- Feb 9: Junella Wesselink relates the following, quoting: “Nephew in law has been removed from heavy sedation and now on strong pain meds. Getting him ready for testing now to find damage to brain. This must be known before heart surgery. He has not woke up yet. Thank you for prayers for Tom and his wife Tammy. Asking for continued prayers. Is a critical situation.—Junella Wesselink”
- Feb 8: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: “Since Leroy got to CHOP, things have been pretty steady. He’s been getting comfortable in his new room and is having a blast getting to know the nurses! The doctor mentioned today that they’ll start the tests tomorrow and then plan to do a scope of his esophagus to get a better idea of what’s happening. His room is open-plan, so he only has three walls and no door, which will take us a bit to get used to, but Leroy absolutely loves it because there’s so much more to see and discover! This has been quite a culture shock for me and Trevor, and it’s definitely made us appreciate our small-town life even more.—Katie Thill”
- Feb 7: Steve Lee relates the following, quoting: "I am currently in the hospital in Minneapolis. My transplant physician thinks I may be experiencing some rejection & that may be why I am having so much trouble breathing again. In June/July they stopped one of my immunosuppressant meds to help fight my PTLD (transplant-related cancer). I am staying in the hospital thru the weekend to give me a heavy dose of steroids to override any rejection. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! Steve & Becky"
- Feb 6: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: “Leroy had his first-ever flight today, and he even managed to fly over Canada, making it his first international flight as well! The nurses were incredibly kind and sent us some pictures. They informed us that Leroy was diagnosed with FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and that he only took a 30-minute nap because he was too busy observing the surroundings. While we patiently awaited Leroy’s arrival, we decided to visit the Philadelphia Auto Show, which was pretty fun, Trevor told me he died and went to heaven. Once we received the call that Leroy had arrived, we headed over to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). We spoke with a few doctors, and they all seemed amazing and in love with Leroy’s little smile. They informed us that they would do additional tests on Monday, but they currently expect Leroy to be in the hospital for at least a month. –Katie Thill”
- Feb 6: Kate Stellinga relates the following about Ken, quoting: “Dad is home!!!!! Broke him out of the hospital around 1 this afternoon. His own reciner was a welcomed seat and he's been relaxing since we made it home. Feel free to keep the calls, texts & mail coming. His recovery is far from over, but this has been a big step in the right direction!—Kate Stellinga”
- Feb 6: Here are the funeral details for Judy Van Meeteren’s mother, Leone Sandbulte. Visitation is Friday, February 6, 2026 from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm at American Reformed Church of Luverne. Funeral service is Saturday, February 7, 2026 at 10:30 am at American Reformed Church of Luverne.
- Feb 6: Baby Leroy is enroute to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. His parents, Katie and Trevor went to Philadelphia yesterday (they were not allowed to fly with Leroy on the medical plane), so they will be there when Leroy arrives. Please keep them all in your prayers.
- Feb 5: Katie Thill relates the following about baby Leroy, quoting: “We finally got word that there is going to be a bed available for Leroy on Friday! Trevor and I are flying out to Philadelphia today so that we can get some things figured out and not be so rushed to get there tomorrow. Jaxon is beyond excited to get a break from us and Kyler is pumped to spend some time with his “best buddies” Tyson and Wyatt. Please continue to pray for a smooth transition for the boys and a safe flight for Leroy. He is such a little lover, and all the nurses keep popping in to say how much they’ll miss him. My mama heart hurts as this will be the first time I’ve ever been away from my boys for this long, but I know they are in the best hands and are so loved by everyone. When I am afraid I put my trust in you. Psalm 56:3—Katie Thill”
- Feb 5: Kate Stelling relates the following about Kem, quoting: “Dad is still in the hospital - waiting for "things" to get "moving" per usual hospital protocol prior to discharge. He is a little better every day from what I can tell - still occasional pain and moving is still slow as his stomach muscles are going to take some time to heal. The incisions look good and drainage sites are healing. No fevers. Some minor hiccups in blood work with low magnesium and potassium that he's had supplemented through the IV. His diet has slowly advance from liquids to soft foods to now regular diet with "small bites." We are anxious to get him home and resting in a more comfortable environment. He's ready as well. His days blend together between naps, walks, nurses stopping in, more walks and visitors. Overall, he is doing really well all things considered. It is not an easy surgery like we've said before. But, knock on wood, dad has managed to get through this first week of recovery without too many hiccups. Pathology came back - not sure if I mentioned this in the last message, all clear!!! Margins were negative and all the lymph nodes were negative for malignancy. They did a liver biopsy while they were in there and that was benign as well. Praise God! Thank you for your continued support through prayers, visits, cards and text messages/calls. Your thoughtfulness means everything during this recovery period.—Kate Stellinga”
- Feb 5: Laura Thesenvitz relates the following, quoting: “It’s been a week since I’ve made an official update. I’ve circulated family updates to have forwarded via text circles but that is all I’ve been able to muster up with the long days as it feels like it gets heavier to keep life moving forward and to feel like I’m doing my best to protect the kids but also keep them informed – hard balance. Into the weekend we saw a jump in Christopher’s white count again and continued chest fullness and discomfort and side pain - this prompted a CT on Sunday morning and they saw a large increase in fluid on his lungs and suspect area of abscess by his liver. After a lot of discussion and contemplation we decided to proceed with the procedures to drain the fluids. They drained about 800cc off his right lung and 20cc of fluid from near his liver and 10 from his perispinal area as well that they decided at the time of procedure was appropriate. He ended of after that with 2 additional drains from his back area that they took the fluid from his liver and perispinal region. They did not leave in a chest tube per Christopher’s request and one agreement to procedure. Monday brought a lot of discussion with the various doctors and specifically the surgical team and conferenced in Dr Ho – oncology from Mayo to discuss realistic prognosis based on remaining options for cancer treatment and the recovery chances for his body following this serious of scute events. From a cancer standpoint there aren’t any treatment options remaining or trials available and Dr. Ho gave an honest and direct prognosis that needed to be heard. With that information and knowing the level of care needed, a referral was put in for the VA hospice cottages. As of yesterday morning the VA has accepted Christopher and his care was transferred to there to the hospice cottages. This change is about prioritizing comfort, and time together, in a setting that gives us space to focus on family and moments that matter most and giving him more good days. We will take things one day at a time and even though we're still holding onto hope, the main goal is for restful, pain-mangaged, meaningful days. We appreciate your prayers as we navigate this. And your grace and understanding for minimal updates. Thank you for your continued love and support.—Laura Thesenvitz”
- Feb 4: Junella Wesselink's nephew-in-law, Tom, continues to deteriorate (heart attacks, strokes, seizures). Please keep him and his family in your prayers.
