Obituary for Lula Belle Blackham

Lula Belle Bamgartner Blackham completed her sojourn in mortality on June 17, 2008, having battled Leukemia for the past seven months. She lived a life filled with love and service, savoring relationships with friends and associates. The joy of her life was Gus, her husband of 62 years, and the posterity of nearly 100 over which they preside.

Lulie was born September 19, 1926 in McGill, Nevada to Emil and Loretta Bamgartner. She married her high school sweetheart, Angus Udell Blackham, on June 5, 1946, in the Salt Lake City Temple. They are the parents of 12 children—6 by birth and 6 by marriage. Patricia (Merlin) Fish of American Fork, UT; Kathie (Alfred) Adams of Lindon, UT; Valerie (Douglas) Whitaker of Provo, UT; Udell (Pheobe) Blackham of Alpine, UT; Laurel (Dru) Nielsen of Fairfield, CA; and Marshall (Nikki) Blackham of Houston, TX. Their family to date includes 48 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren.

Lulie’s life is an example of true discipleship. She loves the Savior and served faithfully in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in many capacities. She blessed the lives of countless individuals through her insightful gospel instruction, her tireless work in genealogy, her wisdom, counsel and love. Her hospitality, gardening, quilting, and pie-making skills are legendary. She and Gus served two missions in the Philippines. Their love for the people there led them to establish the Livelihood Assistance Foundation, an organization that promotes self-reliance by teaching life and employment skills.
She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister-in-law, Mary Blackham Hall, and is survived by her husband, a brother Lee (Maxine) Bamgartner, a brother-in-law Sam (Sybelle) Blackham, and her entire posterity.

Special thanks go out to the dedicated professionals at the Central Utah Clinic, the UVRMC, and the many friends who cared for her during her illness.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, June 23 at the LDS chapel at 1650 South 200 East in Orem. There will be a viewing at the Sundberg-Olpin Mortuary, 495 South State St. in Orem on Sunday, June 22 from 6-8pm, and at the chapel on Monday prior to the service from 10-10:45 am. Interment will be in the Orem City Cemetery.

Because of her love and commitment to the people of the Philippines, the family suggests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Livelihood Assistance Foundation, 1632 S. 200 E., Orem UT 84058.

Lulie's New Journey

This morning (Tuesday, June 17, 2008) at 12:46 a.m., after steady, peaceful, but increasingly more shallow breathing, Mom took a deep breath, opened one eye and passed away peacefully. She was surrounded by Gus, Udell, Pat, Kathie, Valerie and Doug. Funeral arrangements are still being finalized, but we are planning to have the funeral on Monday, June 23rd at 11:00 a.m.

June 16

Mom didn't open her eyes at all yesterday, but did squeeze them a couple of times in response to something that was said to her. Many family members came by yesterday and at times we were a bit loud. Once again delightful conversation and family unity filled mom and dad's home with them in the center of it.

Mom's breathing is getting more shallow. Her pulse is still fluctuating. She seems to be resting comfortably. We are trying to make sure she is comfortable but we are novices at it. We wish Nurse Laurel was here to teach us how to be perfect nurses.

If you have questions call the house or drop me an e-mail.
Valerie

June 15

Dear Family,
Mom had a really good day on Saturday. She slept soundly and fairly still (not too much leg moving) through the night. Her breathing was even with no obstruction. She had a steady stream of company all day and did really well with it. She was calm and relaxed. Pretty much all of the family in the area came by and she seemed very happy to have them here. Occasionally she was able to open her eyes and respond with a smile or a bllink even though she was unable to talk. Her grandkids and great grandkids circled her bed and sang some Primary songs to her. Later in the afternoon we were unable to get her to open her eyes. She has been less and less responsive but she seems comfortable and her breathing is even. She continues to lose excess fluid in her legs and feet and I know that that makes her feel better. Two different hospice workers came during the day--one in the morning who bathed her and the other one who is a nurse took some vitals and talked with us about medical things and what we might expect mom to do over the next couple of days.
Saturday was a very sweet day with loved ones about and all expressing their love and tender feelings for Mom. At bedtime, Mom was sleeping very soundly. Mom had a very restful sleep all through the night. Her breathing now is shallow and she is very still--only an occasional twitch of the feet. We are treating her with tylenol and she seems to have had no fever. This morning (Sunday) she couldn't open her eyes when we tried to wake her up, but she did seem to squeeze her eyes tight a few times when we tried to get her to respond. It seems that she still can wake up enough for a few moments to be aware of what is going on or who is here even though her only response can be the slight squeezing of the eyes. Dad is spending much of the time sitting in the recliner next to Mom and holding her hand. He is very happy to be able to do that. Everybody is glad to be home.
Happy Fathers Day to all you dads.
We will keep you updated.
Kathie

June 14

Dear Family,
As we indicated in a very short message sent out by Scott W. yesterday, we have brought Mom/Grandma home. Mom has had a rash all over her body the whole time she was in the hospital. It looked like a really bad case of chicken pox. At first the doctors thought it was a reaction to one of the antibiotics, then that it was related to the yeast fungus in her blood, but it didn't really seem to improve. The doctors finally decided to do a biopsy of one of the sores and we have been waiting for the results for about a week. Yesterday we finally got the results of the culture and it was not good news. The findings were that the rash is caused from the leukemia itself and that the leukemia is running rampant throughout her body and has invaded the tissues as well as the blood. The rash is very rare and is called (by some) leukemia cutis, which means infiltration of the skin. Yesterday we informed you that mom had no chance of recovery and because of that we all knew that Mom would
want to be in her own home for these last few days, Dad wants to be by her side, holding her hand, through all of this.
Mom was transported home in an ambulance at around 8:00 p.m. and is situated in a hospital bed in the family room. We met with the hospice nurse around the dining room table and discussed what we would need to do to care for mom and some of the things to expect. He mentioned that in his past experience, most patients with the same breathing pattern as mom's current breathing pattern, usually passed away within 48 hours. FYI, mom didn't lose any of the hair she grew back after the first chemo and so she has short, grey hair. She isn't wearing a hat or wig. The rash (red dots and splotches) is still manifest over her entire body. She has had quite a bit of edema in her body. Mom is not able to talk or eat or get out of the bed. Periodi
cally, she opens her eyes and seems aware of people and her surroundings. Yesterday, she even managed a few smiles. Her breathing is often labored and erratic. Thank you for your love and support for grandma and grandpa.

