Fwd: Prayers Please!!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rand Patterson <maandpap1@yahoo.com>
Date: Tue, May 5, 2009 at 5:14 PM
Subject: Prayers Please!!
To: Beth Murphy <bethamurphy@gmail.com>

Dear Family and Friends,   Just wanted to send a note to thank everyone for all that you have done for us in that last 2 years.  Prayers, cards, meals, "love gifts" to pay for our living expenses, flowers, donations, and most of all your love for our family during a very difficult time in our lives.  Words will never be able to express our gratitude. God's love and grace has poured down on us during this time and each day seems to get easier.  We miss him dearly and there isn't a minute that goes by that we don't remember him and cherish all the wonderful times we had.  He was an amazing husband, father, "boppa", son, brother, uncle and friend and his life will always be an huge part of ours.  He taught us so many things and gave us all a zest and appreciation for life.  His faith and love for God will be the most important gift he left with us. His presence is all around us and we only hope that we can be the person he was in our lives.    I have a special prayer request for Wendy Nakken (Ben's Sister).  Her and her husband Bryan are leaving tonight in their motor home to go to Dr. Alvarez in Mexico.  He told them that he would do all that he could to help Wendy through this cancer.  They hope to be there on Friday so she can get a treatment that day.  Please pray for: Safety and peace on their trip. That their motor home will make the trip with no complications. Divine wisdom for Dr. Alvarez in treating Wendy's cancer. God's peace, love and guardian angels surrounding Bryan and Wendy's 9 children during their time in Mexico- which could be 4+ weeks. Peace, strength and grace for the grandparents, Ben and Heidi and friends who will be taking care of the children. And that God's will, power and healing will manifest itself in Wendy's body.    Thanks for being the prayer warriors you are and we will keep you up to date as we learn more.    All our Love, Joanie and family

Randy's Journey Home

To all who have known and loved Randy,

I know I speak for my family when I say thank you from the bottom of our hearts.  The love that you have all shown us through the past two years has been overwhelming.  We thank you all for being with us along this most difficult journey and for all the support your have shown in the past few days. 

I wanted to send an email out not only to thank you, but also to let those of you who may not know when and where the visitation and funeral are.

The visitation is today, Monday, at Langeland's funeral home on 9th street from 5-8pm.

The funeral is tomorrow, Tuesday, April 14 at Valley Family Church at 1pm.  Please dress casual or in Harley clothes.  There will be a motorcycle processional to the cemetery after the service.  There will be a meal provided at Valley Church after the burial.


Blessings to all,
Beth

Fwd: Rand :)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rand Patterson <maandpap1@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 2009 06:18:58 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Rand :)
To: Beth Murphy <bethamurphy@gmail.com>

Dear Friends and Loved Ones,
Our journey has come to an end.....Our precious Dad, Boppa, Brother,
Son, Uncle, dearest friend and my beloved husband and best friend in
the whole world went to heaven April 8 at 12:30 a.m. with Heidi, Tami
and myself close by his side. We miss him more than words can ever
ever express, but we know with all our hearts that he is safe in the
arms of Jesus with no pain, no worries and enjoying the home that God
has prepared for him.
We will be heading back to Kalamazoo probably today and tomorrow.  We
haven't made funeral arrangements, but with the Easter weekend this
weekend it will probably be sometime next week.  Just think Rand will
be celebrating Easter in Heaven....what a sight that will be to
behold.
Our family wants to thank all of you for being with us each step of
the way and even though we will miss him so, we have so many wonderful
memories to cherish. There will be a time of "sharing" and celebrating
all of the many many happy times we all have had....if you would like
to share those thoughts and memories at the service there will be a
time set aside for you to do just that.... our family would be honored
and blessed.
There will also be a motorcycle processional after the service to the
graveside after the funeral. Motorcycles were such a special part of
our lives and I know that he would be so happy to have you help him
take that one last ride with him.  Dress casual to the funeral because
he would want you to be comfy and happy and just free to be you.
Love and heart felt blessings to you all and please pass this e:mail
to anyone you wish.
Blessings,
The Rand Patterson Family

Another update 4/4

Hello all,

Well, as the journey with cancer has done to us so many times before, we have a change of plans.  The doctor from Mexico called Randy and Joanie this afternoon to see how he is doing and when they told him that he had rejected the idea of radiation and was going to go home, the Dr. told him not to.  The Dr. believes that the radiation will help alleviate the pain he has been experiencing and that he should go ahead with it.  When Randy is well enough to travel he wants him to still go to Mexico for treatment because he believes he can help him.  This is truly in God's hands as it always has been.  Tami, Randy and Joanie's daughter, said that God has been telling her that, "He's got him and is taking care of him and not to give up."  Randy has fought so hard these past two years and now it is our turn to fight even harder for and with him.  All of the family is in agreement that going ahead with the radiation is the right plan.  Randy says ok, let's do it!  We asked Randy if he wanted his dad to be there during the treatment, and he said yes, so we are going to get him on a plane to Detroit as soon as we get the go ahead.

So, the plan is for Rand to stay at U of M and go through with radiation therapy--this will be about 3 weeks, and then when he is well enough to travel they will go to Mexico.  I know I can speak for my whole family when I say thank you for all of your support.  It means the world to us to know that there are so many of you out there praying for us and keeping Rand near to your hearts.  We know our prayers are heard and put our trust in the Lord.

I will keep you updated as I learn more.

