September 30, 2007 - 8:25 p.m.   As September comes to a close and a change of seasons is in the air, Brandon writes: "I arrived at the hospital around 11 a.m. Karin was still a little sleepy but I managed to bathe her in bed. She did not get out of bed today because her back gave her a lot of pain. After being bathed, her almost-two-year-old nephew Hunter showed up along with grandparents Tim & Linda. Hunter was excited to see Karin and vice versa. He helped Karin with her breathing exercises (see Photo Gallery). He also kept an eye out for the MedEvac helicopters on the roof across the street. For lunch Karin ate mac & cheese with peaches. Karin and I tried to watch the NASCAR race but it turned out to be a good excuse to take a nap. After napping, we woke in time for the Steeler's game. We were disappointed about the loss, but it was a good game. Karin was not up for eating dinner (meatloaf & red potatoes). Karin really enjoyed seeing Hunter and her Dad since it has been a couple of weeks since she last saw them. Her spirits were really lifted by her visitors. I reminded her she has been here for seven months and we will be headed for rehab and then leaving the hospital for the outside world. Again, Karin and I THANK everybody for their prayers, cards, words of encouragement & support, and financial support."

September 29, 2007 - 10:30 p.m.   This morning Brandon washed Karin's hair. Because her back was giving her considerable pain, she spent the day in bed, however Karin was awake and alert all day. In fact, she had some special entertainment between 1:30 and 7:30 - a very well-behaved almost two-year-old - her nephew Hunter had come for a visit with his grandparents Tim and Linda. Hunter was fascinated with the helicopters landing outside Karin's window and he chatted much using three-syllable words, talking about animals, colors, and counting . . . and he is only going to be two years old in two weeks. Karin interacted a lot with Hunter and was very much entertained by the lad and her spirits were lifted quite a lot. When her visitors left, Brandon said Karin looked tired so when she suggested they watch a movie Brandon was surprised. However about half way through the flick she fell sound asleep. When she awoke she said, "That was a pretty good movie." Brandon humored her with, "Eh, it was alright." Karin ate pretty well today. She had some rigatoni and peaches and even tried some cottage cheese, which caused her to wrinkle her nose, but she gamely ate a few spoonfuls because Linda reminded her that it was a good source of protein. All in all, it was a good day for Karin in spite of her back pain.

September 28, 2007 - 10:30 p.m.   Karin had a pretty good day. She got in one walk, however the pain in her upper back really bothered her during the walk. In fact, it gives her pain while she is sitting, too. The doctors suspect she has another compression fracture in her upper back. Since there is not much more they can do except let it heal on it's own, they have given her pain medication which makes her sleepy. The upper back pain affects her breathing, also, so she tends to take shorter breaths which makes her breathing more labored. Dialysis went well - they drew off two liters of fluids. Karin's arms have been marked for the potential arteriovenous fistula sites. Using the fistula will involve "sticking" her with a needle every time she gets dialysis, but the doctors have assured her that the nerve endings get dull over time and most patients are not much bothered by it after a while. Karin was a little upset and had some concerns about this because when they were moving her pick line yesterday, they had to "stick" her repeatedly because her veins would collapse and she is really bruised from all the unsuccessful attempts with the needle. Brandon said the fact that she is on Heparin has contributed to this problem of her having numerous bad bruises. There were no visitors today.

September 27, 2007 - 8:00 p.m.   Today marks the seventh consecutive month that Karin has been in the hospital since receiving her transplants. Brandon writes: "Karin has been moved to room D-928. It is nice to have a bigger room. When I arrived, she was away for testing. They were creating a road map of the veins in her arms using doppler ultrasound. We tried to walk earlier today but she had pain in her upper back that affected her breathing. She did ask for pain medicine and the nurse did give her some which made her sleepy. For lunch she had 8 oz. of peaches and for dinner she had more peaches with mac & cheese. No visitors today except for myself.  Her spirits do seem better than this past weekend and she is asking some medical questions and is a little more talkative. Friday is a dialysis day and I think they may create the arteriovenous fistula for a more permanent dialysis port."

