For Your Prayer List

Donna is continuing to struggle today with her breathing and her oxygen saturations. Joel asked that we specifically pray that this will start to improve throughout the day. If not, there is talk of sending Donna back to the ICU this evening for a period of time so that they can more closely monitor and treat her respiratory status. We are asking that you pray specifically that she improves and can avoid a stay in ICU. Donna hated it there the last time.

On the good side of things, Donna's spirits are much brighter today despite feeling so poorly. Additionally, she continues to be able to eat and can even get up with assistance.

The doctors assure us that they are working very aggressively to clear up Donna's lungs. Please also keep these doctors in your prayers. As we get more and more information we are finding out that Donna's situation is very rare because of the combination of complications she has experienced. This situation is stretching the doctors' knowledge and experience beyond the limits. Please pray that their research will uncover the key to Donna's healing and hopefully give them a basis for future patients with these same needs.

In God's Time

As you have read in the last post, Donna has taken another down turn in her recovery. Fluid has again increased and is causing her some respiratory difficulties. Her treating doctors have once again "ramped up" her treatment modalities and are hopeful that this down turn will not take Donna as far down as she went a month ago.

In my frustration this morning of wanting to hurry all this along and get Donna well, God quietly reminded me that everything is in His perfect time.

Not A Good Day

It appears the DAH is rearing its ugly head again and Donna's lungs are bleeding again. We don't yet know the extent or the seriousness and will keep you as informed as we can. Additionally, the rituximab that she was receiving for the TTP has been stopped as it was not helping. They have started a different drug, Enbrel.

Please keep these new developments in prayer.

Short Update

Donna's day yesterday was fair. She had good day diet wise, but wasn't feeling on top of the world--nothing major, just one of the days we expect every now and then. Even a Champion needs a day off now and then.

I know you all are praying with us that she will feel back on top of the world again soon, but rather than reflect on her down times we are going praise God for all the good days He has blessed Donna with recently, and for all the good days He's going to give her in the future. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Well, Hmmmm

Jan had a long phone conversation with Donna's nurse yesterday. It seems they are trying to sort out who said what about Donna being released to clinic. It seems some of her health providers are being more optimistic than others about Donna going to clinic in the relatively near future. We've been through this with Duke before and I am sure Jan will get it all sorted out soon.

At this point, as best as we know right now, they are definitely working towards Donna's release; however, it probably will not be quite as soon as we originally were led to believe. I don't think this really is a surprise to too many of us considering that while Donna is doing extremely well in comparison, she is still very weak. In addition, there are still some issues with Donna's treatment that need to be better controlled before her release. The main problem seems to be finding the correct balance of treating the DAH and the TTP without them working against one another.

All in all, Donna is doing very well and continues her slow climb to health. Her spirits are up and she's taking a more active role in managing her health; i.e., trying to add more variety to her diet, trying to eat more, and trying to exercise more.

Lots of Praise, More Prayer!

Donna has continued to make progress in her physical strength and her ability to eat--to the point where there is beginning to be talk of her release to the clinic for continued treatment. The docs have indicated that all of the treatments she is currently receiving for the TTP can be managed at the clinic. Donna is working very hard toward reaching that goal right now. Also, the creatinine went down again over the weekend. This indicates that Donna's kidneys are on the mend!

Needless to say, Donna is very excited at the possibility of getting out of the hospital and into the apartment. However, please continue to pray that her strength will keep increasing. While Donna is much, much stronger than she was just a few weeks ago, she still is a bit unsteady and weak, especially as the day wears on and fatigue starts to settle in.

Please also keep Donna's family in prayer this week during these developments. There will be many decisions to be made about caregiver schedules and moving people back and forth between Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina.

A Wonderful Week

Donna is winding down what is probably her best week since the transplant. All the praise goes to God!

She has made slow but steady progress in just about all areas - eating, strength, and lab values. There is a very long road ahead in this journey, and we all continue to pray for Donna, her treating physicians, her nurses, and her caregivers - but today we are going to praise our God for all the wonderful blessings He has showered down on Donna.

GOD'S LOVE IS AMAZING!

On a different note: Our "luck" with the caregivers finally ran out. Carolie woke up this morning with a cold and was unable to go to the hospital to be with Donna. Fortunately, her son Brendon was available (and willing!) to go to NC with Carolie, so he was able to be Donna's caregiver for the day.