With love,
Kathie and Valerie

June 13

The results have come back from Grandma's biopsy and they were told that there is no chance of recovery from her current condition. They are going to take Grandma home tonight and put her under hospice care. Valerie will get out more details later this evening.

June 12

Mom is more unresponsive today. It is very hard for her to stay awake for longer than a couple of minutes. Her breathing is more labored. Kathie was shown mom's chest x-ray and it still shows fluid in the lower portion of her lungs. They are going to increase the pressure on her bipap machine to help her breathing be easier. For the past few days mom has only been on the bipap machine during the night, but they plan on putting her on it again a few times during the day to help her get the deep breaths that she needs. We keep watching for her neutrophil count to go up, but again today it was still at .1. Yesterday afternoon I was able to read some more messages to her that people have sent and some more of your memories and tributes. I know she liked that. She didn't have much to say, but she kept smiling.

Be like Lulie today and keep smiling!

Val

June 11

Hello again to everyone,
Reports from the doctors this morning indicate that mom's lung x-rays are showing some improvement. She is getting rid of some of the liquid around them and it doesn't look like pnemonia at this point. Mom had a good day yesterday, lots of naps and a good 2 hour wakeful time when Pat and Dad came to visit and say good-bye to Laurel. She had the physical therapists come twice yesterday, which they will continue to do. This morning she was able to sit on the edge of the bed unassisted, but standing up was too difficult. She has been quite sleepy this morning and her nurse says that we should just let her sleep as much as she needs to, it is not a thing to worry about. Mom's breathing is comfortable and not labored. When she is awake she is coherent but very soft spoken. When Dr. Wallentine was looking at her feet and ankles to see if they were still as swollen as yesterday, she smiled a little bit and said "Aren't they cute." She does not need any blood transfusions today. Her counts have stayed good, but her neutriphils are still at .1 and being a little stubborn about increasing.

Have a great day, we will try to as well,
Valerie

June 10

Mom was put on a feeding tube yesterday afternoon. She is responding
very well to that. They hoped to get her up to a rate of 70 ml per
hour and Kathie just called me to say that she has now arrived at
that rate. The feeding tube goes directly to her small intestines so
we will still encourage her to eat, but it is wonderful to know that
she is getting the calories and nutrition she needs to help with her
recovery. Laurel said that at about 4:00 this morning, mom went into
the deepest sleep she has seen her have during the last 5 days. Her
heart rate was good and she was taking nice deep breaths. All the
doctors who saw her today said she was looking better. Her breathing
sounds better today and is less labored. She is having a physical
therapist come twice a day now to help her build up her strength.

Dr. Wallentine said that she was more awake today and glad that she
was still not having any pain. He actually thinks she is doing
better today than last week. He mentioned to her that she had a high
temperature during the night but that now she had no fever at all, to
which she responded, "You know I'm a cool chick." And with that she
did make Dr. Wallentine blush before he left her room. (Some of you
might not know that mom tries to crack some joke every time she sees
him. He blushes very easily and it is a little joke between them
that mom is always trying to see if she comes up with something that
might make him blush.)
Dr. Wallentine is bald and mom started to call him her "twin" when
she lost her hair. She keeps telling him that with his wife's
permission they should go on a date with their two bald heads when
she gets better. Laughter is the best medicine and mom tries to keep
herself and others laughing amidst her serious condition.

June 9

Mom had a good night on Saturday, sleeping quite peacefully. She had
a good Sunday with visits from all of her children and dad. Mom has
really been trying to eat more. The doctors have said that nutrition
is so important right now. Laurel reported that mom slept well on
Sunday night however, during the morning visits with the various
doctors that work with mom, everyone is noticing that she is getting
weaker and weaker and has more times of being confused. Mom's
breathing is becoming more labored and we will try to have her on the
bipap machine often during the day as well as during the night. The
doctors feel there is a great need now to get some nutrition in her
via other methods and are communicating with each other as to what
methods to choose. There is a risk with IV feedings of TPN and a
risk of possible bleeding with the insertion of a feeding tube, but
it is time to take the risk since she needs something to help her
regain some strength. Mom's lung x-rays continue to look the same -
cloudy so there seems to still be some fluid accumulating there. We
will know later today which way the doctors feel is best to
supplement mom's nutritional needs.

Valerie

June 7

Yesterday we watched mom's heart rate continually approve throughout the day. We were waiting for the cardiologists to come and give mom that little electrical stimulus to get her heart back into sinus rhythm. Well we got another blessing, because 5 minutes before they arrived to do the procedure mom's heart went back into perfect sinus rhythm and has maintained all night long. Mom didn't sleep quite as peacefully last night. She had another fever spike and drew blood to culture again. She seems to be a little agitated in her dreams again. She does seem to be a little stronger in her arms and legs. Yesterday we got mom up and she sat in a chair for about an hour while we gave her a massage.

Mom wouldn't be able to talk on the phone, but if you have a message for her just e-mail me and I will read it to her. We have been reading the memories and tributes you sent to me earlier about her. She is really enjoying that. We shed tears at your thoughtful words and we laugh at some of your memories. These happy messages keep a positive feeling in a room filled with beeps, bags and tubes.

hugs and kisses to you from grandma
Valerie

June 6

Yesterday was Mom and Dad's anniversary. Dad and Pat came in the evening and mom and dad celebrated their anniversary by eating some ice cream. Dad was very sweet and attentive to Mom. He, our dad, did most of the talking while he sat by her bedside and held her hand. Just before midnight, mom's heart rhythm changed from a normal sinus rhythm with a rate of 70-80, to an atrial fibrillation with a rate ranging in the 140's - 160's. She ended up getting some various medicines during the night and the cardiologist on call, Dr. Peterson, came in and discussed what was happening. Mom's heart rhythm is ranging in the 120's - 140's now. We are waiting for the cardiologists to come in and talk about doing a cardioversion, where they will give her heart a little "zap" and hopefully put it back into correct sinus rhythm. Mom is quite sleepy, but she is trying to eat to get some more strength. Laurel is here, we are all grateful to have her nursing skills help assist mom. Mom is looking forward to a visit with Marshall tonight.