- Feb 4: There is a bed for baby Leroy at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on Friday! Praise God. Please pray for Katie and Trevor, Leroy and the rest of the family. Keep the travel plans in prayer for the medical air flight for Leroy and for the accommodations for Trevor and Leroy. Their other children will be staying here with relatives. Thanks!
- Feb 4: Gary McCann has been discharged from the hospital. Please pray for his continued recovery after his cervical surgery.
- Feb 4: Ken Stellinga remains in the hospital. Please pray for his continued recovery.
- Feb 4: Baby Leroy is still waiting for a bed to open up at the Philadelphia children's Hospital. Please keep him, his family, and specially his parents Katie and Trevor in your prayers.
- Feb 3: Junella Wesselink relates the following, quoting: "Received word at 1:42am that niece Tammy's husband Tom was air lifted from their local hospital to Methodist hospital in Omaha. He had 2 heart attacks at home. At Omaha during procedure Tom had 3rd heart attack. All valves shut down. Put on ECMO. Machines keeping Tom alive in hopes heart will rest. At Methodist hospital, they do not deal with this being on ECMO. Transported to Creighton in Omaha and is in ICU. Known so far that triple by pass is needed. However, Tammy was told his heart maybe beyond repair. A wait and see at this point. If so next step is a transplant. All their kids there at this time. Please pray for God's healing and guidance for the Dr's. Tom is only 57 yrs. Had shoulder replacement on Jan 13th. Home a few weeks and this began. --Junella Wesselink"
- Feb 2: Our condolences go out to Judy Van Meeteren and her family and friends on the passing of her mother this morning. Please keep the family and friends in your prayers.
- Feb 2: Linda reports that Gary McCann's neck surgery went well. Please keep him in your prayers for his recovery. Thanks.
- Feb 2: Harlan Van Meeteren has been diagnosed with malignant stomach cancer. He will be meeting with an oncologist soon to discuss treatment options. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Thanks.
- Jan 31: Here are the memorial service details for Mike Boyenga’s father, Ronald Leroy Boyenga. Hartquist Funeral Home - Luverne Chapel, Tuesday, February 3, 2026 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Please keep the family and friends in your prayers.
- Jan 31: A Caring Bridge site has been set up for baby Leroy. Here is what Katie has to say, quoting: "Leroy Vernon Thill was born on 11-10-2025. It was then that we learned Leroy was born with an esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF). It is a rare birth defect where the esophagus does not connect properly to the stomach, and there is an abnormal connection between the esophagus and the trachea. Leroy went through his first surgery at just 2 days old here in Sioux Falls with Sanford. He’s continued in the hospital and now has had a total of 4 surgeries, with two of them trying to dilate his esophagus. Unfortunately, this last dilation revealed that there was a break in the esophagus and scar tissue. Not the news we were hoping to hear, but we are continuing to push forward. Leroy has been accepted into the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. We are hoping to leave this weekend, but are still waiting on bed. The plan is still to be determined so at this point we don’t know if we will be there for weeks or months. Please follow along on Leroy’s journey and continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we navigate this next chapter of our lives. --Katie Thill"
- Jan 31: Junella Wesselink's nephew-in-law, Tom, is having serious heart issues and is being taken to Omaha (they live near there). Please keep him in your prayers. Thanks.
- Jan 31: Angie Boyenga relates the following, quoting: “Just wanted to let you know Mike's dad passed away last evening. They believe he had a stroke a week ago or so in addition to other ongoing medical issues. The family cared for him in his home and he passed peacefully there. We find great comfort knowing Heaven is now his home!—Angie Boyenga”
- Jan 29: Kate Stellinga relates the following about Ken, quoting: “Update on dad - thank you all for asking and inquiring on how he's doing after surgery. Tuesday went well - surgery went from 7 a.m. to just after 11 a.m. Dr. Person came to talk with me and said everything went as expected. The tissue will be sent to pathology to make sure there isn't any surprises in there. That will take about 7 days to come back. Dad was in recovery (post anesthesia) for about 2.5 hours then moved to the floor at Avera. This will be his home for the next 5-7 days. Wednesday was a little rough - to be expected. He has tubes/drains and such that will be his shadows for the next few days, hopefully to be removed on Friday if all goes well. He can not eat or drink anything for 3 days post operative. His mouth is horribly dry - he has some sponges to soak on his tongue - he mentioned it being like Jesus hanging on the cross, stating he had thirst, the roman soldiers gave him some sour wine (vinegar) on a hyssop branch and then Jesus cried out, It is Finished. In dad's case, surgery is finished....and hopefully this is his last hill to climb in this journey of pancreatic cancer. Recovery from anesthesia and the pain meds comes with challenges. Keeping his pain under control is tricky. His stomach muscles have been spasming, which is painful with the incision that goes from the bottom of his sternum to the top of his navel. All to be expected, so far. This morning and today has been cognitively more aware, but more painful, frustrating and uncomfortable. The nurses have him walking the hallways and moving from bed to recliner multiple times/day. I truly believe this is going as well as it is thanks to God and Dad's prayer warriors. Appreciate the texts, the messages, cards, etc. If you've text dad and haven't gotten a response, don't take that personally. Dad has moved in with us, so if you wish to send him well wishes in the mail, please send to: Ken Stellinga c/o Kate Stellinga, 3124 E. Dudley Lane, Sioux Falls, SD 57103—Kate Stellinga”
- Jan 29: Jennifer VanRoekel reports that both of her parents are now in the hospital. Please keep them in your prayers.
