- March 5: Dree Mayer had the upper endoscopy, but they did not find where the bleeding is originating. She will remain in the hospital and have a colonoscopy in the morning. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks.
- March 5: Lloyd VanEssen has completed his chemo treatments. Praise God. He will have a test again in a few month to evaluate how his bladder is doing. Thanks for your prayers.
- March 5: Dawn Taborda relates the following, quoting: "Kailee started the Consolidation portion of her treatment today. It was a long day with chemo in the morning followed by a Lumbar puncture with Chemo right after. This will be standard for the next 8 weeks. She tolerated it pretty well, just continues to be extremely tired. She really appreciates all your kind words and prayers. She truly misses working with the kids and staff at Precious Angels. She can't wait to come back! Kailee & Dawn Taborda
- March 5: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: "Big milestone for little Leroy today! He has been working hard on drinking his bottle. Today they gave him a 40 ml bottle with the 15-minute time limit and finished the entire thing right on time. However, Leroy clearly has a serious case of FOMO. Instead of focusing on eating, he’d much rather look around and keep track of everything going on! He also officially graduated from the NICU and moved upstairs into his new room today. The NICU nurses were sad to see him go, but it’s a big step forward. Now that he’s upstairs, he’ll be able to leave the room and go on walks in the stroller—which is perfect for our very curious (and very nosey) little guy. For now, we’re just waiting until the 16th to see if he’ll need a dilation, and we’ll go from there. One step closer every day!--Katie Thill"
- March 5: Dree Mayer is in the hospital with a GI bleed. She will be having an upper endoscopy this morning (Thursday). Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks.
- March 4: Jan McDowell had her total shoulder replacement today. She reports that it went well. She will spend on night in the hospital and then be discharged and she will be staying with a friend for a few days. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks.
- March 4: Rick Beckstrom has completed his radiation treatment for prostate cancer! He tolerated it well! He will be under surveillance for future. Thank you for the prayers!
- March 3; Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: “As of late afternoon yesterday, they removed his PICC line, so he is off everything! Leroy has been working hard on his feeds. They say he is a bit “uncoordinated” with his drinking, but also, he was still on some sedation, and had been doing better throughout the day as it completely wore off. Sounds like March 16th they will possibly do a dilation. They are wanting to see how it looks first, so while they are in there they will decide if he needs a dilation or not. After that, it’s HOME. As long as everything continues to go as planned, we should be able to discharge that week. With how well he has done out here, we are hopeful there will be no setbacks, and it’s smooth sailing from here.—Katie Thill”
- March 2: Jayne Knockenmus relates the following, quoting: "Prayers for my friend Shelly, she was admitted to the hospital last night after experiencing pain and blood in her drain. She underwent a procedure this morning to find and stop the bleeding. She is currently in ICU as they monitor her vitals and the bleeding. Please pray for the bleed to stop and she may return home. Jayne Knockenmus"
- March 2: Rachel Halverson relates the following about Anna, quoting: "Anna’s seizures seem to have started up again after a 1.5 year break. She had a seizure at school Friday afternoon and then again Friday night at home. We may have to adjust meds. And her doctor recommends she go in for an EEG and brain MRI, scheduled in a couple of weeks.--Rachel Halverson"
- March 2: Jeanette Jennings has ben discharged, and is in the Hospital at Home program were staff comes to her home to give her treatments. She is still quiet sick. Please keep her in your prayers. Thanks
- March 1: Carmen Van Middendorp's brother in law Brent Davelaar passed away after his battle with cancer. Brent's funeral is Tuesday morning in Ireton, IA. Please pray for the Davelaar and Van Middendorp families. Our condolences go out to all who knew him.
- March 1: Dawn Taborda relates the following, quoting: "Kailee is still fighting pneomia, but is starting to feel a little better. Still coughing alot especially at night and weak. Result came in from bone marrow test and there is still 1.7% of leukemia cells. We were hoping for zero. For the next 2 months, Kailee will have weekly IV chemo as well as weekly Lumbar punctures with chemo. Hopeful that this round willl knock out the last of Luekemia cells. Please send positive thoughts and pray for Kailee to get her strength back, tolerate the next rounds of chemo and that these rounds will bring her to remission. PS: Thanks to everybody that has reached out, provided food and send words of encouragement. We appreciate all of you!--Dawn Taborda
- Feb 28: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: “Not much to update. Leroy has been doing so well! He has been working hard on taking the bottle, and he took 16ml of his 40ml yesterday, which is HUGE for him! They are still weaning him off his sedation, so he still has his PICC line in, but once he’s off, we can take that out. Mom and Dad flew in on Thursday night with Jax so we could celebrate his birthday early (March 5). Monday morning, Trevor will fly back with my dad and Jax, and Mom will stay with me until Leroy gets to come home. We are excited to finally be able to get back to some sort of normalcy.—Katie Thill”
- Feb 28: Matt Meyer's father, Mark, will be having open heart surgery at Rochester. Please keep him in your prayers. Thanks.
