Penny Pruim

Zweite Weihnachten (Second Christmas)

It’s been a while (over four months) since I’ve posted anything here. Not coincidentally, the last post was written shortly before the start of the Fall semester. But the…

Unfinished

Cancerland

Unless I stumble across another stash of writings – which is certainly possible – we’ll have to settle for the titles of volumes 2 and 3 of Cancerland and our imagination…

In all things give thanks

Cancerland

This poem was in the same Word document as the previous two posts. It appears to have been written in September 2018. Chemotherapy had resumed in August. Periodic checks of…

Living on Borrowed Time

Cancerland

This is the second essay I’ve found that appears to have been intended for inclusion in Volume 2: God from Stage IV. The Big Surgery was in November 2016. This essay was…

God from Stage IV

Cancerland

In early summer 2018 it appears that Penny began a project that was intended to be a follow-up to the Cancerland essays. I’ve found a table of contents for two additional…

Volumes 2 and 3

Cancerland

It has been a bit since I’ve posted. A few people have asked me how it felt to finish posting Penny’s Cancerland essays. A couple have asked if I planned to post anything…

Cancerland 12: The Trees and the Forest

Cancerland

This is the twelfth and last of Penny’s Cancerland essays. It doesn’t appear to have been completely finished, and I’m not sure exactly when it was written. I’m guessing it…

Cancerland 11: Loss, Anger, Lament

Cancerland

This is the eleventh of Penny’s Cancerland essays. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, 2016. Emergency surgery in February was followed by recovery, then 12…

Cancerland 10: Information Management (the TMI Chapter)

Cancerland

This is the tenth of Penny’s Cancerland essays. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, 2016. She had emergency surgery in February, followed by recovery, then 12…

Cancerland 9: Helpful Helping

Cancerland

This is the ninth of Penny’s Cancerland essays. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, 2016. She had emergency surgery in February, followed by recovery, then 12…

Cancerland 8: Do-Be’s and Be-Be’s

Cancerland

This is the eighth of Penny’s Cancerland essays. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, 2016. Emergency surgery in February, followed by recovery, then 12 biweekly…

Cancerland 7: Life A.D. (After Diagnosis)

Cancerland

This is the seventh of Penny’s Cancerland essays. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, 2016. Following emergency surgery in February and 12 biweekly chemotherapy…

Cancerland 6: The Face of Death

Cancerland

This is the sixth of Penny’s Cancerland essays. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, 2016. Following emergency surgery in February and 12 biweekly chemotherapy…

Cancerland 5: Kemosabe and Chemotherapy

Cancerland

This is the fifth of Penny’s Cancerland essays. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, 2016. In this essay she reflects on her first round of chemotherapy, which…

Cancerland 4: Against the Odds

Cancerland

This is the fourth of Penny’s Cancerland essays. She was diagnosed with colon cancer in February, 2016, and had chemotherapy that summer and into the fall. This must have…

Cancerland 3: What’s YOUR pain number?

Cancerland

This is the third of Penny’s Cancerland essays, originally written in 2016 and 2017, after her cancer diagnosis in February, 2016.

Cancerland 2: Curses at the Port of Entry

Cancerland

Penny spent January 2016 in Cambodia and Thailand with a group of Calvin students and two faculty colleagues. Looking back, we can see signs that she had cancer already…

Cancerland 1: Death, BC (Before Cancer)

Cancerland

I’m guessing Penny wrote this in November 2016. Her cancer diagnosis was in February, 2016, followed by recovery from emergency surgery, a summer of chemotherapy, and “the…

Anniversaries and Cancerland

Cancerland

Today would have been our 35th wedding anniversary.

In lieu of flowers, part 2

It has been a while since I’ve posted anything here. I’ve considered posting from time to time, but for various reasons, none of those posts ever happened.

In case you missed it

Memorial Service recording

Additional memorial service details

We will greet friends and family on Friday, August 23, from 4-7 pm at Zaagman Memorial Chapel (2800 Burton St. SE).