September 26, 2007 - 9:15 p.m.   Karin is doing good. She had a doppler ultrasound of her neck and shoulder area where she had a blood clot at one point. Brandon thinks this is because they are planning on inserting an arteriovenous fistula for a more permanent dialysis port. The fistula is designed so there is less chance of getting an infection. Once they put it in it will take four-to-six weeks until they can use this site. Even though it will be in for a long time, eventually it will need to be replaced so they are mapping thoroughly all the veins and possible sites in her arm. Dialysis went well and they removed about two liters of fluid today. OT/PT took Karin for a walk. Speech Pathology evaluated Karin's swallowing and decided she should only be drinking liquids that are a necture-thick consistency. She did enjoy some pears for lunch. Even though Karin sat up in her chair for a while today, she is complaining about mild pain in her upper back. Thursday, Sept. 27th, marks the seventh consecutive month that Karin has been in the hospital since receiving her transplants.

September 25, 2007 - 10:30 p.m.   Karin is improving steadily since moving back upstairs to room D-942 yesterday. She took two walks today and enjoyed eating a fruit cup and some pineapple. She is working hard on getting her strength back. Apparently they are still talking about moving Karin across the street to a rehab unit at UPMC-Montefiore and it seems they are working on getting her in satisfactory shape to make the transition. Karin talked with her Dad on the phone today and enjoyed watching "Pirates of the Caribbean." Gram and Pap Freund cheered her up with a visit today, too.

September 24, 2007 - 10:10 p.m.   We have reason to celebrate today! Karin has been moved out of the CTICU back upstairs to the Cardio-Transplant Rehab Unit on the 9th floor. Her new room number is D-942. She had a busy but good day with the move plus a dialysis session. Karin did some limited walking when she got to her new room. She spent some time sitting in a chair, and when she stood up she was able to pivot and walk toward the bathroom then back to the chair. Last night she was cheered by a visit from Uncle Jack and Aunt Kathy, who even had Karin smiling again. They brought her some halloween decorations. Brandon expects speech pathology will re-evaluate Karin for swallowing again now that she is back upstairs again with the hopes she will be able to get back on solid food. Thank you for all your support and prayers.  And while you are at it, please remember to pray for Karen Arrowood (www.karenarrowood.com) who is still in Emery Hospital in Atlanta experiencing complications with CMV infection, electrolyte imbalance, and kidney function - her weight is now down to 100 lbs. Karen received her new heart and lungs at UPMC a month before our Karin did.

September 23, 2007 - 8:30 p.m.   Brandon reports today was another good day in CTICU for Karin.  She watched a movie and then rooted for the Steelers to win against the 49'ers today.  She sat up in a chair for most of the day.  When she got out she did a little marching in place before getting back in bed.  She has felt more alert and went most of the day without a nap.  She even watched some NASCAR races out of Dover, Delaware.  After that she read some of the Post-a-Notes on the web site.  So Brandon continues to expect that she will moved upstairs again before long. 

September 22, 2007 - 10:45 p.m.   Brandon reports that today was a good day for Karin.  She had another dialysis session today, but they only took off fluids and did not filter her blood as they did yesterday. Brandon reports her spirits were a little improved today. Karin's breathing is pretty much back to her previous normal state. The only time she was on the bi-pap machine was during dialysis, otherwise she has just been using a nasal cannula to receive a nominal 1-liter of oxygen. Karin received a unit of blood today and also had some electrolytes replenished: sodium phosphate and magnesium. It's no wonder she is feeling better. Karin watched her favorite Penn State Nittany Lions play Michigan, however the outcome was not much to her liking. The bacterial infection seems to be under control now, and the critical care doctor has hinted that Karin may be returning back upstairs probably early next week. We should all be very thankful in our prayers to see Karin responding and improving.

September 21, 2007 - 7:15 p.m.   Thanks to heaven our prayers are being answered!  Brandon reports that Karin had a good day today.  She had another dialysis session and then spent some time sitting up in a chair.  Although she is still feeling tired and her spirits are not the greatest, nevertheless, she continues to maintain good oxygen saturation levels while not using the bi-pap machine.  She has not been on it all day.  In fact, the critical care doctor says if she continues to progress this way they will be sending her back upstairs before long.  Additionally, her blood work shows no signs of the bacterial infection so they feel they got that cleared up, too.  Both Karin and Brandon appreciate all the prayer and encouragement they have received from so many people. So keep it up if you can, because they can use some more.  Karin and her family have been through a difficult time this summer and they continue to need your prayers and encouraging words.

