The Race Is Finished

June 10, 2009 7:45 pm
Mom passed away today. She went peacefully in her sleep. We will post more details later.

June 7, 2009

This week we had an afternoon that we thought we were going to lose Jolene. She was very weak and her breathing became very erratic. That was not that unusual. What was unusual was that she told us it was her time to go and that she was going to die. Our hospice nurse, (Sandra) said it is common for patients to know when they are going to die. We took this very seriously. We had some Relief Society ladies from the neighborhood here. I called Marie home from school and Savanna from work so they could be here when she died. But she didn’t die. It turns out that when she woke up and saw everyone gathered around her bed, Jolene thought we were gathered around because we knew something she didn’t know. She assumed we were here because we knew she was going to die. So Jolene was convinced it was her time. We had a good laugh about it later, but during that time we got to experience some very tender moments with Jolene.

She is not always coherent. She has said a lot of interesting and sometimes funny things, but during that special time she was very clear that she is at peace. She is comfortable, and she is ready to go. She is not afraid to die. We expressed love for each other. We had a special family prayer with her. The spirit was very strong in the room and we felt the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ around us, as well as the love of the Relief Society ladies. We are grateful they were able to be with us.We don’t know how much time Jolene has left in this life, but we believe her time is short.

Jolene’s parents are here with us now to help take care of Jolene. We are happy to have them here. No one can take care of you like your Mom. We are ever grateful for the continued support from our ward, and generosity of the kind friends from Skyline. All the cards and letters that we receive we read to Jolene, she expresses appreciation for the loving words from her friends. Thank you for the all prayers that are in our behalf. We appreciate and can feel them constantly. Thank you also for the service that is given to our family, it helps out a lot and we are very grateful for it.

Jolene had a tough weekend. On Friday during lunch she temporary lost control of her hands and her speech. I (Savanna) called my Dad at school then the nurse. The nurse wasn't worried it was to be expected. Just one more step in the process. She came out and gave us some morphine pills and instructions on how to use them.
On Saturday she had some pains so Dad and Marie worked on getting the pain controlled while I was at work. Saturday night we finally got on top of the pain. Now as long as she gets her pills she sleeps with no pain at all. Mom is weak but we're all ready to jump at the chance to help her out. She mostly just sleeps in bed getting up to take her meds and visit the restroom.
Mom has not eaten since lunch on Friday. As long as she gets her medication she doesn't feel the pain.
We thank you again for all your prayers on our behalf. There is a special spirit in our home that we are aware and very grateful for. The gospel of Jesus Christ is such a blessing it us. It brings such an undeniable peace to our lives as we face the each new obstacle with Mom. Our Ward members, family and friends also bring us much needed peace with their constant offerings of help. Because of them we are better able to focus on being with Mom instead of being with Mom and worrying about meals to cook.

Your prayers are heard and we feel them. Thank you.

May 24, 2009

May 24, 2009

Jolene has been sleeping a lot this week. She doesn’t have a lot of energy to do anything but eat, sleep, and go to the bathroom. She says, “Sorry I can’t talk on the phone, the medication makes me too confused. I’m getting weaker each day, all I do is sleep and eat and go to the bathroom. Thank you for the love, support, prayers, and meals.”

Ron is sad that he has to go back to school on Tuesday. He thinks that he’ll get more excited once he sees the kids. This week he’s been home with Jolene to help her out. He has been an excellent nurse!! For lunch Jolene likes to eat Café Rio every day so Ron goes over there for take out. The people that work there know him very well.

Savanna did the same normal stuff this week. Go to school and nanny for Emmry.

Marie is excited for school to get over with, only 9 more days. Marie also cut her hair off to donate to Locks of Love. She cut off a total of 11 inches. Thanks for cutting it Suzanne!

Thank you everybody for everything. The prayers, support, love, food, everything is incredible. Thanks to those who are going to be helping us take care of Jolene while Ron, Savanna, and Marie and busy with school. That help is really appreciated. Thank you again and we love you all!!!

5-17-09
Hey everyone this is Ron posting this week. We have had a good week this week. Jolene is holding steady. She is able to keep food down and is eating well. She is sleeping about 16 hours a day. We finally got over the constipation problem, so she is much more comfortable now. All it took was 4 Senna pills twice a day, one dose of polyethylene glycol a day, numerous enemas, and a couple of prescription pills I can’t remember the name of. In the end, (excuse the pun) all we really needed was 4 big doses of prune juice suggested by Eileen from our ward who is a nurse. Jolene is now drinking one cup a day to keep herself regular.