-Beth

Update 4/4

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rand Patterson <maandpap1@yahoo.com>
Date: Sat, Apr 4, 2009 at 5:26 AM
Subject:
To: Beth Murphy <bethamurphy@gmail.com>

Dear Ones, Just a little note to quickly catch you up on what has happened in just the last few days.  In the beginning of the week Rand was feeling very well and we were packing things up around here to  send back home, worked on our taxes so we could bring them back home, too.  We had a nice birthday dinner together on his birthday.   That evening things began to change ..he had severe pain in his back and noticeable blood in his urine.  The following day there were significant changes in his counts and they began treating hime for infections and hydrating him daily.  He has 4 different infections plus an obstructed kidney where the Lymphoma is resting.  He had to have a stent put into his kidney and various other things to get the kidney to drain properly.  We came home and he had a very difficult evening with pain and continual trips to the bathroom. In the morning he was miserable and not even himself so Ben and I took him to emergency.  He is again in the hospital and they are treating the infections, and watching the kidney closely.  He wil probably start radiation on Monday to relieve the pressure of the Lymphoma on his kidney.  Our trip to Mexico is on hold until all these things get resolved.  We haven't given up hope in our Great Physician who we know and believe can turn all things around.  Rand is very sick and our prayer is that these infections will heal, the radation will relieve the kidney and we can go to Mexico.  He would not be able to travel in the condition he is in now.  Ben came up all day yesterday and spent the night last night so I could get a good night's sleep. Tami and Kynzie will be here all day today.  Heidi is coming up Sunday to spend the day and night with us and I wll go home that night to get some sleep.  We believe with all our hearts that God has a plan and our faith is strong.  Sometimes things don't go as we plan, but we believe that God always has a better plan for us.  We know that God can heal Rand in an instant because that is what is word tells us, or it may still be in time or as we go, but we are holding fast to God's will and promises. Rand is definitely our hero.  He has never ever once complained, asked why or questioned.  He is tired, worn out and anxious to feel like Randy again and what a blessing that would be.  Prayers are heard and cherished and we love you all for everyone that has been uttered for Rand and the family. Love and Blessings,  Rand and Joanie  Feel free to call me on my cell:  269-760-0431

Fwd: Where to begin

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rand Patterson <maandpap1@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 30, 2009 at 6:02 PM
Subject: Where to begin
To: Beth Murphy <bethamurphy@gmail.com>

Dearest Loved Ones, After our last e:mail to you Rand and I spent a great deal of time seeking God's wisdom, direction and peace.  With things pretty much dead end at U of M we began seeking answers and possibilities.  And through God's amazing handiwork information was brought to our attention that we could not ignore.  We researched, prayed, talked to our pastor, had a family meeting with our family and just let God put the pieces together. This was by no means an easy decision, but until we gave it over completely to God to put the pieces together for us did things start to line up.  And as we began pursuing the options the Holy Spirit just took over and put things into such amazing order that we just had to obey his leading.  We have made the decision to go to Mexico for alternative methods of treating Rand's cancer. There is a world renowned doctor who we have spoken to a few times and we have also sent him all of Rand's records and probably by tomorrow after hearing from the doctor we will be packing things up, getting our lives in as much order as possible and could be in Mexico by Sunday.  It has been absolutely amazing how everything has fallen into place.  Someday we will share all the little details that the Holy Spirit just took care of supernaturally.  We have an amazing peace about this and our family is thrilled that we will be going.  We are trusting God again to make this all possible and just stepping out on faith and following His direction.  I know this is probably a difficult concept for many to understand but our hearts and minds have been opened to so much more that is available....and we feel God has blessed these doctor's with a gift that hasn't been allowed in the United States for many reasons that just don't seem right.  We just ask that you continue you prayers, and love for us and help us through the journey that lies ahead. We will be there for about 3 weeks which will be a heart breaker for us being away again from our family. Rand is actually feeling very well and will be able to travel easily.  Today Dr. Yannik called and just tried to offer more options such as chemo, and radiation.  He also said to us that being in the position we are now he doesn't blame us for going to Mexico.  That was a very interesting thing for us to hear.  So dear ones pray for us that we will get all the things done that need to be done and that we will stay in God's will. Love to all Rand and Joanie Please keep Ben's sister Wendy in your prayers, too.  She is not improving and she is also looking into coming down to Mexico.  Pray for divine wisdom as they have to make difficult choices also.

Fwd: God's divine wisdom needed!!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rand Patterson <maandpap1@yahoo.com>
Date: Thu, Mar 26, 2009 at 7:17 PM
Subject: God's divine wisdom needed!!
To: Beth Murphy <bethamurphy@gmail.com>

Today at clinic we were able to see the Pet Scan and there is indeed new lymphoma on the right side near the kidney with fingers. They can not do radiation or surgery on the Lyphoma. Our options are to cut back on the steroids and allow the Graft Versus Host disease to get worst and pray that it will go in and kill off the cancer. However, there is a real danger of the GVHD getting so bad that it could make Rand very very sick and that would not be good with his immune system as it is.   If that doesn't happen then there would have to be more chemotherapy and a stem cell boost from Cindy. Rand has made the choice not to do anymore chemo so that will not be an option and the doctor's agree.  So we are prayerfully seeking God's wisdom and divine guidance in seeking unconventional ways of taking care of Randy's cancer.  We believe we were led to come to U of M by God's leading and they did what they could do but at this point there has been no healing of the lymphoma. We are prayerfully seeking God's will in helping to find the right facility for him that would treat the underlying cause and then attack the cancer and then build up his immune system.  God has divinely placed information into our hands and we are prayerfully seeking wisdom on where to go. We believe that God has a plan for him and we are seeking anything that He brings our way.  We also have to prayerfully  seek God's wisdom on the costs of this new treatment and clinic This is a facility that is not covered by insurance. However the stay would only be three weeks instead of our 82 at U of M  We have been so blessed by all of you who have helped us finance our stay at U of M.  What would we have done without all of you gifts of love to us ...we are eternally grateful. And we so hoped the outcome would've been better.  We will not question why and will just believe with all our hearts that God's plan was fulfilled here at U of M.  We are just now asking for prayers for WISDOM beyond measure in making the choices God would have us to make. We love and cherish you all and just pray that your minds may be opened to whatever lies ahead.  All our Love, Rand and Joanie

Fwd:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rand Patterson <maandpap1@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, Mar 25, 2009 at 3:17 PM
Subject:
To: Beth Murphy <bethamurphy@gmail.com>

Dearest Loved Ones,    This is a very difficult moment for us right now, but I just wanted you to hear from us that Dr. Yannik called today and said that the Pet Scan showed that there is Lymphoma on the right kidney again.  We are so confused, emotional and just not sure what we are going to do.  We still believe that God is healing Rand and this is just a blow to us that we weren't expecting or believing. We just had a clear ultra sound of the kidney last week and it was clear.  So this is all so overwhelming!!  We don't know what our options are at this point, but we right now are having a hard time envisioning going through anymore of what we have.  Right now we are seeking God's divine wisdom and basing our faith not on words, symptoms or what we hear, but on God's word and promises. We will be talking to the Dr.tomorrow regarding what steps can be taken.  Both Rand and I are wanting  at this point to pack things up and just come home and let God continue the healing that has been going on.  Stepping out on the faith we know is true and just letting and trusting in God to take care of this.  Please pray for divine wisdom from God in making a decision that is in His complete will.  We love you all and just feel your presence continually in our hearts.

