Hi, its Gloria, I am sitting at Ada's bedside and she is resting comfortable.  We are both getting settled for the night.  I thought you would want to know a little about what is going on.

We are now in palliative care for Ada  She is confined to the bed and without pain. She sleeps part of time and then there are the moments when she is still with us.  Her mind is not totally clear (I confess that this is probably the hardest thing for me to deal with) but she does talk a bit, smile at us and can engage in a bit of conversation.  Once in a while, she is a bit anxious, usually at the end of a dosage cycle, but touching, singing or just holding her hand really seem to help.

Since we don't know how much longer we will have her with us, family has been coming in to say goodbye.  Frankly, she actually handles it better than the rest of us.

We read her emails, blog comments, pass on hugs and kisses.  She gets kissed a lot and some of us demand kisses back and so far we have gotten them.

For me the quiet time at the end of the day at her bedside is the best.  Even if she is sleeping, we are together and that is special.  It feels quiet, peaceful and surrounded by all the thoughts and prayers that so many of you have shared with her.

Thanks to all of you for the wonderful comments on her blog, I know that they mean the world to her and all of us in the family also appreciate them.

And so, it is the end of another day on El Camino...

Hello,


We met with the Doctors this afternoon. The news is not good. Ada's cancer did not respond to the chemotherapy administered several days ago. By now, if it had worked, she would have shown signs of improvement, especially in the production of liquid, which has gotten worse rather than better. The failure of the kidneys has continued to worsen also, and they relate it to the cancer severely impacting her entire body. We asked about alternatives, and they responded that there is nothing that can be done, other than make her comfortable.  They described the cancer as being very aggressive and at a quite advanced stage to be treated.

She has been told of her condition and has remained calm. She continues to be pain-free. Anti-anxiety medication and additional relaxing/pain relief medication are being administered. The Doctors said she is too sick to be moved from the hospital without causing her pain and suffering. When asked about prognosis for the development of her condition, the Doctors said that end of life may be near. Clearly they cannot predict how her body will react, but the longest period of time they mentioned was weeks (not months).

We suspect that many of you would want to come and say goodbye.  We understand and respect that desire, but her lucid time is likely to be very limited and even now she is overwhelmed when several people are in the room.  Therefore, please communicate with us via the blog or send an email to adamaria2012@gmail.com.  I apologize for it being a bit impersonal, we just don't have a lot of other options.


I will keep you updated as Ada takes the next step in El Camino...


We ask that you continue your prayers and support for all things that will help her in this moment

Hello, I am at MSK with Ada, I arrived a little while ago.  Ada is holding her own.  Her pain is under control and she is in the waiting game to get her kidneys to heal.  This is a slow process and none of us is very patient but the body heals at its own pace and so we wait.

My sister Tere, my niece Ali Mari and I are here with her.  In the next couple of days, we are going to have a consult with both her oncology and renal team, so that we can understand what are possible next steps.

Thanks for all of your wishes and prayers, we ask for your continued prayers and keep those cards coming, we have them up in her room..  El Camino is always easier when there is support...It always helps.

Thanks, Gloria

Hi there, it's Gloria.  I wanted to let you know that Ada has continued to make progress although she is still at MSK.  Her levels are back to where they should be and she is close to being stable.  Her legs are still very swollen from all of the fluids that they pumped into her when she was in the ICU.  They are draining very slowly, which makes it hard for her to walk.  So, that is what we are working on improving right now.

She is scheduled for her next chemotherapy for this Thursday, 5/3.  They are a bit concerned about her kidneys but we are hoping and praying that they are in good enough shape to be able to go forward with the chemotherapy.

Assuming all goes well, she is probably going to be released to a rehab place later in the week.  She needs to be able to walk a bit better before they can let her go home.  So, please keep your prayers coming and give a special thought to her kidneys in your prayers.  It is important that they stay healthy and working well for the chemotherapy to be able to do its job.

I have been able to talk to her over the last couple of days and it has been great to hear her voice.  She is hanging on and the messages and prayers bring her lots of hope.  They make a big difference!

My sister Tere is with her through Sunday and then I am going up for just a few days, so I will fill you in early next week.

Thanks again for all your support, it is appreciated by Ada and the whole family.

Hi there. This is Alex, Ada's niece. Ada is still on a regular floor at Memorial Sloan-Kettering. She will remain in the hospital through her next round of chemo, early next week, to monitor her reaction to the drugs.

Ada is not up for taking visitors right now, but has been getting every card, phone message, and email that you have sent and she really appreciates those. It is helpful to know she is not walking this path alone.

Hi there, it's Gloria.  Ada is out of ICU and in a regular floor at Memorial Sloan-Kettering (MSK).  After a few rough days, things are truly improving.  Her infection is under control and her white blood cell count is almost back to normal (the drop in white blood cell count is also a by product of the chemotherapy).  They had to drain liquid from her left lung since she was having problem breathing (she originally had liquid in her right lung).  After that was done, she is off oxygen and her breathing is much improved.  She still has a fair amount of liquid in her body which they are slowly trying to get out.  It is a balance since they cannot drain it too fast (through diuretics) or her blood pressure drops.

The goal is to have everything continue to improve, so that she can get back her ability to walk and function while also controlling the pain that is part of this disease.  She is scheduled for her next chemotherapy treatment next week.  We have talked to her doctors and they will be making a number of adjustments given how she reacted to the first treatment, so that, we do not repeat this cycle. Please say a special prayer for their wisdom in making the adjustments!

To all of you that have left messages, said prayers, sent cards, we are reading them and sharing everything with her.  We are truly grateful to each and every one of you.  Although she is not responding to messages yet, she is absolutely getting them.  We appreciate all that you do and ask for your continued prayers.  This is going to be a long road for her and she will need all the support that she can get.

A couple of nieces, Ali Mari and Cristina, have been with her while the sisters traded out.  My sister Tere will be with her starting later today and through next week.  We have learned that in the hospital, it is really critical that she have someone there and so we are making sure that this happens.

We have had a number of people ask where to send cards.  You can send them to her home address, we take them to her on a daily basis.

So, another day on El Camino...we keep walking.

Saturday

Hi friends, it is Gloria again and although Ada is still in the ICU at Sloan-Kettering, I have much better news to share with you.

They have been able to successfully fight her infection with antibiotics and her white cell count is up today for the first time.  Her infection was a byproduct of her first chemotherapy treatment. Although not unusual, it is serious and we are all very happy that she is working her way through it.

She is sitting up in a chair, having her first solid food for a while and should be transferred back to a regular room at Sloan-Kettering later today. She will still need to stay in the hospital for the next few days but she is back in a healing mode.

Although her spirits are improving as she feels better, she is still not up to talking to people or receiving visitors.  We are reading to her emails and comments from the blog and those continue to help her.  We hope in the next couple of days she will start listening to her phone messages.  We don't think that she will be up to responding for a few days but I did want to let you know that she is getting to hear what you have been sending to her.

Our sister Mari and our niece Alicia Maria are with her and keeping her company through this time.  So, she is not alone and also supported by the many prayers that we have been hearing about from her friends and family.

Thanks to all of you that are sharing the news with your communities, sending emails and voice-mails and praying.  It is wonderful to hear about and Ada and her whole family truly appreciate it.

So today, she will keep going and take a few more steps towards healing on El Camino...that is the best news!

Until next time...