I thank God for allowing me the blessing of being part of such a wonderful, loving family who look out for one another so unselfishly.

Doing The Happy Dance!

Donna is having a great day! The quesadillas didn't go over so well (too dry), but she is eating wonderfully and trying more and more new things. Her kidneys are starting to rebound. She is no longer on a catheter (yeeha!) and is on the cusp of moving from stage 5 kidney failure up to stage 4!!

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior all the day long

An Appetite?

It seems that Donna's appetite is slowly making a comeback. Yesterday she asked Carolie to bring her a chicken quesadilla! I don't know yet if she ate it or how much, but it is so very encouraging to know that she is starting to want some of these things. It shows that her appetite is making a return. Her taste buds are not quite the same, but they will come along too.

I never knew that simple things like biscuits and quesadillas could make me smile so big!

Heartfelt Thanks!

We sent out a call for help asking for volunteers to sign up for a day or more to stay with Donna while we, her family, tended to our day to day responsibilities of our families and jobs. The response has not only been overwhelming, but very humbling. We currently have enough people coming to stay with Donna through February 12.

Donna has the most amazing friends and extended family.

For now we are going to put on hold scheduling further caregivers until we get a little closer to Feb 12. It is our hope and prayer that Donna will be discharged from Duke by then and will be in the temporary housing. That might be aggressive thinking, but we know that through God all things are possible!

A Good Day

This update is from a phone call from Carolie yesterday afternoon, so there might be more info. later today.

Donna had a great day yesterday. She took another 400-foot walk with PT and ate very well yesterday. Her kidneys showed slight improvement yesterday; the creatinine dropped below 4 for the first time in weeks (normal range for creatinine is 1 and below). This is great news, but we are cautious about it since the creatinine has gone below 4 in the past only to rise again; however, it is very encouraging to see that lab value on the move since it indicates that the kidneys are still working to a degree.

Prayer and Praise!

I know I did a blog already this morning, but we just got a prayer request. Carolie (the youngest sister who is in Durham this week) just called and said it is snowing in Durham. The weather reports in the area are calling for up to 6 inches or so of snow. Being from Maryland, Carolie is OK with driving in snowy conditions, but it won't hurt to say a few extra prayers for her safety on the roads going to/from the hospital.

Now for the praise. Donna called Carolie and put in a breakfast order. She asked for watermelon, canteloupe, and a sausage biscuit from Bojangles!! I am almost in tears here. This is awesome news considering that even though Donna has been eating yogurt and such, she really hasn't had an appetite for anything other than water and ice.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Slow But Sure

Donna continues to make progress.  She is eating a little more almost every day and adding some variety.  She might even be ready for some of those recipes y'all sent for her last week very soon.  For now, she is sticking to a bland diet and slowing introducing new foods.  Her digestive system isn't quite ready for full meals, but she's doing great with yogurts, fruit, protein shakes, and some soups.   We're hoping that we can introduce more solids soon, foods such as chicken (no beef at this point) and other softer type of meats and solids.  

Medically, she's basically about the same.  The TTP is still, as the doctor put it, "active."  I am not sure the full scope of "active," but I am assuming that means they haven't really controlled it yet.  Additionally, the kidneys are still in stage 5 failure, but they are stable.  While I was there I questioned the nephrologist about the kidneys.  I was told that even though Donna's kidneys are considered stage 5 failure, they are working at some level and the doctors remain encouraging that as Donna moves more (walks) her body will move more fluid off.  

Speaking of walking, Donna is still doing well with that.  In fact, Joel had a long talk with one of her primary physicians and there is a new plan of care for Donna.  Between the nurses and the physical therapist, Donna will now get up 4 times a day to walk.   For now, she is restricted to getting out of bed with the help of a nurse or therapist only.   We are hoping that she will gain enough strength soon that we, the caregivers, will be able to get her out of bed so that she can get up and move more often.  However, she also was given some new exercises yesterday that she can do for her upper body while she is in bed or sitting in the chair.  All of this will help improve her strength to the point that she can get up with the help of a caregiver or even alone.  

That's about all there is to report.  Yesterday was treatment #2 of the once a week, 4-week Rituximab treatment, which takes 4 hours to infuse so there really wasn't much happening for Donna yesterday.