Hi everyone,

Just a quick note to let you all know that Rand's bone marrow went real well.   He had a intern do the procedure with a physician assisting....a bit uncomfortable at times, but Rand was sedated and didn't feel anything.  But, after watching 5 of these I'll have to say this one was the most uncomfortable to watch.  But, all is well!!  They will not get the results regarding if there are Lymphoma cellls for two days. (Believing there are not) . And it will take about a week to do the DNA testing on the marrow to see how much of Cindy's stem cells are in his bone marrow.  (Believing for 100%).  So  we have some waiting time to go through which we have a real peace about. That peace is certainly a gift from God. Rand got a bit of a scolding regarding his weight.  He has to work harder on that otherwise they won't let him go home.....it's just as important as his blood counts.  So I believe the point was taken with some seriousness this time. His heart test came back perfect, his blood clots are remaining inactive, so many things are going well.  We just need to pray for the bone marrow test's to be clear of cancer, and full of Cindy's cells, and also that his appetite will increase and blood counts will keep climbing up to normal.  His Pet Scan is scheduled for Wednesday and we are praying with our heart that all is clear according to God's promises.  Please pray the God's divine plan will be manifested through all of this. 

Have a wonderful wonderful weekened,

Love Rand and Joanie

Fwd: Praise God Day!!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Rand Patterson <maandpap1@yahoo.com>
Date: Mon, Mar 9, 2009 at 11:51 AM
Subject: Praise God Day!!
To: Beth Murphy <bethamurphy@gmail.com>

Hi all, Please give God a shout of praise today!!  Rand had labs today and his platelets are making their own, his white count is coming up, hemoglobin is hanging in there, his magnesium is perfect, his creatine is as low as it has ever been and he GAINED two pounds!!!!  Pretty good stuff don't ya think.   He also had an echo-cardiogram of his heart and everything looks perfect there.  He also had an ultrasound of his blood clots and all is well there. too.  So thanks be to God for all the great stuff today.  Tomorrow is a ultrasound of his kidney and liver, and Friday is a bone marrow biopsy . If Rand's platelets continue to go up Dr. Yannik said he would take the "port" our of his arm after the bone marrow biopsy.  That will be wonderful to have that removed.    We are believing and praying that the kidney and liver are perfect and that the bone marrow will contain 100% of Cindy's bone marrow.  We just can't give God enough of our thankfulness and praise for all the goodness that He has given us.  We are just so blessed to have all of you praying and believing right along with us and claiming the promises God has given us.  Dr. Yannik is so pleased and we want to make sure that he sees God's work and glory through this whole journey through the wilderness that we have been on.  We want them all to know that God is the Greatest Physician of them all!! Blessings, Rand and Joanie

Hi all!

This week Monday Rand had an appt. for labs, clinic and infusion. His platelets are still very very low and we are waiting for Cindy's to kick in.  The older the donor, the longer that will take but we are believing that will take place real soon.  So he had a transfusion of platelets, magnesium, and potassium.  His biggest challenge right now is nausea.  I checked out all the drugs that he was taking and 7 out of the 14 drugs all cause severe to mild nausea.  So, now we know why he is having trouble eating.  Yesterday, Dr. Yannik put him on Marrinol which is a synthetic marijuana.....oh my goodness!!!  He became instantly high, couldn't walk, nauseated and giggling....now that is a  pathetic situation don't you think.  So we are trying a few others to make the nausea more manageable so he can start eating and gaining back the 30 pounds he has lost.  So if you want a specific prayer request that would be a great one!! 

Today he did some laps around the pool and just enjoyed the moist heat in the pool area.  I'm going to try and take him our for a ride just to get out and enjoy the sunshine. That will do him some good for sure.  His autoimmune system is still very compromised so we are staying completely away from people and places.  That is a real challenge for us as you can imagine.  God is helping us to take each day at a time and is helping us to manage not seeing our precious family and friends. We miss them so!!!

We have another appt. this Thursday and we are believing for counts to start coming up on their own and coming more into balance.  We are still so blessed not to be in the hospital with infections and complications...thank you Jesus.  March 12th will be a big day for Rand because he will have a Pet Scan and many other scans to go along with that one, so that will be a day we will covet with prayer for sure. Philippians 2:13 says, "God's will, healing, is working in you."  For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. We believe with all our hearts that health and healing is God's perfect pleasure for Rand. 

Thanks dear ones and enjoy the beautiful days of sunshine that God has given us. 

Love,

Rand and Joanie

Hi Everyone!!

Today was a beautiful sunny day in Ann Arbor.  We think you in Kalamazoo had the same....doesn't it feel good!!  We took a ride around the city and had the truck washed today to pass some time.  If felt good to be out in the sunshine and get the truck clean and shiny again. 

We had to put Cindy on the plane back to Colorado.  We had so much fun having her here and as you would suspect it was sooo hard seeing her go.  By far seeing family and friends come and go is the most difficult thing we have to go through.  Lots of tears for sure. And always a time of adjusting to not having company around us.   