- Jan 29: Gary McCann will be having Cervical Spine surgery next Monday, February, 2nd. He is expected to have a 1 to 2 night Hospital stay. Please keep him in your prayers for a successful surgery and recovery.
- Jan 29: Laura Thesenvitz relates the following, quoting: “Yesterday morning (Wednesday) I was up to see Christopher early since I had hard time leaving the night before and I had a very restless night worrying about how he was doing. When I arrived, Christopher was mid NG clamp trial - this was clamping the tube for a period of 4 hours to see what fluid builds up in his stomach and then they suction it out and measure the output. The tube was exceptionally agitating for him and the NP on call gave him some heavier IV anxiety meds to try help him through it. He convinced them to pull the NG tube following the trial even though he had output higher than what they are usually comfortable with – they had pulled 350 and usually liked to be under 250 - but he was so uncomfortable and adamant he needed it out that they allowed it out for the time being. Trade off was close monitoring and he remained NPO (no food or drink) until they were comfortable with bowel recovery. No promise of how long that would take. Through the afternoon the various specialty doctors and the hospitalist rotated through to check and monitor his progress. His lactic acidosis was under control again - good. His white count was starting to come down - good. He requested meds and early attempt at sleep. This morning his white count is back up some but he did say he had some rest on and off through the night, and was looking far more comfortable that yesterday when I arrived. The NP from the surgery team stopped to check in and said that they will monitor his white count and they added an additional antibiotic for the “fungal” that came back on the cultures from the clean out in the abdomen. If it continues to go up they may consider further investigation. With seeing some bowel output, she upgraded him to ice chips and sips of water! The rest of the surgical team rounded a while later and Dr Abdo also re-confirmed what the NP said and then liking to see the continued output and set him at a clear liquids diet – even better. SO here we are – hopefully a quiet sleepy day. Praying for continued comfort and rest. Thank you for your encouragement and prayers. –Laura Thesenvitz”
- Jan 28: Please continue to pray for baby Leroy and his parents, Katie and Trevor, and their other kids. Philadelphia has accepted his case, but the insurance issues need to be worked out and that is taking lots of time and various insurance/medical groups need to work together.
- Jan 28: Ken Stellinga did well with his Whipple procedure yesterday. He was up walking a short distance today. He will be in the hospital about 5 days. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. Thanks.
- Jan 27: Laura Thesenvitz relates the following, Tuesday, January 27, 2026, quoting: “Update on my Christopher- just as he was getting a few boring days logged and we were waiting out the weekend for the regular crew of docs to come back and do an evaluation and make a game plan on what a realistic path forward would look like – things started to creep and slide a little sideways and then snowballed quickly. I left Christopher last night in a fairly normal state – and the only thing that was somewhat abnormal was the white count that had started to climb some over the previous days. But over the night, he started having some extreme nausea, had a prolonged tachycardia episode again, started having high liquid only stool output, and abdomen/chest heaviness fullness and discomfort. Blood work pulled this morning also showed a spike of the white count to now 38.2. More than double the already elevated 15 and 16 it had crept up to in previous days. Xrays, labs and CT were ordered right away this morning by the doctors. CT showed free fluid in abdomen a sort of possible defect in the colon at the colostomy sight so they suspected there was stool leakage within his abdomen cavity. The surgery team showed up pronto when the CT results were available and decided that is was highly important to take him into surgery and would proceed with a laparoscopic attempt and then follow with a wound debridement as well to rule out infection spread there as well. Christopher made it through surgery, and today's surgeon Dr. Abdo- felt he was able to irrigate / clean all stool within his abdomen. They cleaned some of the scar tissue forming from the initial colostomy surgery and made sure the colon was good and floppy and pulled through better and re-sealed. The “new” stoma actually looks much better this time around so taking this as a positive. Surgery was able to be completed via laparoscopic so no additional large incisions added except one small incision – otherwise they used all the originals from the colostomy surgery; but this did added extra OR time – he spent just over 3.5 hours in surgery. They also took a look at the wound and were able to definitively say that was not the cause of the infection and re-sealed the wound vac. After waiting another couple of hours, he was brought back to his room – no ICU, so that is a win – he was having a tough time still coming out of the last of anestiseia and realizing that his “nightmare” is a reality –He is incredibly uncomfortable. He has 3 JP drains, and what is most bothersome is he has an NP tube for the time being- tube going through his nose into his stomach suctioning out the gases so he doesn't vomit and aspirate. He will have this until his bowels wake up. He's gaging on it as he moves his head and he is just plain miserable. His color sucks, and is just in rough shape. It hurts my heart that I can’t do anything to make it better myself. He will start another round of high intensity antibiotics. Labs post op currently show continued high lactic acid. Not great. He is receiving some additional anxiety meds to hopefully calm and get past the NG tube stage. One thing at a time. One day, one hour, one moment even. Tonight, I pray pleadingly for some rest, even if a little at a time and some relief from the struggle with the irritation from that tube for Christopher that he finds comfort. My heart hurts so much to watch him suffer. Thank you for your prayers for Christopher, my love.—Laura Thesenvitz”
- Jan 27: Here is the details of the memorial service for Ryan Olivier. Visitation Tuesday evening February 3. Family present from 5 to 8. Funeral Wednesday, February 4 at 10am. Both at Community Reformed Church. No lunch after. The final report says that Ryan passed away suddenly due to a stroke. Please keep the family and friends in your prayers. Thanks
- Jan 26: Lloyd Van Essen will get his first chemo flush for his bladder cancer and on Tuesday. It was postponed from last week. He will have one a week for 6 weeks. Please keep him in your prayers. Thanks.
