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