Hello Everyone :). I haven't posted on here because I thought the whole world knew when our Jeanine left this life behind, I guess. Chris asked me to post this, however, so I am. Jeanine passed to the other side on April 24 th. She went with the same beautiful dignity that she lived her life and fought her battle with. Our lives go on....but we will never forget her, never stop missing her, and cannot wait to see her again. This is what we believe will happen, just as she believed that it would....because of the death and ressurection of our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom she placed her trust! Thank you all for loving Jeanine and Dick and their sweet family.

Sorrow and Joy flowing mingled.....

For those who keep up with Jeanine via the blog, I want you to know that we moved her to the Hospice Unit today. She is in room 7108. Jeanine is comfortable, though her belly is filling with fluid again and she is requiring more medication today than yesterday.

Yesterday (Thursday) she was able to communicate with us due to her decreased pain and consequently decreased morphine. She was able to visit with all three of her children, and for that we are so thankful! Wednesday night she got to spend time with us...the Wednesday choir group (I use the term loosely!) and her Mom got to be with us until she had a "spell" of some sort and we had to hustle her to the Trauma Center!! She was released later in the evening and is at home and doing well. Today she was visited by three more of her grandchildren and I'm sure that her heart leapt for joy!

Jeanine has been so blessed! And such a blessing to so many! As she has so often said "God is sooooo with us!"

I know you share in my great anguish at the thought of life without this one who is soooo dear....and in my great JOY that her spirit WILL NEVER die and that we will all soon see her again :) Sorrow and joy (I know...it is really sorrow and LOVE) flow mingled down...Did ere such love and sorrow meet?

Please continue to pray for her comfort and her sweet passage. And for peace and strength and courage and faith for Dick, the kids, grandkids, Mom, siblings, and hundreds of friends like you and I. Our prayers have given them hope and strength, by the grace of our God who has answered "Yes" to MANY of our requests. Praise God even through our tears!

Hello Again :)

Hi...I took another little "bloggers vacation"! Just wanted to get a message out to any of you who may not hear from us in some other format. Jeanine is in the hospital...it will be 2 weeks tomorrow. She is being treated with some alternative meds, in addition to all that they do for her at the hospital. Other than that, most of the efforts at this time are toward keeping her pain and nausea at bay. She still has some "fight" in her and still cherishes our prayers. God is good...she knows that and so do I, otherwise He would not have blessed us all with the gift of Jeanine, right? Love to all....Jeanine's Journalist

Great Night!

Lots of fun and girl talk Friday evening! Followed by a good night's rest for Jeanine, who woke up HUNGRY Saturday a.m. She ate some toast, oatmeal, and even a couple of bites of bacon!!

We walked down the hall after that and got back to the room needing meds for pain and nausea, but glad for the exercise. No news that I know of....she is hoping to go home sometime this week but we don't know what the doctor's thoughts are :)

Have a great end of the day and a happy Monday!! Nancy

Slacking Off!

Hi y'all! Sorry for the pause but I warned you I'd be busy with kids and grands this week!! I've not been the only "slacker"...Bobbie Jeanine has been one too. (Just joking of course)....but as you all probably know, she didn't get to go home after all. More fluids were drained from her abdomen, I think it was on Wednesday. She suffered with pain and nausea that night and until Thursday afternoon. She felt great through the night and this morning...and suddenly was struck again with pain and "retching". Plenty of meds calmed her down and she seemed to be resting when I saw her last.

Tonight I get to be at her side once more....what a blessing! To have moments to visit and laugh when she feels good, and to have a chance to offer her a cold rag and call for her nurse to come quickly with relief when she does not.

The nurses on the oncology floor have been incredible...can't praise them enough! And her doctors have been too.

Please pray for strength and courage for Dick and the kids and for comfort and peace and freedom from pain and nausea for dear Jeanine. Love to all~ Nancy

Going to the casa??????

Well...for the first time in almost 3 weeks, there is talk of letting Jeanine return home :) She is feeling good for the most part, though she slept much of the day today. Please pray that all of her tummy parts will start working and that she will not be nauseated by the meds she is taking for that. I should post a picture of her in the new crocheted caps that our friend Peggy brought for her. One of them is blue just like Nene's eyes!
We are considering "enhancing" Jeanines hairs...both of them, as she jokes :) She doesn't know WHO put those white hairs on top of her blonde head!

Have a blessed weekend. Our kids are coming from Houston for the week, but I'll still try to keep you up to date! Happy Spring Break!!!