- Jan 26: The knee replacement surgery for Edna Van De Vendel (Sandy Heimdal's mom) was postponed, as they run some additional tests. Please keep her in your prayers.
- Jan 25: Edna Van De Vendel, Sandy Heimdal's mom, is having a knee replacement tomorrow (Monday). Please keep her in your prayers. It should be same-day surgery.
- Jan 25: Ken Stellinga is having the whipple procedure surgery early Tuesday morning, He will be hospitalized for five to seven days afterward. Please keep him in your prayers.
- Jan 25: Baby Leroy Thill (who is 11 weeks old Monday and still in the NICU) needs to be transferred to a highly specialized hospital which can address his complicated situation. Katie and Trevor, his parents, and doctors are looking at who and where will accept his case. Philadelphia is a possibility, but arrangements are still taking place and insurance has to approve. Please keep this whole situation in your prayers.
- Jan 25: Cory Carlson-Himes' father, Brian, has been discharged from the hospital. Please keep his recovery in your prayers.
- Jan 25: Joyce Tarrell relates the following, quoting: "Received the results from the biopsy of the spot on my pancreas and “Praise God” no malignant cells were found in the cyst. Doctor also said that the type of cyst that it is has minimal to no cancer potential. Thank you so much for all the prayers said on my behalf. I think of the song “God Will Take Care of You” and he truly has.--Joyce Tarrell"
- Jan 24 Cory Carlson-Himes' father, Brian, fell and broke his back. He is in the hospital with pain and treatments. Probably will not have any paralysis. Please keep him, his wife, and Cory in your prayers.
- Jan 24 Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Ryan Olivier (adult son of Orv and Sharon). He died from an accident. Please keep them all in your prayers.
- Jan 23 Kailee Taborda has been diagnosed with Leukemia. She is around 20 years old and the daughter of Dawn and Marco, and granddaughter of Robert and Dianne Dykstra. Please keep her and her family in your prayers. Thanks.
- Jan 23 Jennifer VanRoekel's mom, Edna, is back in the hospital again. Please keep her in her family in your prayers.
- Jan 23 Stu Schouten is now home from the hospital. Thanks for your prayers.
- Jan 23 Gary Parmley is now home after his heart stent placement. Thanks for your prayers.
- Jan 23 Linda Zwart's Dad and Jennie Van Roekel's brother, (Corky Van Eck) funeral details: A visitation will be held at the Chandler Reformed Church in Chandler, MN on Monday, January 26 from 5-7PM as well as 1 hour prior to the service on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. The funeral service will begin at 10:30AM at the Chandler Reformed Church in Chandler, MN with burial service to follow.
- Jan 22 Gracia Harmsen and Jon are heading back from Mayo. They had a lot of tests this week, and will have another 4-5 days of intense testing in the near future. Thank you for your prayers, and please continue to lift them up.
- Jan 22 Connie reports that Gary Parmly had a heart stent placed and is doing well.
- Jan 22: Gary Parmley is in the heart hospital having his heart assessed, He suffered chest pain and went in. Please keep him in your prayers.
- Jan 22: Our condolences go out to the friends and family of Corky Van Eck. Curt Zwart relates the following, quoting: "Linda Zwart's Dad (Corky Van Eck) passed away peacefully last night surrounded by family. Corky is also the brother of Jennie Van Roekel. A big thank you to Angie Boyenga and the staff at the VA Home in Luverne, Mn. Amazing people that are making a difference.--Curt Zwart"
- Jan 22: Laura Thesenvitz relates the following, quoting: “It has been a lot in the last few day. With Chris, kids, keeping up, little sleep, my brain is on overdrive and exploding at the same time. Don’t worry, YES I have LOTs of help lined up, way more that I can properly say thank you for and we are out of room in the fridge and freezer for food currently – so please hold off on meal drop offs - we sincerely appreciate the kindness, I am just honestly overwhelmed. I can’t keep up with responses, so please don’t take offense if I don’t respond to FB messages or quickly to texts. These days are all consuming and then I try to catch up with very little time in the evening with kids and then work and house and then me and keep the schedules straight. So far, we are ok. We have a village, and I am thankful. The last couple of days have brought a lot of ups and downs and by the end of the looooooong days I just didn't have it in me for passing on updates.. just needed to kiss the kids and tuck them in a little tighter and pass out myself. So I am going to try and summarize for you from the parent/sibling notes I had.. Tuesday was a bit of a wild day - highlights were that Christophers white count finally hit a normal level and the wound team was able to do the wound vac bedside without OR time. BUT (to incredibly simplify) his heightened stressor levels kicked off an abnormal heart rhythm and off to the races it went, and didn't want to slow down. This ended up requiring a cardioversion to force slow it down. They were able to do this in his ICU room under close supervision – and then monitored throughout the day and then when it started to happen again in the afternoon added in a beta blocker medication and then doubled by evening when it wasn’t wanting to behave. I was a bit anxious leaving but waited later into the night and when he was resting it started to drop into a more normal range before I committed to going home. Yesterday morning (Wednesday) I was happy to walk in and be greeted by a MUCH more comfortable and relaxed Christopher. He looked SO much more like himself and I was so relieved. I also walked in right behind Dr Sorel or however you spell his name that did the last surgeries for his first rounds of the day so perfectly timed. He was happy with the calm down heart situation from the day before and said that can be a delayed reaction response possibly from the infection with super heightened stressor hormones causing interrupting signals. He thinks it could possibly take a few weeks of medication to manage and then can wean off and be normal... we'll wait and see. He said that cardio docs sometime don’t like to let you off the meds to easily. After a check in with cardio – surprise surprise – when asked if the meds will be long term – he said, “oh of course” ha! I about laughed out loud. We’ll see how this plays out post discharge (someday.. insert eye roll) We had a lot of ins and outs today and notable needed ones like Father Jerry – bless him, he’s been trying to stop by for the last several days and the timing has been terrible and today even, he stuck it out with beeping and pop-ins and all the different distractions, we were thankful for him. BUT even with all the different Docs popping in to pester.. on the most important thing to report was that Christopher finally had a BORING DAY!!!! PRIASE BE! So.. he also graduated OUT of the ICU – he is now on a regular stepdown or surg-tec floor or whatever the correct terminology is. PRAISE BE! HUGE GAINS Normal White count OUT OF ICU Wound Vac – Without O.R. Time A few less IVs Central line is out and replace by Pic line in arm Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers on this journey. We are so thankful for all of you and for your love and support of Christopher, myself and our kids!—Laura Thesenvitz”
- Jan 21: Stu Schouten is in the hospital with blood pressure issues. Please keep him and his family in your prayers. Thanks.