Rand is doing very well....the doctor said Friday that he is very lucky to be out of the hospital because 50 %  of the transplant patients are still in the hospital at this time after transplant.  We don't call that lucky we call it a tremendous blessing.  He is still very very fatigued but each day seems to be better.  He is working very hard at eating and exercising, too.  We have an appointment on Monday for blood work, clinic and a  white platelet infusion.  We are trying very hard to fill the days with reading, puzzles, walks, bike riding,etc. but, we are very very lonely. We miss home and family so much.  Our prayer is that God will help us through these times and we are believing that He will.  If Rand's counts come up we are hoping and praying that our kids can come up in the next couple of weeks.  We talk to them on the phone alot which is wonderful and tonight we were able to see Tami and the kids on the web cam....so much fun!! 

Have a wonderful Sunday tomorrow and praise God above for your many many blessings. 

We love you all,

Rand and Joanie

We Made It!

Hi Everyone,

It is about 5:30 our time and we are out of the hospital and also have Cindy here with us, too.  Her flight was perfect and picking her up couldn't have been more timely and easy. 

We are making dinner for us tonight!!  Food is going to be a real challenge because Rand can no longer eat off of salad bars and buffets.  That is a real bummer because we were so depending on the meals provided here at the Hotel. The  problem with buffets and salad bars is that there is so much potential for bacteria and Rand's autoimmune system is now like that of a baby's.  So we will be cooking fresh and trying to abide by as many of the guidelines that we can. He has lost about 30 pounds again so we are going to try real hard to "plump" him up again.  We will have lots of appts. this weekend checking blood counts and adjusting medications that need to be adjusted and just generally keeping close tabs on his progress.  This will be the program for the next month of so.  We are just praying that blood counts continue to get back to order, infections and temps. stay away and he continues to gain his weight and strength back.

I was able to go back to Kalamazoo Sunday to see all the grandkids and Heidi and Tami.  What a blessing to see them all again.  Saw Kobe's soccer game.  Went to Jungle Joes to play with the bunch.  Tami and Heidi made dinner for us all at Heidi's house and then we watched a movie together.  What a great time.  I was also able to share Jurien's cozy bed.  Sure slept like a baby.  Going back to Ann Arbor was very very hard....only cried through Battle Creek...guess that's not too bad, uh?  Ben and Kyle had a great time with Rand in Ann

Arbor...good guy time. 

Hugs and Blessings to you all and thanks for all the continued prayers, cards, calls, visits and just words of encouragement.  The next couple of months will be a true test of endurance, but we with God's divine help and strength we know that we can do this. 

Love,

Rand and Joanie

:) :)

Hi Dear Ones,

Just had to touch base to let you all know that Rand is doing amazingly well.  Doctor Yannik is so pleased with the way his white counts are slowly and steadily coming back.  He just almost giggles when he shares with the nurses how far Rand has come.  Rand is still struggling with sores in his throat which makes eating very challenging, but he does his best with soups, shakes and other things that he can easily get down.  They said as the white counts continue to come up the sore throat will go away.  He has lost alot of weight again which drives me crazy, but is always seems to come back. He is still doing the bike faithfully which is awesome.

I'm going to try and go home tomorrow morning to get my hair done. My sweetheart Kathy is coming in to help me out!!   Kyle is going to come up  to Ann Arbor to spend the day and possibly the night with Rand. Ben might be able to come if he doesn't have to plow.  It will be good "guy" time for them all.  They are planning on watching "Planet Earth" together in the hospital.   I'm planning on having dinner with the girls and kids and then spending the night. Can't wait to see my little peeps.  I will come back on Tuesday morning because Cindy (Rand's) sister will be coming in from Denver to the Detroit Airport around 3:00.  She will be staying her until Saturday. 

So we have so many things to be thankful for!!!   Good counts, continual improvement, being able to see our family, and just thankful for God's grace and healing power on Rand.  Just doesn't get any better than that!!  Your prayers, love, cards, e:mails, visits and phone calls are the glue to us getting through each day.   Praise and honor to our Great Physician!!!!

Hope you all have a wonderful day at church tomorrow....be thankful for all your many many blessings!!  And give God a shout of praise for all of those answered prayers that we continually see!!  Yea God!!!

Hugs and Love,
Joanie

What a great day!!!

Rand and and I were blessed with a visit from some dear friends in Kalamazoo today.  Ron Terpstra, Don and Joyce Tersptra, Jane and Amos Newhouse and Jerry Wielenga.  What a great time we had.  We went up to see Rand in his little "closet", but we all squeezed in just fine and had a wonderful time.  Lots of laughs, giggles and good stories.  After that they took me to Carson's for lunch...Yummy!!!...and then back to the hotel for a visit. Can't begin to tell you what a joy it is to see people from home...just fills our hearts with joy!!. It is always so hard seeing people leave, but it's worth it all having them here.  Sunday, Ben and Kyle will be coming up for the day while I go home to get my hair done and and maybe catch one of Kobe's soccer games.  I'll probably have dinner with the kids and girls and then head back up to U of M.in the evening.  Rumor has it that if all continues the way it is Rand might be coming home on Monday.  Hallelujah!!!  That's home to the hotel!!  What a great blessing that will be.  His sister is coming in on Wednesday (flying into Detroit) and will stay until Saturday.  Some of the kids might be coming up next weekend depending how Rand is doing.  We just pray that God will take away the "uncertainty" of having Rand away from all the wonderful care around the clock care he has had in the hospital and that he will continue to improve with no fevers, infections, etc.  We would love to keep him out of the hospital. God please hear our prayer!! 

I also have a very very special prayer request for Wendy Nakken (Ben's sister)

   She was brought to the emergency room just now with lots of pain in her hips.  Please pray for God's complete, divine healing power over her body!!  God is the Great Physician and we know that all things are possible through him. Also pray for divine wisdom for the doctors who are put in their path that they will be "hand picked" by God himself. We love you Wendy and we know that you have courage, an optimism that inspires everyone, and an incredible faith. Our love and prayers are surrounding you. 

In God's Amazing Love,

Rand and Joanie

6 Days after the transplant!

Hi all!