September 20, 2007 - 11:30 p.m.   Brandon reports that he got to the hospital today around 3 p.m..  He brought Karin some Summertime Peach flavored Snapple, a favorite flavor of hers which is not easy to find in Pittsburgh.  He hadn't seen her in a couple of days and he noticed that she looked a little puffy.  That could be because of the high dose of steroids she is on. He hasn't had a chance to spend much time talking with her because Karin slept for much of the visiting period between 4-6:30 p.m..  A new tunnel catheter was put into her right leg today, and tonight at about 8:30 she started a dialysis treatment removing about 1-1/2 liters.  During dialysis he said he did a lot of cheerleading to encourage her.  He said he does feel the cocktail of meds Karin is taking, and especially all the prayers, are working.  She was off the bi-pap breathing machine most of the day (since about 10 a.m. this morning) and on 2 liters of oxygen through the nasal cannula her oxygen stats are staying right up there at about 98-99%.   This set-back has been especially hard on Karin's morale.  It has become increasingly more difficult for her to act as determined and hopeful as she had been. Within a few days, on September 23, 2007, it will be the first day of autumn.  Karin has already spent part of winter, all of spring, and now almost the entire summer in UPMC.  "To everything there is a season.."   Please pray that with each day of treatment Karin will improve and that she will get  a little bit more of her old determination and courage back again.  Pray also that this  will be the season Karin gets to go back home.

September 19, 2007 - 11:00 p.m.   Karin's condition is improved today. Her breathing is not as labored, indicating the protocol to treat the rejection seems to be working. She has been off the bi-pap since 10 a.m., using only the nasal cannula to receive supplemental oxygen until bedtime. They put in a new pick line and the tunnel catheter (used for dialysis) was removed. More cultures were taken to make sure the bacterial infection is responding to treatment successfully. Although Karin's spirits remain depressed, she looks good and is definitely more comfortable today. There were no visitors, except for hospital staff who remembered her from previous stays in the CTICU, and they joked with her about her returning again. Everyone who enters Karin's room must put on a gown and gloves. Karin is responding medically to our prayers but is still in much need of encouragement to win the battle in her spirit and will.

September 18, 2007 - 10:45 p.m.   Karin had another difficult day in the CTICU. Her breathing is still labored and she has been breathing with the aid of a bi-pap machine with supplemental oxygen for most of the day. As reported yesterday, she continues an aggressive five-day protocol of massive doses of steroids as well as Thymoglobulin, which is used to treat rejection after organ transplant. Because her immune systems is being suppressed she is at high risk for other infections, but they believe this is an effective treatment and her condition is reversible. To try to reduce sources of infection they have removed the tunnel catheter which is used for dialysis and the IV pick line. They did do a dialysis today because it will be a couple of days before they can do another one. Some people have asked why they waited six weeks to discover that the first attempt to treat the rejection observed six weeks ago was ineffective. It is because the bronchoscopy and biopsy are invasive procedures and so they rely heavily on clinical signs to indicate rejection rather than risk another stressful invasive procedure. Understandably, Karin is rather depressed, probably intensified by the physical strain on her body. She is in need of much prayer and encouragement.

September 17, 2007 - 10:30 p.m.   Karin had a really rough day in the CTICU (bed #17). Linda reported that Karin's breathing is very labored, apparently associated with moderate rejection of her new lungs. She is being treated with massive doses of steroids for the next 5ive days, as well as Thymoglobulin, which is used to treat rejection after organ transplant. Karin is also receiving other medications in order to decrease the side effects of the Thymoglobulin and for an infection which may be associated with her IV pick line or dialysis line. The previous bronchoscopy/biopsy revealed Karin was showing signs of moderate rejection, so they administered a five-day protocol of drugs to stop and reverse the rejection at that time, however the latest biopsies taken last week show the rejection has not improved. Karin has been breathing with the aid of a bi-pap machine for most of the day. She was switched to a nasal cannula for about 1-1/2 hours this evening, but breathing was such an effort she requested to go back on the bi-pap. Linda said Karin kept saying, "I can't breathe ... I can't breathe ..." but her oxygen levels are in the 90's, indicating she is getting sufficient oxygen. Dialysis was successful today, but she requested Percoset tonight because of back and chest pain. Clearly Karin needs prayers for healing and reversal of the rejection, and for her doctors and nurses to have wisdom in helping her to breathe normally.