- Jan 21: Katie Thill relates the following about baby Leroy, quoting, “This morning's dilation was a setback, but we're pushing forward with hope and prayer. It seems the incision may have caused complications, including a break in the esophagus and scar tissue. Denver is most likely our next destination, where we'll find the specialized care Leroy needs. Our surgeon will connect with the team there, and we'll hopefully head out this weekend.—Katie Thill”
- Jan 20: Sandy Heimdal relates the following: Would you pray for my mom, “Edna VanDeVendel on the prayer chain list? On Monday, she is going to have a knee replaced and she is quite nervous about this. I just thought all the prayers would help!-- Sandy Heimdal”
- Jan 20: Jennifer Van Roekel relates the following, quoting: “My mother Gwen Amen had a back surgery and has been left in extreme pain. She has been in the hospital and they are having a hard time helping her. She is in bad shape—Jennifer Van Roekel”
- Jan 19: Laura Thesenvitz relates the following, quoting: “Christopher was able to take a day off from the OR Sunday and was able to wean off of the vasopressors (the medication that was helping to raise his blood pressure), so by this morning he was maintaining a satisfactory blood pressure on his own. Praise! And his white count had dropped a little – also a good indicator of positive progress. Unfortunately even with the positive progress, it was a rough night in a sense of finding comfort and just general agitation being confined to a hospital bed without movement and change in a few days. So by morning it was a lot and difficult to see the frustration and to be unable to help give or find a way to offer relief is hard. And then being in a hospital you know how it goes – once the moment you get a second of respite, someone comes in needing to see you and examine you, or give you something or xray, or consult you on the upcoming surgery.. yep.. and so it goes.. but that is also the their jobs to help you heal and we know that, it’s just hard to watch your loved one struggle and be uncomfortable. Various doctors came through and reviewed and consulted on the status of his wound, sepsis progress, and due to the amount of tissues removed, incision spanning over 50% of the rectum, increased need for healing, and good chance of increase to quality of life the decision was made to also include the surgical placement of and ostomy. Mid-day wound clinic gals came up to mark Christopher for placement of the ostomy and talked the beginning explanations of things knowing that we were already in information overload and Christopher was in drugged information-won’t-remember overload, but I was at least and Christopher -even if he won’t remember was appreciative of the slow talk through descriptive information they gave since we are a few weeks ahead of when we had planned the actual consult for this.. Bonnie was the nurse prepping him – even though I don’t think he will remember this (partially why I’m including this) was amazing and I know she will be a great, patient resource in the days ahead for us both. She gave me a giggle when sending nurses looking for a razor when she peeked looking at the fuzzy bear she was going to need to mark for surgery- “uh yeah, we’re gonna need a razor! No way they’ll see our marks under this!” I about lost it.. Christopher didn’t quite see my humor.. maybe in a few weeks he will? Kissing him and sending him off today felt a little different even though I knew he was going into a safer environment being able to regulate his blood pressure on his own. It still just felt harder to say “see you on the other side” and my heart did a flippy flop. I was grateful to have his parents keeping me company while I waited for him. I’m normally a solitude, can’t handle the over stimulation, but today I was very thankful for the company, lunch and snacks. They take good care of me. I am very thankful. Father Jerry also sat with us a while and that was nice to be able to update him. When the nurses had taken him back they had mentioned it would be maybe an hour, hour and half so when we were hitting the 2, 2and half hour mark I was starting to get a bit anxious but the Surgeon stopped up finally around 4 and gave us an update on how things went. He said that they did do some cleanup of tissue, but he feels the infection is under control and no longer advancing. The surgery went longer because he had to work a little harder to place the ostomy and had to stretch a little higher for placement. Christopher is a tall guy and will be seated and needs to be able to visually see it and it not to fold or crease when he is seated so the placement is important.
