The Chrome Dome Diaries

RICKY

2009-02-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Below is the talk given by Shalaine. This is the last talk that was given at Ricky's funeral. We hope you have enjoyed remembering this remarkable young man through the words of his siblings. We owe much as a family to who we are to the challenges overcome, the lessons learned and the pure pleasure of being a part of his 24 remarkable years. We hope that there have been some memories here for all of you. We truly appreciate all that you have done and continue to do for us as a family. We want you to know that through it all that the Hendricksons continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

RICKY

“Just let him die,” was the prognosis when Ricky was born with a 3-inch hole in his back. Every doctor, specialist, internist and technician at two hospitals felt Ricky Hendrickson could not survive the myriad of complications accompanying Spina Bifida. His parents, Blaine and Sharon, heard the advice and prayed, talked and considered their other five children, ages 5 to 15.
They chose life.
And because of that decision, a boy who doctors said would not live past his first birthday, lived a full and rich life for 24 years. They chose life. Thus, allowing Ricky the opportunity of a lifetime of choices.
Ricky’s life was far from easy. It was a life peppered with doctor’s visits, hospital stays, major surgeries, many illnesses, and a wide variety of limitations due to his handicap. But mom was always quick to remind him that he was “handicapable” and to not let these things get in the way of his ability to learn, dream and live his life. Ricky’s surgeries ranged from having a shunt put in his head to having every vertebrae in his back broken so a metal rod could be inserted in his spine, allowing him to sit up straighter and breath better. When Ricky turned 8, we stopped counting his operations. The total at that time was 40. But never once did I hear Ricky complain He never grumbled or whined about having to have another surgery, another visit to the doctor, another tube, another medicine, another limitation placed on him. Ricky was not afraid of what lay ahead or what he had to go through to get there. Ricky chose courage.
Also at the age of 8, Ricky was chosen by the Make A Wish Foundation to have a special wish come true. Ricky’s wish was to have his whole family together in Las Vegas to see the Oak Ridge Boys, Siegfried and Roy, and “Starlight Express”. He rode in a private jet and limo, ate great food, stayed in a hotel for the first time, and was able to meet the cast of each show backstage. All of this he chose to share with his family. There is nothing Ricky wouldn’t do for each one of us. He loved having family over to visit, taking his nieces and nephews bowling, and playing monopoly with his big brother Greg (or anyone else he could con into playing with him). Ricky knew and understood the value of eternal families. Time with his mother always ranked at the top of his “to-do list”. Whether it was going to the movies, riding the rollercoaster’s at Disneyland, or just snuggling on the couch, the two of them were inseparable. There was nowhere he would rather be than at home with the people he loved. Ricky chose family.
Ricky was not ashamed of who he was. He made no excuses for his handicap and was never embarrassed. In fact, he would often use it to his advantage. It was not an uncommon sight in our house to see Ricky run over someone’s toes only to laugh hysterically after. He made the most of riding the elevators when everyone else was walking up the stairs and had no problem cutting in the front of the line at Disneyland. Another one of his favorite things to do was race. He, of course, always won. I can still remember the time when our family met soon after taking a family picture to look over the proofs. The photographer, with what I’m sure where the best of intentions, had taken Ricky’s trachea out of the picture. I don’t know if I have ever seen him so angry. He wanted that trachea back in the picture right away claiming, “That’s who I am!” Ricky chose confidence.
Ricky is by far the kindest and most generous person I know. I had the special privilege of being able to be his caregiver for several years. During this time I came to know Ricky better and more intimately than ever before. He loved to talk and sing. Though he was very much not a morning person, when I would wake him up singing and dancing around the room it was not long before he broke into a big smile and sang and danced along with me. Ricky was also an amazing listener. During this time he became one of my best friends as we shared our thoughts, dreams, triumphs and heartbreaks with one another. I saw first hand as I cared for him how there was no room for pride in his life. There were few things he could do without assistance, and he always accepted the help with grace and dignity. One of the things we often spent time doing was going out to serve others or buy thoughtful gifts for friends and family. Ricky loved to give. And one of the things he gave most freely was his warm and infectious smile. He was kind to every one he met and I can honestly say that I have never heard him say anything bad about anybody. Ricky chose love.
But the one thing I will always remember and admire Ricky for was his positive attitude. Ricky was a fighter to the end. The phrase “give up” was not in his vocabulary. In a newspaper article written in 2000, my mom told the reporter, “Ricky is the happiest of my six children and has brought our family the most wondrous, love filled, tender years.” The one with the most problems, the hardest trials, and the greatest limitations, was always the happiest. He truly embodied our family motto “Hendrickson’s Never Say Can’t”. In that same article, Ricky, at 15 years old, puts life into perspective. “I have learned you have to be happy”, he said. “If you aren’t happy, nothing is worth it. You just have to deal with your problems and get on with it.” How much we have all learned from Ricky and his positive “can-do” attitude. Ricky chose to be happy.
When Ricky was in elementary school he memorized a poem by William Ernest Henley. This poem titled “Invictus” quickly became his favorite and he never forgot it. At anytime you could ask him to recite it and this is what he would repeat:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit form pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

Ricky truly was the captain of his soul and the maker of his destiny. With God beside him, he made good and righteous decisions throughout his life. Because of his choices and the opportunity we had to know him, we will never be the same. Ricky had the ability to imprint himself on everyone he came into contact with. Whether we needed more courage, confidence, perspective, love or cheer, Ricky helped us to achieve it. Ricky lived his life to the fullest that it allowed taking us all along for the ride. Ricky chose life.

MORE MEMORIES OF RICKY

2009-02-15T09:23:00.000-08:00

I hope that you continue to enjoy the talks given at Ricky's funeral. Please enjoy the talk given by Jon. We continue to appreciate your cards and letters and all the support we receive from all of you each day. We are overwhelmed by the friendship exhibited by so many.

RICKY

I’m still in a bit of shock: Ricky could’ve gone anywhere and seen anyone and he chooses Siegfried and Roy! It was a great vacation though. One week in Vegas with the whole family. We have one-liners that we still use today from that time…I just can’t get Starlight Express out of my head.

My memories of Ricky are many and I have tried to limit them to 5-7 minutes. For those who knew him intimately, then you know that is a hard task. When I was eleven years old, and I found out Mom was pregnant, I couldn’t wait to have a younger brother. Not that having 2 younger sisters wasn’t great, it was…but I really wanted a younger brother and I knew I would soon get my chance. I could hardly wait to teach him all about sports, play catch with him, and show him how to look up fantasy stats in the LA Times sports page. However, sometimes life doesn’t always turn out the way we expect it.

With apologies to Benjamin Button, I believe Ricky’s life could be summed up in the title The Curious Case of Richard Hendrickson because like Benjamin Button, Ricky’s 24 years on this earth were truly miraculous. In the movie, Benjamin was born old, wasn’t supposed to survive the night, but was loved unconditionally by the mother who raised him. Because of that love, Benjamin not only survived the night, he grew younger as the years went on and was able to experience life in his own way. There were many pitfalls for Benjamin but he understood them, accepted them, and grew to love them because he was living life as only he knew how.

My brother Ricky was Benjamin Button 24 years ago. He was born with many complications, wasn’t supposed to survive the night, but because of the unconditional love of my father and mother, he not only survived the night…he survived for 24 years. Even knowledgeable doctors called him a breathing miracle. Because of my parent’s love, Ricky grew in wisdom and glory as the years went on and was able to experience life in his own way. Through the countless surgeries and painful pitfalls that came his way, Ricky’s knowledge of the gospel became clear as he understood them, accepted them, and grew to love them because he was living life as only he knew how.

One distinct memory I have of Ricky was when he was around 2 years old. My brothers and I decided to grab a blanket, put Ricky in the middle, and throw him in the air. We knew we weren’t supposed to do this especially when Mom came running into the room but we knew he would love it. And love it, he did; however, I think we cursed him for life because as he grew older, any roller coaster with a severe drop in it struck a sudden dread in him probably recalling the fear/joy he felt during that time when he was only 2.

As my brother grew older, we learned as older siblings that he just wanted to be part of the group: whether it was playing Nintendo, eating dinner, going to church dances, or doing his one of his favorite pastimes, playing Monopoly. Many pictures we have are ones with him smiling from ear to ear just grateful for being included. And this never went away. When his nieces and nephews would visit in his later years, he loved being the Pied Piper giving them rides in his wheelchair, showing them how to play Wii, and of course breaking out his multiple versions of Monopoly. My kids loved playing with him and Ricky loved being an Uncle.

In D+C 88:123-125, it reads: See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires. Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated. And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.

This was my brother’s creed…..well, except for the sleeping in part. Us Hendricksons love to sleep in. Ricky loved everyone unconditionally. He never coveted what he didn’t have. I don’t remember him one time saying, “Whoa is me. I wish I could walk. I wish I could breathe. I wish I didn’t have a shunt on my head. I wish I didn’t have a trach in my throat.” As a matter of fact, in one of our family pictures, the photographer thought she would do him a favor and photoshop his trach out making him appear, I guess, more “normal.” I don’t think I’ve seen Ricky more upset….well except for the time when he was told by my parents that he would have to stop eating BBQ chips, cheese, and ketchup. Now that was not a pretty sight. Anyway, he was upset because he knew he wasn’t “normal” and he never wanted to be. The trach set him apart from others and I believe he saw it as a symbol for who he was and who he had become.

Ricky’s “mantle” was charity. He loved to serve others. When told he wouldn’t be able to serve a “normal” 2 year mission, he decided to go on a “service mission.” He would get up early, put on a shirt and tie, slide on his nametag, and have my father, mother, or nurse drive him to the Family History Center. It was there where he would spend many hours a day serving others for the next 2 years. Those might’ve been the happiest years of his life just like they are for most missionaries. He felt close to our Heavenly Father because he knew just like King Benjamin taught that “when you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your God.”

The veil was very thin for Ricky. He knew where he came from. He knew why he was here and he knew where he was going. I truly believe that there are those special spirits in this life who are waited on by others and it is those same special spirits that will again be waited on in the next life in a much different capacity. My brother was and is one of the special spirits. I feel proud to have known him so intimately. I feel proud to have learned from him. I feel proud to have him teach me all that he did about strength and perseverance. I feel proud to call him brother. And I will feel proud to wait on him in the next life.

Near the end of the movie, Benjamin Button says:

"Along the way you bump into people who make a dent on your life. Some people get struck by lightning. Some are born to sit by a river. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim the English Channel. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers. And some people can dance."

If you knew my brother, he made a dent in your life. Some people (like Ricky) get struck with spina bifida. Some people (like Ricky), have a trach so they can talk. Some people (like Ricky) go through countless surgeries in order to live life. Some people (like Ricky) serve 2 year missions. Some people (like Ricky) love to play Monopoly. And some people (live Ricky) love to dance.”

I know he’s up there dancing circles around everyone and smiling from ear to ear and I can hardly wait to be reunited with him and see him in his full glory.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

RICKY: THE MAN OF MANY NAMES

2009-02-12T18:07:00.000-08:00

Below is Stephanie's talk from Ricky's funeral. I hope you will enjoy reading and remembering this terrific young man.

RICKY: THE MAN OF MANY NAMES

Reman: He was my baby brother. Reman, Shalaine, and I were what was deemed the “2nd Family” around our house…or the “spoiled ones” as my brother’s call us. Being only 6 when Reman was born I didn’t understand the severity of his condition. I think that was also due in part to how my mom continued to make life as normal as possible for my sister and I. Shalaine and I loved dressing up Reman like a girl, making him play barbies with us, and laying on his bed watching movies for hours. I took many trips to LA Children’s hospital with Reman. He endured the many hospital visits with a cheerful attitude while I looked forward to the Yoshinoa afterward. I don’t know how a child as sick as Reman could endure it with such an amazingly positive attitude. A remarkable trait that he carried throughout his life.

Rickster: He was an oldies fan. More than that he was OBSESSED with the Beatles…I like to think I introduced them to him. He has posters of them covering his walls, he knows every word to every song, I even think he has nesting dolls that look like the Beatles. Everyone in the family inherited some form of OCD from my mom, and Rickster’s was definitely manifest in the Beatles. Rickster also loved all things having to do with crime drama’s. CSI, Law and Order, Crossing Jordon…he has seen every episode of every series. We considered having the Law and Order theme song as our opening song…but since it has no words we opted for something else. Rickster loved Harry Potter. He has read every book…5 times, plus listened to them on tape, plus watched all the movies. I’m sure he is in heaven right now upset that he hasn’t seen the forth coming movies.

Slickdog: He was the Ultimate Gamer. Slickdog loved Monopoly. He would take on anyone at anytime. It didn’t matter if it was beatles monopoly, golf monopoly, wizard of oz monopoly, or Utah monopoly…he loved it. The only person he couldn’t beat was my brother Greg, then just this Christmas he masacared him at Wii Monopoly. Slickdog loved video games and bowling as well. Anything he could play and enjoy with other people he was up for…as long as he wonJ Slickdog loved the Anaheim Angels. He would go to the games any chance he got. Slickdog would participate in our family baseball fantasy league only if he could have Vladamir Gurrero and Garret Anderson. I remember him chastising my mom for going to the games just for the food—how could she desecrate his players like that? Although I think part of the reason he loved them is because the team wore his favorite color in the whole world-Red.

Richard George: He was the serious side. Although I will go on the record that he hated to be called his full name. Richard George was stalwart about the gospel. When he was 8 he wanted to be baptized. Not because everyone else was doing it…but because he knew it was an important step in his progression in the gospel. It seemed like an impossibility to all of us since he couldn’t get any water in his trach and total immersion in the water was what was required. But Richard George perservered—he found a way to do it and was baptized. When Richard George was 18 he wanted to serve a mission. Again this seemed impossible to us. How can someone with 24 hour nursing and constant doctor visits serve a 2 year mission? But Richard George found a way to do it and served a 2 year full time service mission in the family history center. Richard George also wanted to be temple endowed. Many of us told him he didn’t need to do that, that it could wait until later. But Richard George knew he needed to make those important promises in the temple to progress and so he did it. Richard George served faithfully in all his callings and attended his meetings and activites. I remember him scolding me once for leaving after sacrament meeting—although it irritated me at the time I knew he was right. Richard George loved the Lord and wanted to follow his commandments and serve him.

Rick: He was the stubborn, enduring side. Rick and I thought we were the most stubborn people we knew…and we were right! But without that stubborn streak I don’t think he could have made it through 40+ surgeries, physical limitations, constant illness and pain, and several near death experiences. He fought for life with every breath he took. He didn’t want to just lay in bed he wanted to battle his limitations and enjoy life. Even when he was extremely sick he would tell us “I’m Fine”. Rick did not want to be seen for what he couldn’t do, but for what he could do. He graduated from high school, attended college, he traveled, and he served at the Children’s museum and at the nursing home. Even in his last few weeks on earth he battled against all odds. He made improvements the doctors never thought he could and continued to amaze us all. Rick truly endured till the bitter end.

Ricky: what he always wanted to be called. Ricky was the social butterfly, party animal, the thoughtful friend. Ricky started having parties at age one: it was a Disney party and everyone that knew him came to the house to celebrate. He went on to have Power Ranger parties, pool parties, game parties, chocolate fountain parties, oldies dance parties, catered parties, and surprise parties. Ricky never met a party he didn’t like and he was the life of that party. He was zooming around in his wheelchair talking to people, dancing, making sure there was enough food, and having fun. Ricky loved people. If he couldn’t be around people, he was calling people, he was emailing people, he was texting people. He craved social interaction and it fueled him. Ricky always had other’s best intentions in mind. He wanted to give all his friends and family gifts for every occasion. He was constantly giving advice to his friends, family, and nurses. No wonder he wanted to be psychologist!

I will remember my brother as all these things: as Reman, my little brother with a positive attitude, Rickster: the guy with great taste in music and in crime dramas, Slickdog: who would do anything for a game of monopoly or a night at the stadium, Richard George: who loved the Lord and sought to serve him, Rick: a guy who fought against all odds, enduring till the end, and Ricky: the thoughtful social party animal. I know that he is with my mom right now, throwing a party in heaven, smiling, knowing it was all worth it.

MY HERO

2009-02-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

Posted below is Jeff's talk at Ricky's funeral. Once again thank you for all of your cards and letters. We really appreciate your thoughts and prayers at this time.

MY HERO

As Ricky’s eldest sibling and oldest brother I have a unique perspective on his life. Being 16 years his elder I have distinct memories of his birth and early years of life in addition to his young adulthood.

With being his eldest brother comes the unique responsibility to set a good example and to incessantly tease him. This was not only my responsibility but also an oldest brothers right. I had all kinds of fun with my brother thru the years. I’ll share just a couple of my favorites.

When Ricky was young and just learning how to talk he was outfitted with a “valve” for his tracheotomy. For those who are unfamiliar, the tracheotomy, or trach for short, is a hole in the neck that allowed my brother to breath more effectively. The trach is actually set below the vocal cords so in order to speak he would have to cover the trach with his finger or a “valve” is secured on top of the trach which allows air to come in but not out. Therefore, when he would exhale the air would be forced past his trach, past his vocal chords and out his mouth…so he could speak.

Now this valve was not only a blessing for Ricky so he could speak but a blessing for his siblings as well…since its simple removal “turned him off”. My brothers and I would also play an entertaining game with Ricky and his “valve”. We would make him laugh. While this sounds harmless enough, the game was to see how violent the laugh would be. The more violent the laughs the greater the initial exhale. This would force a large amount of air, quickly, past the “valve” causing it to pop off due to the pressure. The game of course was to see how far the valve would actually fly.

As Ricky got older, he was outfitted with an electric wheelchair…which all who knew him knew he “drove” way to fast. That wheelchair never met a wall or a door jam that it didn’t like. This electric chair gave my brother independence…it gave me, a wealth of opportunities to have “fun” with my brother. I loved switching the speed from the picture of the turtle to the rabbit when he wasn’t looking. I suspect from the look on my brothers face when he moved the joystick that this was not just exciting for me.

