Last call...

Just a reminder, t-shirt orders for the Great Strides Walk are due Monday. They are $8.00. More information about them can be found at this blog post. I have a PayPal account so I would be able to accept any money for orders that way if you prefer.

Thanks for your support!

Add another t-shirt to your collection...

As part of our Great Strides Walk, we will be selling t-shirts. They will cost $8.00.

The front of the t-shirt will say:
For the Love of Jessie

The back will have:
Great Strides Walk 2009
In Memory of Jessie LeGrand
1987-2008

There are adult and children sizes available.

If you would be interested in ordering one of these shirts, feel free to e-mail me by using the contact form on the left. I would be more than happy to deliver or mail them to you.

If you are able to make the walk, having a t-shirt designed is a great way to tell who is on your team. If you are unable to make the walk, this will raise awareness about CF and have Jessie's name all of the United States.

She would be so embarrassed but so honored all at the same time.

Thank you!

For the Love of Jessie

In honor of Jessie, Whitney and I, along with Sally (Jessie's mom) have decided to organize a large team to walk at the Great Strides Walk. The Great Strides walk benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. You can read more about them here, along with their mission here.

Our team name will be 'For the Love of Jessie'. I would encourage you to read the story on Jessie (and here) for a small, but very real glimpse into what the last few weeks of her life was like.

I understand everyone is struggling with their own financial needs right now, so I am not going to stress on making a donation to our team (although it would be sincerely appreciated!!). We have set a relatively small team goal of just $1,000.00. I would also like to point out that you can join our team or start a team of your own, both with just a few clicks of a button. From my understanding, children are welcome to participate as long as they are with an adult, so do not let that stop you from joining our team or creating one. The walk we are participating in is at 9:00 AM on April 18.

Thanks in advance for anything you are able to give, whether it be money, time, prayers...etc. It is appreciated more than you will know and would make Jessie proud.

A break from blogging...

I am taking an unexpected break from blogging for a few days . Last night, I received word that someone else has passed away. I just don't think blogging will fit in my schedule for the next few days.

I have a visitation to attend for Jessie tonight. Tomorrow is her funeral. I am taking the whole day off work. I just don't think I will be able to work after it.

I suppose tomorrow evening I will have another visitation to go to. Then Friday will be the second funeral. (This 'time line' is something that I think will be. No definites yet.)

I never had to go to two visitations and two funerals in three days. I guess there is a first for everything.

Then on to the weekend...Saturday is Whitney's wedding. I am so happy for you Whitney. You deserve every bit of happiness that comes your way.

Sunday, I think I might be able to sleep. I am not sure how I am awake now to function. Adrenaline, I guess. I have not worn makeup in three days and I wear make-up everywhere. But, I just have not been motivated to do anything.

Kudos to you all for putting up with me. With us. Thank you for your prayers throughout everything.

I was chatting with a friend earlier and I told her I'm sorry for being selfish. I don't mean for this blog to be such a downer. I want it to be a happy place to come to. A place you can come to to get a little laughter. But given my life the last couple weeks, I have failed at that. And' I'm sorry.

With that being said, please leave a comment telling me something going on with you. Anything. I enjoy reading your comments, even if it's a simple 'Hello'. They perk me up every time.

So...how you been?

She's Running in Heaven

Whitney and I just got home.

Jessie's gone.

Thanks for your continued prayers.

Preparing for the worst, Hoping for the best...

As I type, Whitney and I are sitting here at Barnes Hospital. The ICU waiting room is almost bare, with most of the patients families gone for the night. The only table available has an air conditioner right beside it.

Have I ever mentioned I'm cold natured?

But enough about that - onto the point of this post.

We received a phone call Sunday afternoon. After a better day yesterday, Jessie took a turn for the worse today. We are not sure of the outcome, but we need another miracle. With respect for the family, I'm going to stop there.

Please say a prayer for her, her family and friends and wisdom for the doctors and nurses.

We are not giving up as God is in complete control of the situation.

I am not sure if I sound like a broken record by asking for your constant prayers. I hope you understand.

Woo-hoo!

I have never been more excited about urine! We just found out Jessie's kidneys are starting to work again...she is peeing! Her blood pressure is also becoming more stable!

We are so very happy about this!

This is a very small step in the right direction. But it's a step. That's all we were hoping for right now - pee. I have never wanted someone to pee like this!