His hope is that they will be able to bedside dressing changes and wound-vac maybe Wednesday - possibly bedside, but most likely going back into OR for one more look/clean and to do the sterile placement of wound-vac. BUT one day, one thing at a time. He remains in the critical care ICU for the time being until he’s past the wound-vac placement for sure. A lot is still happening, BUT positive things are also happening we need to give some big praise for: he was weaned off the vasopressor drugs, and able to keep his blood pressure up on his own, so being under anesthesia was a bit safer today. His white count was slightly down today. The infection is no longer actively progressing. Christopher safely came through surgery. THANK YOU Heavenly Father for wrapping your arms around my Christopher and guiding the hands and skills of those caring for him! I pray for continued clear paths forward and open hearts and minds to what Your path is and grace to accept whatever that path is and strength to follow and faith to continue as we will remain in hope what Your plan holds. I appreciate your patience with me, I will continue to update as the days go. I don’t have the stamina for daily updates, but know that if there are important updates, I will share. I will do my best to not lag too far. Thank you for your continued support and love. –Laura Thesenvitz” - Jan 19: Jon Harmsen relates the following, quoting: "Gracia is at Mayo all this week for testing and to hopefully find answers for one of her ongoing complications. Early in the fall, she was diagnosed with GI failure and gastroparesis (in which they know some part of her GI system is paralyzed, they just don’t know where). They will be trying to figure out where the paralysis is located and figure out what else is going on. There are a few theories, but this week will give us a lot more answers. Makes it that much more complicated with her past history of complications, abdominal surgeries, nerve damage, and only having about 1/3 of her small intestine remaining. Prayers appreciated! --Jon Harmsen"
- Jan 17: Laura Thesenvitz newly relates the following, quoting: “Not that I like to have a multi update day – but feel it’s important to keep updates current: Late morning after I rejoined Christopher and made my first update post, his blood pressure was trending down again and they were having to increase meds to try and raise it and they were noting that the was swelling increasing around the wound. The floor doc notified the surgeon and they decided to bring him back into surgery around 2-ish. He was in surgery for a couple of hours this time and doctor said they re-opened the small incisions with the drains and found more black and dead tissue and decided to open to a long incision and removed more necrotic tissue and cleaned it out farther and packed it again. She said they will watch him closely as he extubates and through the night to see when they will need to go back in - whether it will be overnight or tomorrow or can wait until Monday. His blood pressure, tissue response and keeping the wound clean of stool will determine that timeline. There were A LOT of things she discussed that will need to be done and will need to happen over the next couple few weeks, but it is one hour at a time at this point.. So greatly appreciate your prayers! Praying he is able to sleep and his body can rest and recover some before having to go into surgery right away again. That we will sleep through the night and even through tomorrow… Praying for peace and strength for all. Praying for his team. Praying for my Christopher.. Laura Thesenvitz”
- Jan 17: Sharon Van Essen relates the following, quoting: "Prayer for Lloyd who has bladder cancer and on Tuesday January 20th he will his 1st Chemo flush (wash). He will have one a week for 6 weeks. --Sharon Van Essen"
- Jan 17: Kate Stellinga relates the following about Ken, quoting: “Dad had his follow up appointments this week and I am THRILLED to report all good news!!! The tumor is similar in size or slightly smaller than when he started. Has not spread anywhere. He is still a surgical candidate and thats exactly what he's going to do! Surgery is scheduled for Jan 27!!!!! So now we are packing him up & moving him in with us (Kate & family) - our addition is wrapping up just in time! Surgery will be a doozy - then he'll spend 5-7 days in the hospital making sure there no complications & getting him back on his feet. What a journey. The surgeon says dad is in the top 25% of his class! Most dont make it this far. Thank God. Please mark your calendars & send all the prayers on the 27th!—Kate Stellinga”
- Jan 17: Here are the details for the funeral service of Janae Marcus’ father, Garry Van Zee. Funeral services will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 21, 2026, at First Christian Reformed Church in Sioux Falls. Visitation with the family present will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, at the FCRC. Visitation will also resume one hour prior to the funeral service at FCRC on Wednesday.
- Jan 17: Jodi Ackerman's mother is being discharged from the hospital today. Thanks for your prayers.
- Jan 17: Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Garry Van Zee who passed away yesterday. He was Janae Marcus' father. Please keep Janae, Matt and their whole family in your prayers. Funeral details are pending.
- Jan 17: Laura Thesenvitz relates the following, quoting: “Not the update that I want to make but I one that needs to be made to ask for some much needed additional prayers. I will attempt to summerize as best I can, but my brain is struggling to wrap around all that has happened and is seeming to heppen in rappid fire.. Anyway, this all revolves around that the wound that we have been battling to treat on Christopher’s coxis or tailbone area- it has progressively been getting worse over the past 5 months. He has been seen and treated in the wound clinic and even had a surgical debridement procedure approved by insurance and scheduled with plastics on Monday. However, starting last weekend this got kicked off with a clogged catheter that forced an in-home self removal and replacement of his catheter- he was able to do this successfully and cleaned it in betweeen but was still seen Monday for a sterile replacement and by Tuesday evening started having a fever. Assumed it was possibly a UTI from the catheter incident called to check on the UA that was collected and the culture wasn’t yet available, but the doctor started him on an antibiotic because of the fever. By the next day the culture showed they picked the wrong one, so back to the pharmacy I went to pick up the NEW antibiotic and the fever persisted on and off.. Thursday He noticed some slight changes in his scrotal region and by Friday morning had shocking and significant swelling and fluid retention as well as sever chills and fever in the morning. So Friday mid afternoon we went to see an available family practice doc. She pulled a white count and additional UA and gave him a booster dose of antibiotics and let us go home. As Christopher was waking up from resting and I was putting dinner on the table the PA called him direct, on the results from the bloodwork and was very concerned with the extreme elevate white count and stressed that it was concerning and highly recommended we go to the ER and that she would call ahead and set up his chart notes prior to our arrival. We opted to follow her recomendation and once we arrived in the ER it seemed like things started to continue down hill rather quickly. His blood pressure began to trend down, and then there seemed to be a lot more attention from his nurses and lots and lots more labs being drawn. His Hemoglobin was even lower than it had been earlier in the day and white count higher.. and his blood pressure was bottoming out... he was starting to win himself prizes he didn't imagine were in his plan for the near future.. starting with a blood transfusion. He also got lined up with CTs and blood cultures and met more docs. The doc came in to talk with us and told us he had a severe infection – and his CT was showing findings consistent with Fournier's gangrene, a type of bacterial infection and a severe form of necrotizing fasciitis. Not only did he win a stay in the hospital, he won himself an emergency surgery. Emergent debridement to clean out the infection and dead tissue to stop the spread asap. Not exactly the jackpot of winning big we were ever hoping for.. He went into surgery early hours of the morning and spent just over an hour in surgery and the doctor said they were able to clean out the wound and infection currently with three entry incisions - connected with drains currently. They will remain packed and watch closely the next couple of days and likely need to reopen and clean/ re-explore again in a couple/few days depending on how he does. They will watch him closely and his blood pressure as well. He is in ICU for the time being so I ask for no additional visotors for now but just lots of extra prayers. This will be a tricky and difficult recovery so praying for NO MORE complications. Praying patience. Praying for wisdom, strength and grace. Pray for my stamina - it’s been a LONG time since I’ve pulled nearly a full 24 hours awake day.. I don’t care for it. I’m tired - also why my typing may not make the most sense or autocorrect may get the best of me.. Pray for our kids. But mostly, I pray for my Chrstopher. For his comfort – mental, emotional and physical. This is a long hard road and I love him so. Thank you for your support and love,-- Laura Thesenvitz”
- Jan 16: Ken Stellinga had the scan and he is now scheduled for the Whipple procedure surgery to be done on January 27. He will be in the hospital for 5 to 7 days afterward. Please keep him in your prayers. Thanks.