Additionally, whenever I would sit next to him I would casually switch the chair to the “on” position without him noticing…wait for a bit…and then move the joystick when he wasn’t looking. Again, this produced the look of excitement on both our faces…and maybe a few excited words from my brother.

I could go on and on sharing stories about the great fun we had…

My fondest memories of my brother though are founded in the person that he is. You see, my brother never viewed himself as having physical handicaps. Not once, in twenty four (24) years, did he vocalize to me a negative comment about his physical limitations. He was confident in who he was, a son of God…his Eternal Father. He knew he was special and that he could have a positive effect on people.

This knowledge moved him forward. It inspired him to help others. He loved to serve in the church and always magnified his callings. Receiving a calling and serving others in the church was the highlight of his life…he loved every opportunity to serve.

A favorite parable of mine, taught by The Savior at the end of His mortal ministry, has always reminded me of my brother and the service he gave. The Savior taught the value of service to our fellowmen when he said to the righteous:

32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:
33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Ricky’s life has been and will continue to be a driving force for good within me. He is the bravest person I have ever known. He inspires me and always has…he is my hero.

JOY TO THE WORLD

2009-02-03T08:42:00.000-08:00

I have received a number of requests to post the talks given at Ricky's funeral to the blog. The first post is the talk given by Greg. We certainly appreciate all the support that we have been given during this time. We are doing well as a family, and know that it is through your faith and prayers that we are able to move forward.

JOY TO THE WORLD

“Joy to the World, the Lord is come;Let earth receive her King!Let ev’ry heart prepare him roomAnd Saints and angels sing.”
This rapturous hymn by Isaac Watts expresses the heartfelt conviction of all devoted Christians in the divine nature of Jesus Christ. The song was a favorite of Ricky’s. I believe that it best expresses his testimony of implicit hope and faith in the Savior Of The World and of his enthusiasm for our Heavenly Father’s great plan of happiness. With this hymn, like Ricky’s ever-present smile and characteristic thumbs-up, there is so much more there, there. Ricky loved to have Joy to the World sung on many occasions including at his baptism. I rejoice in the opportunity to stand and sing it with you at the close of this great celebration of Ricky’s life today.
Upon first hearing the good news of the possibility of an earth life and a Heavenly King willing lead us to toward godliness, my brother and I “shouted for joy” as “the morning stars sang together” (see Job 38:7). We stood with all of the throng of the family of God in a council where the plan for mankind’s progression toward unbounded happiness was presented (Abraham 3:22-28). We were spirits, perfect in form, having all our faculties and mental powers unimpaired. (See, Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith, Jr., 5 vols., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1979, 3:19.) We knew that the progression we craved required us to be subjected to the cruel and indiscriminate circumstances upon the promised earth that would render some lame, some blind, some deaf, and others subjected to all manner of infirmities. Perhaps we knew at that time the limitations of body and mind that would be ours in mortality, but we certainly knew that whatever our earthly afflictions, they would be limited to our temporal/earth life experience and would, therefore, be temporary. (See e.g., Doctrines of Salvation: Sermons and Writings of Joseph Fielding Smith , comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft Inc., 1955, 2:292-294). We knew that the pain, suffering, grief and misery of all mankind would be borne by Jesus Christ and that those who reached with faith toward his healing grace would find peace in this life and eternal life in the world to come (See e.g., 2 Nephi 9:21-22; D&C 18:11-13; D&C 59:23). Joy to the World!
Following the eternal pattern we were entered into earth life through families. It was the intention of our Father in Heaven that we receive in our families his reflected love, care and compassion. That in our families we would learn to respond with dignity to the impulses of the light of Christ or conscience with which all mankind is endowed from birth. (See e.g., The Family; A Proclamation to the World, The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, (This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah)) . When there are those that belong to our family, or that are otherwise close to us, that suffer from some impairment, we are rightfully saddened and we spend endless hours pleading with the Lord for miraculous healing. However, Apostle Boyd K. Packer reminds us, “The very purpose for which the world was created, and man introduced to live upon it, requires that the laws of nature operate in cold disregard for human feelings. We must work out our salvation without expecting the laws of nature to be exempted from us. Natural law is, on rare occasions, suspended in a miracle, but mostly the [disabled], like the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, wait endlessly for the moving of the water.” (Boyd K. Packer, The Moving of the Water, Ensign, May 1991, pg. 8).
And though we wait and watch with our loved ones as they endure the cruelty of their physical condition we must remember that disease, deformity and age render our bodies no less sacred. They were created in the image of God and are the crowning creation of Deity. The function and capacity of the individual parts and organs, from the fingers to the heart, to the brain and so on are miraculous and represent the divine, omnipotent genius of God, who is our Eternal Father (for more on the miracle of the human body see, Russell M. Nelson, The Magnificence of Man, New Era, Oct. 1987, pg. 44).
The question is often asked how a loving God could allow some to suffer so much in life. There are even those that frame their contention against the existence of God around such questions. To do so, however, places the myopic reasoning and logic of man above the expansive love and plan of God. The Lord has said:
Ye cannot behold with your natural eyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the glory which shall follow after much tribulation. For after much tribulation come the blessings, wherefore the day cometh that ye shall be crowned with much glory; the hour is not yet but is nigh at hand. . . .
After that cometh the day of my power, then shall the poor, the lame, and the blind and the deaf, come in unto the marriage of the Lamb and partake of the supper of the Lord, prepared for the great day to come. Behold I, the Lord, have spoken it. (D&C 58 3-4; 11-12)
Apostle Neal A. Maxwell, a man familiar with suffering related to disease, once stated:
So much of life’s curriculum . . . consists of efforts by the Lord to get and keep our attention. Ironically, the stimuli He uses are often that which is seen by us as something to endure. Sometimes what we are actually being asked to endure is His “help”: help to draw us away from the cares of the world; help to draw us away from self-centeredness; attention-getting help when we have ignored the still, small voice; help in shaping our souls; and help to keep the promises made so long ago. . . .
There is clearly no immunity from such stimuli or other afflictions, whether of the self-induced variety or the divine-tutorial type. Either way, however, the Lord can help us so that our afflictions can be “swallowed up in the joy of Christ” (Alma 31:38). The sour notes are lost amid a symphony o f salvational sounds.
(Neal A. Maxwell, Thy Will Be Done, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft Inc., 1988, ppg. 118-119). Joy to the World! Certainly my brother responded well to his often received “stimuli”. He was rarely consumed by the cares of the world, self-centered, or insensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
Many of the infirm, though they move through life seeking the enlargement of mind and spirit, await the day of blessed release (note that Joseph Smith once stated, that “all the minds and spirits of God ever sent into the world are susceptible of enlargement.” Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pg. 354). They recognize that once they have finished their sojourn upon the earth, that they will, as the prophet Alma tells us “be restored to their proper and perfect form” (Alma 40:23). Modern day revelation states “Their sleeping dust [will] be resurrected to its perfect frame, bone to bone, and the sinews and the flesh upon them, the spirit and the body to be united never again to be divided, that they may receive a fullness of joy.” (D& C 138:17)
Likely due to its universal application, the gift of resurrection is often given secondary significance with the grandeur of the atonement of Jesus Christ. Without it, however, the atonement would have no meaning. Perhaps the disabled and infirm understand and appreciate the interdependent miracles of atonement and resurrection better than the rest of us. They know that through the resurrection they will be restored and made whole, never to suffer disease or affliction for all eternity. They understand that through the atonement they are provided with the day to day healing power of Jesus Christ and the ability to live forever in the comforting presence of our Heavenly Father. In and through Christ are these miracles available. “Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: . . . [He] was stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. . . . He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities. . . . He poured out his soul unto death and he was he was numbered with transgressors;” (Isaiah 53: 4-5, 12) “and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5).
He is the Great Healer, the Deliverer, the First Fruits of them that Slept, the Second Comforter, the Balm of Gilead, the Joy of the World! Of him I sing praise, in his holy name, Jesus Christ, Amen.

RICHARD (RICKY) GEORGE HENDRICKSON

2009-01-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

Richard (Ricky) George Hendrickson of Rancho Mirage CA passed away on January 23, 2009 in SanBernardino CA at the age of 24 after a heroic battle with Adult Pulmonary Distress Syndrome. He was born January 14, 1985 in Mission Viejo CA to Blaine E and Sharon S. Hendrickson. He attended school in Laguna Hills CA and Cathedral City CA, graduating from Cathedral City High School. He also attended College of the Desert. Ricky was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints and served a two year Service Mission. Ricky struggled throughout his life with physical ailments, but had a quick mind and an engaging personality the endeared him to everyone that he met. He will be remembered most for his passionate desire to be of service to others and his refusal to let his handicaps get in the way of leading a full and productive life.
Ricky is survived by his father Blaine E Hendrickson of Rancho Mirage CA, 3 brothers, Jeffery (Jennifer) of San Clemente CA, Gregory (Becky) of Kealakekua HI, Jonathan (Lou Ann) of Laguna Beach CA; 2 sisters, Stephanie (Eric) McClellan of Redlands CA, Shalaine (Cort) Green of Rancho Mirage CA. He also leaves behind 14 wonderful nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his mother Sharon.
Services will be held on Friday January 30, 2009 at 11:00 AM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chapel Located at 72-960 Park View Drive Palm Desert CA. There will be a viewing on January 29th from 7:00 to 8:30 PM and on the 30th from 9:30 to 10:30 AM at the same location. Dedication of the grave will take place at Desert Memorial Park at 2:00PM 21705 Da Vall Dr., Cathedral City CA. In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made to the Orange County/Inland Empire Chapter of the Make a Wish Foundation.

We Love You, Ricky!

2009-01-24T01:19:00.000-08:00

Last night at 11:45 PM, our brother, son, and friend passed away. His pneumonia had been getting rapidly worse and his oxygen levels had dropped significantly. Doctors and nurses did all they could, but Ricky's time had come. He passed away quickly and peacefully with his father, his sister Stephanie, his nurse Monica, and Cort and myself by his side. Though we are all greatly saddened by the loss of our dear Ricky, we know this is also a joyous time as he returns to his Heavenly Father freed from the body that so tried him. We knew as soon as his spirit left that he ran straight for his mother's arms.

Ricky was the heartbeat of the Hendrickson family. He was the glue that often held us together. How grateful I am for all the things that he taught me by his words, example, and love. There is no doubt in my mind that he is one of Heavenly Father's choicest spirits and the light he brought daily to us all will be greatly missed. Thank you for all of your kind words, your thoughts and many prayers throughout this past year and a half. They have been a strength to us all.

Sharon loved the Make a Wish Foundation because of all they did for Ricky and the experiences they worked to provide for him and the joy they brought when his "wish" came true. So, as with Sharon, we ask that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to this special charity. You can visit their site and make a donation at http://www.wishoc.org/. If you do chose to donate we ask that donations be made to the Orange County Inland Empire Chapter. Information and details of Ricky's funeral will be forthcoming.

THE RIDE CONTINUES

2009-01-22T16:35:00.000-08:00

This has been a really interesting and challenging few days. After Monday's drama things settled down somewhat. We have not been able to resolve the Pneumo Thorax, but they were able to wein him off pressure support on the vent and back to volume control. This is good because it takes pressure off the lungs so that we don't get a collapse on the other side. We made good progress on Tuesday and Wedensday getting him down to 65% O2 and a peep rate of 5. He continued to have some periods of difficulty with pain but we were able to stay on top of it. This morning at 5:00 AM his stats began to drop dramatically and his O2 levels dropped into the 60's. They put him back on pressure support and the levels recovered. In order to keep him sedated they had to increase his Dilatin to 4 mg per hour. He is managing OK at the moment but O2 levels remain marginal. He is fighting hard. We again thank you for your faith and prayers, and we continue "TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

RICKY BEING RICKY

2009-01-19T17:26:00.000-08:00

Prosperity is evidently not a place that Ricky wants to be and so in true form yesterday's good news was a short phenomenon. On Sunday morning his x-rays showed that he had developed a Pneumo Thorax (that's code for the lung sprung a leak.) That resulted in minor surgery to have chest tube installed which will pull off fluid and air so that the lung won't collapse. While they were at it they decided to put in an arterial line so that they won't have to keep sticking him to draw blood for labs and to do blood gases. If that wasn't enough this morning about 7 AM his body decided to reject all sedation and pain medication. They tried new meds, increasing the amount of old meds all to no avail. His heart rate went up to the high 140's, his blood pressure was 170/115, his respirations were all over the map and his O2 level dropped into the 80's. This was the case all day until around 4:00 when they increased his Dilatin to 2mg per hour and the same with his Ativan. By 5:30 all of his stats had dropped back into the normal range and he was again under sedation.
His principal diagnosis is Adult Pulmonary Distress Syndrome which has a mortality rate of 60%, you add to that the pneumo thorax, the Pneumonia, and the infections, you can see the uphill battle he faces. He is a fighter though and continues to do battle. We appreciate all of your faith and prayers and continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

THE COMEBACK KID

2009-01-17T11:01:00.000-08:00

I wanted to give everybody a quick update on Ricky and his progress. He continues to amaze us all, in fact he gives 9 lives a new meaning. Over the last couple of days there has been some turnaround in his condition. Although he still remains critical there has been some improvement in his lungs and they have been able to reduce the O2 saturation level from 100 to 80%. His white count has trended down slightly and the x-rays show some opening back up of the lungs. He still remains fully sedated as he has no capacity to breathe in his own. He remains on TPN for feeding. They were forced to switch drugs for sedation because the original drug Propofol was beginning to affect his liver functions and so he is now on a Versed drip. Yesterday a new organism showed up in his lungs and so they are growing a culture to find out how to treat it. As Shalaine stated in her post, he is in the hands of the Lord. We appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers and continue "TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

Update on Ricky

2009-01-15T19:24:00.000-08:00

Although we didn't plan on posting again on the blog, and especially not for this reason, we felt we should give an update to anyone who might be following the Hendrickson clan.

Two weeks ago Ricky went into the hospital with severe pneumonia. He started off at Legacy Post Acute and Rehabilitation Center in San Bernardino. But after coding while in the nursing home and reports from the doctors that his lungs were getting steadily worse, they felt he needed to be moved to the ICU at St. Bernadines Hospital where he could be under constant care. He has been there now for a week.

Unfortunately, his condition is not getting any better. The doctors have found MRSA all over his body and the pneumonia is very severe. He is on as much oxygen as they can give him and on a ventilator 24 hours a day but is still struggling to keep his oxygen levels up. Meanwhile his pulse is constantly racing, staying around 130-170 beats per minute. He is on many antibiotics and TPN to try and get his nutrition better. The doctors also have him heavily sedated so that he doesn't have to work much and his body can try and fight off the infection. However his white blood count continues to rise and is currently at about 50 (we know way more about WBC than anyone should have to!).

For the most part, it is very "touch and go" at this point. We are preparing for what may come but continue to hope and pray for the best. He has had excellent care and doctors and nurses are doing all they can. We realize it is now in God's hands. Please keep Ricky in your thoughts and prayers.

COME WHAT MAY AND LOVE IT

2008-11-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

It was just one yer ago this week that Sharon was diagnosed with leukemia and what a year it has been. We as a family look back on this year with no regrets. We to a person would say that is has been one of, if not the best year of our lives. As we gathered as a family a year ago, we petitioned our Heavenly Father that we be given a chance to fight and fight we did. We left absolutely nothing on the table and reached out and took advantage of everything medical science had to offer. We didn't ultimately win the fight for life, but we won in so many other ways. During this year relationships were strengthened, lessons were taught and learned, and preparations were made that will enable us to move forward. Most of all we gained strength as a family that we never knew that we had. We found out how important friends and friendships are and how you can gain strength from the thoughts and prayers of others.
We are deeply grateful for all of you that have trod this path with us and for all you do every day to make us better individuals. We hope that you have learned and grown from the experiences that we have shared with you. Our wife, mother, nana and friend was a wonderful strong and talented woman and taught us all what it means to have "Courage," Heart," and a "Brain," and to understand that there is "No Place Like Home." Her legacy will live on in the lives of her children and grandchildren and we hope that you will follow them through their blogs and perhaps and occasional post here by Ricky and me. If you need a little "Sharon Fix," we hope you will come back and look at some pictures and read the wonderful tributes give by her children.
The last weekend of her life we spent enjoying General Conference together and sitting at the feet of Prophets and being taught what we should do with our lives. It seemed like every talk was directed at us, but two talks struck both of us as being particularly relevant to where we were in our lives. Elder Joseph Wirthlin spoke of the advice of his mother when she told him; "Come What May and Love It." As we have gone through this past year the principles that he taught have been a big part of our being able to move forward and face our challenges. The four principles are:

Learn to Laugh
Seek for the Eternal
Understand the Principle of Compensation
Trust in the Father and the Son

Every day during that last week when anything would happen Sharon would remind me and continues to remind me still; "Come What May and Love It."

I encourage you to read this talk and enjoy the lessons learned as much as we have; www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-9,00.html

Jeff spoke in his talk of Hope and Hope is certainly what sustains us as we go forward with our lives. President Uchtdorf gives some real insight in his talk; "The Infinite Power of Hope" which I believe will benefit us all; www.lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-947-7,00.html

As we conclude this chapter of our lives, I would like to leave with you two scriptures. The first from the Prophet Ether in the Book of Mormon in Ether Chapter 12; "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with a surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God." This scripture is what brings us peace and assurance of what lies ahead as we go forward with our lives. And the last scripture is Sharon's favorite and the way she led her life. It comes from the Doctrine and Covenants Section 6; "Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail. Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not....be faithful, keep my commandments and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven." It is this knowledge and this Hope that allows us to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

REMEMBERING SHARON PART4

2008-11-12T10:24:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe that Sharon passed away one month ago today. Although she is gone, as Shalaine said we know that she is with us and helping us to move forward with our lives. We all continue to be amazed at the love and support that we are getting from all of you. I am reminded of the quote that Greg put on the white board at the City of Hope when we went for the bone marrow transplant. "In the depths of winter I finally learned that within me there lay an invincable summer." (Albert Dumas) Every day I understand this more as "WE MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

Below is Jeff's talk from Sharons Funeral. It is a perfect statement of our understanding and belief as a family. I hope you enjoy it.