Reminder:  If you live close enough to Durham to make a day trip and would like to sign up for a day to be caregiver for Donna, please contact Jan (her email address is in the post entitled "A Call For Help.")  Again, this can be for just 1 day or if you are able to spend more than 1 day, there is an apartment available.  It is a fully furnished 2-bedroom apartment (a full size bed in each bedroom) with a sleeper sofa and 2 full bathrooms, so it can accommodate quite a few people.  At one point, the family had 10 people staying there...I don't recommend that unless you really, really, REALLY love the people you are staying with; even then it can get a little hairy!!  LOL   

As of right now, we have the week of Jan 25-31 covered.  As Donna's stay at Duke is indefinite at this point, we would like to plan as far ahead in the future as possible to have caregivers with her on a daily basis.  

Being her "caregiver" at this point doesn't require anything physical.  The nurses and therapists are the ones who help her in and out of bed.  She just needs people who can sit with her, visit with her, and maybe get her something to eat or drink throughout the day.  The most important job of the caregiver right now is to be her encouragement and cheerleader!  

Going Back to Maryland

(Note: Please read entry "Call For Help" if you have not already done so. Thanks to all who have already replied. What awesome friends and extended family Donna has!!)

This entry is a little bit different. This is Donna's blog, so I apologize for writing a personal type of entry, but this is something I wanted to share with all of you.

It's a sad day for me...it's time for me to leave North Carolina and return to Maryland. My week with Donna went entirely too fast. I am not ready to leave, but I know I have to.

I might get into big trouble for this, but God laid it on my heart to share with all of you something I came across while here.

I was straightening up the desk in the caregiver apartment. There was a leather book laying there. I opened it in the center and immediately recognized my daughter's handwriting. As I scanned the writing, I realized it was a journal she apparently wrote and then sent to Donna the first time Donna was diagnosed with leukemia. I know I probably should have closed the book but a few words on the page I opened to caught my eye so I read. It gave me so much encouragement that I wanted to share it all with you. Here's the entry I read and became my theme throughout the week:


"One of my favorite songs recently is called My Savior, My God. The first line is:

I am not skilled to understand
What God has willed, what God has planned;
I only know at His right hand
Stands one who is my Savior


"Ever since I heard that it's become one of my favorite song quotes. It reminds me that only God in His infinite wisdom knows why you have leukemia. We may never know--we don't have to know His plan in order to be the types of people the world needs us to be. We just have to remember that in the happy times, the sad times, the days you feel good, the days you feel icky, the days we miss you, the days you miss us, when you're weak, and when you're strong, the chorus of that song should be our anthem:

My Savior loves
My Savior lives
My Savior's always there for me.
My God He was
My God He is
My God He's always going be."


She ended the entry with a prayer that became my prayer the remainder of this week:

"Our Savior, Our God,
Thank you for being all of these things, always there, loving us through the storms. My Aunt Donna is so special to me. I want to lift her up to you. Give her strength when she needs it. Guide all of the doctors and nurses taking care of her. Remind all of us that You have a plan! ~Amen~"

Four Hundred

What is 400? Well, it's not my age nor my my weight (no wisecracks, Jan!), and it's not the number of siblings I have (though I'm sure at times our mother felt like it was that many).

So, what is 400? It's the number of feet Donna walked today with PT!! Can you believe it? Let's get this in perspective---the entire length of a football field, including both end zones, is 360 feet (it's sad that I know that, huh?).

Isn't our God wonderful? We asked for His grace and He gave it. Donna has had a wonderful morning. The docs are pleased with her food intake over the last 2 days and her activity level has been amazing. After her 400-foot walk she sat up in the chair for another 1-1/2 hours.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to see the prior post (titled "Call For Help") if you didn't read it already

A Call For Help

As you know, Donna has had some setbacks that have changed her schedule and she will be in the hospital longer than we anticipated. While the care at the hospital is excellent, it is really important to have someone with Donna to encourage her and help keep her spirits up.

After next week we will "run out of sisters" able to be here for extended periods of time. If you are within driving distance of Duke and would be willing & able to spend a day at the hospital with her, we would really appreciate hearing from you. For those that might have more time available and can spend 2 or more days, there are accommodations near the hospital.

Our "baby" sister Carolie will be here the week of January 19; help is needed starting the following week, January 26. We expect this need to continue for the foreseeable future.

If you believe you can help fill this need, please email your contact information to Janet at pennjl@comcast.net. Of course, if you are not able to help your prayers for this need will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks to all of you in advance.