- Jan 16: Our condolences go out to William and Leah Herrick on the passing of William’s mother, Petronila "Wilma" Herrick. Leah is Arlan and Mary Burggraaf’s daughter. Please keep them in your prayers. Thanks.
- Jan 15: Jodi Ackerman's mother will be having a cardiac ablation on Friday (1-16). Please keep her in your prayers.
- Jan 15: Dar Keizer's Funeral Service will be held January 30, at 10 AM. That is Friday, January 30, 2026, at Community Reformed Church with a Visitation starting at 9 AM. Food and fellowship will follow. Jan 15: Joyce Tarrell reports that the biopsy has been done, and initial finding are encouraging. The final report will not be known for a week or so. Thanks for your prayers.
- Jan 15: Katie Thill relates the following about her baby, quoting: “Leroy had his esophagram today and not one drop of contrast went down. They still want to do the dilation next Wednesday because they will try to go through his G-Tube site, but the doctor wasn’t even sure that would work because it’s so tight. We do have an option to go in and surgically remove the stricture and basically start at the beginning, but my hope is that that’s a last resort. Our next step is most likely looking for a children’s hospital that specializes in esophageal atresia.—Katie Thill”
- Jan 14: Joyce Tarrell relates the following, quoting: "Tomorrow (Jan 15) I am having an endoscopy to get a biopsy of a small spot on my pancreas. This spot was found when they did a CT scan and found the big stone in my gallbladder. I again would appreciate any prayers said on my behalf and that the results will be positive. Thank you so much, Community.--Joyce Tarrell"
- Jan 14: Baby Leroy Thill remains in the NICU. He is now 9 weeks old. They will be doing more tests tomorrow and a possible dilation soon. Please continue to pray for him and his family.
- Jan 12: Dar Keizer passed away today. Our condolences go out to Bill Keizer and his friends and family. Funeral arrangements are pending. Please pray especially for Bill in his loss
- Jan 11: Jill Hanson's friend, Renee, is in ICU with a very serious medical situation. Please keep Renee and her family in your prayers. Thanks.,
- Jan 10: Jodi Ackerman's mother, Karen Christian, had heart aneurysm surgery yesterday (Friday). She is doing well. Please pray for her recovery.
- Jan 7: Joyce Tarrell relates the following, quoting, "I was discharged from Rehab today and it is so good to be home. Thank you Community for all your prayers. I am being assessed for home health therapy tomorrow. --Joyce Tarrell"
- Jan 7: Jodi Ackerman's mother, Karen Christian is in the hospital awaiting heart surgery. It has been scheduled for Friday morning at 7:30 at the hospital she is in. There is a possibility she could be moved to a different facility, and a different time/day for the heart surgery. Please keep them all in your prayers. Thanks.
- Jan 6: Jane Newmann's surgery for the knee replacement has been completed. She will be spending the night in the hospital. Please pray for her recovery
- Jan 6: Joyce Tarrell is scheduled to be discharged from the rehab facility tomorrow. Please pray for her continued recovery.
- Jan 6: Marv Vos has been discharged after his knee replacement and is at home. Please pray for his rehab.
- Jan 4: Marv Vos is scheduled for knee replacement surgery tomorrow morning (Monday Jan. 5) at 9am the Sioux Falls Specialty Hospital. He would appreciate your prayers for a successful, routine surgery. Thanks
- Jan 4: Jodi Ackerman’s mother, Karen Christian has been admitted to Banner hospital in Mesa Az for an aortic aneurysm. She will have open heart surgery. Please keep her in your prayers.
- Jan 4: Jane Newman will be having a knee replacement on Tuesday. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks.
- Dec 30: Kate Stellinga relates the following, quoting: "December 17th was the final round of chemo for dad and he had his pump removed December 19th after the last bit of his 3rd medication was infused. Dad said this last round wanted to be remembered as his side effects were pretty terrible. I surprised dad with a group of his biggest supporters as he rung the bell at the infusion center - a sign that hes completed this portion of his treatment! Christmas with the family was delayed due to weather, but we are so thankful we have that to look forward to this year. Plan moving forward: CT on Jan 13th, meet with oncologist on 14th, meet with the surgeon on the 15th. Hopefully have a surgery date nailed down! Thank you all for supporting Ken through this part of his journey. We hope you all enjoyed some Christmas festivities. We will be in touch. -Kate Stellinga"
- Dec 30: Joyce Tarrell has been transferred to Encompass Rehab. Please pray for her as she does the physical therapy and other therapies. Thanks.