September 16, 2007 - 9:30 p.m.   Karin is back in the CTICU (bed #17). Linda said that when she arrived at the hospital today they told her that Karin had very labored breathing and didn't get much sleep last night. So they put her on the bi-pap machine for a while then later tried giving her oxygen assistance through a nasal canula. Nothing seemed to help enough and Karin just seemed to be working extra hard at breathing using all of her muscle strength to do so. It was decided next to try to remove some extra fluids by dialysis. The dialysis team would not filter but just try to remove extra fluid to make it easier for her to breathe. However at about 2:00 this afternoon when they attempted this Karin's blood pressure dropped dangerously low and they had to stop. The staff decided that Karin was a lot more distressed than what they are able to deal with on the 9th floor. So it was decided that she would be better served by another move back to CTICU where they could monitor all of her vitals better. Karin is back on assisted breathing with the bi-pap machine and continues to experience very labored breathing. Although she says she feels overheated asking to be fanned and has beads of perspiration on her upper lip Linda reports that she actually feels cool to the touch and has no fever. They seem to think that what she is experiencing is the result of the bacterial infection. Linda says it has been a very trying day with so much activity and so many unknowns to deal with. Of course giving up her small room on the 9th floor meant packing up personal items again. Linda said they managed to find her a box and some space to store it so she would not have to leave Karin to carry those things out of the hospital today. It goes without saying that Karin needs a healing touch to get through this so please pray that the doctors and nurses will be able to help her to breathe easier.

September 15, 2007 - 8:45 p.m.   Karin is now out of CTICU and upstairs again!  She is in room D-942 if you want to call or send her cards.  Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Bob came by to visit Karin in her new digs today.  This new room is a smaller one but it is near the nurse's station and the respiratory therapist's office and visitor's lounge.  Unfortunately there is not room for a cot so it is unlikely Brandon or Linda or Tim will able to spend the night in Karin's new room.  The cultures show that Karin has a bacterial infection so she has been put on penicillin for that.  She has also been drinking more fluids than usual which is probably good for bringing down the fever she had been running.  Cranberry juice and ginger ale is Karin's favorite cocktail right now.  She managed to get in two good walks today before Brandon turned her over to the care of Linda for the next few days.  Linda said she really noticed how much stronger Karin seems since she last saw her.  She mentioned how much more she is moving her hands and head and that she is even turning herself on her side.  Karin is still wearing the back brace when she is upright but seems to be relieved of the back pain she had been suffering from the fractures in her spine.  Pray that Karin continues to get good pain relief and for her to continue to regain increased mobility and strength to heal.  Her friend and fellow transplant recipient Karen Arrowood is hospitalized at Emory in Georgia with a viral infection identified as CMV.  Doctors seem to be treating it pretty aggressively so please pray also for her to be able to regain her strength and health.
     Also our Karin asked us to mention that the next few days will be sad ones for her family.  They just got word that her Gram's (Joan Freund's) sister Aunt Betty Jean Rusnic passed away.  Karin had last seen Aunt Betty Jane when she visited her in a nursing home before Karin was hospitalized for transplant surgery.  There will be a viewing and burial on Monday & Tuesday so Karin specifically asked that we be in prayer for the family as they grieve their loss in the next few days.

September 14, 2007 - 11:10 p.m.   Brandon reports tonight that Karin had a restfully good day in the CTICU. After a few sleepless nights upstairs, she got caught up on her bed rest today. She received dialysis and resumed her diet of soft foods, but was not able to take any walks. They have not received the results of her biopsy yet. Apparently the infection is responding well to whatever medication she is getting for it, because Brandon said they may be transferring Karin back up to the ninth floor as soon as a room becomes available. Karin said she likes the bed in the CTICU much better than the one she had upstairs and she wants Brandon to figure out a way she can take it with her when she moves back up to the ninth floor. Thank you for all your prayers and notes of love, encouragement and support.

