Sunday, August 30, 2009

I visited Clark the morning we left for South Dakota. He gave me much peace about leaving him as he said he had just walked to the door and back, and sat in a chair for about half an hour. I was so excited I could have screamed. He said his legs really hurt afterward and asked for ice packs. He was also comfortable as far as pain goes. They switched his pain meds yet again to a form of morphine (Bishop kept requesting heroine, guess they took him seriously). Clark can push a button when he needs more so they are finally on top of it. He is also on an antidepressant which should help his spirits stay high. I think all he's been through was finally catching up to him. The two days before were some of the worst days and I was feeling guilty about leaving him in that state. This was great news though and I hurried out to call Mom.

While in South Dakota, we celebrated Grandpa's 100th birthday. It was great fun and Clark was remembered every step of the way. He was able to join us via web cam and all were excited to see him wave and give his signature thumbs up. They were also excited to hear the latest news right along with us as the doctors called to let us know that Clark's white blood count had tripled in one day! Yet again, tears of joy. They performed a test to see what consistancy of food he can handle. He was also able to eat applesauce and pudding, the first food to pass his lips in about a month. Still no water because he would not be able to control swallowing this. His white blood cell count continued to climb the following day but dropped slightly the next due to yet another surgery. On this, his 11th surgery, they cleaned him out and brought his incision a little closer together. They also found a small hole in his intestines which was leaking bile but they think this will heal on its own but they did insert a tube to drain the bile.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry for the long delay in responding. Last minute preparations for the rehearsal dinner & firework show at our house and the wedding on Saturday kept us more than busy. Even then, though, Clark and the family were on our minds and in our prayers.

Rhonda, I can't believe that you made the time to deliver that wonderful gift and family waffle recipe. BJ was raised eating your wonderful food and it meant a great deal to him, as well as to Ashley. Thank you so very much!

Thank the Lord for the wonderful news concerning Clark's white blood cell count. We're on our way to Pizza Ranch!!!!!!!!!

We love you all so very, very much!

Marilyn said...

Wonderful News!!!! I am so happy for you Clark and keep fighting, we keep praying!! Also prayers and support to the whole family, you are in our thoughts constantly.I am so happy for you and the wonderful celebration of lives you had - so many joys!! Happy Birthday to Grandpa Larson from the Kimble's. Rhonda and Kristen thank you so much for keeping us with you on this journey, we really appreciate being a part of this and the time and openness you have given us in sharing the highs and lows, the facts and all the emotion, I have grown in faith through your faith. God Bless!!
Love, Jim and Marilyn Fronk

Janeanne said...

Hey Clark....great to hear you are up and on your feet again. Great job!

Here's some useless, but interesting information:

In olden days, women would cover their skin with bee's wax to smooth out facial scars caused by acne. If a woman began to stare at another woman's face she was told to "mind your own bee's wax." When they smiled, the wax would crack, hence the term "crack a smile."

See...told you it was useless, but hope it made you "crack a smile".

I'll just go mind my own bee's wax now. Have a bee...utfiul day!

Karla said...

Yay... steps, climbing white counts and pudding! Excellent.

All good improvements for sure. I am going to send some books on cassette for ya via Kate. I know from past chats that you like Dean Koontz, so they are on the way!

Take care, and keep on truckin, Clark!

Best thoughts and prayers,

Karla

Unknown said...

Thank God! I am so happy to hear his white blood cell count is getting higher :) Hes a fighter! I keep saying that but its true! I hope the fundraiser went well, i wish i could have been there but i couldnt leave TX so my sister ate there for me! Hope and pray things keep moving forward and stay positive! Much love, God bless.
-Cassie

Janeanne said...

Good morning, Clark. Hope you are getting better everyday. I've been praying they get you closed up soon, so we're expecting to get that news anyday now!

Here's kind of a cool story. It serves as a reminder that being rich is only a state of mind. The author is unknown.

One day, the father of a very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how poor people live.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On their return from their trip, the father asked his son, “How was the trip?”

“It was great, Dad.”

“Did you see how poor people live?” the father asked.

“Oh yeah,” said the son.

“So, tell me, what did you learn?” asked the father.

The son answered: “I saw that we have one dog and they had four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

“We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

“We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

“We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them.”

The boy’s father was speechless.

Then his son added, “Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are.”

Anonymous said...

Hello Kimble family!
Congrats on the blood count Clark! I was so happy to see the parking lot at Pizza Ranch overflowing with cars the other night! Jennie Maag and I made a quick trip up from Sioux Falls after work to eat some pizza! It was great! Your brothers were working their tails off! So happy I could be a part of it! Keep up the great work Clark!
God Bless!
Megan (Simley) Johnson

Janeanne said...

Hi Clark,

Hope your day is off to a good start and all is well. Hope this silly joke will "crack a smile".

Just before thanksgiving Jim and Eddie went out hunting for turkeys. Jim collapses. He doesn't seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. Eddie gets out his cell phone and calls 911.

He says, 'My friend Jim is dead! What can I do?' The operator says, 'Calm down, I can help. First, let's make sure he's dead.' There is a silence, then a shot is heard.

Back on the phone, the Eddie says, 'OK, now what?'

The moral of this story is: Choose your hunting partners carefully!

Have a great day!

Michelle Mettling said...

I just wanted to let you know what a great job you are doing keeping the blog up on Clark. I know it can't be easy with everything that is going on and raising two little ones. The blog has been a blessing to help us stay connected and know what to pray for. You have a beautiful family! I still can't believe how much more you look like my mom than any of her daughters do.

Cheryl Fowler said...

Kristin,
I came across your name on my friends list and was looking at your beautiful family when I read all the comments about Clark. I had no idea what was going on and then I came across the website for his blog. I just spent the last hour getting caught up with his progress. He is a strong fighter! He has been through so much and I know he wouldn't be where he is without the support of his wonderful family and friends. My heart, my thoughts, and my prayers go out to him as well as your family during this stressful time. If there is ANYTHING you need, please do not hesitate to ask.


Love always,
Cheryl