Rough Weekend

 

We had a pretty rough weekend.  Long story/short, my mom is not doing well.   I did not take any photos of Do-Da this trip because I chose to remember her like this.  These photos are from our Houston trip to MD Anderson, when we first learned she had lung cancer.

We got a call on Thursday morning that Do-Da had a heart attack and to get up to Chicago asap.  When we arrived, she was hooked up to a respirator and not doing well.  On Friday, they prepped us for the worst and removed her from the machines.  After a very scary few days, she somewhat recovered and is now in a hospice facility.   We don't know what the future holds for us, but she will be joining The Lord soon.

 We lived at Rush-Copley for the weekend.  This was the view from her room.  Very peaceful and tranquil. 

Do-Da eventually became strong enough to see her grandsons in the waiting room.  Here is Niko, Ryker and Ryan in the Family Waiting Room.   Niko was very upset after seeing Do-Da in the hospital room.  He visited her three times - the first time was on Saturday and he was pretty scared of the whole thing.  On Sunday, he asked to see her again and told me that he would be brave.  He told her he loved her and he gave her several high-fives.  He saw her again before we left to come back home to KC.  This time, she was in her 'hotel room' (we told him she was staying in a special hotel) and he again told her he loved her. 

 My sister's family stayed at a hotel with a small aquatics center.  The good thing is that the younger kids really don't have a good grasp on what is really going on.  They will look back on this trip as a great vacation with each other.

Here is Niko and Jenny playing volleyball in the pool.

 Here is a photo of Grandpa playing 'chess' with Niko-chan.  His version of chess was pretty non-linear.... and didn't really follow too many rules.   Mom's hospice facility is very nice and it better meets her needs right now.  The facility actually looks like a hotel with family living rooms, play rooms and a dining room.  It is really nice not to be in the chaotic ICU anymore, this place has a much bigger and more private room.