Thanks and continue lifting her up in prayer!

Pleading...

Please say all the prayers you can for Jessie. (Start with around late April.) Things are not improving, and if anything, getting worse.

She is still in the medically-induced coma and on the ventilator. Her kidneys are starting to feel the effects of everything and are having a hard time keeping up. The pneumonia has yet to improve from the antibiotics and the statistics are not in her favor.

Please, I am pleading.

Speechless

Jess has been moved to ICU and is back on the ventilator. Please continue to pray - wisdom, strength and faith for everyone involved.

I am speechless.

If you need the back story on Jess, start here.

Sleep Deprived and Leaning on God

This week has been a week of tossing and turning. I, like the rest of my family, has a lot of stuff on our plates.

After 28 years of marriage, my parents are separated. Legally? No. But does that little piece of paper really matter? This was something that was popped on us a few weeks ago. Labor Day weekend to be exact. I do not, by no means, agree with divorce. Up until the night before Jeremy and I got married, I told him if he wants out, get out now. No questions asked. Once we take that vow, that's it. That being said, I am very very very angry with my mom right now. This is something she chose. That's as far as I am going today. If I start in, I am afraid that I won't stop. Please pray for our strength the next few weeks. (Their grandchildren, our children, do not know. Please, if you see me out, remember that.)

As if that is not enough, Whitney's (my baby sister who is getting married in two weeks) maid of honor, Jessie, is back in the hospital. This time it's with pneumonia. It's a scary situation and with respect for her family, I am just going to ask for prayers for her. I won't post details but will keep you updated.

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just
wish that He didn't trust me so much.
-Mother Teresa

5:00 AM

I thought 5:00 AM was way too early to get up. Once I got out of bed though, it was not that bad. I am pretty energetic right now too. Yesterday, I heard the alarm, told Jeremy is was 5:00, and layed back down.

Oops.

Today was Day 1 - Back and Chest along with the Abs Ripper. We did back and chest for 50 minutes and my arms feel like a big bowl of spaghetti noodles. A friend of ours started this as well recently and could only do 16 minutes of Day 2 because he was so sore.

I, on the other hand, enjoy the feeling of soreness I get with I bust my butt in the gym. It makes me feel like I am doing something productive.

I have never done so many push ups so I expect to be fairly sore tomorrow! Tonight we plan on doing the Abs Ripper because this morning we didn't have enough time.

I know exercising releases endorphins also so I am hoping this helps me mentally too. I feel like I need a release, I hope that makes sense.

But, so far so good!

Today, I will be leaving work for a bit to go to funeral. My great-uncle passed away earlier in the week, so I am going with my family to the funeral. Rest in Peace Ed.

In other news, today is Day 2 of Macie's school fund raiser for Jessie. My sister and I put our heads together for some ideas. I cannot begin to imagine how much everything costs them the past few months, plus normal maintenance (medicine), physical therapy, doctor visits...etc. I thought that since Macie goes to a private school and Jessie is alumni there, we could have a few 'Dress-Down Days' (DDD) for her. For DDD, we usually have to pay $1 or $2 and it will go to a charity or a good cause, like St. Judes. We are hoping to collect a bit of money for her through this. We know it won't even begin to make a decent dent in the costs of her care, but every little bit helps. We also have her former high school doing the same thing for her. We have a few more ideas that would involve the general public, so I will be sure and keep you all updated on those details, as they become available. If you could only meet Jessie, and see her personality, she really is a riot to be around! She is the type that always makes you laugh and there is never a dull moment! Her laugh is truly contagious!

Jessie was released yesterday! She will be living within minutes of the hospital for the next few months while she undergoes physical therapy among other things. Once she is cleared, she will be able to come home! She will still have to see doctors on a normal basis also, but she is doing great!

If you have any fundraising ideas, please leave me a comment and let me know!

Good Day for the Zoo

This morning, we took off for the zoo. It was a great, sunny day and we wanted to visit the zoo before it got too miserably hot. After eating our picnic lunch, we strolled around all the animals. We saw pretty much all of them, which I think is a first for us. Best of all, the girls had zero meltdowns, which makes for an even better day!

After the zoo, we drove around for a while, hoping the girls would be able to get a short nap in before heading off to Red Robin for dinner. Zoa fell asleep for about, um, 2.2 seconds so we gave up on that idea! Everytime we travel, if they have a Red Robin, we are there. We then made the trek back home. All in all, the day was perfect!