HOPE

Throughout history man has voiced the questions, “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” and “Where am I going?” Ever since I can remember I have known the answers to these questions. My mother taught them to me. As I have grown I have come to know that what she taught me is true. I now know these things, independent of any other person.

The answers to these questions are firmly rooted in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Prophets have called it the plan of salvation and “the great plan of happiness”. Through inspiration we can understand this plan of eternity and use it to guide our path in mortality.

The gospel teaches us that we are the spirit children of heavenly parents. Before our mortal birth we had “a pre-existent, spiritual personality, as the sons and daughters of the Eternal Father”. We were placed here on earth to progress toward our destiny of eternal life. These truths give us a unique perspective and different values to guide our decisions from those who doubt the existence of God and believe that life is the result of random processes.

Our understanding of life begins with a council in heaven. There the spirit children of God were taught his eternal plan for their destiny. We had progressed as far as we could without a physical body and an experience in mortality. To realize a fullness of joy, we had to prove our willingness to keep the commandments of God in a circumstance where we had no memory of what preceded our mortal birth.

In the course of mortality, we would become subject to death, and we would be soiled by sin. To reclaim us from death and sin, our Heavenly Father’s plan provided us a Savior, whose atonement would redeem all from death and pay the price necessary for all to be cleansed from sin on the conditions he prescribed.

Satan had his own plan. He proposed to save all the spirit children of God, assuring that result by removing their power to choose and thus eliminating the possibility of sin. When Satan’s plan was rejected, he and the spirits who followed him opposed the Father’s plan and were cast out.

All mortals who have been born on this earth chose the Father’s plan and fought for it. Many of us also made covenants with the Father concerning what we would do in mortality. In ways that have not been revealed, our actions in the spirit world influence us in mortality.

Although Satan and his followers have lost their opportunity to have a physical body, they are permitted to use their spirit powers to try to frustrate God’s plan. This provides the opposition necessary to test how mortals will use their freedom to choose. Satan’s most strenuous opposition is directed at whatever is most important to the Father’s plan. Satan seeks to discredit the Savior and divine authority, to nullify the effects of the Atonement, to counterfeit revelation, to lead people away from the truth and to contradict individual accountability. He desires all to be “miserable like unto himself”. He would have us loose our faith in our Fathers plan and destroy our hope in Jesus Christ, the Savior of all Mankind.

The loss of my mother has been the most painful experience in my life. While there have been trying and tragic events in my past this has pained my soul deeply.

Since the time my mother was diagnosed with leukemia last November it has been a roller coaster ride of emotions for us as a family. While we were experiencing the highs and lows of this journey there was always hope. I always hoped for something better, a brighter day, for my mom. It was hope that pushed us forward, caused us to take action and move forward with faith.

Alma describes this perfectly when he exclaimed, “And now as I said concerning faith—faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.

The word hope is sometimes misunderstood. In our everyday language, the word often has a hint of uncertainty. For example, we may say that we hope for a change in the weather or a visit from a friend. In the language of the gospel, however, the word hope is sure, unwavering, and active. The prophet Moroni taught, "Whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men…" (Ether 12:4).

As I was with my mother this past Sunday afternoon and witnessed her passing from this life into the next, it seemed to me that all hope was lost. The despair was overwhelming. My wife, Jennifer, and I have spoken in quiet times since about this.

As the minutes have inched past since Sunday afternoon, I have reached for hope and have realized that it has never left me. My hope and faith is the “anchor to my soul.”

Our ultimate hope must be anchored to the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. He said, “If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.”

An understanding of that objective should help us approach the future with faith instead of fear, with a more excellent hope in place of despair.

Samuel Smiles wrote: “ ‘Hope is like the sun, which, as we journey towards it, casts the shadow of our burden behind us.’ … Hope sweetens the memory of experiences well loved. It tempers our troubles to our growth and our strength. It befriends us in dark hours, excites us in bright ones. It lends promise to the future and purpose to the past. It turns discouragement to determination.”

A modern day apostle, listed among my mother’s favorites, if not the favorite, was Neal A. Maxwell. She loved the way he spoke and enjoyed the books he wrote. It seemed as if after every general conference she would say to me, “did you hear Elder Maxwell’s talk, wasn’t it great…I can hardly wait to read and study it when it is published, so hopefully I can understand it.”

Elder Maxwell is not only related to my mother thru her mothers line but he also endured a battle with leukemia, which took his life in 2004.

In closing, I quote Elder Maxwell on the plan of salvation…the great plan of happiness:

“Life turns out, however, to be just what one would expect of a deliberately constructed proving and tutoring experience which features opportunities, choices, and deprivations. Furthermore, there is no way around—the only way to go is through!

And what a “through” it is!

Hence, brothers and sisters, for the faithful, our finest hours are sometimes during or just following our darkest hours.

It is an incredible irony, therefore, that some complainingly attempt to use the very tutoring process of the Lord against Him. Or resent the reality that we are to walk by faith during this mortal experience.

Furthermore, since this life is such a brief experience, there must be regular exit routes. Some easy. Some hard. Some sudden. Others lingering. Therefore, we cannot presume, even by faith, to block all these exits, all the time, and for all people. Nor, if possessed of full, eternal perspective, would we desire so to do.

Since certain recollections are withheld, we do not now see the end from the beginning. But God does. Meanwhile, we are in what might be called “the murky middle.” Therein, however, we can still truly know that God loves us, individually and perfectly, even though we cannot always explain the meaning of all things happening to us or around us. (See 1 Ne. 11:17.) With an understanding of God’s plan of salvation, we know that the rejoicing, the striving, the suffering, the tutoring, and the enduring experiences of life all play their part in an intelligible process of helping us, if we will, to become, as the Savior beckoningly invited, “even as I am.” (3 Ne. 27:27.) Hence, in submitting knowingly and meekly to this plan, we cannot say to the Lord that we are willing to surrender but only on our terms. There are no conditions in unconditional surrender! The plan always points the way, but does not always smooth the way…

And why not? It is God’s plan—not ours! And, given the unimpressive outcomes of man’s plans to solve the world’s problems, aren’t we glad! Furthermore, of all the things about which we might converse, as Jacob wrote, “Why not speak of the atonement of Christ?” (Jacob 4:12.) Why not, brothers and sisters? This event arches over all of human history, as a Redeeming God and Savior Son pressed onward with the great plan of happiness. Yes, in the plan, God would have us be happy…”

I testify that the things I have spoken of today are true. I also testify that the priesthood and all priesthood keys, have been restored, to the earth, in this the last dispensation of the fullness of times; namely the sealing keys that were restored to the prophet Joseph Smith by Elijah in the Kirtland Temple. These same sealing keys have sealed and bound us together as a family for eternity. I am forever grateful to a loving Heavenly Father for blessing his children by restoring the priesthood to the earth, enabling families to be together forever, never to be divided. This is my hope.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

REMEMBERING SHARON PART 3

2008-11-04T14:23:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe it's already been a month since mom passed away. In some ways it feels like longer and in many other ways I feel like she is still here with us. I guess she is. I had the privilege of being one of the speakers at my mom's funeral and sharing with her family and friends my thoughts, memories, and lessons learned from this wonderful and special woman. Mom and I were the best of friends. And while it is difficult for me to know that I can't have her physical presence with me any longer I'm so grateful for the knowledge that in some ways I can have my friend still with me all the time. The first song we picked for her slideshow was "Angels Among Us". We picked this because mom LOVED this song. When I was younger and this song first came out she recorded it over and over on a tape that she would blast throughout the house every morning for hours on end. Classic Sharon. And now I wonder, how did she know? How did she know how fitting this song would be and how much the words would come to mean to all of us later? She was an angel throughout her life and continues to be one now- helping each one of us as we "move forward with faith".
Here is my talk from the funeral-

My Mom

How do you capture the essence of someone in 5-10 minutes who was truly larger than life? The biggest challenge with this talk was not on deciding WHAT to say, but editing it down to what not to say. And for those of you who knew Sharon, you know that she wasn’t big on editing. I’ve never known someone so comfortable in their own skin. She was 100% herself 100% of the time. “Inside voice” was not a term she was familiar with.
If I could pick a phrase to summarize my mom it would be “Go BIG or go home”. Sharon did nothing on the small scale. She didn’t send out a Christmas card to close friends once in awhile, she handmade intricate carefully crafted Valentines each and every year to be sent to an ever growing list of over 250 families. She never just showed up to teach a class or give a talk, she spent hours planning, cutting, gluing, and coloring hundreds of handouts to help drive her message home. If she found a shirt she liked, she bought it in every color. If she was the primary chorister on Halloween, she dressed up as Count Dracula and had the children pick a song from numbered pockets sewn inside her black cape. Every holiday, mom dyed the milk a coordinating color- green milk on St. Patrick’s Day, red milk at Christmas, and black milk on Halloween. And words cannot describe the spectacle that was Christmas decorating in the Hendrickson home. Huge swaths of gold lame hung from the ceiling with glass stars hanging between a hundred bears wearing angel costumes that she hand sewed. Mom never giggled or smiled. She roared, cackled, and beamed. And most of all, mom didn’t just dabble in the gospel, she immersed herself in it. She poured over the scriptures, spent hours in a quiet dark place praying to her Heavenly Father, and knew beyond doubt that Jesus was her savior, brother, and friend.
The prophet Joseph Smith once said “men know rightly the characteristics of God…if we don’t understand him, we don’t understand ourselves.” I believe the reason my mom was so confident and comfortable, was because of how well she knew her Heavenly Father.
Sharon’s testimony was unshakeable. It was a testimony bought at the high price of trial, hardship, and tribulation. But to know her, you would never know that. Because she was always smiling, always laughing, and always filled with joy. She understood that the world had much to offer in the way of easy thrills and chills, but true and everlasting joy came only from living the gospel. And in true mom fashion, she didn’t just live it, she embraced and embodied it.
Everyone loved to be around mom because of this joy that radiated from her. She was fun, vivacious, full of life, and maybe just a little bit crazy. Mom’s greatest joy was in her family and she wanted nothing more than for them to be together. She often talked seriously about her plans for “The Hendrickson Compound”. But even bigger than this was her dream to have a Circus Family. To her, this would be the ultimate. To travel around as a family from town to town working together, playing together, and making people laugh together.
Mom had a saying for everything and most of them described just how she was. Some of my favorites are “Only boring people get bored”, “Be unbugable”, “NOYB”, and of course “Hendrickson’s Never Say Can’t”. Most of these were sayings were also accompanied by a little song and dance. But the phrase she would often say that had the biggest impact on me was “Bad things DON”T happen to Good people”. I learned from mom that hard things happen to good people, difficult things happen to good people, heart-breaking and devastating trials happen to good people, but when are heart is in the right place and we turn our lives over to the Lord, bad things will not happen. For he has promised that when we do what he says, ALL things will work for our GOOD. Mom knew this and mom lived this.
She never asked why. Why is this so difficult, why did I have this child, why have I been given cancer? She only asked what. What would you have me do Lord and what can I learn? Many of you may know that for over 20 years she has been writing a book about her life and experiences with her family and most of all her youngest son, Ricky. Her philosophy for life is best described in the title of this book: “From Trapped to Freedom- Your Choice”. Mom made no excuses. She made no apologies. You never found her complaining or murmering. She just did. Her knee-jerk reaction was to say “yes” and figure out a way to do it later. She knew she had a choice. She knew she was the author of her destiny. And the tale she chose to tell was one of perseverence, sacrifice, service and overwhelming joy.
While mom lived large, she also appreciated the small. She saw the beauty and worth in everyone. When she was younger she used to go around to construction sites near her home and hammer out the knots in the wood. These knots she would take home and carefully sand, buff and then paint with clear nail polish to bring out their individuality in design and texture. Nothing was more beautiful to her than this collection of knots. One day she brought them to school for show and tell. When her teacher saw her collection he laughed at her. He told her that it was a ridiculous and stupid collection. While most children’s response would be embarrassment and hurt, mom felt nothing but sadness. Sadness for this man that he could not see the beauty in these simple unique knots of wood.
Mom had a knack for making everyone she came in contact with feel special and beautiful. She saw and loved the individuality in each of us and through her teachings, example and love, helped sand us, polish us, and make us shine. She saw the worth in us that we often didn’t see in our selves. “For men know rightly the characteristics of God…if we don’t understand him, we don’t understand ourselves.” Mom could see the beauty and worth in us because she knew herself and she knew her God. She lived life big and has now returned to her Heavenly Father. And you know exactly what she would say… “There’s no place like home.”

REMEMBERING SHARON PART 2

2008-10-30T12:48:00.000-07:00

Thank you for all your kind responses and wonderful cards and notes. We as a family are having a wonderful time remembering too. We hope you enjoy the slides, if you want to view the entire slideshow click on "VIEW ALL IMAGES" and when you get to the link click on SLIDESHOW in the upper right hand cornor, and enjoy some wonderful memories of this incredible woman (no bias here!). As for the rest of us we are doing well, Greg and family and Stephanie and family will be returning to their homes on the weekend. We are greatful for our knowledge of "God's Plan of Happiness" and we continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

Jon's Talk is included Below.

MOM

William Shakespeare once wrote: All the world's a stage,And all the men and women merely players:They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.

The first stage in my life began before I was born. Mom and the doctors truly believed I was going to be a girl. Mom already had 2 sons and was excited to get her first beautiful girl. I can only imagine her shocking and open-mouthed expression when Dad welcomed their 3rd son into the world. Naturally, this didn’t stop Mom. She grew my hair out, put it in pony tails, and gave me dolls to play with. Most of you are probably saying to yourselves, “That explains everything.”

As I grew a few years older, I put away the dolls and thankfully moved onto sports. The 2nd stage I remember is the soccer stage. My older brothers both played on the Milwaukee Kicks and I could hardly wait until I was old enough. Finally I was and became part of the team. I remember one year after we had moved to California playing in a Regional playoff game. It was intense and the winner would play in the Rose Bowl. Our team unfortunately lost in double overtime and as we made our way to the parking lot, I caught a glimpse of my dad running after the referees red-faced and ready to do damage; however, true to form, Mom was able to chase him down and stop him before he would do something he would later regret. This would become Mom’s calling card. She always was there to stop any of us before we made a bad decision or do something we would later regret.

Which brings me to the teen-age years: 3rd stage. All 3 boys were in high school at the same time which brought its own set of challenges. Mom, however, was at almost every game and every play. She got up with my dad every morning before seminary to feed us breakfast and read from the scriptures. My dad loved to cook bacon and eggs and my mom loved to let him. I learned to read and love the scriptures but most importantly, I learned the lesson of sacrifice. My mom loved to sleep so I knew that her presence at the breakfast table at 5:30 in the morning was a huge sacrifice for her. She always put herself last and everyone else’s needs first. Even last Saturday, as she lay in the hospital bed suffering, she suddenly turned to me and asked, How I was doing? This typified my mom’s entire life.

The 4th stage was my missionary years. My mom loved the Lord and knew what service meant. In every calling she received from Relief Society President to Seminary Teacher to Primary Chorister, she magnified it and trusted in the Lord and therefore became the best “fill in the blank” there ever was. Because of this, she knew that there wasn’t anything better I could be doing than dedicating 2 years of my life to serve the people of the Canary Islands. All four sons served missions and I’m sure she was sad to see them go knowing that 2 years would indeed be a long time; however, the lesson that she instilled in us was the same as King Benjamin when he declared, “When you are in the service of your fellow beings, you are only in the service of your Lord.”

The 5th stage was my first years of marriage. I student taught at Laguna Hills High School and Mom and Dad were gracious enough to open their home to us. We lived there that year with our newborn baby girl, Jamie who is now almost 12 years old. I learned a lot that year as a young father as Mom would not only give me advice about marriage and sacrifice but show me through example what being an eternal partner and parent was all about. Many days I would catch her with Jamie on her lap reading to her one of her favorite books: I’ll Love You Forever. I truly believe that the mother in that book was indeed my mother as she: “Held her new granddaughter and very slowly rocked her back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. And while she held her, she sang:
I'll love you forever,I'll like you for always,As long as I'm living my baby you'll be.
I can say with 100% accuracy that Mom never broke that promise.
The 6th stage was Nana Camp. One week long every year where Nana invited all the grandkids to her home and entertained them for a week. This was my kids’ favorite week in the whole year. It wasn’t just a babysitting week. It was full of activities from sunup to sundown. My mom had an endless supply of energy. To this day, I have no idea where she found the reserves. As I kid, I never remember her telling me she was too tired to play a game with me or read me a book or sing me a song. And she displayed this energy for the grandkids all week long. She put on costumes, taught them crafts, was the dolphin the pool, taught the kids how to swim, and of course at night would lay with them and watch movies. We told my dad that it would now have to become Paga Camp and he almost fainted on the spot because he saw first-hand how much effort Mom would put into that week.
The 7th stage was this past year. Like the Lion in the Wizard of Oz, Mom displayed courage that I have never seen. Even in pain and suffering, Mom would brighten up the room and be on center stage. I never heard her complain one time knowing that Heavenly Father had a plan and trusted in Him. All of us were able to have a lot of time with her one-on-one this past year and those times were precious. My wife said it best when she remarked after having her own time with her, “Mom saw the best in everyone and knew their potential and through words and actions, helped each and everyone one of us see and realize that potential.” That was a great gift my mom had. She made you feel like you were the best person in the world. She made you feel special.
One of Mom’s favorite movies is Shawshank Redemption. Hope is the central theme throughout that movie. Hope was the central theme throughout Mom’s life. Just like Tim Robbins in the movie, Mom always made the best out of every situation that was thrown her way. She had hope that with the right attitude, things could and would get better. This hope grew into faith and ultimately into knowledge. She knew where she came from, why she was here, and where she was going. At the end of the movie, after learning this same valuable lesson of hope, Morgan Freeman says, “I hope I can cross the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it is in my dreams. I hope.”
Just like Mom, my hope has also become knowledge and therefore I know there is no end to this strange eventful history. There is no last or ultimate stage. Shakespeare got it wrong.
I know I will cross the veil. I know I will see my mom and hug her tight. I know that heaven will be as beautiful as it is in my dreams. I know.
And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ….Amen

REMEMBERING SHARON

2008-10-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

We would like to express our sincere thanks to everyone who has been so thoughtful, gracious and attentive since the passing of Sharon. We were so pleased by the number of you who took time from your busy lives to attend her viewing and funeral it was indeed a beautiful tribute to her outstanding life. We have been overwhelmed by the number of cards, calls and emails. We are so thankful at this time for all of you and your support as we transition to the next phase of our lives. Yes, we are sad and we will miss her, but we are happy that she is out of pain and in a far better place catching up I'm sure with family and friends. Our challenge is to live our lives to be worthy of her. To that end, "WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."
For those of you who were not at the funeral, we thought you might enjoy reading the tributes to Sharon given by her children. We will do that over the next couple of weeks.
The first will be the talk given by Greg.