Girls Night In :)

Woohoo! Another girl Party! Jeanine, Sarah and I are winding
down after our devo with Anita, Donna, and Ruthie! Laurie was at the airport picking up Don and Laura O!!
Jeanine is feeling good but she is kind of pooped so I'd better turn out the lights and say the parties over! I let Jeanine listen to Going Home by the Libras on You Tube. It is a beautiful English boys choir and she loved it. I said "I didn't want to make you sad"and she said it's not sad"!

Have a greAt night and we will too! Love y'all!

Hellloooo Out There!

Hmmmm....I can't tell if anyone is reading this unless you comment. I'll go ahead and write something from time to time anyway :) Sara Sue, where are you???

Jeanine has had 2 units of blood, some albumin, lipids via IV, protein via feeding tube....And a dose of chemo Monday, today, and she is scheduled for one tomorrow! They don't think this type of chemo will make her nauseated, so that is a BLESSING!

Today she also had an EGD to see what is bleeding in her tummy. There were several places kind of seeping...no single lesion that could be cauterized or anything. The doctor did not think that she was at risk of a big bleed from any of the spots he saw.

Overall, she is feeling pretty well. She holds my hand and hangs on tight!! I'll bet she will hold yours too :) Precious, precious friend of mine!

Dick is hanging in there...he is tired though and I know that your visits to HIM mean so much. Today someone sent an envelope of money anonymously. He was so moved. He is embarrassed that we have asked for help on their behalf...but I'm not! Thank you all for your responses.

Jeanine's Joyful Journalist...not for the present circumstances but for eternal ones!

Marvelous Monday

Maybe not so marvelous, but it sounds good to say it, huh? Jeanine has felt pretty good throughout most of the day. She is getting a blood transfusion and has gotten more chemo today. They have called the GI doc in to check on bleeding in the GI tract....Dr. Trauth says it is probably from her tumors.

Pray that she continues to feel strong, without side effects from these recent chemo treatments other than to deal a blow to the cancer! Time for a MAJOR set back for the mean team!!!

Round 3 in the Battle against Cancer!

The Red Devil has joined the fight! Jeanine started a new (though old) chemo drug Friday...Adriamycin, aka the Red Devil. So far so good with a great night Saturday night and feeling good on Sunday...up in the chair.

One problem is that she is having some bleeding in her tummy and that (and perhaps the chemo) has caused her hemoglobin to drop. They are watching that closely to see when and if she will require blood transfusions again.

If all is well she will recieve another type of chemo tomorrow (Monday).

Spirits are good...prayers for courage and strength are being answered!

Praise God for every good day!!!

Papa's Story

"Sissy",thanks for making Brazil 2008 a trip I'll always remember. The reason Jeanine started calling me "Papa" is because we'd go to eat at Tonilu's restaurant in Itu and she'd ask for more Reis (Brazil dollars) from me, "Papa".
From then on I was "Papa" and she was "Sissy".
The plans for this trip at first looked as though several would be going then it ended up a group going to a camp for teens and just four of us; Jeanine, David, Karen and I would be doing Bible studies.
David came up with the name "Fab 4" and it fit.
I remember Jeanine had sent out dozens of letters for support way before we started working on raising our money. She was going to Brazil! We'd often greet each other with those words, "We're going to Brazil!"
The four of us would meet at our house and I'd try to share some Bibles stories and tips for sharing the Gospel to prepare us for the mission trip. Little did I know that God had already prepared "sissy" to be an imitator of Jesus. She didn't really even need her Bible. Like Jesus she always drew a crowd. People could feel God's love in each of those warm hugs of her's. She drew several women to her that needed a special touch. One of those was Thelma. There also was a family we studied with and their little girl's heart was broken to see sissy go.
The "Fab 4" laughed the whole trip because of sissy. Some moments I remember: anointing you with oil before we started the bus ride to Dallas, the four of us serving communion to the church in Itu, the way God used us to be His hands and feet, the energy you had at the concert and the fun we had even though it took 46 hours to get home. (I almost forgot those Tonilu chocolate shakes)

Obigado my friend,
Terry St. Pierre (Papa)

March 5, 2010 10:39 PM

Donna's Story

Donna’s Story

From as long as I have known Nancy (30 years), I have heard and known of Jeanine. Jeanine is her best friend and closer than a sister. I really got to know her when I moved to Clyde in the early part of the 90”s. I found Jeanine to be always smiling and one of the most positive women I have ever known. She has a faith that is so awesome. When she went to Brazil on the mission trip…she could not wait and we could not wait to hear of the Lord’s divine interventions on that trip. She touched so many lives and especially one Brazilian woman.
As Lynda mentioned earlier we all became traveling friends and had so many wonderful experiences. All the trips lead us closer to the Lord. We went to several Women of Faith Conferences and the last trip we went on was to a Zoe Conference. All precious time spent bonding as Christian sisters.
The time I most treasure is the time Jeanine, Lynda & I went to Louisiana to visit Nancy. As Lynda said Jeanine always drove (and we loved it). On the way home we had stopped and bought a Women of Faith book that was filled with stories of struggles and faith testing that different women had experienced in their lives.
Jeanine told me to start reading out loud while she drove. And I did. The three of us would laugh, cry and be blessed as I read the stories. We discussed each chapter as we went .We learned so much from each other as we related these stories to our own lives. I feel I really got to know and bond with Jeanine from this experience. It was over a 10 hour trip…it rained…but we had the best time.