Donna's Family

Baby Steps

There isn't a whole lot new to talk about, but thought I'd write out a quick post nonetheless. Donna is still trying very hard to eat as much as they want. She sometimes falls short, but she is still pushing herself and doing her best. The docs told her today they want her to try to get something, anything down at least once an hour. That's been pretty difficult considering every time we've turned around today Donna was taken out of the room for something, either a test or therapy or some other such thing.

Donna walked the hallway with PT again today and went a little further today than yesterday...AWESOME!

For your prayer list, please ask for Donna's spirits to remain good. She needs positive thinking to push through some of the things they are asking of her when sometimes she just doesn't want to do them. Donna is doing great, but some extra prayers for positive thinking can't hurt!

What A Difference a Day Makes...

Twenty-four little hours. OK...I'll quit singing. This is Donna's blog and I doubt very much she wants me on here singing. In fact, I don't think any of you want me on here singing!

When I arrived at this hospital this morning I couldn't believe my eyes. Donna was sitting up in her chair and eating a pudding! I am not sure what time she got out of bed, but she stayed up in the chair until about 12:30 in the afternoon. But wait! There's more. Not only did she sit up in the chair, she did some walking with physical therapy. She walked 150 feet today. But wait! There's more! Not only did she sit up in the chair and walk 150 feet, she ate HOT FOOD today (about 1/2 bowl of tomato soup).

Can you believe this?!? I am amazed, but I shouldn't be. A call for prayer was sent out, all of you responded, and God answered. Why does it amaze so much when God answers our prayers?

Donna has felt great today, for that we send all the praise to God.

All praise rising

All rejoicing

Every hour rise to Thee

All the beauty

All the glory

All thanksgiving give to Thee

All the music

All the singing

All the longing rise to Thee

In the sorrow

And the laughter

All praise rising, rise to Thee

It will rise, will rise to Thee

If there be any peace, any love

If there is any joy

Then let it rise

If there be any good, any just

If there is any grace

Then let it rise

If there be any breath, any sound

If there is any life

Then let it rise, let it rise

OK...Now We Wait and See

Donna was a champion today at putting her best foot forward to eat as much as she possibly can. Now we just have to wait and see what the doctors say tomorrow. I think she ate enough that we can beg for at least another day to work harder. Keep your fingers crossed and your prayers going!

Other than the eating thing, today was a little rough. Had a little bit of breathing trouble early on, but that straightened out after a breathing treatment, a little activity, and a change in her oxygen delivery method. By day's end Donna was breathing much better, and even sat up for an hour!

Time To Eat!

OK, I've got some things cooked and packed. Get your prayer hats on that Donna will eat today. There is "heavy talk" about reinserting the feeding tube if she doesn't eat, and we really, really, REALLY don't want that. I'll try to update from the hospital today to let you know how it goes, but if I don't get a chance to do that I'll be back on here tonight to report.

(And, Jan? Don't think your comment on the last post got passed me, and there'll be no more discussion about my, er, "talents.")

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DONNA!

Most of you know that today is Donna's birthday...she's 39, again. Donna had a little bit of a "down" day yesterday, Sunday, but perked up quite a bit today. Now, she isn't running any marathons or such, but she looks much better today and her fighting spirit is back. She isn't eating much but she has been a champion today and has at least tried everything we have put in front of her. Today Donna was put on a new medication, so our plans for pushing for more activity were put on the back burner, but I am happy to report that she sat up in the bedside chair for about an hour.

For those who like to pray for "specifics," today's prayer request is that we find a food that Donna can enjoy eating. She needs to start taking in more nourishment by mouth, but so far not much is pleasing to her. I am going to go shopping this evening to pick up a few things to bring in for her to try; please pray that she will find something she can enjoy eating. The faster Donna starts eating and exercising, the faster things will progress for her.

Thanks for all those prayers!

What a Gal!

All of us that know and love Donna know that in that "5-foot-nothing" frame of hers is a heart that loves God, family, friends, and even strangers. We also know that behind all that compassion and love is a mighty spirit that is tougher than nails.

Jan just told that Donna walked yesterday...not just a stroll, she walked 60 feet! You go, girlfriend!! Can you believe it? It's amazing, but why would we expect less because we know that Donna's strength comes from an almighty, all powerful God--A Wonderful, Merciful Savior.