Mom’s Funeral Talk

GM brothers and sisters.
I am grateful that my father and siblings have granted me the great honor of eulogizing mom – a clear recognition that I am my mother’s favorite.
I am grateful for the beautiful picture of my mom that graces her casket. When I saw it I said “That’s my mom!” So much energy, so much life and her radiance, the pure light that emanates from her, was always her greatest quality. That light is the light of Christ, it is the spark of fun, it is the flame of love. She brought this light to everything she did with the spaunk of a cougarette and the creativity of a theater and art major. It was a contagious enthusiasm – highly infectious and quickly spread. “And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, . . . fills the immensity of space” It’s no wonder that she loved the Wizard of Oz. She helped us see that for every gray scale Kansas in our lives just beyond the rainbow were Technicolor possibilities.
There is so much to express about my mother - most of which words can not tell and only the heart can comprehend. I would like to focus on her greatest passions family, fun and faith. So intertwined are these three to her that they are inseparable in a narrative of who my mom is.
My mother loved the family she was born into. She had two brothers that she adored all her life and a sister she always sought to understand. Her father provided her with a foundation of unwavering faith and her mother with an example of compassion and service. As she began her own family she brought with her this priceless dowry.
Mom was a tremendous helpmeet and the perfect complement to my father. She was never uncomfortable in any circumstance, whether it be in the presence of Presidents or the world’s poor. My father found himself in many leadership positions throughout their married life. Dad may have been in the front but it was mom that pulled the oars.
Mom is incredibly committed to her children. I felt that Elder Nelson in April conference rightly summarized her parenting philosophy. He said “Do not control your children. Instead, listen to them, help them to learn the gospel, inspire them and lead them toward eternal life. You are God’s agents in the care of children he has entrusted to you. Let His divine influence remain in your hearts as you teach and persuade.” My mom raised some of the best people I know. She did not shield us from life’s numerous challenges – she had every confidence that we would meet them and beat them. She wrote songs that she would regularly sing to us. Hendrickson’s never say can’t, for can’t is not our word, can’t is simply absurd” or “I make a difference, I make a difference, I am the one, I am the key.” To remind me of my potential she would often sing to me “Any little boy can be President.” I believed it of myself and so did she.
She had an active commitment to being a part of the lives of her grandchildren. She sought every opportunity to spend time with them when they were around. When she called, my children would eagerly wait for their time to talk to Nana on the phone. She attended births and blessings and baptisms. In the summers there was Nana Camp, where Nana conducted a multi-day sleepover extravaganza – complete with regalia, activities and grandmotherly teaching and expressions of love. After a grandchild turned 8 they attended general conference in Salt Lake with Nana and Paga. Nana knew the power of being in the presence of a prophet of God and wanted each of her grandchildren to feel and experience that power. My children regularly get out their conference binders nana made for their conference trips and recall with fondness this great coming of age experience.
Mom is a monkey – that’s our family mascot. Monkeys are nimble, work together, and always seem to be having good time – that’s us. She and my father’s direct progeny include a troop of 22 monkeys, including 6 children and 14 grandchildren. She will stand in the eternities as a mother to Hendrickson monkeys greater than the sands of the sea and vaster than the stars of the sky. Are you ready for that! In our last few days together we read from the Fabric of the Cosmos about the immensity of the universe, and the possibility of universes upon universes and we marveled at the endless nature of the promise of posterity the matched that grandeur. And for mom endless posterity means joy without end.
Mom exemplified our family motto “Bound with Honor.” Mom and I are big fans of the Bard. To give her greater courage while she was going through her transplant at the City of Hope we watched Henry the V together –we especially love Henry’s speech before the Saint Crispin Day battle.
By Jove, I am not covetous for goldNor care I who doth feed upon my cost;It yerns me not if men my garments wear;Such outward things dwell not in my desires.But if it be a sin to covet honour,I am the most offending soul alive.
Mom did not seek the honor of men but the honor of God. She trusted the Lord when he said “I, the Lord, delight to honor those who cserve me in righteousness and in truth unto the end. 6 Great shall be their reward and eternal shall be their glory. . . . and by my power will I make known unto them the secrets of my will—yea, even those things which eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor yet entered into the heart of man.” She kept her covenants, and encouraged those in covenant relationships with her to do the same. She made sure that clothing, totes, jewelry, and other sundries she gave to children and grandchildren bear the reminder that we are bound with eternal ties which now require only our lives honorable action to be realized.
Mom had a deep need to express the truths she understood. The challenge was, that the truths she knows best are those of the heart, which must be conveyed to the heart to be comprehended. While tremendously talented in conveying truth with creativity and power as a speaker (as can be attested to by any of her 7 years of seminary students – of which I am one) she longed to be able to express those same truths with the same creativity and power in writing. She took semesters of writing classes while I was in high school and spent hundreds of hours working on a book manuscript. Condensed, all her efforts were published as a short article in the Ensign. A rich and powerful piece about how one comprehends in times of pain and sorrow that the lives we live here frame our eternal possibilities.
I love my mom. She is my mentor, my friend and my cheerleader. I believe that I have done nothing so important in my life than to stand with others at my mom’s bed side and exercise the priesthood on her behalf. I have known few joys greater then to sit for hours by her bedside over the past year – just she and I – talking of things great and small. We read books of grand adventures in foreign lands and the simple life on a farm. She did her best to pass along what she learned at the BMW driving school and what she learned in the temple. We talked of our love and friendship and faith.
I am my mother’s son. I share in her passions, her talents and her faith, but she bought me with more than my birth. There were times when a boy, desperate and alone had lost his way. She searched for me and, in loving agony of spirit, found me and saved me. When I try to grasp the depths of the atonement of Jesus Christ I can only begin to comprehend it in the personage of my mom and her unremitting, unconditional love, devotion and service. She, more than any other, has represented the hands of the Lord in my life.
I can say, as John Quincy Adams did of his mom, “My mother was a minister of blessing to all human beings within her sphere of action. . . . She had no feelings but of kindness and beneficence. Yet her mind was as firm as her temper was mild and gentle. She. . . has been to me more than a mother. She has been a spirit from above watching over me for good, and contributing by mere consciousness of her existence, to the comfort of my life. . . . Never have I known another human being, the perpetual object of whose life, was so unremittingly to do good.”
My mother – I love you. Your physical presence will be greatly missed. Mother – Good night, good night, parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it is morrow. That glorious morrow of eternal reunion. Which I hope I am worthy of, in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Sharon Hendrickson

2008-10-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

Sharon Summerhays Hendrickson of Rancho Mirage CA passed away on October 12, 2008 in Rancho Mirage at the age of 62 after a long battle with leukemia. She was born January 19, 1946 in Pasadena CA to Richard S. and Miriam Maxwell Summerhays. She attended Pasadena Schools and graduated from Pasadena High School. She attended Brigham Young University and graduated from there in 1968. While at Brigham Young she met Blaine E Hendrickson whom she married on September 7, 1965 in The Latter-day Saint Temple in Los Angeles, CA. Sharon and Blaine moved to Rancho Mirage in 1998 after living most of their married life in Laguna Hills, CA. Sharon was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She will be remembered for her vibrant enthusiastic personality, her warm smile, her great laugh, and her committed service. She was a wonderful wife, mother and “nana”.
She is survived by her loving husband of 43 years Blaine E Hendrickson of Rancho Mirage, CA, 4 sons, Jeffery (Jennifer) of San Clemente, CA., Gregory (Becky) of Kealakekua, HI, Jonathan (Lou Ann) of Laguna Beach CA, and Richard of Rancho Mirage CA, 2 daughters, Stephanie (Eric) McClellan of Redlands CA and Shalaine (Cort) Green of Rancho Mirage, CA. She also leaves behind 14 wonderful grandchildren and 2 brothers and 1 sister.
Services will be held on Friday October 17, 2008 at 11:00 AM at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Chapel located at 72-960 Park View Drive Palm Desert, CA 92260. The Family will welcome friends and relatives on Thursday October 16 from 6:30 to 8:00 PM and from 9:30 to 10:30 AM on the 17that the same location. Dedication of the grave will occur at Desert Memorial Park at 2:30 PM. In lieu of flowers the family has requested donations be made to the Orange County/Inland Empire Chapter of the Make a Wish Foundation.

2 Timothy 4:7

2008-10-12T16:54:00.000-07:00

"I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."

We wanted to publicly thank all of you for your prayers, your fasts, your strength, and your testimonies. You have lifted us in our time of need. You have buoyed our spirits and helped us:

"Move forward with faith."

Mom, we will miss you every day, every hour, every moment. Your energy, your love, your friendship, and your pure love of Christ is unparalleled. Because of you, we will try a little harder, laugh a little louder, and love a little longer. That is your legacy. That is our inheritance.

Your family and friends will always remember your cackling laugh, your abounding love, and your utter joy of living.

Smile everyone. Our mom wouldn't want it any other way!

(note: In lieu of flowers, Sharon would like you to donate that money to her favorite charity "Make a Wish Foundation" You can view their website at http://www.wishoc.org/. If you do decide to donate, please make your pledge the the Orange County Inland Empire chapter. Thank you. We will also let everyone know either through the blog, email, or phone when the services will be. The date will most likely be at the end of this week on either Friday or Saturday here in Rancho Mirage at the LDS chapel on Monterey).

In the Arms of the Savior

2008-10-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

I am sad to report that Mom is in the hospital. She was having trouble walking towards the end of this week and had a few falls. We also noticed she was quite swollen and didn't seem to be eliminating very much. She saw her Doctor on Thursday and he explained that due to poor nutrition and the amount of lasix she was on, her body was eliminating the fluid from her blood but it was going into her legs and lungs instead of through the kidneys. At that time he thought she was still okay to be at home and advised us to help her eat more and drink more fluids.
On Friday she started to become quite confused and was still not eliminating very much fluid from her body. We noticed she was having many of the same issues she had a year ago and feared that her kidneys were struggling. We decided to take her to the hospital and see if we could help her kidneys before they failed. She is under the close treatment of a kidney doctor and he is trying several things to get her kidneys functioning properly. Sadly, these treatments do not seem to be helping and our Mom is slipping from us quickly. In a few moments of lucidity yesterday morning we told her it was okay if she was done fighting, but in true mom fashion she said no...she still had fight in her and that she was strong. Even under the worst situations she lives up to her mantra of Never Saying Can't. He body has been greatly weakened over the past year and we don't know if her strong will can overcome a failing body. We know that the Saviors arms are around her and faithfully trust that whatever the Lord's will is, is what is best for all of us.
Thank you for your continued faith and prayers in her behalf. We know how much she has touched other's lives and pray that in your darkest moments you will trust in the Lord and move forward with faith.

HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN

2008-10-05T20:03:00.000-07:00

Sharon was able to come home from the hospital on Saturday morning. In fact we were home in time to watch the morning session of General Conference, which in itself was something of a miracle. If you've ever tried to get out of hospital you will know what I am talking about. We were able to enjoy all sessions of conference which was pretty good considering the cable went out for a good part of the day around the valley. Thank you for having both cable and satellite. We were very inspired by the conference especially President Ucthdorf's talk on Hope. As to our health issues, they took an additional 700cc of fluid off of her right side making a total of 2100cc's from both sides. She is able to breathe more comfortably, but her left lung still has not expanded back. We are hopeful that by being home and moving around more and doing breathing exercises that we can get it to come back. That is pretty important if we are to get her off oxygen. She completed the round of dacogon and received 3 units of blood and a unit of platelets which should be good for a while. The white count has remained in the mid 40's not down much but more important not up. She has started on a small dose of the oral chemo drug, Hydrea, to hopefully jump start a trend down for the white count. She still has quite a cough and we're hopeful that it is helping to open up her lungs, otherwise it is very irritating. She is quite the trooper and continues to push forward without complaint. We are really looking forward to the week ahead, being back home and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our 14th grandchild which is scheduled for Wednesday. The family continues to grow which makes us appreciate how blessed we are. We look forward to the miracles that lie ahead and as always "WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

IT'S UPHILL AGAIN!

2008-09-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

Today Sharon was admitted back into the Hospital. Pushing Lasix failed to accomplish what we needed and so we had to admit her in order to have the fluid removed. Also over the past week she has developed a new cough that has caused her a lot of sleepless nights and so this will also be an opportunity to check everything out and make sure our treatment plan is the right one. While she is there they will also give her her next round of Dacogen since her white counts are headed in the wrong direction again. The condition with her lungs is called an Pleural Effusion, which is the collection of fluid in the Pleural Cavity that prevents the lungs from expanding. Today they did a Pleuralcentesis or the removal of fluid from the left side. They removed about a liter and a half of fluid. Tomorrow they will remove the fluid from the right side. She was doing pretty good tonight but was in some pain. Hopefully that will go away quickly. The doctor is hopeful that removing the fluid will eliminate the shortness of breath that she is having and enable us to get off the oxygen. We are all for that! We hope that this is a short stay and she will be home by the end of the week or before. She is hanging in there and as always "WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH." We love you all and thank you for your continued faith and prayers.

ENJOY THE FLAT WATER

2008-09-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

As we wrap up another week it has been one of pretty much holding our own. Sharon's white count finished the week at 8.6, about the same level as the prior week. She had a chest x-ray on Tuesday that pretty much told us the same things as the cat scan. The pneumonia is pretty much cleared up but there is a large amount of fluid still remaining. We're not really sure whether the increased lasix is helping, but we do know it has not resolved the problem. She is doing pretty well over all, but still lacks any kind of stamina or strength. We will continue the current course through next week and then begin Dacogen treatments again on the 29th. Also on the 29th we meet with the Doctor and will decide whether or not we need to move forward with having the fluid removed if it is not gone. We were pleased that Sharon was able to attend the marriage of Dale and Eileen's son Doug in the Los Angeles temple last Saturday. It was a beautiful service and we were very glad to be there. It was a long but wonderfully fulfilling day for Sharon.
We like all of you continue to pray for miracles to occur. We remain optimistic and "CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

DOWN HILL RUN!!

2008-09-08T14:10:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that you all have been frantically checking your emails wondering why I haven't made a post in forever. As if that's all you do with your time. I have been waiting for the results of a Cat-Scan that was done last week so I would have something interesting to say. Well, finally I have got some results and so here goes. The scan showed that the lungs were fairly clear, with no abscess as they had previously thought. There is a lot of fluid still in them which is causing her shortness of breath. We had a couple of options to deal with the problem and took the one least dangerous. They have increased the amount of lazix that she is taking to see if that will get off the extra fluid. If that doesn't work then she will have to go into the hospital and they will remove the fluid with a syringe into the lungs. Because of her low platelet count that presents some risk, but worth taking, because we must resolve the pneumonia in order to move forward.
She completed another round of Dacogen on Friday and her white count is responding nicely. It was up around 23 and is now back down to 11. The doctor said this is better than he anticipated and so that is great news. She is feeling good but weak and is short of breath, but we are having fewer fevers and she is sleeping much better at night. Goes to show that "E" ticket rides run down hill as well as up, and we certainly appreciate that. Yesterday we celebrated 43 years of wonderful marriage and hope you all put our 50th celebration on your calendar for 2015. As always, "WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

"E TICKET RIDE"

2008-08-27T17:08:00.000-07:00

I think Sharon's love of high adventure is catching up with us. She always loves to live on the edge and so it is with our current adventure. After 2 weeks of good news, we figured you would be getting bored and so we needed to inject a little drama into your lives. As reported earlier when the white count fell to 5 the doctor took her off all of her chemotherapy drugs in hopes it would stay down and we wouldn't need platelets and blood quite so often. Great thought, but so far not going as well as we would have hoped. In the past week the white count has gone up to 16. We're still hoping it will slow down and stabilize in the 20's, which would make the Dr. happy. As for the pneumonia it is about the same, but she is having trouble sleeping at night because of coughing. We haven't figured that one out yet, but hope to get a pulmonologist referral when we see the doctor tomorrow. Quite honestly, I am looking for a little boredom, I am not sure my aging heart can take the continuing "E" ride. In fact when I had a choice I always stayed off those guys anyway. We do however "CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

WE'RE ON A ROLL!!

2008-08-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

It's time for our weekly update. We have had a good week. Sharon's white count continues to come down. On Thursday it was at 6.4 and today at 5.1. The Doctor is encouraged by this and has taken her off of the oral chemotherapy. This is good because it should help her mouth and throat to clear up which is currently her biggest downer. During the week we have been able to back off on the amount of oxygen that she needs and we have now cut it from 6 liters to 3 1/2 liters. The doctor said that her lungs were much clearer and so it would appear that the pneumonia is subsiding. She is sleeping well at night which is really good. We are now starting to work on building her strength back up. Maybe all this good news is because she is so absorbed in the Olympics that she forgets about her ailments, but whatever the reason we are really encouraged and looking forward to more good news in future reports.
We appreciate all of your cards and comments and especially your prayers and "WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

DOWN GO THE MEAN OLD CELLS!!!