- Feb 27: There are a number of people in our church, including Marcia and me, who have been stricken with flu-like illnesses. Please keep us all in your prayers. Thank you
- Feb 27: Please pray for Dick & Jeannette Jennings. Dick is recovering from the flu and Jeannette is being hospitalized for the flu. Thanks
- Feb 26: Jayne Knochenmus relates the following, quoting: “Please pray for my very good Friend Shelly VanPeursem from First Christian Reformed Church who was diagnosed with stage 4 Gall Bladder cancer. She has been fighting a high bilirubin count and until they can get these numbers down, they won’t start treatment. She is now in the hospital fighting infections. Please pray for strength, patience and free from pain. Both Kevin and Shelly can use our prays. --Jayne Knochenmus”
- Feb 25: Jennie Friesen is asking for prayer that her breast ultrasound comes back normal. Thanks.
- Feb 25: Dawn Taborda relates the following, quoting: “Its been a rough couple days since Kailees discharge from the hospital.. Covid was giving her a temp over 101, which is an automatic ER vist to check for an underlying infection due to her compromised immune system. So Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights we headed to the ER. She was not readmitted to the hospital but was given IV antibotics and sent home. Those that know Kailee know that she is not a fan of needles and at each visit they had to place an IV (for some reason they didnt want to use her PICC line) so she was not particular happy with them. She is feeling much better today, so hopefully Covid is finally going. Bone marrow biopsy result should be in later this week. --Dawn Taborda”
- Feb 25: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: "God is GOOD! We had the esophagram this morning, and everything looked good, and he drank the contrast from the bottle! He finally has all of his tubes removed and is allowed out of his crib to be held again. Later today, speech will come in and will start working with him on his feeds. This weekend/early next week, Leroy will be graduating from the NICU and moving upstairs. Once he is up there, he is free to get out of his room and prepare him for home. They are wanting to do another dilation prior to us leaving, so we will still be here for a few more weeks, but we are headed in the right direction to be able to go home! --Katie Thill"
- Feb 24: Sandy DeLoof injured her shoulder. The doctor reviewed the MRI and X-rays and surgery is not necessary. She will be doing physical therapy. Please keep her in your prayers as she also cares for her husband Tim. Thanks.
- Feb 24: Gracia Harmsen relates the following, quoting: “Two months ago, Dad started a new chemotherapy regimen, knowing it was the last of the “heavy hitters” available for his cancer. He wasn’t scheduled for another scan for a month, but as his symptoms became more severe and his pain increasingly difficult to control, we made the decision to scan early. He had imaging yesterday and met with oncology today to review the results and discuss next steps. We went into the appointment prepared for progression — and that is what the scan showed. In short, the cancer has grown and spread. There are lesions covering the outside of his liver, cancer throughout the abdominal wall, enlarged lymph nodes, and his primary esophageal tumor has increased in size. The doctors described his upper abdomen as “bulky” with disease. At this point, he has completed the three main frontline chemotherapy options, and they are no longer working. He has been given the option to try one additional treatment — an oral chemotherapy pill called Lonsurf. This is considered the last line of treatment. The doctors were very honest that the response rate is low. However, there are occasional outliers who respond well, and for those who do, it may offer an additional 3–4 months. After thoughtful discussion, Dad has decided to give the chemo pill a try for one month and see how his body tolerates it. We are going into this fully aware of the odds. At any point, if it becomes clear that it isn’t helping or the side effects outweigh the benefit, he will stop. When that time comes, we will begin the transition to home hospice care. Hospice guidelines typically indicate a life expectancy of six months or less, and their focus is comfort and quality of life. While this is a lot to absorb, it is not unexpected. We have known this season was coming and have tried to prepare our hearts as best we can. Dad is handling it with incredible grace. He remains ready to move forward — whatever that may look like. He is still able to eat (mostly soft foods), which feels like a meaningful win right now. We are deeply grateful for the community surrounding him. The rides to Sioux Falls over the past year, the prescription pickups, the meals delivered to his home — each act of kindness has carried him. We cannot adequately