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentines with your loved ones.  We actually made each other Valentines and gave them to each other....that was fun!!  It was a "group activity the hospital provided so we thought we'd join in on the fun. 

All is going very well.  His counts are going lower and lower, but he maintains his appetite and trys real hard to get up and going even though that is get harder and harder to do.  Today he had two units of platelets and two units of blood. They have also started him on Nueprogin shots to help build up his white blood count.  We were able to use the shots left over from Cindy...and at $1000.00 dollar a shot I hope the insurance company will take notice.  They probably don't even see that side of things, but I sure didn't want it not to be used if we could. 

Today, he had an ultrasound of his blood clots and nothing has changed...things have actually improved.  His chest xray came back clear and perfect, too.  Yippee!!  Tomorrow, he has an echo cardiogram of his heart to check things out there.  His liver count is back to normal and his kidney count is better than it has ever been.  PRAISE GOD FOR SURE!!!   The rest of the week his counts will continue to fall and we are praying and believing that he will not get the infections, fevers, sores etc. God has surely shown favor on Rand regarding all of that! So that is it in a nutshell and we couldn't be more thankful on how he is progressing. 

We think we are getting a few visitors on Wednesday if the weather holds out.  We are suppose to get 6-12 inches here...I find that hard to believe.  But, we'll enjoy the sunshine today for sure. And hopefully the travel will not be bad for those coming up. 

Rand is busy doing the bike right now and I'll be heading back to the hotel pretty quick...have wonderful evenings and I'll keep you updated!!

Hugs and Love,

Rand and Joanie

Two Days after the Transplant!!

We are now two days after transplant and I'll have to say God has been good! In spite of Rand's counts crashing to the bottom he is doing great!!  He is eating really well as long as they keep him on a ritual of nausea medicine.  Today, he walked five laps and as I'm writing this note to you he is riding a "New Step" Recumbent Cross Trainer!!  He is planning on putting in 20 minutes.  What a guy!!!  Each day will get more and more challenging as his counts go even lower, but the staff here are amazing and watch every count and every change and are always two steps ahead of things happening so they can make it easier for him to tolerate.  What a blessing they are to have around! We almost got a chance at a bigger room, but a very critical patient was coming in who needed lots of room for equipment ...so we certainly wouldn't want to stand in the way of that.  Our little room is cozy with pictures of all the kids and your cards are all over the walls!!!  We like our little closet.  Rand has been sleeping well at night, too which is such a blessing.  Thanks to all of you that have sent cards, called him and especially keep him in your hearts and prayers.  We are eternally grateful to all of you!!  We continually feel God's amazing presence in each and everyday and we know that He is in our little closet right there with us.  We have had many chances to share with our nurses regarding God's love and goodness and we pray that those opportunities will always be there for us. Continue to pray for Cindy's stem cells to make a home in Rand's body and clear out all that is bad and that they will build his immune system to the potential God intends it to be!! We are believing those little "pac women" are hard at work and by God's amazing power are transforming Rand's body into a body whole and healed in Jesus Name. 

We miss you all so very much and you are continually in our thoughts, prayers and hearts daily.  Tears often come to our eyes as we reflect on all the love, generosity, caring and devotion that has been shown to us!!  Our hearts are overflowing with humbleness.  A special thanks to our amazing family who we could not take a step without them!!!  We love you all more than you will ever know!!

Blessings and Hugs,

Rand and Joanie

Happy "New Birthday" to Rand Feb. 10!

Oh what a beautiful day God has given us!! This will be "new" birthday that Rand and our whole family will never forget. Heidi, Tami, Kynzie and myself were all in the room when they began the procedure and all of us were praying for Cindy's "bright pretty pink" stem cells as well as the compatibility of Rand's body to receiving the stem cells. It was a very peaceful and emotional time for us all!! The procedure only took about 1 hour and was uneventful as far as any allergic reactions were concerned....all went well. We decorated Rand's room with Valentines from all the grand kids and had balloons saying "Happy New Birthday!" We even had carrot cake to celebrate with after the procedure was complete. We did alot of crying, laughing and just taking deep breaths of joy after the procedure was complete. Gods presence and peace were truly felt by us all. Rand took a nice long nap after the procedure and the girl's and I took a break. Rand's room now smells like tomato soup!! They said that would be that way for a few days. Isn't that just the funniest thing....at least it wasn't cabbage!!

Rand's blood counts are dropping really fast as expected but he is still eating well and keeping the nausea at bay...which is such a blessing. He will not be able to have visitors from this day forward for a pretty long period of time...unless God has different plans. He loves your cards and phone calls sooo much!! We are praying and believing for no infections, no fevers, compatibility of stem cells, and the complete manifestation of God's healing upon Rand. Psalm 107:20 has been a mainstay for us both during this time..."God's Word is healing. He sent His word and Healed them, and delivered them from their destructions." It is so important for us to know the Word and use it for our health and healing. We need to know the word, know God's works, know that He never lies and He keeps His promises....what an assurance that is for us all. The most difficult part of the day was again seeing our family go home..so heart wrenching. We love them so much and treasure each moment we have with them!! And seeing them drive away once again just rips a hole in our hearts. But, then God just surrounds us and assures us that His love will be sufficient for us and He will fill those voids for now!! I know that many of you are praying for us and we so covet and treasure those prayers. The next few weeks are very critical, but we have such amazing peace that God has this all completely in His care and we are believing that all will divinely fall into place according to His word and prommises.

Hugs and love to you all,

Rand and Joanie

Tuesday is Birthday Day!!

Dear Family and friends,

This week as gone really really fast. It was fun having Marcia B. up here, too!! She had fun visiting old places and looking up old friends. We had no more that put our coats and stuff into Rand's room and Marcia was going out to fetch up a chair and there stood Dr. Yannik who was Hailey's physician, too. It was a wonderful moment for them both. Marcia and I were able to have lunch together, visit for some time with Rand, made a quick trip to Cabella's for "gramy stuff", then off to dinner. Marcia spent the night and we watched a great movie. After breakfast she headed back home and I immediately missed her. Thanks Marcia for the great visit!!! We sure love having visitors, but the good bye part isn't much fun!!