2008-08-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

This past week was a relly busy one for us. On Monday our white count was at 44.3 and so the Doctor felt that we should begin our second round of Dacogen as well as continuing on the oral Chemotherapy drug Hydrea. Dacogen means a trip to the Doctors office to receive about 1 1/2 hours of treatment every day for the week. That usually works out to about 2 1/2 to 3 hours away from home. In addition to that we required platelets on Tuesday and Thursday, add 2 to 3 hours each day and then on Friday 2 units of blood, another 6 hours. Needless to say by Friday she was really wiped out and very weak. The pneumonia continues but we seem to be holding our own with that. Occasionally she will have a bad night due to coughing, but we seem to be moving forward a bit. She has had fewer fevers and her oxygen saturation has improved. The really exciting news is that her white blood count is in a free fall. On Thursday it was down to 27.1 and today down to 10.1, and so we are really encouraged by that. We are hopeful that this will be and easier week and that she will be able to rest well and begin to build back some strength. She will then hopefully be able to fight off the pneumonia. All in all we are very encouraged by the results and know that it is because of all of your faith and prayers. As for us, "WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

Mighty Max

2008-08-07T19:55:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone. I know, I know, you all want the latest update on my mom...sorry this isn't it. I just wanted to let everyone know that Max has joined the wide world of blogging. If you want to check him out he is at http://www.mightymaxandthemcclellans.blogspot.com/. Yeah, it's a mouthful, but everything else I tried was taken. Hope you enjoy!

A BIT OF GOOD NEWS!!!

2008-08-01T11:26:00.000-07:00

We went to the Doctors on Monday and unfortunately Sharon's White Count was continuing to rise which presents a real concern for everyone. We spent a lot of time discussing options with Dr. Dreisbach and determined to take a conservative course. He placed her on a pill form of chemotherapy called Hydrea. She is taking an average dose with the intent that it will slow down the rising white count or even reduce it so that we can do another round of dacogen to see if it will knock down the leukemia. We went back to the Dr. again yesterday and it seems to be working. Her white count was at the same level as on Monday with only 2 days on the new drug. We are encouraged as is the Dr. Her Pneumonia seems to being doing a bit better as well. We have been able to back off to 5 liters of oxygen at times and she is sleeping much better at night. It doesn't hurt that she is getting frequent visits from kids and grand kids the real healers for her.

We thought we should share even a little of morsel of good news as it happens, since we haven't offered much of late. We continue to be optimistic and to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

I GUESS WE NEED SOME MORE!!!

2008-07-27T16:29:00.000-07:00

I have come under some heat for failing to post, mostly from my adoring patient, who is taking most of my time these days. When I last wrote we had been admitted to the hospital with Pneumonia. Sharon was well cared for during the week by Greg and Stephanie while I took the youth of the ward to Lake Powell for a youth conference/super activity. This was a leap of faith for us all, but we felt good that the Lord would look after things for the week. Sharon had a couple of scary days, but began to feel better toward the end of the week although the x-rays still showed a lot of pneumonia. The first of this last week, she and I began to scheme as to how we could get her home and finally convinced all the doctors to let her come home on Wednesday night so she was able to have a great couple of days with Greg and his family before they had to return to Hawaii on Saturday. She did however come home on 6 liters of oxygen, 3 IV antibiotics and 4-6 respiratory treatments a day. Boy are my skills ever getting up there, soon I will be challenging the RN Boards for my license. We still struggle with the pneumonia although she seems to be feeling better. Our next little obstacle is her white count which continues to climb. On Thursday it was up to 37 which is not good. On Monday we are meeting with the Doctors to see where we might go from here. We have a real dilemma in that we probably need more aggressive chemotherapy, but with the pneumonia we're not sure if she can handle it health wise. We continue to look for some sort of miracle to take us to the next step.

We are continually grateful for your faith and prayers and need them more than ever. As for us, "WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ALREADY!!!

2008-07-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

A very quick update for everyone is in order. We have completed our first week of Chemotherapy. The week went pretty much without incident until Friday. Friday we had a big day scheduled. We had to be at the infusion center at 8:00 in the morning to receive 2 units of blood which takes about 4 hours to deliver. We were then scheduled to receive Chemo at 1:00. While they were giving her her Chemo, they noticed that she had a couple of black eyes and so ran labs and immediately sent us back to the infusion center for platelets. We finished up the platelets about 5:30 and when they checked her temperature she was running a fever of about 100 degrees and so we had to wait and see if it went down or if it was a platelet reaction. By 6:30 it was down to 99 and so they called the Doctor and he OK ed us to go home if we would carefully monitor her temperature through the night and if it went up would go to the hospital. She did pretty good with it hovering between 99 and 100 but when she woke up at 6;30 the fever was up to 102.3. I called the Doctor and he sent us to the ER where they ran blood tests and took x-rays and determined that she had pneumonia in her left lung and so she is now back in Eisenhower receiving heavy doses of antibiotics to try and knock down the pneumonia. As of this evening she is doing pretty good. They are able to keep the fever in check and she continues to receive about 4 different antibiotics. Her spirits are good and she continues to fight. Hopefully we will be able to get things under control and get her back home before the end of the week.
We continue to believe that we will ultimately whip this stuff and be able to move forward with our lives. As always we appreciate all of your faith and prayers and "CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

A NEW BEGINNING

2008-07-08T10:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a new beginning in our war against Leukemia. We began 5 days of Chemotherapy. Sharon is receiving a drug call Dacogen, which we received just before we were admitted for our first bone marrow transplant. She receives it as an outpatient basis at her doctors office here in the desert. It takes about an hour and a half to deliver. After the 5 days we will wait 3 weeks and then have another bone marrow test to see if the cancer is being slowed down or put into remission. We can then repeat that process two our three times and if we get below 20% Leukemic cells she will qualify for another transplant. There is also some possibility that the Dacogen could stimulate the donor cells that she has to become more active and create a GVH that could attack the cancer cells and get the original transplant back on track. That possibility is small but could happen. We go in twice a week for lab tests which usually trigger the need for platelets, blood or both. Yesterday we had to have platelets. Sharon's spirits remain high and she is confident that she can beat this stuff. She is really an example of how "Hendricksons never say can't." Greg and his family will be coming on Saturday for a short stay and a week at Aviara. Sharon plans on spending the week with them while I take the youth to Lake Powell for a week of Fun and Youth Conference. Shalaine and Cort will be joining me with the youth.
We continue to appreciate all of your kind notes and especially your faith and prayers and as always "WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

HE NEVER SAID IT WOULD BE EASY......

2008-06-29T08:23:00.000-07:00

Our Friday began very well. We met with the Orthopedic Dr. at 8:00 AM and after reviewing our MRI he told us that the damaged area of Sharon's hips was very small and would most likely heal itself over the next several months. That made for a very happy drive to the City of Hope for the rest of our appointments. Our euphoria was not to last. Dr. Stein, our oncologist delivered the devastating news that Sharon's bone marrow biopsy showed that her cancer had relapsed and that we had about 16% Leukemic cells. Not something that we wanted to hear at all. We then pursued our options and they appear to be this. We will begin Chemotherapy again on July 8 on an outpatient basis. That will last for one week and then we will wait for three weeks and have another bone marrow test. If we can get the cancer back into remission we will then have a second bone marrow transplant. We have had to deal with a lot as we've processed this news, certainly we had hoped for a much different result. The path ahead will not be easy but we know that with the help of the Savior and with the combined faith and prayers of our family and our many friends that it will be possible.
Greg pointed out a very appropriate scripture in the Book of Mormon. In Mosiah Alma and his people are being subjected to hardship from the Lamanites. In Chapter 24 verse 14 the Lord responds to the silent prayers of the people by promising them that "I will ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions." In verse 15 it says that "And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alama and his bretheren were made light; yea the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." Then when delivered from bondage (in verse 21) it says "they poured out their thanks to God because he had been merciful unto them, and eased their burdens, and had delivered them out of bondage for they were in bondage, and none could deliver them except it were the Lord their God."
We as a family know of a surety that The Lord does visit His people in their afflictions and that only He, the Lord, can deliver us. We are committed to cheerfully and patiently "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAGA!!!

2008-06-27T13:06:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to say Happy Birthday dad! We love you so much and appreciate all you do for us. Thanks for being an awesome example to all these little grandkiddies!!

As the norm, Luke tends to shy away from group photos...so here's a cute one of you and him!

And the 2 newbies......Axel and Max!!

WE LOVE YOU PAGA!

TREADING WATER

2008-06-23T11:05:00.000-07:00

I have heard some comments about people checking the blog and finding no new updates. I guess I have been remiss because this week we have pretty much been treading water. We have an appointment tomorrow at the City of Hope and they will do another Bone Marrow Biopsy to determine whether we were able to get rid of the abnormal cells by taking Sharon off all of her imune-supprescent drugs. The results will take at least one week to get back from the lab. On Friday we will have an orthopedic consult to see where we go as far as the avascular necrosis is concerned. On Sunday Sharon was able to attend Sacrament Meeting for the first time in several months. She was excited to be there and really appreciated the warm reception of our ward family.

This is a critical week in our recovery process. We approach with faith in our Heavenly Father and a knowledge that with all of your faith and prayers we can beat this challenge. We love and appreciate you all and continue "TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

FRIDAY THE 13TH

2008-06-13T20:24:00.000-07:00

Never ones to be superstitious we gave no thought to going to the clinic on Friday the 13th to celebrate our 100th day post transplant. Little did we know! This was not the best day in our trek to recovery. Sharon has had some pain in her hips that has made walking difficult. On Monday they took x-rays and today did an MRI. The diagnosis Avascular Necrosis, a deterioration of the top of the Femur at the Hip Joint, brought on by taking Prednisone to stop the Graft vs Host disease. The eventual outcome will probably have to be hip replacement,but we will know more after an orthopedic consultation. That was not the end of the bad news for the day. They finally got the results of the Chromosome tests and they showed that there was one abnormal female cell among the cells tested. The concern here is relapse and so they have taken her off the immune suppressant drugs in hopes that the donor cells will attack and kill the abnormal ones. The problem with that is it increases the possibility of more GVH. Oh well, darned if you do, darned if you don't. Of course this not the news we hoped for and we were pretty devastated. But as we reflect on the faith and prayers that have brought us this far, we can only have the faith that the Lord will continue to work miracles in our lives. We will have another bone marrow in two weeks and we will then know more of where we're going.

Again we thank you for your faith and prayers and want you to know that we "CONTINUE TO WALK FORWARD IN FAITH."

The picture is the Pasadena Stake Center where Sharon attended church as a child and young woman. It was built by her father when he was Bishop of the East Pasadena Ward. The building held its last services as an LDS chapel two weeks ago. There are now no chapels in the city of Pasadena.

MORE GOOD NEWS

2008-06-05T16:09:00.000-07:00

Last Friday the Doctor decided to do a bone marrow biopsy since we are approaching our 100 day mark. Yesterday we got the partial results. The bone marrow shows no Leukaemia cells and still 100% donor cells. Of course we are very excited and delighted that we are about one third of the way through our first year with no relapse. They are still somewhat concerned about the slowness of the graft and gave her a shot of Nupregen to boost her white count and try and nudge things along. They won't have all the tests back for another week, especially those that determine her chromosome counts. This will tell more regarding the graft. We are still on schedule to be home on Fathers Day. We appreciate all your faith and prayers and continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

The picture is of our home in Monrovia where we lived from 1970-72 Greg was born while we were there.

Faith in the Cure

2008-05-28T21:44:00.001-07:00

I am out to prove that Hendrickson's truly never say can't! I've decided to train for a half marathon benefiting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I know what is going on in most of your heads...you are checking to see if it is really Stephanie writing this post. It is true, the women who disdains exercise is taking on this challenge. It has given me a feeling of doing something to help find a cure. We have already experienced many of the advancements for treating this disease and I hope that through generous donations that we can get even close to wiping Leukemia off the map!
My personal goal is to raise $2100 by August 31, 2008. With your donation you will not only be supporting my participation in the marathon, but you will help advance the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's mission to FIND A CURE! 75% of all funds raised goes directly into research, education, and patient services.

The easiest way to donate is to go to my web site and Enter the amount you wish to donate. Click “Donate Now!” and you will receive an e-mail confirmation and tax receipt. Just click on the web address to access my site: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ocie/lbintl08/smcclellan

Thank you all in advance for your support. If you have any questions regarding donations or the Society, or if you just want to lend some support, you can always reach me via e-mail (shendro4@aol.com) or by phone (909-335-0982).

MIRACLES ARE HAPPENING

2008-05-24T17:36:00.000-07:00

Thanks to everyone for your faith and prayers in our behalf this past week. Because of you miracles are indeed beginning to happen. As bleak as my post of last week was, this week is one of hope and optimism. I guess that is the crazy nature of this roller coaster ride we are on. Never one to miss a chance to shout out the good, here we go for this week. Our meeting with the Doctor resulted in all good news. The Gancyclovir is doing it's job, lab tests are now negative for CMV. No platelets or blood were needed and the white blood count has gone from 2.1 to 3.3. The Dr. had planned on doing a bone marrow biopsy but said it wasn't necessary at this time, he would wait until nearer our 100 days. We even were given permission to have a salad, WOW! Mom loved the salad and although still not feeling great is pleased to celebrate the moment. We are far from out of the woods, but are now moving in the right direction once again. Keep those prayers flying heavenward and with the miracle continuing, we'll be home for Fathers Day. We love you all and continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH".

3800 Fairmeade Road Pasadena, Sharons address from 1956-1965 when I stole her from her mom.

Thanks Pops

2008-05-24T10:55:00.000-07:00

Last night Pops and I went to Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals and watched the Lakers beat up on the poor OLD Spurs. We sat right behind Jack, down the row from Flea, and 2 rows in front of Ashey Olsen. It was a great game. Thanks Pops for the invite. Here are some pics from the night. I posted a bunch of stuff on the greenbeans blog too that you should check out.

Veteran leadership.

"Hey Ref...how much you got on this game?"

This is the unfortunate part of playing basketball...having your hand in a sweaty eurpoean's armpit. Hopefully Gasol isn't ticklish.

Because of my wife's affinity for dancing shows, I actually knew who these guys were and was excited to see them live. Go Jabawakeez.

Poor Duncun. So Old, and so tired, and so far behind.

IT'S TIME FOR A MIRACLE

2008-05-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

This has been a challenging week for us. Sharon contracted a sinus infection and so has been a bit under the weather. She was started on antibiotics and it seems to be clearing up. She also has been unusually weak and light headed and just simply doesn't have any get up and go. The Dr. has been concerned with some of her lab tests and tonight called and put her on an anti-viral medication, Gancyclovir, which is given to prevent CMV Disease. It will be given IV twice a day for the next 7 days and then they will reevaluate her condition. Her White Blood Count has been heading in the wrong direction as well. On Thursday it was down to 2.1. All of this is raising the level of concern of Dr. Stein and on Thursday he talked with us of the potential failure of our Graft and the possibility of a second bone marrow transplant. He went so far as to say an unrelated donor has been located and is on hold for a possible transplant. Of course we have been devastated and trying to get our arms around the possibilities. After much prayer we feel it is time to ask in faith for a miracle to occur (Moroni 7:26). We need the original graft to take hold and her counts to start moving in the right direction. We solicit the faith and prayers of all of you as we petition the Lord for this to happen. We are convinced and have a calm and peaceful feeling that this will happen as all of us continue to "Move forward with faith"

The picture is of our first apartment in Southern California in Sierra Madre. We're the one on the bottom. 1969-70

Thanks for the Tickets

2008-05-14T13:48:00.000-07:00

Thanks Nana and Paga!

Although I regret pushing the last post "Thanks for the Blood" off of the top slot, I wanted to share some pictures from the Angels game last night. Thanks for the tickets, Mom and Dad, we had a great time. We bought Buzzy a $3.00 ticket at the gate (can you believe that there are even tickets that cheap?) and it worked out great because no one showed in the seats to the right of us!
A million thanks for a great time!
The Rally monkeys had the best seats in the house!

Kate comes for the food!

This is a paparazzi picture of the backs of Bill Russell and his wife.

Buzzy rooting the Angels onto victory!

THANKS FOR THE BLOOD!

2008-05-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

We want to thank all of our friends and family from South Orange County who generously gave of their blood for Sharon. We have had to use a great deal of both blood and platelets and so really appreciate getting our account back towards even. They tell us that there is such a shortage of these blood products that they have had to significantly alter when they give them which puts patients at some additional risk. So don't hold back, take a few minutes and give someone a little bit of yourself at your local blood bank. We continue to make slow but steady progress. This week we only required blood and platelets once. Sharon's white count held throughout the week above 3.o. We get in a good walk each day and this weekend have been getting out twice. Our only downer is that she continues to have nightly reflux which causes her a lot of discomfort and costs precious hours of sleep. I guess we certainly could have much greater problems and should be ecstatic with where we're at, but that I'm afraid is not our mindset. We always want to be doing more. Perhaps one of the lessons we're supposed to be learning is Patience.

I really appreciate the fresh new posts keep them coming. I don't like feeling like a one man band. It would be nice to see a few more comments as well just so I know I'm not writing to myself.

Today marks the 60th day of our new life and we continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

The picture is Sharon in front of our home in Upland, 1974-76.

What Are You Feeding That Kid?

2008-05-03T10:36:00.000-07:00

Now the secret is out, corn dogs...I feed him corn dogs! What can I say? the kid loves to eat. We took a trip up to San Jose for Eric's work and to visit Grandma and Grandpa McClellan. We took a little trip over to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and thought you guys might like to see some pictures.

Early surfing brainwashing!

HAPPY MAY DAY!!!

2008-05-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

How could I pass up May 1st without posting about MAY DAY? :-)

When we were living with you guys while Jon was doing his student teaching at Laguna Hills H.S., I had the great experience of being mom's visiting teaching companion. I remember driving around with her on May 1st delivering beautiful tulips to the women we visit taught--what a wonderful experience. And from then on out EVERY May 1st I ALWAYS think of mom and beautiful flowers. And without fail if we happen to be visiting or see you on or around May 1st I am always sent home with some beautiful flowers, usually tulips. (which are one of my favorite flowers) Thank you for making this day special for me mom!!!

HAPPY MAY DAY!!!!

