First of all I want to thank Ron and all of you for posting the wonderful stories and messages. Joe was just inundated with messages, gifts, food, cards, texts, phone calls and Facebook messages. We read a little each day and it has definitely sunk in how much he means to folks and how much you all mean to him. The birthday response has been incredible to say the least. Shelli and I want to thank you guys for our birthday wishes too. Our family always dreaded this week – 3 birthdays in the same week! It’s exhausting, but you guys have made it so great with your prayers, love and support.
The birthday week had its good moments and bad ones. We had to put our family dog Holly down. She had cancer and like Joe, was not supposed to live this long. The cancer just spread so bad and was consuming her body. She was having trouble breathing and started to fall. It was so hard on us, but it was the right thing to do. Rest In Peace Holly! We Love You!!!
Joe knew it was his birthday and he knew he was 56 on May 4th. On May 3rd, he started having a lot of pain and restlessness. He was up every 30-60 minutes for over 24 hours. No matter how much pain medications I gave him, nothing could keep him down. He tried so hard to pull the tube out of his stomach and then he started getting organized. I was so exhausted since I had zero sleep and when he was in the bathroom I laid down for a minute. I fell asleep and woke up about 10 minutes later to find that Joe had taken everything out of his drawers and laid it out. I asked him what he was doing and he said he lost the uniforms and equipment for the baseball tournament so he was going to use his stuff. The rest of the night he talked about the upcoming game.
We kept his birthday low key and just had some family over. Joe opened more cards and then yelled at us to get the game going. We felt so awkward, but he was determined this game was going to happen. He directed us and we moved the furniture in the family room, set up bases using white napkins, put him behind home plate as the umpire, and used a balloon for the ball and a banana for a bat. Grammy pitched and Edison batted and got a home run. We took turns batting, fielding and pitching in our family room and actually had a blast. Joe said it wasn’t exactly as he pictured it, but it was good. The best part was after the game, he actually started to relax and rest more. The mind and determination are so powerful. Joe definitely has a passion and I think we all know what he will be doing in Heaven - - anything to do with sports!!
After visiting, resting, reading cards and playing ball we took Joe for a walk with the family.
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| Joe's Birthday walk with Doug, Candace, Amanda, Shelli, Edison and Quinn |
It was the perfect end to the day. Joe slept better that evening then he had in several days. When Hospice came today and asked him how his birthday was, he said “I didn’t die. I really didn’t want to die on my birthday.” Maybe that’s what he is waiting for. I just don’t know. Hospice said his blood pressure continues to increase, his pulse rate is high and continues to increase, his weight is now dropping (even with the TPN), his legs are swelling, he has fluid in his lungs and his “body mass” is just different. All signs he’s in the final stages. The only part that makes no sense is how in the world Joe gets ups, walks, showers and visits. They keep saying they just haven’t seen anything like him. We also talked about putting him in the Hospice Home. I go back and forth and have not made a decision. I’m taking vacation this week from work, so I will try and decide while I am off work. It’s too hard to make that decision when I’ve had no sleep. I’ll see how the week goes and hopefully will know when the right time to move him will be.
Thank you all again for making this week so special for the Kahler family and especially for Joe. Without your love and support, it could have been the worst birthday Joe has ever had. Instead, you all made it so memorable for him. We keep all the cards in a BIG basket in the family room as our constant reminder you are all out there for us. We couldn’t do this without you. God Bless each and every one of you.
With all our love and thanks,
Sherrie, Joe, Shelli, Amanda, Candace, Doug, Edison and Quinn
Your family is such an inspiration to us all. Praise God for giving you the strength to endure during this long and difficult journey. Joe is such a strong man with so much will to continue to fight this dreadful disease. My prayers are with each of you....I know how difficult it is to care for another (I did this for each of my parents)...the lack of sleep, the having to look strong and not being able to release your emotions; however, it sounds to me that Joe wants to continue to live each day. Hospice is a wonderful place and they take such wonderful care of us. I say us because they gave me great information and strength. It is a difficult decision and I know that Our Lord will give you the sign when the time is right...until then live on Joe.....your baseball game sounded SO fantastic and fun. Your strength to help Joe through this is so awesome. May Our Lord continue to bless each of you. Lynda Shaw (a friend of Joyce Natschke who thinks the world of each of you and I am learning just why with each of your heartfelt posts)
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