Now, down to business. A few things have happened with Jessie since the last post. Her surgery to remove the packing was a success. They planned on trying to wake her up from the coma today, as well as remove the vent. She opened her eyes early this afternoon, but unable to fully comprehend everything that has taken place these last few days. Due to a few problems, they are going to give her the coma-inducing medicine once again and re-try everything tomorrow. She is scared so please pray for her, emotionally and well as physically.

I think that is about it for now. Praise God everything has went overall pretty well this last week or so. It has been said numerous times by several people that it is un-heard of that people get the organs they need as soon as Jessie did. It is a miracle in our eyes, to say the least. We have many things to be thankful for, and I am ashamed it takes something like this for me to realize it.

Good night!

Whew!

Whitney is back home for the time being and will be updating today with some details as far as what has been going on. I left my post pretty general, knowing that I did not want to get the specifics messed up. I feel that if I don't post the details, the room for an error by me is far less. Everyone who lives in a small town can understand how one minor details can change a whole story!

I spoke with Whitney last night and Jessie is doing as well as can be expected. Any problems that she may be having right now are completely normal for transplant and CF patients. That's a praise!

They are going to start weaning her off of the ventilator and meds that are keeping her 'asleep' on Saturday. Please pray this goes smoothly and is not too overwhelming for Jess once she wakes up. Remember, she was already in the medically induced coma when they got the phone call. Imagine her reaction when she finds out about everything that has been going on!

Last I heard from Whitney, Jessie will be back in surgery to remove the packing sometime today.

Whitney told me several nurses at the hospital mentioned that they have never seen a patient receive the organs they need hours after going on the transplant list! I think it shocked everyone!

You can check Whitney's blog throughout the day for the details, but take in mind she will probably sleep for a while before heading back to hospital tomorrow.

Also, please remember the donor's family. They must be grieving now and planning funeral arrangements. If only they knew...

Thanks for everything!

Another Successful Surgery

At this point, all I know is Jessie came out of surgery and it was a success. I will update with any further news.

We love you Jessie!

(Thanks for the picture Dad. I was going to get one from my computer but you beat me to it!)

Back to the OR

Unfortunately, the area around the right lung started to bleed during surgery. The surgeon thought it was under control but once Jess got back in her room, they felt they should go back in to pack the area. In the near future, they will need to remove the packing once the bleeding as ceased.

Just a small side note: Jess's mom signed the papers to have her activated on the transplant list at 4:30 p.m. yesterday and they received the call around 1:30 a.m. today. Nine hours later.

Isn't God awesome?

Praise God!

Jess is out of surgery and is doing wonderful, considering the circumstances. She still has a long road ahead of her, but for the time being she is doing great! Thank you for all your prayers!

Quicker than Expected

I just got a text from Whitney. They expect to be done with the surgery around noon and she will be ready for visitors by 1:00.

Jess--we're praying for you!

God's Answer

Jessie has lungs! She was activated on the transplant list last night, and this morning they got the phone call! Amazing, huh?! Whitney is with her and the family and she will keep me updated throughout the day.

Just a quick note...the doctor's expect the surgery to take anywhere from 4-12 hours. They are leaning more toward the surgery taking 12 hours, which makes for a long wait.

Please pray for strength for Jess to get through the surgery, comfort and peace for the family, and God to guide the surgeon's hand. He is the Ultimate Physician.

Also, please pray for the donor's family. Remember, these lungs just didn't appear out of thin air.

I will let you know something as soon as I know.

Update #2

Between Whitney and I, we should be able to keep everyone updated. Whitney will be leaving within the next 2 hours to go visit Jess. You can check out her blog for more recent updates.

Details

I have had a few people e-mail me with questions regarding my previous post.

Jessie, around the age of one year old, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Jessie has been best friend's with Whitney since they were in diapers and like family to our family.

It is common for CF'ers to be hospitalized for help getting over infections. Hospitals has been a once a year trip for Jessie. She went up this past weekend and was admitted into ICU. The doctor told her she would most likely remain in ICU until she gets the double lung transplant her body needs. This, in other words, is an unpredictable length of time she will be admitted. It all depends on when donor lungs will become available.

I am not sure what else to put. I hope to go on Saturday to visit with her, as long as Whitney is going. Whitney will be going to see her tomorrow as well.