LIFE AT "LA" RESIDENCE INN

2008-04-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Cort suggested that we might feel more at home if we dubbed our abode as "La" Residence Inn so we're giving it a try. Today marks one week since our discharge from the Hospital and so far so good. We are having to make a lot of adjustments but find each day gets a little better. Our visits to the hospital are marathons which makes it hard on Sharon. On Monday we were there for 6 hours and on Thursday for nearly 8 hours. She required platelets on Monday which stretched it out and then both blood and platelets on Thursday. Those days really take their toll, especially when a full day usually entails one short walk, a couple of naps and just being up and around. Sharon is having trouble dealing with the fatigue but got a good lecture from our coach that the fatigue is normal and trying to push through it will do more harm than good. Her counts are looking better with her white count up to 2.8 on Thursday. She is still having a lot of stomach cramps but is eating quite well. All in all she's doing good. She just needs to remember to measure progress in weeks not days and to give up when she's tired. We are certainly grateful to be close by and not have an additional 4 hours of driving. We now see the wisdom of the Doctors at play.
The picture is Sharon in front of her first chidhood home in Pasadena
Thanks again for all that each of you is doing and together we continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

GRADUATION DAY!

2008-04-18T16:19:00.000-07:00

Yes the picture is no mirage. That is actually Sharon loaded up and leaving behind her residence of the last 55 days at the City of Hope, but who's been counting. We are now proud residents of the Residence Inn by Marriott until they deem it safe for us to be more than one hour from the hospital. We are still baby-stepping with her new immune system and so are susceptible to all kinds of bugs which must be dealt with within one hour of symptoms appearing. We are really excited though to be on our own and moving forward. It's a good thing that I got so much training with Ricky because I will be Sharon's IV and Medication Nurse for the next two months or so. She came home on 15 different medications and one IV. We will be returning to the City of Hope every Monday and Thursday for testing and for any treatment that may be necessary. They tell us our clinic days will be anywhere from 4 to 12 hours so to come prepared with snacks and lunch. Sharon is on a pretty unique diet as well which includes no micro-wave or restaurant food. So that means I get to get acquainted with a stove again, that ought to be exciting. We have 55 days until we reach the magic 100 day mark when some things will be semi-normal again. We won't see things really at normal until the one year mark however.
Once again we thank all of you for your faith and prayers and want you to know we continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH. "

We're Still Here!

2008-04-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

Just a bit of news from the Big Island. I'm sorry I haven't posted sooner or made comments- I was having trouble with my username and couldn't publish. Anyway, we have been reading about Mom's progress faithfully and praying fervently for her health. We are grateful to hear that things are on the move and hope for Mom's release any day now. I think that this journey has been amazing and that Dad has suffered and been just as brave as Mom. You two are incredible!
Yes, we are having a baby- I'm sure you all know by now. I'm about 14 weeks along and will be due at the end of October. Today was actually the first time that I counted the weeks- I've been trying not to think about it! The girls are well and are looking forward to seeing you all in the summer. They keep talking about Disneyland. Enna is looking forward to the Tower of Terror. I am looking forward to sitting on the bench with an ice cream or churro!

The Liife of the Slickman

2008-04-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

If you are sitting at home wondering, "Does Ricky have another bedsore?", "Has he reached his 10 peanut max for the week?", "Is he still alive???", then wonder no more. The latter half of Pops-Slicker has joined the blogging world and has sent his fingers a flying on all the mysteries and wonders of his life. Here's something you may not have known- Ricky likes big butts, he's single, and rocks out to the sweet sounds of Barry Manilow and the BeeGee's. There may be no "I" in team, but for Ricky, there's two in "life". If you must know more, than click on the link on the right to check out "The Liife of the Slickman".

REFLECTIONS

2008-04-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

Today marks 5 months since that day Sharon drove herself to the hospital to get some pain medication for her supposed annual kidney problems. A lot has happened in those 5 months and I hope you will bear with me while I make a brief recap.

In those 5 months the following has taken place:
Sharon is diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia
3 days at JFK
56 days at Eisenhower
50 days at City of hope
22 days of Chemo Therapy
4 days of Radiation
5 bone marrow biopsies
1 bone marrow transplant (4 days instead of usual 1 day)
6 visits to City of Hope prior to admission

And you all wondered what she has been doing with her time!! Throughout it all we have had the support and faith and prayers of all of you. This has been a journey of faith for all of us.
Today also marks the 40th day of our critical 100 days post transplant. We have seen many miracles and continue to see them every day. We began today to transfer all of our medications from IV to oral. If that goes well and we have no recurrence of GVH we may get discharged by the end of the week. Sharon said this morning she felt better than she could remember. We've been out and had a nice walk and at the moment, in honor of Stephanie, she is pounding down a corn dog. Her new motto is to stick with the kids menu. I guess the has something to do with the infancy of her new immune system.

All in all we count our blessings every day and continue "TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

Recent visits from Jeff's family and from Max

BYE BYE SHARON

2008-04-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce that Sharon no longer exists, at least as far as bone marrow is concerned. All of the tests have been completed and 100% of the cells remaining are Uncle Dicks. Hip Hip Hooray!!!!
Sharon is doing much much better. She is eating well, gets out and walks everyday, and is faithful in completing her PT and OT. Dr. Stein tells us that if things keep moving he will start to consider discharge the end of next week. We don't get our hopes up too much, but it sure sounds good to us. We continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

BLASTS ARE PAST

2008-04-07T19:02:00.000-07:00

I'm sure that none of you are waiting to see news from the City of Hope after the introduction of Super Fan, but I'll bump him from top billing anyway. Doctor Stein has informed us that the bone marrow biopsy shows that there is NO LEUKAEMIA present in Sharon's body at this time. All the results are not complete but that is the one that matters.

She is also doing much better as far as the GVH is concerned. She still has some cramping but all the other stuff has settled down. He will start backing off the steroids tomorrow and see how she does. We had a great visit today from Jon and family, which she really enjoyed. We also got in a nice long walk. She has started eating again and enjoyed her spaghetti dinner tonight. All in All things are looking up and we continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

A Fan is Born

2008-04-05T22:14:00.000-07:00

It was bound to happen sooner or later...Max put on his Angels jersey, Angels jacket, grabbed his Angels Binky and demanded we take him to see a game. So we obliged and took him to his first Angels game tonight. He begged for a hot dog and nachos, but had to settle for rice cereal and applesauce. He loved watching the game, singing during the 7th inning stretch, and then falling asleep on his mom's lap during the 8th inning. I think he was mostly mesmerized by all the lights and action. He is looking forward to many more games and his biggest aspiration is to get on the jumbo tron. Thanks Paga for helping to create the next generation of Angels fans!

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

2008-04-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

Just a very quick update not a literary gem. Sharon had the scope as planned on Wednesday afternoon. Everything went well. The results are back and she has mild GVH. This is what Dr. Stein expected and he had already begun to treat it. She is on Prednisone and another steroid which we hope will clear up the problem.
She had the bone marrow biopsy today around noon and we will know the results of that on Monday night or Tuesday morning. Dr. Stein was encouraged however after doing the biopsy that things were going along well and wasn't willing to even talk about what-ifs.
Mom has more energy although she still has a lot of discomfort, but like the trooper she is we still get in our two walks a day.
Thanks for all your prayers. We continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

A BLIP IN THE ROAD

2008-04-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

Just when you think things are rolling along you get another growth opportunity. Over the weekend Sharon developed severe stomach cramps, nausea, and diarrhea. The doctor tells us that this likely our first experience with Graft Versus Host Disease. Therefore, our much anticipated release from the hospital has been delayed for one to two weeks. Tomorrow the GI Doctor will be scoping her from both ends to determine the exact cause of the problem. Doesn't sound like much fun to me. They have started her on a couple of different steroid treatments to get us past this hurdle and say she should start feeling better in a few days. In the meantime she is a pretty miserable little girl but continues to keep her spirits up and her "Fight On" mentality in place.
Also, on Friday they will be doing the first post-transplant bone marrow test. This will determine if the leukaemia is gone and if the majority of her white cells are Uncle Dicks. So keep those prayers flying upward in her behalf.
As for us, we continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

Time for B-E-D

2008-03-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

I just came accross this video and thought I'd post one of my fonder memories of 5 star (yeah, right) Ike. Though watching mom eat her weight in Big Sticks is a close second. Mom, Axel is anxiously awaiting taking many more naps with his Nana. Hurry home!

For raw footy of the Ace Man having his first go at crawling, check out the Green Beans blog. In honor of Uncle Ricky's triumphant return from the hospital, he's going after an oxygen tube. Don't worry, Ricky is not at the end of it!

NUPREGEN WE LOVE YOU

2008-03-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

With a little help from a shot of nupregen Sharon's white count shot up to 4.6 and continues to hold above 4. This opens up a whole new world, not only are we able to leave the room but we are able to go off the floor and even briefly outside. Wow, does she love that. We had two nice walks yesterday and one already today. The Doctor keeps saying walk and eat. We were pleased to have a visit from the Dick and Barbara Summerhays family on Monday. I think they all wanted to see what Dick looked like in Sharon's body. Surprise, surprise there's still no mistaking a Summerhays. The Doctor tells us that if progress continues we will be able to be released from the hospital by the end of next week. We will be staying at a nearby Residence Inn for some period of time before being released to return home. We need to be within a few minutes of the hospital so that any issues can be addressed immediately. Next week we will spend time being educated by a host of people on life after transplant. We have a nurse coach and also will meet with dietitians, therapists and others. Sounds as though our days will be filled.
On another note I am pleased to report that Ricky is back home after two weeks in the hospital. It appears his problems are resolved and he is back to his old self again. Now that's scary isn't it.
All in all things are on the upswing and we continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH!"

Sharon and the Summerhays Clan

What A Woman.

2008-03-25T22:28:00.001-07:00

I really don't know if this will come out the way I want it to, but I wanted to share something that I AM grateful for with mom's wonderful (sarcasm for those of you who don't know me) experience of cancer. Even though I will always think cancer SUCKS, I cherish the moments with mom that I am able to have. (I'm sure most of you feel this way) When have I ever had the opportunity to have personal night prayer with just mom? Never-until this crappy cancer came our way. What an amazing feeling for me to have spiritual experiences with mom that might have possibly never happened if it weren't for this cancer. I will cherish them always. Her hope is something I long to have. I get to come home and not experience the daily hospital grind that dad does, your endurance and love for mom is a wonderful example to me. Anyway, after being with mom today I just wanted to share with the family my feelings.......I love mom and am grateful for the time I have had together to strengthen our relationship. We are praying for those white blood cells to continue to rise. Mom and Dad we love you.

FREE AT LAST

2008-03-23T11:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday marked another milestone in our recovery. After a 26 day lock-down we were finally freed from solitary confinement. Sharon's white count exceeded 1.0 and so we were able to leave the room and walk the halls and even sit in the atrium for about 45 minutes. We repeated the walk again in the evening. She continues to be quite nauseated but the diarrhea is getting much better. We are trying to get her appetite back but she really hasn't felt like eating, but that will come. The Dr. says that the key to getting out of the hospital is being able to eat normally and take all medications orally and so that is our current project.
We are excited about our progress and continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

Mrs Baldy with Mount Baldy in the background

GRAFT IS GOOD

2008-03-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

The time we have been waiting for has at long last arrived. After being brought to deaths door Sharon is coming back to life again. It would appear that Dick's generously donated stem cells and marrow are graciously being accepted by Sharon's body and we have a successful graft. On Monday her white count was up to .6, on Tuesday .7 and today .8. We are only .2 away from being able to get out of jail and at least walk in the hall. She also feels a little better is day. Her throat is still sore but she is able to swallow Big Sticks, Popsicles, and Icees. Her diarrhea
is much better and her general health is improving. We have successfully completed our first book in the bla-sha book club, "Teacher Man." We would suggest it only if you have run out of things to read. We have started our new book, "Oracle Bones" and we'll keep you posted. We are also enjoying studying Preach My Gospel and reading the Book of Mormon. It's amazing what you can do when you are sitting around waiting to heal.
We are grateful for all your faith and prayers, it couldn't happen without you. Keep it up and we'll soon realize our next goal of being in remission.
We continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

HOPE FROM THE CITY

2008-03-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

This is a status update not a literary gem. Sharon is doing much better than in my last report. Since they significantly reduced the drug cocktail they were giving her, her mental status has greatly improved. Improved to the point that we no longer have to be with her around the clock,which is a big relief to me. I now know that I would never make it working nights. Her throat gets a little better each day but she is still unable to swallow much beyond a sip of water. She has discovered sitz bath and spends a lot of time getting those throughout the day. She is back doing her PT and OT each day. Her counts have not yet started to go up, but hopefully should do so by the middle of next week. The Dr. says everything is moving on schedule and I guess we just trust that that is true. She is also proud of her new collection of hats knit by Rosy.
We continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

SHARON OF DUARTE WITH NEW HAT

HE NEVER SAID IT WOULD BE EASY

2008-03-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

Sharon continues to FIGHT ON. Her mouth and throat continue to be extremely painful, so painful even a sip of water takes great effort. Because her immune system is wiped out there are no white blood cells to fight the battle and repair the damage and so we must wait for her counts to recover. Having no immune system has also give rise to infection and she now has C-Diff which affects the bowels and causes diarrhea and so we deal with that. To top it all off, on Tuesday night she became disoriented and confused and continues to be that way. They think that it is probably a result of the large amount of pain meds she has been on and so we have DC'd most of the pain meds and greatly reduced the amount of Morphine she is receiving and are hopeful that will clear up her mental functions. In the meantime we are having to be with her around the clock to keep her safe. We are hopeful that by the end of the weekend her counts will begin to recover and we will begin to see an improvement in her condition. The Doctors continue to tell us that none of this is unusual and that things will improve.
HE DID SAY IT WOULD BE POSSIBLE! WE CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH!

YES SIR, YES SIR, TWO BAGS FULL

2008-03-08T18:13:00.000-08:00

In our last post we let you know that after 3 days of heroic effort by Uncle Dick we had been unsuccessful in getting sufficient stem cells for a graft and so were going to attempt bone marrow aspiration on Friday. After a good nights sleep and some help from from the Priesthood Uncle Dick rose to the occasion and delivered in Spades and in near record time nearly a full liter of beautiful bone marrow which was given to Mom that evening. The Dr. was very excited and encouraged by the the results and so we just need to to wait and watch to see if we get a graft which will happen over the next 2-3 weeks.
Mom continues to be positive but sick. The radiation has taken its toll and she has a very sore mouth and throat and pain in the areas of her lymph glands. Her energy level is low , but she still manages to do all her PT and OT exercises each day. We are excited about what lies ahead and continue to "MOVE FORWARD WITH FAITH."

Mom and Dick celebrating the Marrow Success

Mom and Greg Kissing the Beautiful Marrow

Hendricksons/Summerhays Single Handedly Populate So. California Hospitals

2008-03-06T18:40:00.000-08:00

Mr. Toad's wild ride just doesn't seem to stop as it careens down another unexpected thoughfare. Over the past several days we have been in transplant mode. The anticipated process was that there would be a one to two day draw of stem cells from our donor/champion Dick Summerhays. This process has unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances draged into day three with still insufficient cells (you hope for 5 million, you live with a cool 2 mill, and unfortunately we are hanging out at 1.15 million).

Uncle Dick has, however, risen to the occasion and committed to go the extra million miles. He will have to do this bone marrow business the old fashioned way - direct bone marrow asperation. Tonight he is a co-citizen of the City of Hope and tomorrow morning (around 10-10:30 am) he will be going under the knife (really it is more like a drill). We hope that everyone will pray with us over the next 20 hours - expressing gratitude for Uncle Dick's sacrifice, and petitioning that he will be strengthened and preserved during the proceedure and that what is drawn tomorrow will be sufficient for a successful graft.

Mom has been pretty sick over the last couple of days (what you would expect of a woman with a 0 white cell count). She has been very positive and full of faith, she just wants all the nausea and other yuckies to go away.

Ricky, taking sympathetic symptoms to a whole new level, was checked into the hospital last night. Please include in your prayers his speedy recovery and return home.

FAST SUNDAY

2008-03-02T16:19:00.000-08:00

We add a new meaning to Fast Sunday with our post radiation and chemo experiences. Mom continues to be very nauseated and is keeping nothing down. Today they will start TPN and are telling her that it is OK not to eat anything for the next couple of weeks because she will be too sick and have no appetite. As one nurse put it,"We will bring you to deaths door and then bring you back to life again." Sounds really fun doesn't it? She remains ever the trooper, never complaining ,still insisting on her daily shower, and still doing her workout to keep herself as fit and strong as possible. We have finally got them to introduce some more anti-nausea meds and we hope that will help. Now that we are approaching 48 hours post chemo the Dr. assures us that the nausea should start to subside. We continue to plug away at our book club selection, "Teacher Man" and played a number of hands of "Kings Corners" a card game taught us by our Recreational Therapist. We started getting our immunesuppresent drugs today and so are now a 24 hour slave to the IV pump. Mom's white count is down to .3 and so we have been made prisoners to our room for at least the next two weeks until her counts begin to recover.
As always we are MOVING FORWARD WITH FAITH!!

LEAP YEAR

2008-02-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

Wow, today is the extra day that we get once every 4 years, what a way to spend the bonus. A very quick update. Only one more bone fry to go, tonight at 4:15, Chemo today and another chemo drug tomorrow and then no more chemo. Dick came by today after getting his first shot to bump up his stem cells, he will continue during the weekend and then donate on Tuesday. On Wednesday we celebrate Moms new birthday, so remember from now on presents on January 19th and more bigger presents on March 5th.
Actually she is thinking March 5th should be a Tiffany type day, she loves the little blue boxes.
She is holding up well except for the nausea and the upchucking. She went to the gym this morning and worked out for about a half hour with the Physical Therapist. We are all looking forward to Wednesday and our new beginning.