express how thankful we are for the way family, friends, and the entire community of Doon has shown up for him with such tangible love. As we step into this next month, we are holding everything with open hands. We believe God is not surprised by any of this. He has been faithful in every season before, and we trust He will be faithful now — whether that faithfulness looks like more time, more comfort, or the grace to walk through what lies ahead. We are praying for peace that surpasses understanding, for strength for Dad’s body, and for courage for each of us to live these days well. Thank you for continuing to pray, to show up, and to stand in the gap for our family. We feel it. We are leaning on the Lord, and we are thankful for each and every one of you.—Gracia Harmsen”
- Feb 24: Kate Stellinga relates the following about Ken, quoting: “Quick update - Dad had his post operative appointments on 2/18. He met with infectious disease (lung infection), oncologist and surgeon. The infectious disease doctor didn't think dad would need to be on the high dose anti-fungal meds much longer since he is no longer doing chemo and compromising his immune system. Oncologist and Surgeon both said they have never seen a case like Dad's before - imagine that!! Dad has never fit into a box and in this case, that is a good thing!! To have the cancer completely gone, pathology shows negative margins and NO lymph nodes affected....WOW!!! He surprised the doctors!! Couldn't have had a better report. As far as healing, Dad is moved in with us. He navigates a household of 6 kids (soon to be 7), 2 dogs, 1 cat pretty well! Thankfully he has had many days of nice weather to get outside to go for walks. He has his set up with a bathroom, big closet, his recliner, bed, t.v. fridge, etc in his room....and all the kids/animals love having Grandpa around. His staples were removed from his incision and that is healing well. His biggest hurdle is probably gaining some weight back! He isn't able to eat a ton in one setting as he gets full fairly quick. His diet/appetite also affects his diabetes/glucose numbers, so that is also been a little tricky. Overall, this has been such a rollercoaster, with the best possible ending. He will continue to have labs and imaging every 3 months for the next little bit. Please feel free to set up a visit, phone call, text or card to Dad. Thank you all for walking this journey with him and lifting him up in prayer. He has a new lease on life and I think he's excited/anticipating what God's bigger plan is. Good lesson for all of us. Take care.—Kate Stellinga”
- Feb 24: Harlan Van Meeteren is now in home hospice. Please keep him, his wife Judy, and their family in your prayers. Thanks.
- Feb 23: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: “Leroy had a pretty good day! He only had a fever yesterday, and all his lab results are perfect. They’ve decided to hold off on his esophagram until Wednesday, so he can slowly decrease his medication and oxygen. I got back to work today, which was great to get back into my routine, so we didn’t get to the hospital until later. But he was awake and ready to play!—Katie Thill”
- Feb 22; Dawn Taborda relates the following, quoting: “Kailee was discharged from the hospital today. All her counts have gone up except her platelets which were low so she was platelets before discharge. She is still achy and tired but these are just symptoms of Covid and pnemonia. She will be on antibodics for a few days still. She is glad to be home! Hopefully we will get the results from her bone marrow biopsy tommorow and see what the nrxt steps will be. Thanks for all the love and support!—Dawn Taborda”
- Feb 22: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: "Leroy had a really good day. He was pretty happy the whole time we were there. They let us know that he should hopefully get taken off his O2 later today. Once we got back to the Ronald McDonald House, we got a phone call from the hospital, and in true Leroy fashion, he spiked a temp. They didn’t seem too concerned, but they started him on Vancomycin and are running tests to rule out sepsis or other infections. So far, everything has come back negative. Tomorrow, he gets his esophagram, and as long as everything goes well, we can finally hold him again and start feeds! Please continue to pray Leroy’s fever is just a fluke and there is no real infection. --Katie Thill"
- Feb 21: Our condolences go out to Junella Wesselink and her family on the passing of her nephew-in-law, Tom. She relates, quoting: "Tom passed away this afternoon on Tom and Tammy's 39th anniversary. Prayers for Tammy and her family. Been hard for them since Jan. 30 and will be for some time. --Junella Wesselink"