Written by Donna Goble (Nancy's sister-in-law)

Strength, Courage, Wisdom, Love

These are the things that we continue to pray for. And these are the things that God continues to provide in just the right daily doses. Strength, courage, wisdom, love, abiding faith, hope...eternal hope!

Jeanine has been very sick since Thursday evening when she had her CT scan...she thinks it started from the contrast that she had to drink to get the images. All night...all day...now into another night. "God give her rest! Stop her nausea...stop her heaving. Thank you for Dick and Julie and all of the family and friends who ache for them. Thank you for the doctors and their compassion and for the nurses and all of the healthcare workers who minister to Jeanine."

The CT did not show new tumors, but did reveal some "hot spots". Dr. Trauth felt that it would be unsafe to wait any longer before restarting chemo, so today she got new meds. "Please God...help her not to suffer so much...not even at all, with this regimen. Help this to slow the progress of the cancer, even halt it...cure her if it is Your Will!"

Jeanine sweetly places her trust in God. She says that she is totally at peace...she quoted Dick's comment that I have talked about on this blog. Either way it is a win-win situation. Yep! That it is!

And the fight goes on!!

It is good to remember that friends part but friendships don't die!

I was reminded again tonight that even though some lives intersect for a relatively brief time, bonds that are formed may never be broken.

A friend of Jeanine's (and of mine though I did not know her as well) named Gayla called tonight to check on Jeanine. She moved to Pennsylvania in 1981...after singing in mine and Herb's wedding in 1980! I haven't seen her in all of these years, but when she was in town last summer (for the first time in many years), she found Jeanine in the early stages of her Big Battle!

Gayla and I talked for a very long time and discovered some connections that intertwined in our lives while neither of us had a CLUE!!

It makes me think that even if one of a pair goes away...when there is a reunion you pick back up as if you'd never parted! Even on earth, haven't you experienced this with old classmates or friends...so it must be even more glorious to have those reunions in heaver! Just think of all the people you can hardly wait to see again. It is hard to imagine that seeing Jesus will be far greater than seeing those that we have walked with in the flesh, isn't it? It is so easy for me to long to see Mam-ma, and my Mom, and my brother David...my prayer is that I will ache and long to see my Saviour in that same, very real way.

What do you think Heaven holds?

Normal Platelet Count Day!

Nene's blood work is finally back in good shape. Woohoo!!! She is pretty and pink too...and she had a good afternoon in spite of having to drink nasty contrast for a CT scan. Yuck!! Have a great Friday :)

Great Start Friends!!

Last night (Weds. March 3) was a wonderful one spent with Jeanine and several of our other friends. We laughed...sang....prayed....cried...laughed...listened to Jeanine share her thoughts and feelings of peace, joy, sorrow...cried...cried...laughed...sang...recounted God's promises.
You get the picture :)

One thing we did was share "How I met Jeanine" stories with Jeanine. And we laughed...and we cried...and I BLUBBERED at times. That's what is so great about Jeanine....she blubbered with me, and laughed with us, and wept with us, and was open and vulnerable about this part of her journey.

Keep writing your stories. She loves them and so do I!

On the medical front...no response from MD Anderson yet about the next step to take, but Dr. Trauth expects to hear something by Friday. Meanwhile, Jeanine is getting stronger each day. They are working to get her platelet count up before letting her go home, as well as building up her protein with additional feedings through her tube.

Dick is a rock! Stays with her most of the time, but thankfully he sometimes goes home at night and lets sister Julie stay with Jeanine. (Thankfully because this has been a long road for him too he needs to rest.) The kids and grandkids are in and out and there is a pretty constant stream of visitors. Jeanine handles all of it with amazing graciousness and she feels very loved and blessed.

Wondering whether or not to visit? If you are well and you feel led to visit, I would say this is a good time. Sometimes she is asleep from pain or nausea meds, but often she is awake. Sometimes Dick will get out for a bit if someone comes in that can stay for a little while. Let the spirit lead you and you won't go wrong.

God bless you all today! Jeanine's "just plain blessed" Journalist

Lynda's Story!