Let you know more as things change.
Valerie

June 5: Gus and Lulie's Anniversary

I just arrived at the hospital 1 hour ago and got an update from Pat, who spent the night with mom. Pheobe spent the day with her yesterday. While Pheobe was with mom, she had a few difficult times. She got really chilled after they took her off the bipap machine and had a long bout with the shakes. She also had a bit of a rough time after the nurses bathed her. We know that it is important for her to be moved around and not just allowed to lay in one spot. But it is presently a bit hard on her body when she has to roll to the side, then roll to the other side, etc. but I am sure it keeps her inner workings functioning better. I'll ask nurse Laurel if that is correct when she arrives later today. Pat said that mom had a terrific night. She was able to sleep very soundly all night long. She wore her bipap machine mask all night and got those deep breaths that surely increased her oxygen intake all night. One of the nurses, Teresa, said yesterday that she felt like mom's random comments, many of which didn't make sense, were because she hadn't gotten deep sleep. So last night was a real blessing that her body was able to completely relax and sleep deeply. When I got her this morning mom looked much better. She was completely lucid. Infact, Pat said that she was lucid all night whenever they needed to wake her up for something. This deep sleep has made a big difference in her and "has been an answer to prayers." Mom said that herself this morning. Mom is also more comfortable because she was given some Lysix (sp?) to help reduce the edema that she had throughout her body. It has worked great and mom's hands, arms, feet look much better. Mom told Pat this morning that today she wasn't going to be "clever." She was just ready to listen and not try to talk. She said she feels quite tired and sleepy. She also said that she doesn't feel like having a lot of visitors, she just wants to rest. If anyone wants to send a message, just e-mail me and we will read your message to her when she is awake.

More info later,
Love to all from mom
Valerie

June 4

Well, mom didn’t have a very good night last night. Her fever keeps going up and down. She ate pretty good for breakfast and lunch, but then she wouldn’t eat any more at night. She talked to me all afternoon and never took a rest. She said she wasn’t tired, but her conversation jumped around a lot, sometimes on the subject we were talking about and sometimes just saying random things. She was weaker in the evening and standing was very difficult. She didn’t ever to sleep very soundly because she was very figety, always trying to readjust her bedding and she talked in her sleep all night long. She must have been having a complete jumble of dreams. Her talking seemed to jump from one situation to another so rapidly. You know how your dreams are – it is so difficult to retell them because the situations keep changing quickly, but they seem to make sense to you when you are dreaming them. I'’m not sure what is causing her to be so vocal while she sleeps. She hasn't been one to talk in her sleep. This morning she finally fell into a deep sleep around 7:30 and slept until 10:00 until the doctor had to wake her up. During the night her breathing was quite rapid and shallow. During the deeper sleep this morning she was breathing deeper but her breathing was more labored. The doctor has decided to put her on a bi-pap machine to help her do some deep breathing. Her chest x-ray showed some liquid accumulating on the lungs.

We will keep you updated.
Valerie

June 3

Dear Family,
If you have been reading your emails, you know that Grandma is back in the hospital and is on the second floor in Intermediate Care. She has a yeast infection in her blood and this is the most serious condition she has had yet. She is on an anti-fungal medication to help treat the yeast and is also on two other antibiotics. Yesterday, Val and I were at the hospital most of the day. Butch came for a couple of hours and then came back to stay the night in her room. This will be a hard fight for Mom and we really can't predict the outcome. So far she has been able to maintain a good blood pressure and her temperature hasn't gotten too high. Yesterday they put in a central line which is like a picc line but it goes in her neck in the big vein there and down into the superior vena cava chamber of her heart. They are able to regulate her blood pressure better with the central line. Mom was quite trembly yesterday and would have periods of chills and shaking even though her temperature wasn't all that high. Val is at the hospital today and this morning she said that Mom is stable, alert and seems to be responding to the treatment. She had a little fever spike in the night but it has dropped back down for now. Mom was able to sit up to eat a little breakfast this morning which was good--she wasn't able to eat much of anything yesterday and was quite nauseated. Of course, all of Mom's blood levels are low and probably won't start to go up until the end of this week or sometime next week. Over the last week or so she got two units of red blood cells twice and two units of platelets twice. She was getting some more red blood cells when I talked to Val this morning. Val also said that Laurel was planning to fly in on Thursday morning.
We know you have all been praying for Mom's healing and recovery--keep up your faith and prayers. This is a very serious situation and we will just take it one day at a time. We will keep you updated. We know this is all in the Lord's hands and we also know that Mom is a fighter.
Love,
Kathie

June 1

I got a call from the hospital this afternoon informing me that Mom
had been moved down to the 2nd floor in the intermediate care section
of the hospital. They have identified a yeast infection in her
blood. Her blood pressure really dropped and her temperature went up
to 103.2. She is hooked up to some continuous monitors and her nurse
only has one other patient. Her mouth is really dry and
she is very slow in conversation. It is easy for her to just slur
most of her words together. But when she really tries she can speak
clearly.

Please keep her in your prayers.
Val

June 1

Well, mom lasted at home 2 days longer than her last chemo round.
She developed a fever yesterday and was really shaky and just felt
really sick. Merlin took her to the ER in the afternoon and she was
admitted Saturday evening. We had been at the hospital Friday
evening getting platelettes. We left the hospital at 10:00 p.m. and
mom was doing her fast walking out of the hospital. She looked and
felt pretty good. What a difference 12 hours can make. I will let you
know more in a day or two. We don't know what kind of an infection
she has developed, but they changed the antibiotic she was on at home
to something different in the hospital. They don't want me to bring
any "green drink" into the hospital so mom is going to have to try to
get all her protein and nutrition through boost, etc. She was really
enjoying the green stuff.