We are continuing to get a lot of support from friends and neighbors, however Jolene is very weak and too many visitors is too much for her so we are now asking people not to come visit. She is also unable to talk on the phone. It is too difficult for her to concentrate on the conversation. She is not even taking calls from her parents, which is very hard on her. You can still call, but you will have to talk to me or the girls. You are welcome to come by, however you will have to visit with me or the girls. If Jolene happens to be awake she might see you but please limit your visit to 5 minutes or less. We will not disturb her to visit with you. We hope you will understand. Please know that this is her wish and is in her best interest.

We continue to be blessed by all of your thoughts and prayers. We feel we have been blessed that Jolene is still with us. 5 weeks ago the doctors didn’t think she would be around this long. We believe this is a gracious blessing given to us by God because of the faith and prayers uttered in our behalf by all of you. Thank You!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

May 10, 2009

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!! We’ve had a good week this week. The weather was awesome and it was just a good week.

Jolene had a good week. She has been sleeping A TON and has been having problems with constipation. So she’s uncomfortable a lot with that but she’s keeping all her food down, eating very well, etc so in that way it has been a good week. She tries to take walks every day, and on Saturday we were able to go to Grandma Davidson’s for a small BBQ for Mother’s Day. It was nice for her to get out of the house and see family but it wiped her out so she was unable to go to church. Her energy level continues to be low but she’s doing what she can to try to get it up!

Ron also had a good week. He was able to stay at home with his good wife and take care of her. He is proving to be an exceptionally good nurse. On Saturday he changed the oil in Jamie and tightened the bolt that’s holding Dora’s engine up. There is only 19 more days left of school for Marie which means there are only about 19 more days left of Dora. He is ready to be done with her. She has been an incredible car that served its purpose well. But her time with the Davidson family is just about over.

Savanna had it nice this week because Steven, Sheree, and Emmry were all out of town so she didn’t have to nanny. She went on a hike with her friend to some waterfalls in one of the canyons around here. She also took Marie to the Cheesecake Factory for her birthday, and to celebrate the ending of Marie’s AP US History test! Then she had work at the MTC on Saturday.

Marie’s highlight this week was when the AP US History test was over. Now that it’s over Marie’s pretty excited. On Saturday she had her first Mamaci practice for this year. It was good and she’s excited to start playing lacrosse again.

Jolene, Savanna, and Marie were all sad that they were not able to run Race for the Cure on Saturday but they appreciated those Bingham Lacrosse girls who ran in ‘Celebration of’ Jolene Davidson. Thanks for that, it was great. We’d also like to thank those who have brought us food, came by to visit, have been praying for us, and sending their kind words. It is ALL appreciated very very much. Thanks for the continued support every day and for the thoughts and prayers in our behalf. Through the Lord, we are all going to get through this trial. Thanks again!

Thankful for friends and family

Another beautiful spring day in Utah. Ron and I have enjoyed a walk this morning, and just spending time visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Heywood as they celebrate their 52nd anniversary. We enjoyed having all the family stay with us this weekend for Sarah’s, (Jill’s oldest daughter) baptism. It was a very nice service. Marie gave a talk on the steps to baptism, and Savanna gave a talk on the Holy Ghost. We enjoyed visiting with all of the Hansens that attended the baptismal service. They are such a great family. We are happy that we can be related to them through Jill, (my younger sister).

I was thrilled that my very close friends from Skyline High School came to visit this past week. The food they brought was excellent. We loved the Olive Garden Meal. The lasagna was delicious. The paper crane tree made by the Japanese club was thoughtful. The banner and DVD from the student body officers brought tears to my eyes. I am grateful for all of the thoughts and prayers offered in my behalf from these wonderful people. All of these gestures help raise my spirits.

Our ward continues to be a strong support. We continue to get meals from families in our neighborhood. More then once we have had our yard taken care of. The Elders have taken over Ron’s church responsibilities. Thanks to those who helped arrange the baptism on Saturday. I was glad that I was able to attend the event. But it did tire me out.

I continue to feel very weak. I am eating well, and keeping my food down, so that is a blessing. I haven’t gotten on a scale lately to see if I am gaining weight, but Ron is encouraged and feels that I am looking stronger.

Savanna started her last class at BYU this week, and is babysitting Emmry for Steve and Sheree. She finished her first season as an assistant coach for the Bingham lacrosse team. Marie also finished her lacrosse season this week in an exciting game against Olympus.