CARING BRIDGES - Suzette's websight

Our son Marc set up a Caring Bridges page for Suzette and our son-in-love, Dave, Suzette's wonderful husband, is posting on it each day to keep everyone informed.

Here is the link to it http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/suzettestevens/

Please feel free to keep up with her. I know she would appreciate your comments and encouragement.

The latest picture of her, right after she got her hair cut and began wearing it with it's natural curl.

An earlier picture of Dave & Suzette with her 2008 Saturn Vue with XR leather package.

Suzette is selling this car - It is in excellent condition and has 26,200 miles. The blue book value on it is $18,415 and she is asking $17,000. V6 - 3.6 liter - automatic transmission - 6SFD w/overdrive - Front wheel drive. It is all beige leather interior.

It was 6 weeks ago yesterday that this "journey" began for all of us.

It is HORRIBLE!!!

This family has been through some very difficult circumstances before but this has to rank as the very worst. BUT, just as we have not only weathered the previous ones, but been made better people because of the work God does in you, at such times of testing, that is our prayer as we walk this one out, holding firmly to HIS hand and HIS word that sustains us on a daily, and sometimes hourly basis.

I guess the worst part is the roller-coaster ride of good news/bad news & good days/bad days. After the Chemo going so well on Friday and her feeling really good on Saturday Suzette spent very bad days on Sunday, Monday & Tuesday. Tuesday Dave took her for her scheduled CT scan and that scan showed that fluid needed to be drained from the lung.

Yesterday was a very bad day so I am feeling very raw today. Mickey & I left the house at 8:30 a.m. to pick her up and take her to a 10:20 appointment at the hospital at Radiology.

Mickey drove and let Suzette and I off at the main entrance. Thankfully they had wheelchairs and a very nice volunteer who wheeled us to Radiology, which was quite a ways. Radiology is where they viewed her lung and marked an "x" on her back where they were to draw out the fluid. From there we were sent to Endocopy. So thankful for the wheelchair for the long way to where we at first waited in the waiting room and then were put in a private holding room where they took vitals and did blood work. Then we waited and waited and WAITED until 2:55 for her to finally be taken to the room where the Dr. withdraw 1.3 liter of fluid off her lung. This is the 3rd time, in these 6 weeks, that fluid has been drained from her lung.

Suzette was in terrible pain and discomfort and it was just horrible watching her sitting there, hour after hour, just waiting. To top it off she had nothing to eat. She was in a comfortable recliner and they kept bringing in the nice warm blankets for her, which helped but it was a LONG wait. We finally left the hospital just before 5 because even after the draining was completed we had to wait for x-rays to be developed to be sure no damage had been done to her lung.

Then the 3 of us hurried to Pan*era Br*ead where we got Suzette a large bowl of chicken-noodle soup and Mickey & I had the 1/2 sandwich - cup of soup meal. Boy did it taste good to us all!!!

Dave came in just as we arrived at their house. Suzette was totally exhausted. She had not sleep since awaking at 1 a.m. Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day for her now that that pressure is removed and she can breath better. Dave is taking her to her 3:30 appointment today with her oncologist for the results of the CT scan and what other information he might have.

We arrived home after 7 p.m. and even missed church services. We were both just exhausted. It didn't help that I had worked from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. the day before, Tuesday, at the Election and Mickey & Sherry had done The King's Kitchen with me missing.


I'm so thankful-----HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING!!!!!