September 13, 2007 - 6:10 p.m.   Karin underwent a bronchoscopy this morning as planned. The preliminary observation by the doctor is that things looked very good in her lungs - "nice and pink and dry." The results of the biopsy should be available by Friday evening and that will tell if there are any signs of rejection. Meanwhile, Karin had some blood work done because of the fever she started running yesterday. Those results indicate she does have an infection. So as a precaution, they have moved her back down to the CTICU where Karin will receive closer medical oversight. She has been put on a broad spectrum antibiotic until they can identify the specific infection by name. Because Karin is now back in the CTICU, she had to give up her room on the 9th floor, so Brandon had to pack up all of their personal belongings and move everything out (and give up his coveted cot). The protocol in the ICU is two or three periods daily where Brandon and visitors can be with Karin but the remainder of the day is spent in a waiting room. She is in Room #4 in the CTICU. Even though Karin is in the CTICU, Brandon expects he will be able to keep her on her regimen of walking, and exercising, and eating, etc. On a positive note, Brandon says Karin's back seems to be pain free!
      As Karin is approaching 200 days in the hospital, last evening she became rather reflective and introspective. The fact is that her spirits last night were very,very low. Understandably, she just wants to be able to go home, sleep in her own bed, and play with her dog, Kola, so who could blame her for crying. Karin has shown great courage throughout these past few years, before and since her challenging transplant. She has fought a good fight but it is wearing her down, as you can imagine. Karin needs our fervent prayers and outward expressions of care and concern more now than ever. As the Scriptures admonish us all, "Do not get weary in well-doing." Let's flood Karin with e-cards and mail and expressions of our encouragement and support for her and for Brandon, and Linda and Tim. Thank you.

September 12, 2007 - 8:50 p.m.   Karin got in a walk today before dialysis, which went fine.  Brandon ran out to pick up some clean laundry and he stopped at the Cheesecake Factory to bring back a slice of cheesecake with strawberries for Karin.  When he returned they took a trip outside for a few minutes but it was a little too brisk for Karin to stay out for very long.  So they spent some time catching some sun on the Montefiore Hospital Bridge which is enclosed.  Karin is actually running a slight fever tonight and the lab was drawing blood for cultures to try to see if they can determine the cause of the fever.  Karin had one very special visitor today.  Bodhi is a big white therapy dog who also visited Karin when she was downstairs in the CTICU. It was a nice diversion to see something so out of the ordinary in the hospital environment and he certainly brightened Karin's day.  Little things can make a big difference when you have been in the hospital almost 200 days.  Please continue to pray urgently for Karin to get better and to be able to fight off whatever is causing this fever.  Don't forget, greetings by post-a-note, e-cards and regular mail let Karin know she is being remembered.

September 11, 2007 - 10:00 p.m.   Karin had another sleepless night. Insomnia is a side effect of Prograf, the anti-rejection medicine she is taking. This morning her nurse gave her some nausea medication to settle her stomach, and she got up and sat in the chair for a while and was feeling pretty good. Karin ate a good lunch and around 2 p.m. she stood up to take a walk and immediately threw up her lunch. So it was back into bed to get all cleaned up and while they were cleaning her she fell asleep. So she just stayed in bed. Gram & Pap Freund visited today. Undaunted by the afternoon's episode, she chowed down for dinner with an egg salad sandwich and a ring and a half of pineapple and it stayed with her just fine.

September 10, 2007 - 10:15 p.m.   Karin had a pretty routine day. She got out of bed and into her chair and was plannng on talking a walk when dialysis showed up, so it was back into bed while they took off over a liter of fluid. In spite of feeling a little queazy in the stomach, she ate really well today. She had a big lunch consisting of strawberries, grapes, oranges, and pineapple. They cut back on her taking all nine pills by mouth and are delivering some of them through her feeding tube until her stomach can tolerate all of them again. Karin started wheezing this afternoon, so the respiratory therapist came by and suctioned her lungs. It really did not help, so they waited and hour and re-suctioned her again and that cleared up her breathing. Karin's spirits are good and she is about one-third the way through her 900-page book now. Karin is supposed to get a broncospcopy and biopsy this Thursday. Please pray there are no signs of organ rejection this time. There has not been a medical team meeting or decision about when/if Karin will be moved into a rehab unit. The other day when she was taking a walk down the hall the nurses were trying to discharge another patient who was putting up a fuss saying he was not ready to leave yet and needed to stay in the hospital. A nurse turned and asked Karin, "If we could discharge YOU today, would you go?" She came back immediately in a very loud voice, "You bet I would!"