Monday is "rest"day. We'll try really hard to fill the day with walking, biking, puzzles, suduko, movies, reading, dominoes, and maybe a coloring session in our new Cabella's coloring books...it sounds like the "retirement center, doesn't it? We even resorted to making handmade Valentines yesterday with the student "med " kids. Rand wasn't too thrilled, but I had fun. Tee Hee!! He'd rather be polishing and detailing his Harley.

Tuesday is a very very big day for Rand...his New Birthday!! We are celebrating it to the max with bithday cake, balloons, and all the trimmings. Heidi is bringing the Mackenzies birthday cake and Tami is bringing the birthday "topper"...Miss Kynzie. This the special day that Rand receives his sister's Cindy's stem cells that have been frozen. From what we have been told it is a 2-3 hour process and will be done through Rand's pic line. They tell us that there is a "distinct" order during the process and they call it the "breath of life". Pretty interesting, uh?" We are and have been praying over Cindy's blood since she gave it and continue to pray that it will be "super charged" by God to go in and do the amazing job it has been blessed to do and that Rand's body will receive the stem cells miraculously through God's divine placement and healing touch. It just gives me goosebumps that God has divinely placed this all in alignment to Rand's healing. No one else could've made it so perfect and timely. We are thinking of Cindy's stem cells as little "pac ladies" going in there and munching up all the cancer leftovers. God has blessed us with such a amazing opportunity to honor and glorify him through this whole procedure and we certainly will continue to do so. Please join us in praying for God's amazing plan to be manifested in Rand's body...he is healed by the blood of Jesus!! Our thoughts are lining up with God's word: "By His stripes your are healed", "whatever I asked I receive of Him because I have keep his commandments, and do all things that are pleasing in His sight." "Thoughts, line up with God's word, in Jesus' name." And praise God it will come to pass. What a milestone this will be in our journey and we thank God for every step forward and backward that has been made because it was all in His divine plan for us.

Hugs and love,
Rand and Joanie

Hi all!!

Well, we are two days into chemo and all is going very very well!! No real reactions and Rand is feeling very good. He has walked a mile everyday and is eating great and in very good spirits. Today we had visitors from Marine City, Joe, Sharon and Amanda as well as Jo and Bob from home. We had a wonderful wonderful visit. Sharon was at U of M for a transfusion and they stopped by to see us and to go out with Bob and Jo for lunch. So good to see them all. Tomorrow Marcia Byholt is coming up and maybe spending the night....so looking forward to see her. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will be chemo days and then Monday will be a rest day and Transplant on Tuesday. Heidi, Tami and Kynzie will be up on Monday night and will be there for transplant. We are getting Rand a carrot cake and balloons for his New Birthday!! Time is really going fast and the care in the BMT center is amazing...our nurses and doctors are wonderful. They are so caring, compassionate and very very concerned about their patients. We had the physical therapist stop by today and they were very pleased with what Rand is doing, but plan to increase activity as far as bicycling and weights are concerned. Dr. Yannik stopped by for a visit and told Rand how pleased he was with his progress and told him to keep up the great work. We did some furniture moving today in his room and made it a bit more roomy and also positioned his bed so he is facing out the window rather than starring at a wall. He likes it much better. The nurses just shook their heads and laughed at us. So all in all a God perfect day!!! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful team of doctors and such amazing care....so thankful! And because of the amazing friends and family we have supporting and praying for us we know that God is in the midst of everyday!!

Hugs and Love,

Rand and Joanie

2/3/09

Good night all!! 

 

Today went really well ...blood counts are doing well...they are going to give him something to build up his immunity yet tonight just for a boost to his system .  The pic line insertion wasn't the best.. the radiologist tried to put it in the left arm but Rands veins just wouldn't allow that to happen so they had to put it in the right arm right by the blood clot.  That is a bit uncomfortable for us, but there isn't another choice at this point. We'll just pray that they blood clots remain dormant and cause no further complications. They will watch the blood clots closely through periodic ultrasounds. Going to our room was rather disappointing...it's soooo small!!  The bed hits the chair, the chair hits the wall and you kind of have to walk sideways everywhere ya go.  Kind of hit Rand pretty hard thinking he would be in "the closet" for a month or two.  We asked the charge nurse to keep us in mind for a larger room if and when one opened up...she said she would. He does have a window view which is very very nice.  I put up a bunch of pictures of the family and friends and tomorrow I'll bring up some Valentine stuff and some of the kids pictures they painted to perk it up a bit. The nurses up there seem very very nice and really take ownership of their patients which is great....more like a Kalamazoo feeling. Tomorrow they start the 6 hour Rituxin drug which we have pretty much under control...should be uneventful.  So after a few healthy cries, we thanked God for the blessings that continually surround us. I think this week will go very very fast  They sure keep the patient moving and active which is wonderful.  If he gets a  bigger room they will put a stationary bike in there for him to use.  Great Stuff!!  I think Dr. Yannik is so amazed at the swift progress Rand has made in the last couple of days....don't underestimate God's power, right? Looking forward to a new day tomorrow...God always brings a challenge and a blessing and a answer to our prayers.  Our niece, Beth sent a quote from Beth Moore's book that I thought was wonderful...it goes like this, "Nothing on earth compares to the strength God is willing to interject into lives caught in the act of believing."  Isn't that just the best!!

 

Love ya all!!

Rand and Joanie

 

Rand's Address is:  

University of Michigan Medical Center l

BMT Floor- 8A

Patient:  Rand Patterson

1500 East Medical Drive

Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109

Phone Number is:  734-936-8412

"Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the Glory of God?"...

..."Father, thank you for hearing me. You always hear me..." John 11:40-42

Hi dear ones,

God blessed us with a wonderful weekend with our precious family. Lots of giggles, love and happiness filled each day that they were here. The only hard part was having them go home....we then realize how very homesick we are and how much we miss our family, friends and just being home. The kids now think this is Meamy and Boppa's new home...and they are pretty excited about the next visit. So are we!!! We even had a Super Bowl party in our room!! The kids were right across the hall from us so we just kept the doors open and they could run back in forth....what fun is that !!

