The Knife & Cork

11/28/2022

No words can express the heartbreak in having to make this post. Gina passed away peacefully this morning at Scott & White hospital in Temple. She has fearlessly battled severe illnesses for over 2 years now and has never lost her spirit and courage. Cannot imagine life without her, but we will learn from her example and be strong and resilient day by day. Thank you to everyone for all the support, prayers, and encouragement over the past 2 years. The service will be Saturday December 10th, at 10:00am at Riley Funeral Home in Hamilton.

11/17/2022

Since I’ve had several people asking, thought I’d post an update on Gina. She is still in the hospital at Scott & White in Temple. She’s been here for 31 days now. She has had a lot of ups and downs over the past month. We’re not sure at this moment when she might be able to be released. A lot of pretty serious things going on with her that they are trying to deal with. Seems like every week there is something new that pops up that has to be dealt with. She sleeps quite a bit and has had several tests and procedures over the past few weeks. I will try to remember to post on here when anything major changes. Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and concerns and checking in on us. We’re going to keep battling day by day.

10/16/2022

Another update on Gina. We were able to come home on Tuesday from Providence. Unfortunately, Thursday night and Friday morning some serious complications arose and we ended up going to the ER at Scott & White in Temple Friday. They placed her in the ICU Friday night and she is still there now. She has had a rough couple of days. She has been in a lot of pain and unable to rest for most of the last 2 days. Her blood pressure dropped to seriously low levels, but they feel like they’ve stabilized that somewhat. She is also dealing with sepsis in her blood and some troublesome issues going on with her insides. They are monitoring, testing, and evaluating her almost constantly. She has a whole army of specialists from many different areas working on her behalf. She is finally resting some this evening. Hoping for some quality sleep for her tonight and a better day tomorrow. We’re taking it day by day. Anyone that knows her knows she is tough, determined, and stubborn in everything she does. I know she will be no different with this battle. Thank you to everyone for all your continuing thoughts, prayers, and encouragement.

10/07/2022

Just wanted to update everyone on Gina. We went to the doctor in Hamilton last Thursday and were sent to the ER. From there we were sent to Providence in Waco. Gina had severe fluid retention, around 50 lbs of fluid on her. She is still in the hospital. We’ve had some specialists brought on board to try and figure out what’s causing the issue. A major issue with all the fluid buildup is it’s difficult to get accurate scans and tests done on her insides. She also has a severe buildup of ammonia in her, which can affect many things, but they feel they are starting to get that stabilized a bit. There is some thought that it could be connected to her neurological issue and it’s possibly affected some internal organs, but not certain at this point. They were finally able to start getting some fluid off of her a few days ago. She has lost close to 40 lbs in fluid over the past few days. She will probably remain in the hospital until they can get the fluid under control and get a better idea of what the issue is. Her previous condition has not improved at all. Thanks to everyone for all the thoughts and concerns for Gina over the past 2 years.

08/03/2022

Hard to believe, but December 3, 2020 was the last night that we spent together at home before this past Saturday. It has been a very hard 21 months, but it’s feels so good to be back home. My condition has not improved, but we are still working towards possible treatments and hoping for something that will help. My coming home would not have been possible without all the support that we’ve received from so many people in Hamilton, Gatesville and beyond. It truly means the world to us. As for our journey home, a huge thanks to Patricia Leach for driving us home so that Miles could ride in the back with me and keep me comfortable. Can’t thank my dear friend LeeAnn Lee enough for all her help over the weekend including her and Miles making an awesome homemade brunch for my 1st morning back home. Also, big thanks to Betsy Killian, Rockie Heers, Patricia Leach, Lu Burks, Jessica Ruffin, Gina Price Poe, and Tracy Bullard for the food and gifts that made this 1st week at home so much easier for us. And to all the friends and family that were lined down our street with welcome home signs as we drove down our street to home. And of course the best family support anyone could ask for. Thank you Nancy Sellers, Cathy Brumbalow, Ted Sellers, Barbara Sanders, and Kyle Sellers for everything that y’all did to make this possible. There are still plenty of challenges for us here at home, but we will adjust and figure them out day by day. Thank you to everyone for all the kind words and continued support. I promise we will never take it for granted.

07/05/2022

I think about you all literally everyday! Miss you a bunch. 🥰

06/13/2022

Just an update on Gina’s situation. The infusions that she had a couple of months ago have not produced any real change in her condition. We will be speaking with the neurologist in the next couple of weeks to try to figure out where to go from here. We have also decided to bring her home. Her condition has not improved at all, so she is still unable to get out of bed unless she is lifted with a Hoyer lift into a chair and her pain is still bad especially in her extremities. She can’t put any weight on her lower body and her hands won’t allow her to propel herself even if she is in her wheelchair. If anyone wants to come visit when she gets home, please check with us 1st since she obviously can’t answer the door if she’s there alone and her pain meds make her very tired at certain parts of the day. This is not an easy decision as we will have to figure many things out as far as her care at home are concerned especially when I am unable to be there. Thankfully we have close family nearby to help out. Our hope is that her being home will be best for her and her mental health. We will have to remodel our master bedroom and bathroom to accommodate her current situation and allow us to properly care for her at home. Of course, we’re hopeful she will be better at some point, but for now we need to deal with what the current situation is. It will be towards the end of July before this move happens. It is near impossible to properly say a big enough thank you for the benefits that have been done for her in Gatesville and Hamilton and so many people’s generosity. Because of that, we have the option to realistically bring her home. Thank you all again!

05/30/2022

05/08/2022

Missing all of you, but hoping you had a great day!

04/08/2022

Gina had her 2nd infusion of rituxan today. Everything went smoothly and so far no reactions of any kind. She is back at St. Catherine’s. She is extremely tired, but otherwise feeling okay. The doctors said it could be several weeks before we can really tell if it’s working or not. If it appears to be helping, she will have another round of infusions in 6 months. If it doesn’t help, we will have to go in a different direction. We really appreciate all the support that everyone has shown us over the past year and a half as we try to get through this difficult time.

03/30/2022

UPDATE: (3/28) other than being extremely tired, all is good. I’ll go back for another infusion on the 7th and since my side effects were mild it should be quicker than the last treatment. The doctor said that we won’t truly know if it’s working until a bit after the 2nd infusion. We truly want to thank everybody for all of the thoughts and prayers, hugs and kisses that have gotten us this far. Please continue this as we move onto the next chapter as we hope this actually does something positive. 🥰