I'll keep you posted.
Love, Valerie

May 25

It is Sunday evening and I have spent a quiet Sabbath home alone, feeling content and, thankfully, not too sick! I slept until 2:30 p.m. with only potty breaks interrupting a restful sleep. I have managed to swallow some meals that didn't taste too bad and have been careful to drink lots of water. I can't be anything but grateful for the way the chemotherapy went this time. Having a day off from receiving chemo on Tuesday and Thursday seemed to help me tolerate the assault on my body much better than the last two regimens. I am so grateful to be able to be at home and not in the hospital. It will be interesting to see just what happens now that my blood count is so low. On Friday when I received the last infusion, I had a blood test taken. The result was that the platelets were low and I needed to have a transfusion that day. As it turned out, we had to go to American Fork Hospital for the the transfusion which ended up making the expected 3 hour infusion at the clinic a 7 hour marathon. It is always a new experience going to the doctor.

Now all there is to do is wait and watch, eat well, drink lots of water and pray that blood cells will develop quickly.
Thanks for your continuing prayers and concern.

Love,
Lulie

3rd Round

Chemo therapy began today with a visit to the Imaging Center to have a picc line put in my right arm for administering the chemo and subsequent blood transfusions and meds. When Kathie and I arrived at the appointed hour, 8:15, I was taken back into the area where the picc lines are inserted only to find out that they were not expecting me until 9 a.m., in spite of a phone call on Friday which had verified the earlier appointment. No one knows what happened between Friday and Monday with the appointment schedule. It turned out to be a blessing for the three picc patients before me since it took two hours instead of the usual 1/2 hour for a line to be successfully inserted my right arm. A doctor finally had to come to assist the team who had done it with no complications for the last infusion. I will be sporting a glorious bruise and swelling on my right bicept. So instead of getting started with the infusion at 9 a.m. it was 11:30. I had no problems with the infusion and was home by 3, I think. I was told not to eat before coming for the procedure, but to bring something to snack on. I stuffed a half banana and an apple into my purse on the way out the door. At the infusion center, Kathie fixed me a hot chocolate from the refreshment bar before she left, and found me some chips. I was in good shape for breakfast-lunch. Kathie had another appointment at 2:30 and was most reluctant to leave me, but I had made arrangements with Uncle Sam and Aunt Belle to bring me home if there was a delay in the schedule and they were happy to come and serve me that way. I fixed some green drink as soon as I got home and had some French tomato soup and toast, dropped on the couch and slept for 2.5 hours. The phone didn't ring once! I am feeling fine, have medication for nausea, and l have my second dose of chemo in a pack strapped to my waist and connected to my picc line; it will go off about midnight for the second infusion while I am sleeping. Tomorrow at 11:20 I will be back at the clinic to turn in the pump and then the process will start all over again on Wednesday and Friday around 11:30 a.m. It will be over on Saturday morning at 8 a.m.

All is quiet and well here at home. Gus is with Pheobe and Butch and is well treated and entertained and cared for. We are both so grateful for their and Pat and Merlin's care for him while I go through this process every time. We are also so grateful for all of your prayers for both of us. We know they are heard and considered and answered.

So far all is well and I feel good. No nausea today and no problems with eating. 8 8oz glasses of water per day--that is a challenge that I am working on. I am about to go down #5--I am a little behind due to the long nap, and I am SO grateful to be HOME instead of in the hospital.

Love and thanks to all family and friends.
Lulie

Chemo

I went to the doctor today, May 13. Test results from the biopsy showed that the cancer was back and that white cells were not maturing as was expected from the last two blood tests. Chemo will begin next Monday morning after a picc is inserted into my arm. The procedure will be an infusion taking abouta 3 hours at the clinic, I will be given a pack which contains another infusion which will go into the picc 12 hours later when I am at home. Tuesday I will return the pack to the clinic, go back on Wednesday to repeat Monday's process, return the pack on Thursday, repeat process on Friday, return on Saturday morning after the 6th infusion and receive a shot which jump starts the production of blood cells in the bone marrow. We will see how that regimen goes. I will just be given one kind of chemo (same as I got both times before) but will not be given a second kind as I did the first two times. The dosage will be a little stronger. So we will see how all this plays out. This gives me a few more days to get some tomatoes, melons and flowers planted and other jobs around the house done.
We will keep you updated when things get started.
Lulie

May 6

Dear Family,
I went to the doctor today, had a blood test and learned that the red blood cells and the platelets were doing pretty well, but the white blood cells were down to about half of what they were 2 weeks ago. Part of the job of these cells is to fight infection and there is no transfusion for them. After a long discussion it was decided that chemotherapy was the best choice, however this time it would be just one chemo and be for 7 days. However, before he started, Dr. Wallentine wanted to send in another bone marrow biopsy so he could have the best possible information on what was going on in the bone marrow. He did the biopsy today and asked me to come back next Tuesday when he will have sufficient information on the biopsy to go ahead with the chemo. We are planning for me to have it as an outpatient, but this time I think I will curtail more of my activity and act more like I am in the hospital. I suppose he will start on Tuesday or Wednesday and it will be a 7 day treatment. Not the best news, but the best I could hope for under the circumstances. No treatment would be worse.
Thanks for your love and prayers. I feel all right about everything and am optimistic.
Much love to all,
Mom, Grandma

From Lulie

Monday I went for a monthly blood check at the cancer clinic having an appointment with Shirley the Nurse Pratictioner in the clinic. I was a little apprehensive because I haven't really felt that I was in remission until I had had two or three months where the blood test showed things remaining in the normal range. My apprehension was justified when the blood report came back that critical blood conditions were lower than normal:
-WBC 3.19 (4.5-11.0
-RBC 3.95 (4.2-5.4)
Hemaglobin 13.4 (12-16)
- Platelets 75 (140-440)
Neutrophils 47.3 (37-80)
Hermatocrit 38.5 (37-47)
Absolute
neutrophils 1.51 (was 2.5 last month)

Shirley had concerns about the drop in critical blood values above. (I noted, that while she didn't say it, she marked the appointment request for next month in the square which said NR--not in remission.) Shirley said since I hadn't tolerated the last chemo very well she thought Dr. Wallentine was reluctant to give me another and that protocol was that they would give 4 more treatments even with remission. I indicated to her that I thought problems with me from the last infusion period was more from pain medication than from the chemo. I will be interested to talk to Dr Wallentine about what he thinks about that. He always seems very concerned about my age since they don't have data on people in their eighties who have had chemo.
Today the office called and set up an appointment for me to meet with Dr. Wallentine on Tuesday, May 6, when we would discuss the plan of action we will be taking.