Today we had all wonderful news and answer to all of your prayers. Rand's counts are all right in line with what they should be...the liver enzymes are normal...Thank you God!!! His ultra sound of his blood clots showed no changes and even some had disappeared!! So...tomorrow he has his Pic Line put in, blood work again and then he will be admitted. The thought of going back to the hospital after having almost a week of freedom is pretty tough this time. But, we know that God will give us the strength to go the next 30 days in the hospital. He will begin chemo on Wednesday and that will go through Sunday..Monday a day of rest and transplant will be on Tuesday. Heidi and Tami and Kynzie are planning on coming up for the transplant date because that will be his "new birthday". The biggest challenge on the next leg of the journey will be keeping Rand's kidneys from being damaged by the chemo drugs and the anti rejection drugs. We are praying and believing for divine protection over his kidneys as well as all other organs. We again stand in awe of God's amazing love and grace and are clinging to Him more than ever as it sometimes becomes more and more difficult to take this next step. His promises are true and we are holding on to them all. We feel your prayers and love and the cards, notes, phone calls have been a pillar of strength for each and every day!!

With Lots of love,

Rand and Joanie

Dear Friends and Fam:

Today when I woke up I was just laying in bed and a small voice came to me and and it said, "It's a turn around day, today." Well, I just kept saying that over in my mind and I said, " you're right God, it's going to be a "turn around day!!". Got up from bed and I thought I had better write this down in my journal just because I didn't want to forget it and right next to that I put... believing for no more Lymphoma, a perfect God given heart, and good blood counts. I shared this with Rand just before we left for the hospital and we both agreed that God had spoken!!. Now to let you know the rest of the story...When Dr. Yannik walked in the room he welcomed us and I told him about our "word" for the day and he looked at us with such a special grin, didn't say a word and went on with the exam. He hadn't read the MRI yet so he went on the computer and read the report to us and there isn't a mass on or by his heart and his heart is funtioning perfectly. Rand's blood counts also came back perfect!! So I guess you could say it has been a "turn around day". What an amazing God we have!!! So as of today everything will begin on Monday. We have one more count to get down and that is his liver enzyme counts. They are normally at 50 or below....three days ago Rand's were at 1845....today they are at 245. We need to have them 115 or below. Our prayers are for these counts to get into place by Monday....and we know without a doubt that God is in the business of answering prayers. So as you can imagine this has been a Praise God Day!! Our friends Bob and Jo Ramsdell came up to visit and we are celebrating all the good news. Our kids will be here on Sunday early in the morning.....can't wait. Thanks for all of your faithful prayers!! What a comfirmation of God's prescence in this journey.

Hugs and blessings,

Rand and Joanie

a BIG PRAISE GOD DAY!!!!

Hi all!!

Rand and I are just sitting here in complete happiness...where are we sitting? Well, we're in our hotel room!! That's right!! I went to the hospital late this morning and Rand told me that the MRI machine had broken :) and they wouldn't be able to do the MRI today. He was cleared by all the doctors and told he could go home....he could hardly believe his ears and I was speechless!! So at about 5:00 this afternoon we left the hospital walking swiftly,while looking over our shoulders to make sure noone was coming after us!! Tee Hee!!

WHAT A BLESSING TO BE OUT OF THE HOSPITAL!!!

And an amazing blessing to have Rand feeling so well and all of his systems back to normal!!! He only came home with 2 types of medications!! Thanks be to God for such an amazing turn around.

We have to go back to the hospital tomorrow for the MRI of the heart and that area of concern that Dr. Yannik wants to check out. We are believing all is perfect with the heart and believing for the complications to be completely out of the picture!! God has truly blessed us today....we are having an adjustment period right now....it'll only take a few minutes I'm sure. We have blood work and a meeting with Dr. Yannik on Friday where all the details will be put together. We are praying that our kids can come up this weekend for a visit....what a joy that will be to have them here and G'pa not in the hospital this time. So once again, a BIG PRAISE GOD DAY!!!!

Love and Hugs to you all!!

Rand and Joanie

II Timothy 1:7 "Fear is not from God..rebuke it! For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Hi Dear Ones,

Today and last night were very eventful. Very late last night Rand had a ultrasound on his arms and "chubby" legs to rule out any blood clots. The upper part of the body looks good...no active blood clots and some that were there before are wilting away. And no clots in this legs. So that was great news. They gave him a diuretic to take care of the chubby legs....gosh, can I have some of that stuff. It really works!!

Then, today he also had a echo cardiogram to see how the fluid situation was around his heart....it looks perfect. So good that they took the drain tube out of his heart. The cardiologist gave a go ahead for transplant...Yippee!!.

Our dear friend from home, Bryan Smith, just came up on a whim to spend a bit of time with Rand before transplant. I believe he was sent by God to be with us because soon after he arrived Dr. Yannik came into our room and told us that he is still concerned about the Pet Scan done January 11 that showed a "glow" around the heart. One of the glows ended up being the blood clot, remember? But, there is another area that he just can't be settled with. He has ordered a MRI of the heart for tomorrow. His concern is that it could be Lymphoma (once again) or it's nothing, or an infection or a left over from the pericarditis that he had prior to the Pet Scan. Unfortunately, the Pet Scan doesn't tell you specifically what those glows are. Bryan, Rand and I prayed for Rand's heart and we envisioned a perfect clear and whole heart.....no lymphoma and brought it to the feet of God Almighty. " Again I say to you that if two of you agree on the earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in Heaven". Our daughter, Heidi, said to me, "Mom, God lives there...his heart is going to be just perfect!!!" Join us in claiming II Timothy 1:7 Fear is not from God..rebuke it! For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. We are believing that all is well and God's perfect will is going to be manifested. Please prayer for all things to be clear and that all things will continue to line up with the promises of healing God has given us. We will continually give Him the honor and glory for all the amazing answers to prayers we are continually receiving.

