Monday Morning, August 25, 2008 from St. E Hospital in Beaumont

Mother continues to fight her battle, but is losing ground hourly. She has been 12 days today in a severely non-responsive state from a massive stroke following prayer meeting on Wednesday evening, August 13. The stroke, heart attack, and the 12-14 seizures she suffered were all caused by a large cancerous brain tumor that no one had any idea she had. Her doctors have now told us that it is a GBM, Stage 4, very aggressive tumor that could likely not have been stopped in a much younger person. The first large tumor has also spawned a second smaller growth and no surgery could be done because of age and various complications. Every system in her once lively body were shut down by the massive stroke.

Tomorrow is her 87th birthday and she does love to celebrate any occasion, so I have personally come to believe she might be waiting for that day to come. She has been 12 days without one bite of food, not one drop of water and no one here has any idea of how she is still breathing.

She had very clear DNR instructions, a good living will and all of her family had been told numerous times she did not want to be kept alive by machines, so we have done our very best to honor her wishes. It is very difficult to stand by and watch while fighting feelings of extreme helplessness. It is hard on the children who simply feel she should be fed and given water. Her medical team has stated clearly that either would kill her immediately because her brain can no longer tell her body how to process intake, so we wait.

Thanks to each of you for your heartfelt expressions of love and support. We appreciate the food, cards, emails, calls and visits and have once again felt the value of friendship and love. Today, we have created the John and Flo Davis Education Scholarship to help deserving students obtain funding for school. Mother loved young people and was very busy helping several students at the time of her illness. We are asking that family and friends kindly help the children and grandchildren with that project in lieu of flowers now or in the coming days. More information will be posted with complete details.

Thank you for your interest and concern.

Until the next page turns,
Brenda

Sunday, August 24, 2008

My mother, Flo Davis, continues to surprise everyone including her doctors, the hospice team and the family members, by continuing to fight for her life. This is the 11th day in CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth Hospital after we were told initially that she would not live 6-8 hours after suffering the massive stroke on Wednesday, August 13.

She has now lived 11 days without any food or one drop of water. She is only breathing and nothing else appears to be working correctly. The doctor said the stroke, caused by a large cancerous brain tumor that had been growing for quite some time, also caused a heart attack, 12-14 seizures and the complete shut-down of her body.

She is totally non-responsive and has been in hospice care since Monday. We can only wait and sit with her.

It is a very difficult situation because she was so full of life and has lived her 86 years well. She will be 87 on Tuesday, August 26 and was looking forward to a bang-up birthday celebration.

Thank you for your many calls, emails, text messages, cards and visits. One can only know how many friends he or she has at a time like this. It is very difficult for my mother's two sisters, back in Georgia, Aunt Anna and Aunt Minnie and for my brothers, John and J, L. and my sister, Paula, who are also in the Atlanta area.

Please keep on praying for each of us at this very difficult time in our lives. She is getting excellent care and was homesick for heaven since my dad died some six years ago now.

Until the next page turns,
Brenda

Wednesday, August 20, 2008 from CHRISTUS St. Elizabeth Hospital

My mom, Flo Ella Cannon Davis, had a massive stroke after prayer meeting last Wednesday and was rushed by ambulance to the trauma emergency room of St. E's here in Beaumont. We later learned that along with the major stroke, she also had a large brain tumor (cancerous) that had been growing for quite some time. She also has a secondary tumor on the brain and suffered a heart attack at the same time the tumor's growth caused the first stroke. She has now had some 12-14 seizures (again caused by the tumor) since being here.

The doctors met with us on Sunday and gave us the results of the battery of tests she has undergone and because she is 86 years of age and has multiple problems, they do not feel she can survive any surgery and they insisted that the damage from the stroke has already been done. She has not been able to eat any food or drink a drop of water for a week today. Swallowing, chewing, balance and so many other things were destroyed by the stroke. The tumor is a GBM, stage 4, very aggressive cancer.

We were moved from the 2nd floor to the 4th for comfort care. No medical procedures or programs are being administered. She had a strong living will and a clear DNR order on file. They told us on Sunday that she had about five days to live if all remains the same.

She was placed into Hospice care on Monday, but we were able to remain here in St. E's because the projected time is so short.

She is non-responsive much of the time and she sleeps many hours, but does awaken from time to time and asks for a particular person, talks about an event in her life, sees her husband who died six years ago, my grandmother and grandfather and others who were/are important in her life. Her husband and my dad for most of my life died in Hospice care and we have nothing but good things to say about it. Some of us are with her at all times.

Please pray for my mom and for my family during this time in our lives.

Until the next page turns,
Brenda