Good news: the chest x-ray that I had taken last Friday showed that there had been improvement in the lungs: one lesion reduced from 35 mm to 22 mm, a second one reduced from 19 to 10 mm; should probably have an0ther x-ray in a month.

I am fine. We will just move forward and do what has to be done and keep trying to know what Heavenly Father wants us to learn from this challenge.
Thanks for your love and prayers; they give me strength and courage. I love you all so much.
Love,
Mom/Lulie

March 22, 2008

Hi Family,

I just wanted to give everyone an update on Mom (Grandma). Yesterday afternoon I was able to go with her to her appointment with Dr. Wallantine. If you remember, she had a bone marrow biopsy on March 4th and this was the appointment to get the results from that test. Dr. Wallantine walked in the room with a big smile on his face and said, "Well, let's just get this over with," and then proceeded to tell Mom that the biopsy showed no signs of cancer cells and that she was in REMISSION!!!! He told her that although there was a remote chance that she was completely cured, more than likely the cancer would return at some point. He acknowledged that he truly doesn't know what to expect, based on evidence-based results, because there isn't much (if any) evidence for this in someone 81 years old. What this now means for Mom is that she will be monitored closely (appointments every month) where they will check her lab values and how things are progressing. He also counseled her to watch for things like bleeding, bruises that don't heal, mouth sores, marked increase in fatigue, and infections. She continues on her coumadin (blood thinner) to help with the clots in her arm, but Mom feels that they are improving. She also had a chest xray as a follow-up to her pneumonia, and we will have the results of that on Monday, but her lungs sounded clear and her oxygen saturation was 94%. Obviously Mom was in great spirits after hearing this amazing news. We as a family have truly been blessed and our prayers have been answered in a wonderful way. I, like you, am deeply grateful for the Lord's watchful care and tender mercies through this whole process. Mom and Dad send their love to all of you and thank you for your constant prayers in their behalf. We hope you all have a wonderful and meaninful Easter.

With much love,
Laurel

P.S. Here are the results from Mom's blood work yesterday:

WBC--4.12 (Normal 4.5-11.0)
RBC--4.35 (Normal 4.2-5.4)
Hemoglobin--13.6 (Normal 12-16)
HCT--40.6 (Normal 37-47)
Platelets 178 (Normal 140-440)
Neutrophils 61.2 (Normal 37-80)
Absolute Neutrophils 2.52

Her blood chemistry (sodium, potassium, etc.) were all within normal range.

Terrific, isn't it?

March 4

Dear Family,
I went with Mom to a follow-up doctor's appointment today and things are really looking good. All of Mom's lab tests are great and in fact, her white blood count is in the normal range for the first time since before she got sick. Dr. Wallentine did another bone marrow biopsy to see exactly what is going on and he won't get those results for a week or so, but he seemed very optimistic that Mom might be in remission. It looks very promising that Mom won't have to face any more chemo for now. That was really good news.
Mom is feeling pretty good but is still more weak and tired than she would like to be. Dr. Wallentine says that it is probably a result of her having had pneumonia along with everything else. Mom still doesn't have much appetite but occasionally finds something that tastes pretty good. She doesn't quite feel like herself yet but she was so encouraged by the good report today. It will just take a little more time for her to get her strength back but she is making steady progress. She did really well on the Sisters Retreat in Texas this past weekend and we were so happy for that.
Here are some of her stats and lab results from today:
Blood pressure - 102/60; Pulse - 87; Oxygen 93; INR - 2.5 (this is a value related to the thinness of her blood and is perfect since it should be between 2 and 3)
White blood count - 4.75; Red blood count - 4.51; Hemaglobin - 13.9;
Hematocrit - 41.9; Albumin - 3.7; Platelets - 248! and ANC (absolute neutrophil count) - 3.58!!
We are so grateful for this wonderful news. Keep praying that the bone marrow biopsy results will be marvelous!