Wonderful, merciful Savior
Precious Redeemer and Friend
Who would have thought that a lamb could
Rescue the souls of men, Oh You rescue the souls of men

Counselor, Comforter, Keeper
Spirit we long to embrace
You offer hope when our hearts have
Hopelessly lost the way, Oh we hopelessly lost the way

You are the One that we praise
You are the One we adore
You give the healing and grace our
Hearts always hunger for, Oh our hearts always hunger for

Almighty infinite father
Faithfully loving Your own
Herein our weakness You find us
Falling before Your throne, Oh we're falling before Your throne

Weekend Update

No...I'm not going to break out in my best Chevy Chase Saturday Night Live Weekend Update impression (though for a price I will!!).

Just wanted everyone to know that the updates may be scarce this weekend during the "changing of the guard." Monica will be going down to relieve Jan for the weekend and I will be busy packing and tying up loose ends here, then driving down on Sunday to spend next week with Donna.

Last I spoke with Jan, there wasn't anything new to report. Donna was about the same--tired, but beginning to work with physical therapy to rebuild some strength.

Rest assured that if anything major comes up during the weekend I will find a way to get on here and post it. Otherwise, assume that no news is good news!

I'm Bev Wood and you're not. (I couldn't resist, and my apologies to Chevy Chase! lol)

Status Quo

There isn't a lot new to report. Pretty much everything is in a holding pattern, not worsening and not necessarily better. The hematology team following Donna did decide to change her plasmaphoresis treatments. Instead of 1 treatment per day to end on Friday, they ramped it up yesterday and started doing 2 treatments per day for 5 days. So, I guess that pushes the wait and see period to early next week, as this 5-day treatment will end on Sunday.

All in all, Wednesday was a quiet day for Donna, which was probably needed after the day prior when she had a lot of activity with follow up tests, etc.

Tiring Day

Donna's day on Tuesday was a tiring one. She had a procedure to remove the central line in her groin/thigh area and a Hickman catheter placed in her upper extremity. In addition they also took her down for a follow up CT scan of the lungs to check their progress. We have to remember that while she is doing so well compared to last week, she is still very weak, so all that activity wore her out.

She is still receiving virtually all her nutrition and fluids through the feeding tube; however, she is progressing with her swallowing. She was able to eat a cup of strawberry sorbet yesterday and took in about 4 large cups of ice chips. It is going to take time and work to get her muscles back to the point that she can control her swallowing enough for her to receive all her nutrition and fluids orally and have the feeding tube remove.

There is basically no change in the kidneys. We are still watchfully waiting to see if they start to improve on their own before any treatment gets considered.

We are all anxiously awaiting news on the progress of the TTP and plasmaphoresis. Jan asked about that yesterday. She was told that basically we will not know the status until after Donna has completed 10 days of the treatment (last treatment will be done on Friday). After that, it will be another watch and wait period to see if further plasmaphoresis or other treatment will be needed.

The physical therapist was in to see her yesterday and told her that they were going to start working on reconditioning today (Wednesday). I have no doubt that this is going to be very tiring for Donna but neccessary to get her muscles re-toned so that she can rebuild her strength.

It seems we are in a pattern of getting updates at night. Since Jan is the sole caretaker at this point, I wait until after 9 p.m. to call for updates, at the time that I know visiting hours are over so that I am not taking Jan away from caring for Donna.

Still Doing Great!

Donna had a great day yesterday! She is in very high spirits, even talking about throwing a "shin dig!" Don't ya just love it?

The docs yesterday talked of trying to move her central catheter out of the thigh/groin area to an upper extremity. Let's pray this happens today because if it does then Donna can start getting out of bed. Up to this point she has been total bed rest (yuk!). She is anxious to get up and start working with physical therapy to rebuild her strength.

Medically she is as stable as can be expected, probably even more so. Her labs continue to show improvement in everything that gets monitored, with the exception of the kidneys. They are holding where they've been for days, but we are thankful that they are not worsening. The doctors assure us that while her kidneys are in what is considered stage 5 kidney failure they are not worsening and no further damage is being done at this point, so they are wanting to wait just a little longer to see if they kick start themselves. If they don't then they might (with an emphasis on "might") consider trying a few dialysis treatments to see if that will jump start the kidneys. This in no way is to be interpreted to mean that Donna needs dialysis long term. We have no way of knowing any of that right now.