September 9, 2007 - 9:45 p.m.   Brandon reported today was a quiet day for Karin, except while she rooted the Steelers on to victory. Karin took a really long walk from one end of the hall to the other. She ate some pears for lunch and for dinner she had a little bit of pork, redskin potatoes, and some peaches. As we talked this evening she was busy scratching off lottery tickets that her mother Linda sent to her. Brandon said she was doing a lot of scratching but no winning, It was just a very quiet Sunday with no visitors. Tomorrow (Monday) is a dialysis day and she is supposed to have a bronchoscopy and biopsy sometime during this week. Please pray for Karin's friend and transplant twin, Karen Arrowood (scroll to bottom of page), who has been hospitalized in Georgia in order to receive treatment to raise her white blood cell counts. The treatment is painful and has side effects.

September 8, 2007 - 10:40 p.m.   Karin had a pretty decent day today. They checked her feeding tube this morning to make sure it had not migrated and then told her she could resume eating by mouth again. She had a fruit cup of peaches and half a pear. She drank quite a bit today, starting off with ginger ale and some Gatorade. Karin got in two walks today and she watched a movie with Brandon. Her back aches some, but it is a lot better than it had been, She sat up in the chair for a while between walks. Brandon reported that the staff are really good about helping him get Karin out of bed and into her chair, but because they require the assistance they cannot be spontaneous about getting Karin up and down. Karin had no visitors today. September 7, 2007 - 10:00 p.m.   Karin had a pretty good day. She got in a walk and had dialysis and took a nap during dialysis. Brandon took advantage of her nap to do laundry. Karin got sick to her stomach today so she is on NPO ("nothing-by-mouth") until it settles down. Brandon said her stomach is a little distended today. They think that this stomach issue could be because Karin has started taking some of her medications orally, Aunt Marilyn, Uncle Bob, Melissa and Mackenzie stopped in to visit and brought balloons to Karin. Karin especially enjoyed Mackenzie's entertaining antics.

September 6, 2007 - 9:00 p.m.   Karin reported during tonight's phone call that Dr. Ferson came by to see her today. He is the surgeon who did the reconstruction of her airway and installed her trach tube. The news he gave her today is that basically her trach will be permanent. He explained that the trach tube acts like a stent to keep her airway open and he thinks that removing it would allow scar tissue to form and could close her airway (trachea). When asked how she took this news she said she had sense it was coming and feels she can live with it. P.T. was in this morning to take her for a walk and she continues to practice breathing exercises every hour on her own. The back pain has shifted from the lower back to her upper back and she said it hurts when she coughs. Karin said the biggest challenge to eating more is that her stomach seems full after consuming only a little bit of food, but she did enjoy half of a tangerine or nectarine today. Karin anticipates they will do another bronchoscopy next week, so please pray that she gets a good report and there is no evidence of lung rejection. She is reading about a chapter a day in "The Order of the Phoenix" and Friday will be another dialysis day.

September 5, 2007 - 10:45 p.m.   The nurse woke Karin up at 6:30 a.m. to give her some pain medication which immediately "knocked her out." So then her therapists showed up at 8:15 a.m. to take Karin for a walk . . . and she was still in a deep sleep. But when she did get into her brace and got up and out of bed she took a really long walk (without the walker) all the way down the hall to the nurses' station, turned right and went part-way down that hall, stopped to look over a patient-made "thank you" quilt, then walked all the way back to her room. Her dialysis went well today but they only got about 1 liter off when they stopped because her blood pressure dropped. After dialysis technicians performed a doppler ultrasound of Karin's head to try to determine the cause of her passing out when she coughs. This syndrome had not occurred for about three weeks, but reoccurred a couple of times over the weekend. All the test have been normal and have not pinpointed a cause, so their best guess at this time is perhaps it might be her Vegus nerve has become super-sensitive as a result of the reconstructive surgery in April.
Karin played some digital Yahtzee on the computer with Brandon, got caught up on her reading "The Order of the Phoenix", and at the time of this report she was reading the Post-a-Notes you have left for her. Chaplain Carol stopped by to visit but Karin was napping so she passed the time with Brandon. Also making a special trip to the 9th floor just to visit Karin and Brandon were the Hooks. Mrs. Hook received a heart transplant while Karin was in the CTICU and was back at UPMC today for a routine follow-up biopsy. Coincidentally Mr. Hook is originally from Lewistown, PA, near Karin's childhood home. Brandon wants to especially thank them for the financial contribution the Hooks gave them today to help pay medical expenses. Finally, the family received very good news that Karin's new nephew, Gage, was tested for Cystic Fibrosis today and the tests came back negative. Thank you, Lord!