Love,
Kathie

February 22

Dear Family,
I wanted to give you a quick update on how things have been going for Lulie since she returned home from the hospital last week. Things have been improving and Mom seems to be getting stronger and feeling better each day. She still is rather weak and a bit trembly, but her appetite and taste for food has improved and she is eating quite well. Within a few days of being home and off all the IV meds and fluids, she got rid of about 20 pounds of excess water in her system. That made a big difference. A little thing happened on the day Mom was being released from the hospital and looking back, it seems like one of those real tender mercies. The doctor had just left the room and Mom was sitting back down on her bed. I noticed that she had some blood on her hospital gown near her left arm and further examination showed that it was coming from her picc line (3 port) and in fact, the tape around the picc line had come loose from her arm and the line had come out a few inches. I went out to tell her nurse and Dr. Wallentine was still on the floor and he told the nurse to just pull the whole thing. She pulled out the line and Mom's vein really bled. The nurse put pressure on the site, but the blood filled the gauze bandages and she needed to get some more gauze. I put on a pair of gloves and took over holding the pressure on Mom's arm until the nurse returned with more gauze and took over. In less than a minute, the bleeding completely stopped! The great thing about all of that is that Mom hasn't had to deal with the annoyance of the picc line ports dangling from her arm and getting in the way and it is so good that she won't have to worry with that when we go on the Sisters Retreat next week.
Val and I went with Mom to her appointment on Tuesday (the 19th). She had a chest x-ray so they can determine the status of her pneumonia but there wasn't time for the radiologist to compare this x-ray with her previous one. However, Mom seems to be improving although the pneumonia isn't completely cleared up. We were excited when we got the results of her labs: WBC 3.61 (almost to the normal range); RBC 4.73, HGB 14.7 and Hematocrit 43.8--all in the normal range!! That is a first since before this whole mess started. Mom's platelets were at 139 (one point under the normal range of 140 to 440) and her neutrophils were at a whopping 2.82!! Her albumin was finally back in the normal range at 3.5 which indicated that she was getting some good nutrition in her. The doctor started her on coumadin again to thin the blood because she still has blood clots. With all the nightmare of things that have happened with this last round of chemo recovery in the hospital, Mom has had some real anxiety overwhelm her and so the doctor prescribed some Lorazepam for that and it seems to have been helping. As the effects from the oxycotin she received in the hospital have worked their way out of her system, Mom has felt better and clearer in her thinking. Every day she has sounded more like her real self. Every day she is able to eat more variety of foods and do more "chores" for herself. At the doctor's office, she was able to keep her oxygen level at 93 on room air, but she still is using the oxygen at night and occasionally during the day while she continues to fight off the pneumonia. We are so happy for these improvements and continue to pray for her strength to return. Even if she isn't at peak performance, she will still be well enough to head out to Houston with us girls on the 28th. Thanks for all your faith and prayers.
Love,
Kathie

February 16

We brought mom home from the hospital yesterday (Friday). All her blood counts were great, but she still feels quite sick. She hasn't needed any pain medicine since Thursday evening. I hope that getting those meds out of her system will help her to think more clearly and feel better. Our biggest concern now is that she start to eat and get out of the malnourished state she is in. Eating is really hard for her, but this morning she was a champion and ate a fried egg, 1/4 piece of toast, cup of yogurt and a glass of milk. I am going to try to see if she can tolerate a "green smoothie" so that I can get some fiber and good nutrients in her. She is still on oxygen. The liquids she has been retaining are starting to come off. She already is looking better after being home just 20 hours. If any of you have sent her e-mails, mom wants to let you know that she is sorry she hasn't read any of them yet. She was just too sick this time to even open her computer. We will try to get online and read some of those messages on Sunday. We are trying to have someone with mom round the clock until she gets some of her strength back. She is still very weak. Her next doctor appointment is Tuesday afternoon. They will take a chest x-ray then to see how her pneumonia is doing. Mom sends her love to all of you and expresses thanks for your prayers in her behalf. She is really enjoying the quiet of her home, and isn't worried about being there alone. She actually loves it. I try to stay downstairs or out on the deck when I am there, except when I need to cook and encourage her to eat. Maybe that way she will feel not to bothered and fussed over. Lisa spent the night with her last night and Kathie is there with her this afternoon. I will return and be with her tonight and tomorrow. We may have to call on some of you to help stay with her, but we will see how she is doing each day to determine her needs.

More later,
Valerie

February 12

Mom is telling me that she feels like she has some new jobs at the hospital. She has recently been given the opportunity to evaluate service on other floors in the hospital, namely the 5th floor. This morning she is back up on the 7th floor, and is "glad to be back home" (which is what she has told all the nurses she has seen), after her 2 day stay on the 5th floor. Mom was transferred down to the 5th floor on Saturday evening (the family was not informed of this change of level of care) because she was experiencing some different kinds of pains in her chest. The 5th floor has equipment to monitor the heart and that is why she was moved. Dr. Wallentine wanted her checked for possible heart attack issues. A cardiologist checked mom and felt like things with her heart were good, but still wanted Mom to have a thalium test on Sunday morning. Dr. Wallentine also ordered a bunch of other tests, which all turned out good. Mom has developed pneumonia and has been feeling pretty weak with that. She is trying to get up and walk more now. She has felt pretty winded when she tries to walk a few laps around the floor. The more she walks the better it is for her lungs. She is doing some exercises to help her lung capacity, but the doctors say that walking is the best for her lungs. The really GREAT news is that mom's neutraphils are climbing more rapidly than they did before. Sunday her ANC count was at .3, Monday it was .6 and today it is .8. She actually was at .8 when she came home on Christmas Eve, but she didn't have pneumonia then. Dr. Wallentine said that her lungs sounded better today. We think those white blood cells are recovering and are helping fight the pneumonia. YEAH!

It is sure a good thing that we decided against decorating her room this time, we would have had those nurses going crazy taking down and putting up all our decorations with each move she has made. This is the fourth room she has been in since she came 12 days ago. We are recognizing what a special blessing it was for her to be in room 789 the whole month of December.

Here is a funny story. Mom recognizes that her thinking has been a bit foggy lately, but when she was down on the 5th floor she told Kathie that she kept thinking she was on the 5th floor in the University of Utah hospital. Yesterday Kathie saw a big U of U hospital logo on one of the pillows when they were changing the sheets on the bed. They figured that mom had seen this and thought she was at that hospital. It was reassuring to mom that she hadn't been so foggy in her brain to have missed traveling from the hospital in Provo to the hospital in SLC. She is not as groggy as she thought she might have been.

This has been a rough go-round for mom this time. She is relieved that she is starting to recover. I would love us all to focus our prayers in her behalf to the near future. We have our mother-daughter retreat planned for February 29 - March 4. We want mom to be sufficently recovered to be able to travel to Houston with us for that retreat. Dr. Wallentine told mom to focus on feeling well enough by then so that she could make that trip. He said that he would wait until after that to do her next bone marrow test. Sometimes I wonder what to specifically pray for regarding Mom. Well, here is a specific. We want her to have a wonderful retreat with us. She loves these retreats so much. If you feel it is appropriate consider asking the Lord for such a special blessing to come to her.