Love to you all!!

Joanie

1.25.09 'A Praise God Day'

Today was a Praise God Day for sure. I'm so happy that I could just run around the hospital with joy!! Rand's Creatine counts came down, his liver enzymes are down, there is no fluid on his heart left over and the tube will probably come out tomorrow. They did an echo cardiogram of his heart and it's working perfectly. His vitals are perfect, he's eating great and took two long walks today. See what I mean....if I could do cartwheels I would!! I was praising God all the way home tonight and my heart is so happy!! He is retaining a large amount of fluids in his legs and feet....he actually has chubby legs just like me!! Tee hee!! But, they have given him about 15 bags of fluids in the last 5 days and feel that is definitely the problem. So, is there any doubt at all that God answers our prayers!!! We are so overwhelmingly grateful for this day of good news. The "team" meets tomorrow to regroup, look at all the tests, and come up with a plan for what is next. He will also have a ultrasound of his shoulders, arms and legs to check for blood clots. We are so believing and praying that we can go on with transplant if this is in God's plan. He knows what course is best and we are totally relying on Him to give the doctor's divine wisdom in making that plan of action exactly what it should be. I'm going to bed tonight just so thankful and happy and Rand is so peaceful and ready for the next part of the journey....definitely God's grace upon us. Love you all more than you know!! Be sure to give God a shout of praise and thankfulness for the prayers that were answered. Love, Rand and Joanie

1.23.09 Update 2

Dear friends,

I just spoke to Joanie again and there is (yet again) more news on Rand tonight. Joanie left the hospital tonight only to get a phone call from Rand saying that the Hematologist had seen him and said that he had fluid on his heart. We are not sure what the next steps for this is. When Joanie did a search online the treatments run from anything as simple as giving an anti-inflammatory like Motrin, to more severe complications such as cardiac arrest.

Just keep the prayers flowing, says Joanie. The only thing we really can do is have faith that God has it all in his hands because it is definitely out of our control. Pray for Rand to get his appetite back, for him to get some sleep so he can relax, which might help his heart rate and his anxiety. Pray for all of his levels-- that they all go back to where they belong and that there is no organ damage. And please pray for Rand and Joanie's overall well being.

Despite all the ups and downs that each day brings there are moments of light that come with them too. Tami informed Joanie and Rand today that she has started her own fundraiser for them. She contacted a fund raising organization and they excitedly agreed to help her sell cookie dough to raise money for Rand and Joanie's expenses. She has sold quite a few already, so if you are in the mood for some cookies be sure to contact Tami! Heidi and her salon have also found a way to help contribute. They will host a "Day of Beauty" on an upcoming Saturday, where all proceeds will go to Rand. :) It is such a blessing to see the different ways that our family has found support! Thank you for being a part of that!

Much love,

Beth (on behalf of Rand and Joanie)

P.S. Joanie can still check her emails if you would like to respond to her. Their email address is: maandpap1@yahoo.com. If you respond to me, I will forward your messages on too. (Hopefully we will simplify this process soon. )

1.23.09

Just really don't know where to begin. Today we discovered through blood work that Rand's Liver Enzymes were severely elevated. We pretty much went the gambit regarding possibilities. We know that it is not Hepatitis, the Ultra Sound was clear and "bland" as they call it, and many of the tests have come back clear. After seeing 6 different doctors today with 6 different opinions each, we finally met with the Liver Specialist. He doesn't think it is the liver at all...he thinks it is caused by something else going on causing the liver to react. Perhaps his heart has more blood clots, or it's another type of infection or at this point who knows. So they have scheduled an echo cardiogram for sometime soon. Our doctor (Dr. Yannik) came in today and just sat on our bed, hugged Rand and just shook his head. He is baffled. We are praying that all of these crazy blood levels, and everything else will just line up with God's divine plan and that God will grant these doctor's divine wisdom and direction in making the best decisions for Rand. We do know that in the past and right up to today whenever we have faced a bump or pause in our plan something has been revealed that has been very important to Rand's health, recovery and well being. So our trust lies solely in the God's promises and word. Please believe along with us that all things will be resolved in a timely manner and on to the transplant we go.

Love to you all,

Rand and Joanie

1.22.09

From Joanie:

Dear Friends, Today was a very sad day ....we had to say goodbye to Cindy and Bob as they headed by train back to Colorado. We will miss them so so much!! What a blessing they were not only for the Stem Cells that Cindy donated for Rand, but also for their continual support and love. We are forever grateful to them!! After we brought them to the train station we went to have routine blood work done on Rand. I had a gut feeling that things weren't right because he was showing symptoms of shortness of breath, weakness, anxiety and nausea. We discovered that Rand's potassium was way too high. So after seeing Dr. Yannik we again found ourselves in E.R. . They worked quickly and efficiently to get his potassium to come down. We didn't realize that if they had continued to rise he was at risk for cardiac arrest. His kidney counts were off as well as his liver counts. But, by God's amazing healing powers all tests so far on his kidney and liver are good. And the tests that have come back are all back to normal. Praise God once again!!1 We are again breathing a sigh of thankfulness and praising God for His goodness. He was admitted at about 5:30 tonight and I'm not sure how long he will stay...wouldn't be surprised if he would just stay until Monday and then head over to the Transplant Wing. We are praying that all counts and tests that are still our there will come back clear and that he can begin building back his strength...and "can do" attitude. There have been so many ups and down's on this journey, but everyone has been for Rand's benefit and well being and for that we are so thankful. Dr. Yannick just dropped by and just schook his head in disbelief and said, "You sure are something!!!" He was very pleased with the way all turned out and he's planning on Monday for the beginning of Chemo and Transplant. It is pretty "empty" and lonely at our hotel right now, but I know that God will help me through this period of adjustment. The kids are planning a trip soon, which will be wonderful. I do have our kitty K.C. which is soo nice to come home to. Well, dearest ones we stand firm in God's love and amazing healing and continue on our amazing journey! Love and blessings to you all! Rand and Joanie