The way I met Jeanine was due to men deer hunting; can you believe it? Our men, Jeanine's, Nancy's, Donna's and mine, were on a deer lease together, kin and near kin. With children grown, we decided to go on a "deer lease trip." The gals are movers, shakers, planners and lover's of the Lord. This one particular trip was to Jefferson, TX. Our Donna has a broken ankle and said she couldn't go. Defeat wasn't a word to Jeanine. She was able to produce a wheelchair delivered to our bed-and-breakfast. When we arrived, there was a wonderful wheelchair ready for duty and our escapades. I was the one wheeling Donna's wheelchair and the one that nearly dumped her off a three foot high porch in front of a business downtown. I do believe there had to be an angel holding on to me ceasing our inevitable fall off that wall. I was sweating bullets as I collapsed on a bench. We all laughed as Donna got her color back in her face. Donna retired my job ASAP. Just kidding. We ate, we laughed, we explored, we talked about spiritual things and our Lord and shared openly and freely our lives. That is a joyful, close and wonderful memory. No one can replace or take away our heart felt words and thoughts. Some things are beyond words.
Jeanine was always the driver and she was the best. She is our Queen Bee. She, also, was gracious to stop at any place we spied that needed our inspection. Pottery was in the trunk and under our feet from the Marshall pottery outlet. At the outlet I purchased a picture of Jesus gathering small children around him. That picture resides in the prayer room in the back yard. My memory of girlfriends, of Jefferson, TX and love.
Loving memories, laughter and our antics while with each other....Precious! Lynda Goble

Debra "meets" Jeanine!

I first met Jeannie at Hendrick Medical Center. After a short time, we found out that her brother (Jay) and my sister (Donna) were married to each! Small world!!!! Jeannie's smile lights up the whole room! It is such a blessing to call her my friend! I am praying for you sister!!! Love ya! Debra Bondick

March 3, 2010 2:01 PM
Anonymous said...
And it is just like me to mis-spell her name! HEHE Some things never change! I still love you Jeanine ~ Debra

March 3, 2010 2:03 PM
Anonymous said...
Thanks Debra! I'll give this to Jeanine. We spent a great evening with her...singing and praying and reminiscing about fun times. She has a beautiful spirit and she says that she has great peace. I believe her! Because of HIM!!!

March 3, 2010 8:25 PM

Here's my first "Jeanine Story"...come on now, join Duane and I in this storytelling venture!!

How I know Jeanine...

Well....this could go forever, but most of you already know at least parts of our story. You may not know that Jeanine and I met November 8, 1978. I went to work at Hendrick that day and became a co-supervisor with one of the most amazing women I have EVER been blessed to know. Little did we know that we would be "forever friends" when we first met.

One thing we have enjoyed is taking trips together. Sometimes it has been the four of us...five counting the little girl Sarah who went with us once! Many times we have gone on "girl trips", sometimes just the two of us...often with our sidekicks Donna and Lynda. I am not sorry for one moment or one mile on our shared journey. From time to time I'll get back on here and tell you some of the details.

Jeanine and I have shared highs and lows throughout the years....and now this! And even this blesses me...to walk beside Jeanine and Dick as we are all privileged to do; to see their strength and their unwavering faith that God is in control. This is not how we envisioned life....it helps us to remember that our time with loved ones is precious...interruptable...not to be taken for granted.

Spinning off Dick's win-win message to Jeanine (see side bar of main page)....I too am in a no-lose situation. I have shared 30+ years of an amazing relationship...made memories that will last as long as MY memory does :) and whether we continue together on this earthly journey for a short time or for a very long time, I know that I have been blessed. As Jeanine would say...."God is so with us!"

Nancy Patterson

Jeanine's Day

Not every day is a good one, and this one has been a bit tough. Jeanine began to have severe abdominal pain after the fluid was drained from her abdomen yesterday. She then started having episodes of vomiting...dry heaving actually with nothing in her tummy. They gave her meds and she slept until about 1 p.m. when Mary Ann and I were blessed to spend some time with her while she was awake and free of pain.

The doctor came in and said that there were cancer cells in the fluid that they drained. This indicates that the current chemo is not effective. Doctors are contacting M.D. Anderson for further recommendations on treatment regimens.

We learned over the weekend that the FDA has approved an injection for stomach cancer that has been used for some breast cancer patients for several years. It is given in conjunction with chemo....it has to do with whether a tumor is receptive to a particular hormone I think. They are checking to see if Jeanine's tumors might be responsive to that therapy. (This is a very uneducated description of the treatment so if you know more about it please feel free to comment!)

Keep praying! Healing, comfort, peace, joy, an exquisite awareness of the presence of our God!! Love you all...Jeanine's Jester of a Journalist