- Dec 28: Baby Leroy Thill remains in the NICU. He is almost 7 weeks old. He is making progress, but will be in the hospital for some time. Please keep him, his parents Trevor and Katie, and his siblings in your prayers. Thanks.
- Dec 27: Joyce Tarrell has been readmitted back to Sanford today. She says she will be there until Monday or until a rehab space opens and would appreciate any prayers sent on her behalf. Joyce says, "God is in control and I trust him with all my heart. Psalms 46.1 “God is my refuge and strength. A very present help in trouble.”
- Dec 27: Please pray for Joyce Tarrell. She had the gallstone surgery and went home from the hospital yesterday. Today (Saturday) she says she is doing poorly at home and may have to go back to the hospital. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks.
- Dec 24: Gracia Harmsen relates the following, quoting: “Hi all! I have a new update on our dad’s cancer journey. He wasn’t due for his 3 month scans until next month, but due to increasing pain and significant symptoms, we decided to scan early. He had a scan Monday this week (12/22) and saw oncology pretty soon after. The scan confirmed what we figured we’d see: the cancer has spread. Specifically, to the lymph nodes in his abdomen and in the peritoneum cavity. [The peritoneum is a large membrane lining the abdominal cavity, acting as a protective layer that supports organs (like the stomach, liver, intestines) and allows them to slide smoothly, thanks to lubricating fluid, all while providing pathways for nerves and vessels. It has two layers—parietal (lining the wall) and visceral (covering organs).] This fully explains the increase in pain and discomfort he’s been having. What does this mean? Well, it means that the new treatment he started 2 months ago isn’t working. That much is obvious. We have decided to start a new treatment called FOLFIRI. This is very similar to the treatment he started with a year ago and was on until 2-3 months ago, FOLFOX. There are a few of the medications that are the same, but the specific chemo that caused him such severe neuropathy in the FOLFOX is replaced with another in FOLFIRI. He will have a similar chemo schedule: every 2 weeks, and will have a continuous chemo pump going for 2-3 days after. The hope is that by switching to a new chemo, specially one similar to one that he responded so well to, will stop (or significantly slow) the progression and improve quality of life. He will start this new treatment next week. In the grand scheme of things, while this isn’t the last option we have for treatment, this is likely the best remaining treatment. There are 3 “heavy hitters” when it comes to metastatic esophageal cancer, and this is the 3rd one. There have been people that have remained stable on this 3rd option (FOLFIRI) for up to a year, with decent quality of life and minimal disease progression. We will just have to wait and see how he responds to this one. After this stops being effective, there are some other “smaller hitting” options for palliative treatment, if need be. We’ll cross that bridge when it gets here. We’re right at 1 year since his diagnosis (Christmas of 2024) and he has done really well, all things considered. We were originally told he likely had 3 months, due to how severe the metastasis was. No one really expected the cancer to respond well to the chemo, so every appointment, every blood draw, every infusion, and every scan…we were all met with significant surprise. Now 12 months in, he’s still chugging along. He moves a bit slower than he used to, is a lot more tired, and sometimes is a bit more cranky than normal (lol)… but he’s still here. And for that, we are grateful. Whether this message meets you in the midst of great joy or immense grief, our family is praying that the person and presence of Jesus would be so very near to you this holiday season. Merry Christmas, from our family to yours.—Gracia Harmsen”
- Dec 23: Joyce Tarrell had a successful surgery today to remove her gall bladder. She is stable and recovering at Sanford hospital. Please keep her in your prayers.
- Dec 22: Joyce Tarrell relates the following, quoting: "I’m asking for prayer for me. Saturday I was experiencing severe back pain, nausea and lightheaded symptoms. I decided I should go to the Sanford ER to find out what was going on. After all the testing and six hours later, they found that I have gall stones, one 1.5 inches, and that I need surgery to remove my gallbladder. I was admitted to the hospital on Sunday. Because I am on blood thinners, surgery cannot be scheduled until my numbers come down. So we’re just waiting for everything to work so I can have the surgery. I know God is watching over me and has a plan for me. Thank you for your prayers sent on my behalf. --Joyce Tarrell"
- Dec 22: Rick Beckstrom had surgery for prostate cancer in March 2025. Recent tests have revealed there may well be residual cancer cells still stirring up trouble. His doctors are attacking this with hormone injections and radiation treatments. Please send prayers for good tolerance of the treatments with the goal of cancer eradication. Thank you!
- Dec 20: Ellen Garner relates the following, quoting: "Please pray for Ellen Garner - healing in airway after Dec 3rd injections. For Ellen's husband, Tim Garner, who will be having oral surgery for dentures on Wednesday, January 7. For successful surgery, and quick healing. For Ellen's mom, Carol Nelson, who unexpectedly had surgery this week to insert a pacemaker and is dealing with the pain and adjustment of that. For Ellen's dad, Eldon Nelson, who also went to the ER this week and has a twisted bowel. At this time they've decided to treat with medicine, not surgery. Thanks so much for keeping all of these needs in your prayers! Ellen"
- Dec 17: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: "Update on Leroy! It's been a long day for little dude, but he has been a rockstar through everything. GI agreed to do a dilation today. Surgery was scheduled for 11 and got pushed back to 4. They ended up not being able to complete the dilation due to it still being too small for the wire to get through, but this isn't a step back; it's a stepping stone. So now we wait, again, with faith and optimism. This is going to be a long road for Leroy, but God has a plan, and we're just along for the ride. --Katie Thill"
