Fall 2009: Jake and Nancy learned that Nancy's breast cancer was stage four. Winter 2013: They are still fighting. This is a gathering place to follow their story, offer support, love and prayers... to be by their side.



Thursday, April 21, 2016

Nancy Continues Feeling Sick

Jake here. We’ve been back from the hospital for nearly a week now. While she hasn’t had a repeat of the particular discomfort that resulted in the inpatient stay, Nancy has been feeling pretty miserable. She’s experiencing nausea and stomach discomfort in what seems like a continual cycle, and her energy level continues to be quite low. I’ll continue working with the hospice care team to see if there’s anything else we can do to make her more comfortable. Our nursing visit this week resulted in a few additional ideas for meds and diet, so we’re implementing those now.

I tend to be upbeat and optimistic in my communications, so I find it difficult sharing a message that leaves little room for cheer. I’ve been procrastinating with a blog update in the hope that I’d have better news to share. Nancy has mentioned to me on occasion that I should be straightforward in my updates, so I’m fighting my nature to do just that.

Every morning, I look forward to walking Jojo and picking up the mail. As I trudge up the driveway, I enjoy flipping through the cards and noting the return addresses. While reviewing each, I spend a moment thinking about and being thankful for the sender. I’m struck by the number of different groups of friends and family from all over the place. Nancy has received cards from Germany and Australia…the love for Nancy is worldwide! Through these notes of love and encouragement, we’re both filled with a deep sense of gratitude for having such a rich set of relationships with a wonderful group of people. The outpouring of support from a broad set of friends and family reinforces to me the simple but profound truth I’ve learned from Nancy: Our relationships are everything. 

The support from our family has been incredible. Parents, brothers & sisters, aunts & uncles, nephews & nieces, and cousins. And the list of friends serves to me as proof of a life well lived. Nancy’s middle school/high school friends from Arkansas, our friends from working as consultants in Cincinnati (where Nancy and I met), Bible study friends, friends from each of our college experiences, a huge set of friends from our UW Medicine workplace, Nancy’s Team Survivor Northwest mountain climbing friends, friends from previous jobs, Nancy’s friends from the networking and support boards at www.breastcancer.org, and on and on and on. We are truly blessed.

We're going to need a bigger table!

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