Love, Valerie

February 6

Dear Family,
The last news about Mom that Val sent out indicated that Mom has really not been feeling well during this round of Chemo recovery. She has felt pretty crummy so far this week, but thinks she might be turning the corner. She had a good night's sleep from Sunday to Monday--the first in several days. On Monday she still had a low grade fever. Also, her albumin level was low meaning that she is not getting enough nutrition. The doctor said that the pain she has been feeling in her chest and all around her torso could be the result of a Nulasta shot she received on January 26th, the day she finished her second round of chemo. The Nulasta stimulates the bone marrow to start producing blood cells; however, it can make the bones ache from working so hard. I asked about the possibility of Mom's picc line being infected but that was ruled out. Mom did need to get platelets and two units of blood on Monday. She started feeling worse as the day went on and felt that there wasn't enough room inside for all the fluids they were pumping in her. She still ached all over and was not sleeping well.
On Tuesday morning she was still achy and felt puffy and swollen. She doesn't have any fluid in her lungs and her fever was down so that was good. Her albumin was still low and Mom is having a really hard time eating so they started her on a TPN drip (Total Parental Nutrition) which should give her the nutrients she needs. Also the doctor ordered Zofran (nausea) and Oxycotin (pain) to be given on a regular schedule in order to keep the pain and nausea under control. After Mom took the Oxycotin, she went off to La-la land and slept all day. Jason and his roommate gave her a blessing in the evening and then she conked out for the whole night and slept soundly.
This morning when I saw her, she was still feeling doped up from the Oxycotin and didn't want to take it any more. The doctor ordered the dose to be cut in half but Mom still chose not to take it unless she really feels in pain. She doesn't like the way it makes her feel at all. She was still pretty sleepy but is starting to feel a little better. At least the Oxycotin allowed her to get a really good night's sleep after not being able to sleep well for several days. Her hematocrit is up (good) and she is getting the IV nutrition and managing the nausea a bit better so we are hoping she is moving past the worst part of the recovery. Mom's neutrophil count is still at zero. Last time the count stayed at zero for 16 days so it will probably be Sunday or Monday before we see that count begin to climb. Let's pray that it will start to move faster than that since Mom has had to go through all these aches and pains. We'll continue to give you updates and hope they will keep getting better.
Love,
Kathie

Sunday, February 3rd

Do you want to know what's going on with Lulie, well so does she. Mom just is still not feeling very good. Friday night mom did not sleep very well. Her temperature went up and hovered around 100.8. Mom said that she just ached all night long -- from her head to her toes and that she was extremely nauseous all night long. Saturday morning they gave her some Lori-tab and some Zofran. When I saw her Saturday afternoon we figured out that she hadn't had any anti-nausea medicine since she arrived at the hospital. Wow! she had been taking phenegren every 8 hours at home and neither she nor I thought to ask about having that continue when she got to the hospital. I filled out some papers for her on Friday morning indicating what meds she had been taking, and I don't know how long that information takes to get to the nurses on the floor. Anyway, I think she would have avoided a lot of that nausea if we had thought to ask about her continuing her anti-nausea regime. Presently she is getting some Zofran (anti-nausea medicine) on a regular basis. The Lori-tab that she took yesterday helped with all her aches long enough for her to get some sleep. Saturday night and throughout today, (Sunday), mom has continued to have this ache and discomfort around her torso. She is unable to feel comfortable sitting up or laying down and it is just downright bugging her. Heart attack has continually been ruled out as a cause of this pain and discomfort. Her temperature is generally around 100.4. Pheobe called Aaron and asked him about it and he thinks her PICC Line should be pulled. They often get infected. Mom's nurse has a call in to Dr. Bott who is on call this weekend, to see what he suggests. I intend to call mom later this evening and find out what has happened.

Please keep praying that mom's doctors, nurses, etc. will be inspired as to the proper care that she needs. I know you all love her and want to do whatever you can for her. Right now I think she needs our collective prayers. If there is something that can be done to help with her situation we want the medical personnel that is caring for her to know what to do.

my love to you all,
Valerie

Friday, February 1st

This morning both Kathie and I were checking up on mom. Last night mom really suffered from the chills. She trembled and shivered so much that this morning she ached all over. Her fever had gotten up to 103. After being covered in warm blankets she was finally able to get back to sleep and when she woke up she was feeling warmer and the shivers were gone. Her fever came down, but I'm not sure how much it came down. Dr. Wallentine said that her blood cultures had grown something. They know it is a gram positive bacteria in her blood, but it is too early to identify which gram positive bacteria. They put her on another antibiotic - Vanco. Mom said that this is the worst she has felt during this entire Lukemia experience. the doctor told her to rest as much as she could. They are not expecting her to walk laps around the floor at the present time. She is a bit frustrated that her thinking isn't clear again. The pain in her chest came back again after she ate breakfast. When I left she was ready to sleep again. We will keep you posted.

Thursday, Jan 31

Well, mom might be setting up residence in the hospital again for a while. Last night when I arrived at mom's house and talked to her a little before we both went to bed she was doing pretty good. She didn't feel great -- still felt like there was a band around her chest, but she was wondering if maybe she just had a very irritated esophagus. Her temperature was 98.7 but she was feeling a little cold and had on extra warm pajamas. She slept very soundly and didn't get up until 10:00 this morning. She was a little unsteady when she tried to walk but she was able to eat some granola for breakfast but could only eat half of the bowl and just felt very tired, so she went back to bed and slept until around 2:00. She got up again and finished her breakfast and continued to feel trembly and a little chilled. She decided she should call the clinic. She spoke to Kathy, her case manager, and at her request took her temperature. Bad news -- her temp was up to 101. Kathy said that she needed to go to the ER. Mom told her she would really like to bypass the emergency room experience. Kathy spoke to Dr. Wallentine and he called over to the hospital and essentially got mom admitted. Mom called Aunt Maxine and she drove her to the hospital. They simply went to the nurses station on the 7th floor where they had a room waiting for mom. Talk about service!! X-rays were taken of mom's lungs and came back clear. They took a lot of blood for various tests and started mom on an antibiotic -- maxipime. Now they will try to figure out what kind of an infection she has. Mom continues to feel tired and has a bit of a hard time staying awake. She thinks they will probably keep her there until her ANC count starts climbing again. That could be a couple of weeks. We will see.

