Pam died. I have been able to celebrate the birth of Magda and Daniel's new baby - Miki, he is soooo cute! Also, the announcement that John & Zaba are expecting their 3rd! They are awesome parents, so this baby will be blessed as well as a blessing.

The ministry here is continuing to grow - for more info on Proem - check out their website ... proem.pl

Lisa is continuing with her dialysis 3 days a week and therapy every day, sometimes twice. She is hoping to be out soon. Mark surprised her and bought them a house! I am not sure exactly where it is, but I think she got to go and look at it - and Jen said she liked it! I am really excited for them. They have been renting a house next door to mom for the past few years - they are really close to the hospital - but they have wanted to buy something for a while now. I know it will be an adjustment for her to not be so close to mom, but I am praying it will be good.

Thanks for checking in!

Note Brigade

Hey guys...
Mothers day is this sunday and it will be Lisa's first mother's day without Pam. I am sure this will be a hard time for her. If you or your friends would be willing to send her a short note of encouragement - that would be awesome!

Lisa McCardwell
HURSTBOURNE CARE CENTER
2200 STONEYBROOK
LOUISVILLE, KY 40220

I am leaving today for poland - but will be home on Sunday... I will continue to post while i am away - the beauty of technology!