- Feb 21 Katie Thill relates the following about baby Leroy, quoting: “Sometimes life is hard to swallow,” and boy has this journey been one of the hardest. Sometimes the path that God chooses for us doesn’t make sense at first. This road we’ve encountered has been tough and some days felt uncertain, but we are so thankful that God knows what he is doing even when we don’t understand. As we keep our faith steady, we know that what is ahead is far better than what is in the past. Today we are beyond thankful that we have our sweet, smiling boy back! We still don’t get to hold him, as we have to wait until his esophagram on Monday, but we are so happy he is alert and happy! Tomorrow and into Monday, we are supposed to get 6-10 inches of snow out here, and the Ronald McDonald shuttle said they may not run. I also go back to work on Monday, so I will be splitting my time at the Ronald McDonald and the hospital. Please continue to pray for Leroy to remain happy and healthy from here on out. --Katie Thill"
- Feb 20: Katie Thill relates the following about baby Leroy, quoting: "Today has been a really good day for Leroy! He is off the vent, and we can finally see his sweet face again. As of now, he is unsure of what to think of it all. He is not able to have his paci right now, but they compromised and let him hold his emotional support puppy that is attached to it. We cannot thank each and every one of you enough for your kind words, prayers, and donations. We feel truly blessed with all of your love and support for our family.--Katie Thill"
- Feb 20: Junella Wesselink relates the following about her nephew-in-law, quoting: "Tom is breathing on his own. Paralyzed. At time when all said their goodbyes, Dr. said it would be a few hrs. God is in charge. Tomorrow is Tom and Tammy's 39th anniversary. --Junella Wesselink"
- Feb 20: Dawn Taborda relates the following, quoting: “So Kailee was diagnosed with Covid on Wednesday and yesterday she had a fever. We went to the ER and they ran some blood work and her White blood cell count went way done. She was admitted to the Castle last night. They just want to make sure that there isnt another underlying infection (besides Covid). She is getting antibodics and IV fluids. She will admitted for at least 48 hours. Kailee was lucky enough to never get Covid during the pandemic so these issues are new for us. She is extremely weak and is having trouble getting up on her own. Once she is up she is able to walk just slow. Hoping after these rounds of antibotics that she starts feeling like herself again. Thanks!—Dawn Taborda”
- Feb 20: Justin Hinks' step-father, Eugene Hlavach is being discharged from the hospital. Please keep his cardiac rehab in your prayers.
- Feb 19: Katie Thill relates the following about baby Leroy, quoting: “Things haven’t changed much today. They’ve been gently reducing his sedation. They started at 2 p.m., and by 5:30 p.m., he was slowly waking up. His little body kept jolting and shaking, which was tough to watch, but that’s normal when they take away sedation. If everything goes well tomorrow, they’re planning to remove his breathing tube. Early next week, we’ll do an esophagram to make sure there’s no leak, but as of now, everything looks fantastic!—Katie Thill”
- Feb 19: Today, Justin Hinks' step-father, Eugene Hlavach, underwent a high-risk cardiac procedure where the doctors placed 6 stents. That went well and he is recovering at the heart hospital. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. Thanks.
- Feb 18: Junella Wesselink relates the following, quoting: "Asking for prayers for nephew in law Tom's family. The family is with him at this time saying their good byes to Tom.--Junella Wesselink"
- Feb 18: Justin Hink's step dad, Eugene, will likely have a heart bypass today. Please keep him in your prayers.
- Feb 17: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: "Today was a pretty boring day (which we love!). Leroy is still in his medically induced coma and is doing so well! Me and Trevor finally got into the Ronald McDonald House, so we spent most of the day getting packed up at our Airbnb and then getting situated at the Ronald McDonald. Please keep praying for the boring days. --Katie Thill"
- Feb 16: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: “But God has surely listened; and has heard my prayer” Psalm 66:19. Leroy is out of surgery and it was SUCCESSFUL! They were able to repair his tracheomalacia and open up his esophagus to 5 mm! The surgeons said that he will only need to be in a medically induced coma for about 3 days. Next week we will have an esophagram, and as long as everything comes back good we can start working on feeds! From what the surgeons said; we may only need to be here another month, maybe less, just depending on how Leroy is handling everything. Please continue to pray for his recovery and that Leroy doesn’t throw us for another loop (because we all know he’s good about that). --Katie Thill"
- Feb 16: Katie reports that baby Leroy's surgery is completed and it was successful. Praise Jesus!