Valerie

Monday, January 28

Dear Family,
As you probably remember, Mom had a second round of chemo last week. One kind was administered by an IV drip at the clinic on Monday and Tuesday and the other was in a constant drip in her picc line from a pump that Mom carried around with her in a fanny pack. On Saturday morning, she had the pump disconnected. She still has the picc line (single port) and they expect it to stay in until she is finished with all her rounds of chemo. She has been home all through this treatment and is much happier about that. She met with Dr. Wallentine on Friday and he felt that things were going well but he did expect that Mom's blood levels would drop by the first of the week. Mom went for a blood test this morning and called me a few minutes ago to give me the results--
Hematocrit - 32.6 (normal range 37 and above);
Platelets - 42 (normal range 140 - 440);
Neutrophils - .o [nada, nothing, zip] (they would like these to build back up to 2.0)
We will all be hoping that Mom's neutrophil count will come back up faster than it did last time. She now has no white blood cells to fight infection and is keeping fairly isolated at home. She had been on coumadin to thin her blood, but she stopped that on Friday. On Saturday when she had the pump disconnected, she also received a shot of a drug called Nulasta which is a long lasting drug which stimulates the bone marrow to produce blood cells. Yesterday she was feeling kind of crummy all over and she is feeling about the same today but hasn't run a fever. However, the doctor called in a prescription for Cipro for her so it can start fighting infection immediately. Mom thinks she will feel much better when the Cipro kicks in. She wants everyone to know that she is still on her feet, doing well and taking care of Dad. Food has started to taste bad again. She is thirsty all the time but water tastes metallic and so she is trying to find liquids that taste okay enough. She will go in again on Wednesday for another blood test.
She still enjoys getting emails to keep in touch.
We'll continue to keep everyone posted. Keep praying that her counts will go up quickly.
Love,
Kathie

Round 2

Lulie went to the hospital today to receive her first injection of chemo, round 2. She will stay at home unless needing to be hospitalized for infection. She will be more comfortable in "isolation" at her own home. We'll keep everyone posted on her progress!

Lulie enjoy's time with friends and family before she starts more chemo treatments.

Biopsy Results

I went to the doctor today with Mom and we found out some of the
results of her bone marrow biopsy from last week. The report was
pretty much what was expected. Dr. Wallentine indicated that the
bone marrow was in an early stage of recovery. However, he wasn't
quite able to say that she was in remission because there were still
some cancer cells present. He recommends that Mom start a second
round of chemo therapy on Monday. He was going to talk to one of the
pathologists about mom's situation and then call her on Saturday and
let her know whether he recommends that she have a continuous
infusion of chemo at the hospital for 5 days, or whether she receives
her chemo in 3 doses next week at their lab and goes home each time
with some sort of a "piggy back" pack. More to come tomorrow.

Valerie

From Lulie

Friday, Jan 11 I went to the doctor's to have a bone marrow biopsy so see what kinds of blood or cells might be growing in the marrow. The results from that will be back by the next Friday. After that, I will know what the next phase of treatment is. I am still feeling great.

A note from Lulie

This is a bit old, but still has good info.

Dear Family and friends,
I guess it is time for another update after being home for 12 days on my own, but being babied and fussed over by Valerie and Kathie every day. I have enjoyed the quiet of my home, and the slow pace of doing what I felt like doing. How many of you would like to be doing that? I am driving the car and getting myself to places that I need to be, like the lab for tests on a regular basis.

I spent a good part of the day Friday (yesterday) in doctors' offices . Dr Wallentine was pleased with the report on my blood. I am climbing in all aspects; platelets and red blood cells are in the normal range and white blood cells continue to climb and are high enough that I can now roam where I want to and have family come by. In other words, I am out of isolation and can go out in public, using caution. Next Friday the doctor will do a bone marrow biopsy to get a look at what is really happening in the blood marrow. Good news.

Today I showed him a sore spot on my arm that looked like a blood clot to me and he decided to have me get an ultra sound of the veins and sure enough there were blood clots but blood was still able to flow through the vein. The final decision was that I needed to be on blood thinners for the next 6 months. So I had a shot in the belly, and then went to the pharmacy to buy some cumedin that I need to take every day. I was sent home with the shots for the belly for Saturday and Sunday that I would self administer and then would have to go back to the office on Monday for a blood test to see if the clotting mechanism was reducing. I also went to the chiropractor to see if I could get some relief from my neck and back pain (probably caused from being in bed too much the past month.)

I thought you might be interested in a "tender mercy" that happened in connection with this experience. When I had finished with the ultra sound, the technition told me it was really a good thing that I had the ultra sound when I did. She called my doctor to give him the results, and he asked that I come right up to his office while he and others decided what would be the best way to treat it. After a while the lab technition came out and called me back into the lab. She told me that the shots I needed were very expensive and not covered by insurance, but that a patient had brought in half a box of the syringes that she hadn't needed and asked that the lab give them to someone who needed them. So I was the lucky recipient. I was told to bring one of the syringes in on Saturday morning and another on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. and they would administer it. I said I didn't think it looked to hard to do, and why couldn't I self administer it. The nurse said if I felt comfortable doing it I could do it that way. So this morning I gave myself the shot, almost perfectly, and tomorrow am confident I will do it perfectly. Wasn't that a "tender mercy" to not have to pay for the shots? I hope that I won't need all of them so that I can turn some back in so someone else can benefit as I did.

I have come to expect that the road ahead for me will be filled with a few bumps so I don't get upset with things like blood clots. I am just glad that we are able to be led to get the bumps addressed before they are major problems.

I feel well, I feel optimistic, I feel loved and supported. Your prayers for me have lifted my spirits and have been answered in a marvelous way. I am so deeply grateful to all of you and for the constant assurance of the Spirit that all is well.

With much love,
Lulie