GOT HOPE

2008-02-27T10:43:00.000-08:00

After a day of tests and more tests and a wonderful gourmet meal shared by Greg, Stephanie, and Eric at Tommy's we reluctantly checked in to our Penthouse Suite at about 6:00 PM on Monday. After getting Mom unpacked and settled in she got her first round of Chemo and then a pretty good nights rest. Tuesday she was up bright and early and got her first round of radiation at 8:00 AM. Back in her room around 9:30, we spent the day reading our new book for the Gre-Sha Book Club, "Little Heathens." Mom reports that the food is really a step up from Eisenhower and can't wait for her next meal. She went down for her second round of radiation at 4:00 PM and back at 6:00 PM. She reports that she is feeling a lot of aches and pain, kinda like general flu symptoms, and a headache. So far these are the only side effects, YEAH! Chemo again last night at 10:00, Not Good, we're working on getting it earlier so we don't lose sleep. Back to radiation at 8:00 this morning and so it goes. 3 radiations down and 5 to go; 2 Chemo down and 3 to go. Her room number is 6227.

Yes we do

Our new Quote to live by from Albert Camus; "In the depth of winter I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer."
Mom in her new digs

SHOW-TIME!!!

2008-02-23T13:23:00.000-08:00

The preparation is over, All players are ready, and the schedule is set. Opening day is Monday February 25, 2008. The first day of the REST OF OUR LIVES! On that day we begin our Allogeneic Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Transplant. (Pretty impressive title I'd say) So you can all follow along our schedule will be as follows:

Monday 2/25/08 -9 Admit to BMT; Fludarabine (Chemo Drug)
Tuesday 2/26/08 -8 Fludarabine; Helical Tomotherapy (HT)x2 this is radiation
Wednesday 2/27/08 -7 Fludarabine; HTx2
Thursday 2/28/08 -6 Fludarabine; HTx2
Friday 2/29/08 -5 Fludarabine; HTx2
Saturday 3/01/08 -4 Melphalan (Another Chemo Drug)
Sunday 3/02/08 -3 Tacrolimus and Sirolimus (immunesuppressents)
Monday 3/03/08 -2 Tacrolimus and Sirolimus
Tuesday 3/04/08 -1
Wednesday 3/05/08 0 Infuse PB Stem Cells from donor

After that it will depend on how Sharon gets along, the earliest we could be released from the hospital would be around 21 days following transplant. We would then be required to be near-by in case any Graft vs Host disease should show up. At some point we will be allowed back to our home, but for 100 days post transplant we will be at the City of Hope 2 days a week for testing and monitoring.
We are looking forward to this adventure with faith. We invite all of you to include Sharon in your Fast on Sunday March 2nd.
We will continue to keep you posted as we go along.

Mummy Photo Album

2008-02-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

Mom Standing by Cement Bed holding Mask

Getting Comfy before Scan

A closer View

Where's the Puck

Mummy alive

2008-02-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

You see the mummy's of ancient Egypt and you say, "Cool anything is possible when you are dead!" BUT how about being a mummy while you are alive? Let me tell you how it is.
You all know what a cat scan doughnut looks like . . . and the table you lie on that moves you in and out? So there I am in front of the machine and it has a blue bag on it that looks like a deflated air mattress. OK this is going to be comfortable . . . wrong! You lie down and then it is filled with something akin to quick-set cement. It blows up and when every nook and cranny is filled in from above your shoulders to beneath your feet (arms straight and close at your side, legs close together) the three techs push it as tight as they can get it and then the "cement" hardens. Nothing can move not even a hair.
Then just when you think, OK, I still have my head they bring this heavy mesh connected to a very large horse shoe and say, "Pretend this is a spa treatment. It's warm and will cover your entire face and neck". Then they stretch this over your face and lock the horse shoe to the table.
Your body streams, I can't breath, but your mind yells = don't be crazy, just relax. THEN comes the cold towels. They are placed over the mesh so it too will harden like cement. After that takes way tooooo long they trace your eyes and mouth and un-clamp the horse shoe. Oh, air how sweet and moving your head, how wonderful.
After they put tape around the three opening to make the rough cuts not so rough (ha!) back goes the clamping of the mask and now you are moving into the machine.
The only way to survive is to take your mind to any happy place you can find and stay there. I was like that for about an hour and the REAL treatment will be an 11/2 hours twice a day.
WHY - you ask? AND how is it you have never heard of this before? If all goes well I will be part of a year old trial for the radiation part of my therapy. This machine is the only one in the world and the reason you cannot move at all is that the laser beams target only your bones instead of your whole body. This protects your vital body organs which is the problem with the total body radiation. There are 15 people in the trial so far and I will be #16. I will be the oldest as the oldest before me was 61 but they all feel that I am a very young 62 year old. Yea for exercise and never smoking etc. Three have not made it so the average is the same 20% as with the high dose chemo. I will be doing both. The radiation is an added help in keeping the leukemia from not returning. I have one more test that will help us decide if it is worth the risk and that will be a CT scan next Friday.
If we go for radiation I will check in on Sunday the 24th, if chemo only, then Monday the 25th.
It's amazing what you can make yourself do when your life is at stake . . . don't try this at home just take my word for it!
The blasts in the marrow are somewhere between 6 and 4%. We will find out exactly on Monday when we go back for more Mummy time. Please keep sending up those prayers.

Team building exercise night tonight!

2008-02-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

Aw yeah, it's business time. Happy Valentines Day everyone.

Oh somebody's had a birthday!

2008-02-08T20:40:00.000-08:00

Our dear little baldy here.
Kind Father in Heaven bless her
Throughout the coming year!

For those of you who don't know, this is the song we sing on birthdays in order to weed out potential intruders, embarass visitors and remind new in-laws that they aren't part of the family just yet. This is how it works: we all gather around and announce that it's time to sing "Happy Birthday". A family member brings out a big cake (or if Dad was in charge of dessert, about 10 different kinds of pie) and carries it over to the lucky birthday guy or gal surrounded by a mountain of presents. Someone gives the resting tone and then, as any normal person would do, the visitor or new family member dives with confidence head first into the good ole traditional birthday jingle. After all, they know this song. This is their chance to shine. Their opportunity to show that they belong. They only get about half way into the word "birthday", however, before they stop cold and realize with horror they are singing the wrong song. Meanwhile, we are all singing the little preface above in perfect pitch and unity. The new person than goes and hides red faced in the corner while we point and laugh with mouths full of pie. It's a beautiful thing.
Unfortunately, this year for mom's birthday, we didn't have any newcomers. We did, however, have lots o picture taking. Here's a little slideshow of some of my favorites from the evening.

Reunited and it feels so good...

2008-02-08T12:58:00.000-08:00

Mac is back! No, not John McCain, though unfortunately he is too. My computer! Hooray! Actually, it's been back for a week, but I'm just now starting to get back into the swing of things. It took me awhile to get out of the fetal position on the floor of the bathroom where I've been rocking back and forth since my baby was hauled away to the Mac store for repairs. I know you probably haven't missed me, but boy oh boy, have I missed you! And since my wee one is currently sleeping (thank you Dr. Weisbluth! I'm naming my next born after you), I thought I'd spend a little time with the Domes.
You're probably wondering what I've been doing with the piles and piles of spare time I must have had since I wasn't posting. Actually, you probably could care less. Which is good, becasue I have no idea what I've done with all that time. I vaguely remember cleaning dog puke off our 500 thread count sheets and laping Disneyland 57 times in a stroller trying to coax Axel to sleep (totally uneffective, by the way). But other than that I've just been missing the blog and watching way more political coverage than any human should be subjected to. But now that Mitt's out of the race, look forward to a little blog make-over and a lot more posts! Maybe some of them will even have something to do with mom.

The Invitation's in the Mail?

2008-02-05T20:17:00.000-08:00

Yea, right!!! Everyone's talkin' about ya but all ya can do is comment? Finally I got the invitation so here I go. I was reading the WSJ this morning and found I couldn't breath . . . like I'd just climbed the bump and grind. Soooo I had to play the vampire for four hours and get a couple of doses of blood (seems the red blood guys carry the oxygen, Oh yea I do remember that) and so now all is well. It's a much better experience having blood outside the hospital rather than in, which brings me to the count down = I'm on day 13. Yes, 13 more days in this home and in my bed and with home food. So, I'm really trying to fill each day with all the movies and games Ricky will play and watch with me since going out is still on the "do not do" list.

About Dick, I talked to him at the end of all his tests and he said he thought all things were a go and I haven't heard anyting else from the hospital so the countdown stands. I love you all and so appreciate all your prayers. I'm sure that is why my melt down on day 18 only lasted a couple of hours and then back came the peace and reasurance and courage that only comes from heaven through all the petitions. Thank you is so plain and simple but I do thank you.

Just Curious?

2008-02-02T16:25:00.000-08:00

It's been quiet around here and I was just curious as to how Uncle Dick's appointment went Tuesday and also how effective the round of chemo went 2 weeks ago---are your blast below 5% or do you know yet? We're really hoping/praying for those blasts! Not hearing anything is making me worry a bit. I'm sure there is nothing to report yet and that's why it's quiet.
Thanks, Lou

President Hinckley

2008-01-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

My brother sent this link to me, it was a touching tribute that BYU put together, I thought you guys would enjoy it as well. What an amazing man. Love to all.
Lou Ann

http://photo.byu.edu/video.php?cat1=Slide%20Shows&cat2=General&cat3=2008&cat4=Hinckley%20Tribute

Back To Paradise???

2008-01-27T22:50:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it. Here I am making my very first posting to the Chrome Dome Diaries. I'm a little frightened! Jon- go easy on me, please! I just felt like I should give everyone an update on the a few of us who had to depart last week and head home to Hawaii. Since four of the six were sick traveling home (no, not the throw-up kind, thank goodness!) it was actually a pretty quiet flight- lots of sleeping going on. The girls were so happy to see their animals again-the fish, the dog, the calf, the lamb, the pig, the rats. What? Who said rats?? Oh those would be the rats that invaded our house while we were away. No, I am not kidding. Rat droppings and destruction in every room of the house. Every room. I think I cried, but I don't quite remember. It's all a blur in my mind. Well, after lots of laundry, sending Greg off to San Francisco the day after we arrived home, lots more laundry, unpacking about 17 pieces of luggage, getting sick myself (never fails when Greg is out of town) and lots more laundry (not all folded and put away yet!), and getting Greg back from SF, we are settling down to something more like normal. Whew. What a week. It wasn't all bad. Several of the moms from school pitched in and helped me in a variety of ways as I took care of sick kids and sick self. Cleaning my kitchen, remaking beds, grocery shopping, making dinner for us. We never really felt alone and had much to be thankful for, despite the rats. We miss being with you all and pray for Mom constantly. Aloha!

A MATCH, PERHAPS A MATCH!!

2008-01-26T20:02:00.000-08:00

OUR HERO

Yes, according to our good friends at The City of Hope after testing and restesting it would appear that Uncle Dick may be our match. Alas, he is off enjoying himself in Beautiful Baja, but has graciously allowed himself to be recalled in order to keep an appointment for additional testing and a physical this coming Tuesday. Mom has already passed all of hers and so if everything is a go we could be moving into the City of Hope for our 100 day next round in our amazing oddessy. Keep your fingers and toes crossed and your prayers flying upward.

The Miracle of Forgiveness

2008-01-23T14:17:00.000-08:00

If I had my wits about me, I would ask Shalaine or Jon to write this posting for me. I feel very impressed to write the feelings that have been on my heart for a while now and ask that you indulge my weakness in writing. I also want to add a disclaimer that this is directed at no one, or no incident, just my own thoughts and feelings.
The past year has been difficult for all of us. Some of our trials have been known to all: trying to sell a house, moving to a new city, frequent hospital visits, babies being born (a wonderful occurrence, but no walk in the park), new jobs started, jobs lost, working without pay, Leukemia….the list goes on. I also know that in every family, within every person, there are struggles that no one else knows about and they are many and varied. In the course of all this we interact with each other as a family, many positive interactions, but some negative. Our own personal struggles sometimes come out as rudeness or insensitivity towards others. Although we apologize we don’t really say “I’m sorry I said that, I’m really tired because I’ve been up with a screaming baby all night”. I know, sounds like an excuse, but letting our daily occurrences affect our interactions with others is human nature just the same. The point I’m really trying to make is that we all need each other now more than ever. The Lord gives us challenges to pull us together, to help us love one another more…it is Satan that tries to turn these situations into opportunities to pull us apart and hold grudges towards one another.
In this new year I want to personally ask forgiveness from any of you that I have offended or hurt (and I know there are many). I want to build my relationships with all of you. I don’t want Max to ask me in a few years “Why don’t we see those cousins?” What would I tell him? “Because your mother offended them a long time ago and can hold a grudge like no one else”. I need the love and support of everyone in this family and prayerfully ask that we all forgive each other of our weaknesses and help one another work towards the celestial kingdom. Like it or not, we are stuck together for eternity.

Note to Lurkers: Although this was targeted towards the Hendrickson clan, I also apologize for any of you that I've hurt or offended as well.

Grandma Driesbach's Ugly Chair Emporium

2008-01-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

The next stop on our Leukemic Odyssey took us back to "Grandma Driesbach's Ugly Chair Emporium." Our purpose there, a new round of Chemotherapy. Every day at 2:00 for the next week, then two weeks of coming in twice a week for blood work and then another round of Chemo etc. until we go to bone marrow transplant. The purpose of this Chemo is to hopefully get our blasts below the magical 5% or at the very least to maintain all that we've accomplished until now. The new drug is Dacogen a drug with few of the side effects of the previous ones. Blood levels will not drop as dramatically, the risk of infection is lower, usually no nausea, etc. It takes about an hour or two each day to run it in. This is a whole lot better than more hospital time.
We did learn some interesting news in our visit with Dr. Luke. When we do go for Bone Marrow transplant our stay at City of Hope will be 5-6 weeks in the hospital and another two months living in a cottage on the City of Hope Campus so they can do daily monitoring of how everything is progressing. It looks like we will get real familiar with the City of Hope.
On the Statistic side White Blood Count at 2.9 and Platelets at 133.

Mom Enjoying Chemo

CITY OF HOPE II

2008-01-17T20:06:00.000-08:00

This morning mom and I piled into the car at 8:00 Am to continue our City of Hope Odyssey. We arrived at 10:15 and began in the Blood Lab, followed by and echocardiogram, followed by a pulmonary function test, an appointment with Dr. Stein and then ending our day with a stress test. The good news of all of this is that mom is remarkably fit and able to undergo bone marrow transplant.
The visit with Dr. Stein was a bit less encouraging. We still have a blast of 10% in her bone marrow and so will be doing an additional round of Chemo in the desert to see if we can get below 5%. Either way we are still in line for a transplant and they are awaiting mom's HLH results as well as blood from Aunt Joyce for testing. We will then know whether we have a match or are going to the registry. Our next appointment is Feb. 11th at City of Hope. On the good side, White blood count up to 2.3 and platelets at 104.
We are happy to still be in the fight!!

Life in the ER

2008-01-16T15:10:00.000-08:00

Thought I would post a couple of pictures of our brave little Kate in the Emergency Room last night. On Saturday she was at a party where they have blow up slides, bounce houses, etc.... she got a friction burn on her elbow at the party. I really didn't think too much about it. By Monday she was complaining of soreness so Jeff got out the trusty neosporin (it is supposed to cure everything isn't it?) and applied a bandaid. Yesterday morning it looked swollen and red and we knew we needed to watch it. By last night it was very swollen, red, irritated and had grown significantly. I took her to the urgent care (which I never do, but with all of the MRSA scare I thought I had better). The urgent care doctor took a look at it and noticed that it had started to streak up the inside of her arm to her armpit, he quickly referred us to Saddleback Memorial Emergency Room in San Clemente. Because of the streaking up her arm he felt like we should have it cultured and start iv antibiotics. There was no wait in the ER and we were in & out in a few hours. Doctor in ER diagnosed her with "Cellulitis" (The shock of the name has you immediately thinking of your own thighs doesn't it? And I am sorry to report that form of cellulitis cannot be treated by antibiotics) probably caused by a staph or other infection whose Latin name I can't remember.
So all is well, she is on two oral antibiotics for 10 days. She was so brave , did not even cry when blood was drawn and IV was placed and even earned a Webkin for her lack of drama. She is thinking this is the best as it includes time off from school :)

CITY OF HOPE

2008-01-15T11:16:00.000-08:00

.The next chapter in our little Odyssey began on a beautiful day in Duate CA at The City Of Hope Hospital,one of the nations leading centers for cancer treatment and in particular Bone Marrow Transplant. City of Hope is one of 19 prestigious institutions nationally that make up the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. The purpose of our visit to explore whether we are a candidate for Bone Marrow Transplant. We were in awe when we received our schedule for the day which looked something like this:

Arrival Time:.........................................12:55 PM

New Patient Visit......................................1:00 PM

Phlebotomy Main Lab....................................1:10 PM

Chest X-Ray............................................1:30 PM

EKG....................................................2:00 PM

Clinical Social Worker.................................2:30 PM

Dr. Anthony Stein......................................3:00 PM
New Patient Visit

Amazing, could a medical center be this efficient? Alas, by item 2 we were already 45 minutes behind and by skipping Social Work, we were able to see Dr Stein by 4 PM. So much for efficiency in health care. The purpose of our visit was the meeting with Dr. Stein and a bone marrow marrow biopsy which went very well. We were told that if we were going to do a transplant we would need to be in full or near full remission if that were not the case we would need to undergo additional Chemo therapy to get into remission. If we are in remission and one of Sharon's siblings is a match we could begin transplant in 2-4 weeks. He indicated quite a bit of additional testing would be required much of which we could do with Dr. Dreisbach in the desert. We then went on to the bone marrow biopsy. They had planned on giving Mom IV Demerol because prior biopsy's had been so painful. Unfortunately that wasn't possible so Mom could choose to do the test without Demerol or come back. Mom bravely chose to press forward and so Dr. Stein completed the test. Mom had almost no pain, probably because he does up to 4 biopsy's per day, a few more than Dr. Dreisbach does in a month. You don't know how happy I was to see the tube fill with bone marrow after 2 previous dry taps. After the procedure Dr. Stein immediately scheduled us back on Thursday to get the results and do the additional testing that he was going to have us do in the desert.
Our prayers now have to be for a blast of less than 5% and a Sibling Match. I'll update you on Friday Morning at the latest.