These blog posts are going to start slowing down. Now that Donna's condition has improved vastly we, the family, have readjusted our caregiver schedule. The plan at this time is to have only one of us at a time in North Carolina staying with Donna so that we can spread out the schedule between the daughters, the sisters, and her Mom. It's wonderful that Donna is doing so well that only one person needs to be with her, but that is going to slow down the updates since phone calls will be secondary to caring for Donna. We just don't want this to be interpreted as a cause for alarm.

A Word of Thanks and Praise!

(Note: The following post is from Jan)

God's Miracles...

I suppose on ordinary days the requirements of life--work, school, parenting and such--get in the way of recognizing the wonder of God and the miracles and blessings he brings to each day. And then life brings a circumstance so much greater than the daily grind that we set aside everything else and we are truly blessed. This week so many--a faithful loving husband, five daughters loved in so many ways, thirteen (and one-half!) grandchildren, a Mom & Dad, three sisters, a brother, an extended family too great to describe and so many dear, dear friends--came together in prayer for a life so precious to us all...Donna, God's faithful servant needed a miracle. I think in the presence of miracles words fail us, but God blessed me with this video today and I wanted to share it with you who have been so faithful in your prayers and loving care.

All have prayed and from those prayers God's miracle came to us. Some sent money--know that your gifts have been used to bring a loved one to Donna's side; others stocked pantries and because of your gift those loved ones were able to spend every possible minute caring for or visiting with Donna instead of shopping and putting away groceries; still others provided home cooked meals lovingly packaged for quick reheats so that everyone here in Durham could sit down at the family dinner table for the fellowship, cleansing and rejoicing so very needed.

One God, still in the business of miracles. I hope that when the ordinary days return I will always take the time to feel the thunder of God's power and hear the glory of heavenly rejoicing each time the sun rises or storms clear. Oh, Praise Him.

Because We Believe

Did we hear you praying? Well, it doesn't matter if we I heard or not because God sure did!

Donna has made a recovery that is nothing less than miraculous. She has stunned even the most optimistic of all her doctors. Within 36 hours of her going to ICU Donna turned around and is now sitting up, talking, and even laughing. I can't even describe how amazing all of this is.

Four of Donna's "systems" were in failure: liver, respiratory, kidneys, and neurologic. As of this morning, all of those with the exception of the kidneys, are functioning again and are stable. Even the kidneys are showing improvement. We are told they may continue to improve but we are watchfully waiting. We now have a definitive diagnosis of both DAH and TTP. The one that was causing her the most distress is the TTP. As soon as she got to ICU and began treatment is when her turn around began. She is receiving plasmaphoresis, on day #4 of a 10-day treatment regimen. We don't know what the long term expectations are at this point. That will be better determined over the next days to weeks.

One person said to me, "I think you may have just witnessed a miracle first hand." I have no doubt about that. As we prayed for Donna these last few days one thing kept reiterating itself through all of us, which is that as much as all of us love Donna, God loves her even more. That's hard to imagine, but it is absolute truth.

This journey is just beginning. Donna still has a long road ahead of her and we are well aware that there may be setbacks yet to come. However, one thing we have always known is that God has Donna in His hands. He's holding on to her and we are holding on to Him.

Up and Down

Compared to the last number of days, Donna had a fairly good morning. She was able to recognize those who had visited with her in the morning. While we are very grateful and praise God for this sweet blessing of a window of opportunity to visit with Donna and know that she was aware we were there with her, all of us approached it with great caution. One thing we have learned over the last few days is just how fast things change with her.

Donna once again took a downhill slide in the afternoon. Some of her confusion had returned and the doctors discovered yet another problem, this one being bleeding somewhere gastrointestinally. Depending on some factors she may have an upper GI series tomorrow to see if the source of the bleed can be found.

Tonight, Donna again brightened up a little bit. Joel was able to visit with her and was even able to get her to give him a kiss on the cheek.

As you can imagine, this up and down journey is not only very difficult for Donna but it is also starting to take its toll on her caregivers from her husband, children, and family members to her nurses and doctors.

Tonight we ask that your prayers be for Donna's husband Joel, Donna's children Crystal, Rachel, and Monica, for her multiple extended family and for her tireless caregivers and doctors at Duke who are working around the clock to give Donna the best care they know how to give.