- Feb 15: Baby Leroy's surgery is Monday morning. Please pray! Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: “Not much to report today. Leroy didn’t seem to be in much pain, which was a huge relief. We made sure to get in all the last snuggles before he’s put into a medically induced coma for the next 7-10 days. Tomorrow morning, Trevor and I are planning to go to the hospital early so we can be with Leroy before they take him back for surgery. Then, we wait and pray that this surgery goes well and we can start the journey of recovery and coming back home to be a family again.—Katie Thill”
- Feb 14: Katie Thill relates the following about baby Leroy, quoting: “Yesterday evening, as they prepared to take Leroy for his CT scan, he experienced some breathing difficulties. They chose to remove his breathing tube before the CT instead of after. Once the tube was removed, his heart rate increased rapidly. It took some time to stabilize him, but once he calmed down, everything was fine. Early this morning, Leroy surprised us by developing a fever, which was a potential side effect from his procedure on Thursday. They conducted some tests and began administering a broad-spectrum antibiotic. So far, all results have been negative, and we are awaiting the culture results. Leroy has been more agitated today, which is expected after the procedure, but we truly miss his joyful, smiling face. Please continue to pray for Leroy, the doctors, and nurses.—Katie Thill”
- Feb 13: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting” “This morning I got a call that Leroy’s hemoglobin was low, and they were wanting to do a blood transfusion, but once they did this, his levels looked great. This afternoon, they will do a CT scan for his surgery on Monday, and then they can remove his breathing tube. As for his surgery on Monday: it’s going to be a big one. They called all the patients on the schedule and explained the situation, and they all agreed to reschedule their surgeries so that Leroy could have his surgery, which we are so appreciative of! They will start around 7:30, and it is expected to last until 4:30/5. The doctor seemed very confident in this, and it makes us so comfortable knowing that he has done many of these before. After the surgery, Leroy will be intubated for about a week, allowing his little body to heal properly. Leroy will need to have dilations after his surgery as well. They would like him to stay out here for the first few so they can monitor how they go. After that, we SHOULD be able to do everything else in Sioux Falls. He will also need speech therapy to help learn how to eat. This is going to be a long road for us, and our time here in Philadelphia is unknown right now. Please continue to pray for Leroy and for the doctors and nurses during his surgery.—Katie Thill”
- Feb 13: Katie Thill relates the following, quoting: “Leroy had his triple scope today (Thursday), and we did not get the news we were hoping to hear. Leroy has severe tracheomalacia. This happens when the cartilage is too weak and normally happens when you exhale. As we all know, Leroy marches to the beat of his own drum, and for him, his tracheomalacia happens when he inhales. They did try to dilate Leroy, and while they were attempting this, they found the stricture was a lot more thick than they anticipated. So while they were trying to dilate, they ended up puncturing a small hole in his lung, which caused some air to leak. He will be intubated for a while to allow that to heal. Our next step is to reconstruct his airway. He will undergo surgery at the beginning of next week. Right now, they don’t feel it is safe for him to be eating, so they will be placing a PICC line so he can start getting his nutrients. They will also start him back on fentanyl to help manage his pain. We understand that God’s plan is always the best, even when the process is painful and challenging. Despite these difficulties, we remain steadfast in our faith and trust that God’s timing is perfect for our little Leroy.--Katie Thill”
- Feb 12: Melanie Odens relates the following, quoting: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41: 10. Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalm 30:2. Praise the Lord God allowed Amber's scans to be clear. Thank you so much for all the prayers, love and care. With Love and Gratitude, The Poppen Family—Melanie Odens"
- Feb 12: Bob Sayler is now how from the hospital. He is on medicine for the A-fib and is recovering from influenza. Please keep him in your prayers.
- Feb 12: Steve Lee relates the following, quoting: "I was discharged late Tuesday so Becky and I came home that evening with some new meds and equipment. Hopefully we’ll see some ongoing improvement as we treat rejection issues.
Thanks for your prayers! --Steve Lee" - Feb 12: Melanie Odens relates the following about Amber, quoting: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you: I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41: 10. Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. Psalm 30:2. Have you seen the sunrises or sunsets lately? They are so colorful and beautiful. Each day the Lord paints a new sunrise and each night paints a new sunset. The Creator has also created his creatures to be able to create too. Amber is one of those. She can paint. Her hand is steady and her creations are beautiful. Sometimes she creates a "paint by number" and other projects she "free hands it." Where have you seen God lately? In creation or in the sky? Maybe somewhere else..."You're Here and I know you are moving..." I know He is moving and drawing our attention. I love this song so much (link above). It was shared with me recently from a colleague and it reminds me that God is instantly present and fills us when we need it. Tomorrow is a day we are asking you to pray for the Spirit to rest on Amber. She has a scan and those days bring up an "icky" feeling, an anticipation that only cancer does for the loved ones and the patient. If you are able to pray, her blood draw, scans etc., will be tomorrow/Thursday around 12:00. Please pray: *Praise-God's mercy for clear scans and health in the past. Requests: *clear scans for decades and decades * Amber's body continues to be cancer free in every cell *peace that passes all understanding for Amber as she waits *good health for Amber *any other cancer patients and loved ones who need the Lord's presence. We adore you all and appreciate all of your gifts of prayer. With Love, The Poppen Family—Melanie Odens”
- Feb 11: Bob Sayler is in the hospital with A-fib and Influenza A. Please keep him in your prayers.
- Feb 10: Harlan Van Meeteren has stage 4 stomach cancer. There are no chemotherapy or surgery options. He will be following with palliative care. Please keep him, his wife, Judy, and their family in your prayers. Thanks.
- 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.