September 4, 2007 - 9:45 p.m.   Karin had a really good day today! She was able to take pills by mouth. That is a new first-time accomplishment for her. She took a good walk all the way to the nurses' station and back and did not use the walker - she held on to a therapist on either side. Karin ate a half a peach for lunch and this evening enjoyed pineapple and an egg salad sandwich. Brandon said she ate a little more than usual. Drinking 32 oz of fluids, including Snapple apple and Gatorade, has produced a desired therapeutic effect, too. Karin has been getting caught up on her reading over weekend. One of the nurse practitioners stopped by to check up on Karin today and she brought up the subject about Karin possibly going to a rehab unit across the street at Montefiore Hospital. It would have to be a group decision involving all her doctors before they would consider transferring Karin. She did have some light back pain and is still taking medication for it, but it did not deter her one bit today. She was in great spirits for Gram & Pap Freunds visit today.

September 3, 2007 - 8:30 p.m.   Karin said she is doing OK. The highlight of the day was going outside to meet with her brother Brian and his wife, Kelly, and their 1-month old son, Gage! They came from Maryland to visit Karin. She took this Labor Day as a holiday from walking, but went outside in a wheelchair with her brace on. She had three hours of dialysis. Karin seemed pretty upbeat today and said she is looking forward to "running the halls" again as soon as her back heals. Brandon was invited to Aunt Joni's for a family dinner and I am sure he welcomes the break from the hospital cafeteria menu,

September 2, 2007 - 9:30 p.m.   Brandon reported that Karin had a "relaxful" day. Brandon's Mom visited today around 11 a.m. accompanied by Karin & Brandon's good friend, Kevin Spigelmyer, who helped coordinate the golf outing last September. They enjoyed some quality time together, then Brandon took them to the cafeteria for lunch. When they returned from lunch Brandon said he had the surprise of the day when he found Amy and George Rodgers in the room. Amy was giving Karin a head and hands massage, George was turning on the old charm, and he had Karin smiling a lot. Amy came bearing gifts for both Karin and Brandon; Karin got a Bible and booklet of Scriptures and some fresh peaches and nectarines, and Brandon got some special Lebanese pita pocket treats to eat. Karin's back pain was minimal today, but she was put on NPO (nothing by mouth) today after having an upset stomach last night. A precautionary x-ray verified that her feeding tube is not the problem. Karin is anxious to have the fresh fruit tomorrow, so please pray her stomach settles down so she will be able to enjoy it while it is still fresh. Brandon promised to send some new pictures tomorrow.

September 1, 2007 - 9:30 p.m.   Karin was up early this morning. Today was mostly spent relaxing and watching movies. Her back is still hurting some, but not like it had been. Brandon noticed her right arm appeared to be a little swollen so they did a doppler ultrasound of her right arm to rule out blood clots. Lunch consisted of a couple bites of rigatoni, and after a nap Karin had half of a peach for dinner. Brandon gave her a manicure including some pampering hand lotion. Karin spent the entire day in bed, but Brandon hopes to get her up and outside tomorrow. Yesterday Judy Dolby, whose husband is waiting for a heart transplant, stopped in to visit, as did Chaplain Carol. There were no visitors today, but Brandon did get to talk with a couple from Hershey, PA, to encourage them as they go through the transplant process. Those of you who visited Karin when she was in the CTICU may remember the Catholic nun across the hall who was on a mechanical or artificial ("Jarvik") heart awaiting a donor heart - Praise God she received her transplant and is now in the room right next to Karin.