I have often mentioned before that when my heart and spirit are aching it is best for me to remain busy. What might you say would cause my heart and spirit to ache? That would be my younger brother Michael.
The esophageal cancer reared its ugly head for a second time for Michael this early spring. The plans for radiation and chemo were on track and had begun. I stopped to see Michael and JoAnn on Saturday. They were scheduled to travel back to Rochester on Monday for the 3:00 p.m. treatment and remain for the full four days and return to the farm on the weekend. It was just great seeing him, hugging him and wishing him all the good I could.
Sunday afternoon they were on their way to the Rochester ER as Michael was not doing well. JoAnn texted a message with “more when I know more.” I received a text this forenoon. Michael has pneumonia in his left lung. The stint that they inserted in his esophagus as they were preparing for the radiation and chemo treatment had created a fistula, a leak. All that was taken via his mouth had been allowing some drainage into the middle of his chest . . . called mediastinum. They don’t how the fistula came about. No more drinking or eating anything, no more treatment of the cancer until the mediastinum situation is cleared up. It may take two weeks. Michael will have a feeding tube in his stomach for nutrition and IV antibiotics. Not much good news in that text. JoAnn retired as a surgical nurse. She knows the skinny. She is my brother’s saving grace as a lay person would not have made that trip to the ER on Saturday, but perhaps waited until their appointment time on Monday.
I needed to stay busy and lighten my heavy heart. I decided to use up the last of the epoxy paint mixture and give my closet floors a second coat. It had been 48 hours and the recoat was listed as 8 hours. It’s not like it was not warranted as the rough troweled pitted floors took it right in. Let the fans run and get this done.
Prayers are not sent only at the end of my days when the day is dark. I am sending some ALL day long.