Mom in front of the City of Hope (What is it about Hospitals and fountains)

All tots go to heaven

2008-01-14T23:19:00.000-08:00

While Mom's day at the City of Hope was filled with just that, the residents of Cathedral City woke up this morning to true tragedy and heartbreak. At five this morning, Sonic Burger caught fire and was burnt to the ground. As Stephanie runs to the bathroom to wipe away her fast falling tears, let us all take a moment to remember and appreciate the beauty that was Sonic.
My mind is flooded with sweet memories as I look back on all the wonderful time spent there: the day it opened and we drove all the way out there only to be told it wasn't opening for two more days, when we went back in two more days and it was still closed as a bunch of highschool dropouts in yellow shirts gathered around for their 85th day of training, the day we finally did get in and waited over an hour for a drive-in spot, the heavyset mexican girl that rollerskated into our front bumper carrying our tray of food, the hours I spent in the bathroom later that night as a result of said tray of food. Though the Sonic may no longer remain, these are moments that will forever be burnt in my colon.

Here is what some of the residents of Cathedral City had to say about their beloved restaurant:

"I'm very upset and sad." -General Manager, Don Fredrickson
"This was, no pun intended, their bread and butter." -City Councilman, Paul Merchand
"This is one of the best restaurants they built here, me and my friend Mike would come to get the coney dogs." -Cathedral City resident, Franky Bonilla
"The food sucked! I wouldn't be surprised if someone burnt it down to save others from grief." Email commentator, Sportinwoody

Yes, we will all remember and revere our dear Sonic. Their greasy hamburgers, their gelatinous gravy dipping sauce, and their laxative chilli fries will always hold a special place in my heart and thighs. Though we want to celebrate mom's good day at the City of Hope, January 14th, for myself and the other residents of the Coachella Valley, will forever be peppered with grief and sadness. And when all is said and done, when the grills have cooled and Sonic is but a distant dream, let us still remember the true heroes of the day- the tots.

"Grandma Dreisbach, what ugly chairs you have!"

2008-01-10T15:33:00.000-08:00

"All the better for you to wait for hours in."
Mom and I went to see Dr. D's crib today. I wish I had my camera. Though it won't be on MTV anytime soon, if there was some network for hip geriatrics, it would definately be featured. It was every Grandma's dream. Big, tall backed, green and purple floral chairs everywhere with a few plain sage ones thrown in to stimulate the eye. There was no TV or big assortment of magazines, but there was a huge vase full of nasty hard candies and a plate of stale cookies. And of course the delightful smell of moth balls filled the nostril. All they needed was some blue and white m&m's and some freezer burned ice cream, and I think we all would have felt right at home.
Apparently, our little baldy is a rock star at Dr. D's. There were whiney people all around us that had been waiting for over an hour. They looked like they were starting to decay (and just between us, smelled a little like it too). But no such treatment for mamacita. They took her right away, pricked her pointer finger, and were back in under 10 minutes with the results. All good news- whiteys at 1.9 and platelets above 40. And bonus... the huge bump on her head that she acquired from an unfortunate run-in with a table leg isn't a hematoma after all. Just a little bruise and nothing to worry about. So tonight she can sleep soundly without picturing blood seeping in between the cracks in her brain.

Homecoming

2008-01-08T14:02:00.000-08:00

Finally after a mere 50 days incarcerated in Room 358 on 3 East at Eisenhower we have been liberated. We broke out at about 3:00 PM on Monday. Our delay was due to mom needing 2 units of blood in her tank so she would have the fuel to get home. They were very sad to see us leave as they have not had a cash cow like that in a while. We arrived home to cheers and hugs. Mom requested a New York steak and baked potato for dinner (It appears the outstanding food service at Ike has raised her taste expectations), which she gulped down with eagerness. For desert Becky made chocolate chip cookies and Shalaine brownies, no problem, they disappeared as well. It would seem the no taste for chocolate is behind us, can diet coke be far behind? She then enjoyed an evening of TV and conversation and above all a good nights sleep in her own bed with Napoleon tucked beside her pillow.
Our next adventure will be at the City of Hope on Monday the 14th to find out where we go from here. Dr. Dreisbach is still very concerned about her suseptability to infections and so we continue to encourage prayers and dicourage visitors.
Below are some photo highlights:

Mom with Rebecca and Barbara

Mom with TJ,Michael, Carla, and Barbara

Mom diembarking her cool ride at home

Mom with the happy crew at home

Mom and the crew in her well decorated bedroom

Mom with her My Twin doll made by the Hawaii girls

Goodbye Room

2008-01-08T13:58:00.000-08:00

In a big white hospital
in a crowded room
There was a little lady
But no flowers or balloons

Goodbye room

Goodbye hat

Goodbye pregunta poster over fake thermostat

Goodbye elevator

And broken blinds

Goodbye sign

And shaving time

Goodbye mittens

And goodbye food

Goodbye visits to the 358 room

Goodbye Shauna
And Goobye Matt

And goodbye Dorothy emptying "The Hat"

What is the Deal?

2008-01-08T12:14:00.000-08:00

Yo! What up? What happened? We get a post that Mom is going home soon and we get nothing after that? No safe arrival posts? No pictures of the welcome home wagon there to meet her? No sparkling cider screwed open or poppers pulled with streamers flying all over the house?

Are all blogs these days just posts of gloom and doom? Can we not celebrate Emerald City, lounge chairs, and little people riding around on fake horses?

Maybe we haven't poured water on the wicked leukemia just yet but this should be a time of happiness for there will be no more room 358 and (for the moment) no more CNAs who wouldn't even make it as stand-ins on the sitcom known as Scrubs.

Please....for those who need a happy blog post or two, give us what we crave!!!!

The Last Hoorah

2008-01-06T19:54:00.000-08:00

Mom is anxiously counting down the hours until she is free from 358 East. Most of her things have been taken home (minor miracle considering how much stuff had accumulated) and we took down all her pictures and cards today and put them in her binder of good wishes. She is saying good-bye to her nurses that seem like they should be part of the family by now, having her last meals (thankfully), and taking her last spins around the atrium.
The high point of the morning occurred when she once again tried her beloved chocolate. Many of the stalkers may not know that this chocoholic lost all taste for her oft craved treat...but not to worry, she will be ingesting at least 1 lb. of See's bridge mix when she arrives home. We really are getting our Nana back!

What's the new book?

2008-01-06T17:02:00.000-08:00

So Shalaine, my Gone With the Wind book club is meeting this Thursday night so I need to know what book to purchase for my new weekend reading......I'm going to hold off and do the GreSha selection of Three Cups of Tea when our ward's book club does it--it's coming up on their list, so I guess I'll go with the next ShaSha read. Please do tell.

We are excited that mom is coming home tomorrow!!! Please take photos so we can see her joy when crossing over the Hendrickson threshold!!! We love you Nana and are glad that you are going home for awhile to rest and we are praying for your blasts and a match to be found. If anyone knows could you let us know if any of the siblings have been tested yet and those results?
Thanks. Lou

An Evening at Dunder Mifflin

2008-01-04T20:52:00.001-08:00

Anyone who has worked the abbreviated night shift knows that not much happens, so there isn't much to report. Mom and I entertained ourselves with a little Jack in the Box and Season 2 of the Office. We were pleasured to watch one of the all time greatest episodes where Micheal Scott cooks his foot in the George Foreman grill. If that doesn't bring her Platelets and Grans up I don't know what will! Possibly an office reading of Threat Level Midnight, but I could be wrong.
Mom was feeling a little weak towards the end of the shift so we are guessing that blood transfusion is imminent. Nothing gets you going like a bag of blood...so day shift may be relieved from the marathon walk that is called "the Loop".

PS Jessica was Mom's day nurse, Renee the night nurse, and I saw Mary walk by in the hall--I didn't have the heart to tell them that they got beat out by Dorothy in the nurse exit polls.

Which Twin Had the Tony: Report from the Day Shift

2008-01-04T17:12:00.000-08:00

As we approach our much anticipated departure new news is much harder to come by. After Mom got released from her pole we took the extended loop walk which became quite an adventure. We first had to dodge the Culligan truck in the service drive and then our walk up the ramp coincided with the construction crews end of shift. I can tell you patients have no priority when it comes to construction crews. I was concerned that we had come this far only to have her run over by stampeding construction workers. We clung to the railing using the pink walker as a weapon and ultimately prevailed. The rest of the afternoon was spent reading the Scriptures and offering prayers of gratitude for being spared.
Earlier in the week I snapped the following picture so the any doubt could be erased as to where Jeff got his "good looks." I'll let you decide for yourselves!

Peering into the Crystal Ball: The early AM Update

2008-01-04T13:54:00.000-08:00

A visit this morning from Dr. Luke proved very informative. Platelet counts are holding at around 10. We anticipate a rise over the weekend. Red blood dipped a bit and she may be transfused this weekend. Strong indications are for a Monday release.

I asked Dr. Luke - in the hypothetical - that should mom be deemed in remission when she has her bone marrow test at the City of Hope on Jan. 14, what would be the next steps. He said that it was likely that the following Monday she would be readmitted for consolidation chemo therapy. If she is not in remission then we would await the recommendations of the City of Hope on experimental treatments that could be used to get the cancer in remission.

America's Next Top Models???

2008-01-04T10:31:00.000-08:00

Corrie got a camera for Christmas and hasn't put it down since.

THANK YOU SANTA WHEREVER YOU ARE!!!!

Should old acquaintance be forgot

2008-01-03T09:29:00.000-08:00

Not if Dro has anything to say about it. But if you don't share the same resolution of becoming the best little girl scout around and need some help getting in the 2008 spirit, check out the latest Chrome Dome Web Videos.
New Years held up to Hendrickson tradition and was a time of family, chaos, and insanity. Here's a little New Year's Hello from some of the elder Hendros to our Queen Chrome Dome:

And a little celebration from the wee ones.
Warning: Highly recomended that you do not watch prior to your a.m. can of Diet Coke or a double dose of Excedrin. Stephanie and I apparently took a much heavier sedative before this video was taken. We will be selling it in the back alley after church on Sunday.

Hendrickson Family Announces New Book Club

2008-01-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

Big Moan................Another book club! I would have chosen a catchier title to make sure that everyone reads this post, but I know how you blogging junkies are since I am proudly within your ranks. It really doesn't matter what is written or how it is written, just the fact that it is in print and on the blog makes it worthy of your time. Therefore, no catchy title necessary.

So here goes the pitch for the new Sha-Jen book club.

If you heard about the Sha-Sha book club's selection "Jane Eyre" (one of my personal favorites) and thought that it sounded interesting, but old English classics aren't your thing----the Sha-Jen book club is here to fill that void.

Did you hear about the Sha-Greg book club and think "That isn't my cup of tea"? We are here for you.

There are so many bonuses about the Sha-Jen book club and I will list just a few:

The Book is FREE
Only two chapters to read a month
You have two years to read the book
You will gain insight, revelation, and testimony.

Is the suspense killing you? What is this book, where can I get one?

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith

The Sha-Jen book club is really a book club that we are all currently a part of.

On Saturday, I was sharing with Mom my goal of reading the manual prior to the Relief Society lesson so that I could be more prepared to learn and participate (also part of the goal includes bringing the manual with me to class). Mom joined in this goal and will be reading and studying it as well. If a woman who has undergone two rounds of chemotherapy in the past month and is on the eve of bone marrow transplant can make this goal, than we all should be able to. So we ask all of you "Blogging Stalkers" to join our ranks! Stand up and be counted! Post to the comments and let us know that you are on board for this fantastic ride!

P.S. There is also a great article in the January Ensign that details the production of this book (which took years), its sources, and content.

Little Vietnamese Sweat Shop

2008-01-02T20:23:00.000-08:00

I came it to relieve Greg tonight and found Mom's door closed. I have to tell you folks that I'm lucky to be alive because when I opened it a serious backdraft flame shot out at me. No wonder Greg was nodding off...it was hotter than a Palm Springs summer in there! But we do whatever it takes to keep our little lady comfortable, so the door remained closed. It was time to change her toenail polish so I got out the polish remover and started making fun of mom in Vietnamese so she would feel like she was in a real nail salon. Although I didn't have callus remover ("you need it") I sweated away and got her all pretty to return home next week. Just at the point when we were seeing psychedelic rainbows from the fumes, we opened the door to air out the room and provide a much needed relief for this little Asian worker.
Aside from a fajita pita from Jack in the Box, we didn't do much else for the night. She was all tuckered out from the 5K she ran with Greg earlier in the day so she retired early. We also said goodbye to the new gold bedpanist, Michael, for he will be off for the next four days tiling his house (such a Renaissance man). Crazy to think we only have a few more days up here in 358 East!

Walk the New Walk: Update from the PM shift

2008-01-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

The PM shift started very eventfully as mom unveiled the new loop walk. I understand that this walk was devised while Jon was care-taking and it doesn't take long to see his stamp. the walk loops around the Kidney Center (no going in there!!) past the Hope building, fakes toward the Annenberg Health Sciences building and then descends down a path through an underground security passage into the back of an unnamed building. Mom tells me that they wandered around in the basement of the building for a while until they realized that it was the main hospital building and they were able to return to her room (though it was just as likely that they would find themselves in the experimental dismembering lab). What you would expect from a Jon shift: lots of adventure and a little bit of luck.

We spent most of the afternoon reading in Three Cups of Tea. I didn't realize how boring a reader I must be, but on two separate occasions I found I was putting myself to sleep. Thank goodness for all those peppermints in the room that mom kept throwing my way or I would still be sleeping on bed chair right now. The book is good and quite inspiring (though, I just don't anticipate any books on tape folks offering me an audition). The most freeing thing of the day, however, came as I walked into the room around noon and mom and Shalaine were reading the part of Jane Eyre I had spoiled. Now that the H is burned to the ground and Mr. R's B is D who knows what awaits our diminutive heroine (this qualifies as a cliff-hanger not a spoiler comment).

SLICK RICK REPORT

2008-01-02T16:08:00.001-08:00

Ricky is concerned that he has been bumped to page 2 as far as the family health is concerned and made a big case for getting a little press time. He proposed that there may be some out there in the vast audience of the Chrome Dome Diaries that may be a little bit interested in what was going on with him. I had to agreee with him, at least to the point that he likes to see his name in print, and so here goes. We successfully got Rick home from the hospital on Christmas Eve Eve after some major surgery and a week in St. Josephs Hospital in Orange. That was quite the challenge staffing two patients in two different hospitals in two different counties. However, "Hendrickson's never say can't" and so everyone stepped up and we pulled it off. Thanks to the Orange Co. clan and Nurse Kim who helped out for a day. He had the rod removed from his back and had an infectious area debrided. He has MRSA and so is now on IV antibiotics for the next 6 weeks and I have gained a new title of IV nurse. Each morning and evening I hang his IV's and montitor them for 2 hours. He is doing really well, I think because of the quality of his IV nurse, and should be full speed in the very near future. I know he's getting better because he's more prone to disagree with me than he was a week ago. All in all, Ricky is real happy to say adious to 2007 and hopes that 2008 is a much better year, and that is a major understatement.

Stalker Alert!

2008-01-02T15:49:00.000-08:00

For all you lurkers our there, I just want to let you know that it's ok to post a comment. We would love to hear your feedback and mom checks (ok, I force her to read) the blog daily and I know she would appreciate hearing from all you out there in the sidelines. We all know your only as good as your last post, and when it goes uncommented we (ok, I) feel like a bloging failure sending my words out into the cold lonely world with only punctuation to keep them warm. You don't have to be a memeber of anything but the Loving Baldy Sharon club to comment, so stop lurking and make yourself known! However, I should also point out that if you prefer to be a little creepy crawly quiet lurker, we still warmly welcome you to the blog with open arms. Very silent no one will ever know it's just our little secret open arms.

white blood cells in the front, let me hear you grunt!

2008-01-02T08:17:00.000-08:00

The walking cadaver (also known as Dr. Young) has sleepwalked his way back to his musty coffin abode never to return until the next full moon (or next weekend, whichever comes first). Which means today our little chubby cherub, Dr. Dreisbach, was back in action. Hooray! Three cc's for Dr. D! And on his little angel wings he carried not only smiles and rainbows, but lots of good news for our little lady.
First things first, all of mom's labs look pretty good. Her GRANs (combo of all the white blood cells) are starting to go up a little. This is a good thing, as now we want her body to start making them again. I know, it's hard to switch your brain over to voting for the little guys after routing for their demise for so long, but it's time to back the home team once again. At this point in treatment they tend to hover a little, going up one day and down the next, but if we see a steady increase for 3-4 days in a row, that's a great sign. So let's hope they eat their Wheaties and do their thing. Platelets are being lazy and just slowly dipping (think of platelets like little Dr. Youngs). They are at 9 today and hemoglobin is at 9.5. Dr. D says that sometimes they will switch between 9 and 10 for a couple of days before they start to hold steady and increase. So, he wants to hold off on transfusing today. He was extremely optimistic about how she is doing and (MOM'S DISCHARGE DAY SPOILER ALERT!) would like to get rid of her early next week- Monday or Tuesday. He eased her fears about going home and said that she is doing great and will be totally fine and that he actually feels guilty still keeping her here. I guess he doesn't know about the chaos that awaits her at the homestead.
He then gave her the best of news and said that when she goes home she can eat pretty much whatever she wants, no more dietary restrictions. Break out the carrots and onions, cause it's going to be a PAR-TAY! However after she has the bone marrow transplant, she will be on meds to suppress her immune system, so will need to be careful again. He also said it would be a good idea to get rid of all the plants in the house. So we need to give everyone's favorite palm springs plant man, Wayne, a ringy-ding to get his bum over and start getting those mold carrying death traps outta there.
I also asked our little bright eyed rosy cheeked friend about the rest of us getting tested for bone marrow. He said there really is no point. Siblings have a one in four chance of being a match and as for children, she has a better chance of getting a match from Australia. Or I guess China would be more likely. So look for mom to have strange cravings for fried rice and kitties in the future.
p.s. Mom wanted me to be sure and mention that Dr. Young told Dr. D that the sickest patient (meaning mom) was the easiest patient. I guess this means he was doing cartwheels and handstands in the other rooms.