In lieu of flowers…

Penny has always enjoyed flowers. Flowers were one of her frequent “doodles”.

Endless song

Penny slipped away in her sleep in the early hours of the morning today.

PostHope recovery

Back in June the PostHope site went down. Since then the administrators of that site have been trying to restore a temporary version of the site so authors could download…

Big crunchy granola

This evening Penny was preparing to get out of bed and said “I want to walk to the big crunchy granola.” It took a bit to work out what she really wanted: to sit on the big…

Open door policy

Yesterday I asked Penny if she had anything particular she wanted to do or have happen in the next few days. Her response was that she would like to have the door and window…

Peaceful day

Today was a peaceful, sleepy day.

Falls and Fever

Penny continues to get weaker.

Lake Wobegon Days

It has been a (mostly) quiet week at our house.

Slow motion

Today (Tuesday) marks three weeks since Penny came home from the hospital and entered hospice care. I can’t decide if it feels longer or shorter than that.

Winding down

The last couple days have been relatively calm.

Update

We are now nine days into home hospice care and there isn’t a lot of big news to report. But it seems like it is time to post an update of some sort. So here goes.

Giving CaringBridge a try

Yesterday I spun up this blog because I knew how to do it quickly and easily and didn’t have time to investigate alternatives to PostHope.

Welcome to the new blog

PostHope

Blog

After a couple of weeks of funny behavior at PostHope, today the site says:

Hospice: First few days

Hospice

Our biggest challenge coming home was “wound management” around the GJ tube site. So we spent a good deal of time discussing that with the hospice nurse, doing inventory of…

Hospice

Hospice

We came home from Butterworth this afternoon as planned and a hospice intake nurse and social worker met us in our home shortly after we had arrived. Some new equipement –…

35 years ago today…

…Penny and I had the worst sunburn of our lives.

35 years ago today…

…Penny and I had the worst sunburn of our lives.

The news isn't good

PostHope

A little bit ago we had a conversation with one of the doctors -- the one who had been most optimistic yesterday. He is no longer as optimistic. We have bad news on pretty…

You don't have mail

PostHope

When I make posts to PostHope, email notifications are supposed to be sent to all followers who have notifications turned on. It seems that these email notifications have…

Familiar faces, very rare patient

PostHope

Penny remains in the hospital. Yesterday was consultation day with visits from palliative, wound, nutrition, oncology, internal medicine, interventional radiology, even a…

Back in the ER

PostHope

The last couple days Penny has been pretty painful around the tube site. The skin around the tube was becoming raised and tender, and any movement was painful. The…

Three-hour tour

PostHope

When we went to the ER on Monday we were hoping to spend perhaps 3 hours getting an infusion. But as with Gilligan’s Island, things didn’t go quite to plan.

Back in the ER

PostHope

Each Monday recently our visiting nurse Claire has come to check on things. Today she also drew blood.

Much better day today

PostHope

Today has been a much better day. Penny hasn’t taken any pain or nausea meds since last night, and the knitting has been out this afternoon.

48 hours

PostHope

Our care manager called the various offices and did some shuttle diplomacy for us. The two main outcomes were to discontinue tube feeds for 48 hours (starting yesterday)…

You’ve got mail

PostHope

I dream sometimes of a world where health care and health insurance work differently. One of those dream state differences has to do with billing. In that world, I would get…

Home has a better view

PostHope

Penny came home late yesterday afternoon. In the evening, her leg showed some increased swelling, and we were given “a low threshold for going to the ER.” But with some…

Room with a view

PostHope

The thrombectomy was done at 8:30 this morning and seems to have gone well. All the clotted material was removed and the stent is clear again.

No soup for you

PostHope

Today has been a waiting day. We weren’t able to get the thrombectomy scheduled today, but we are on the schedule for tomorrow. The time has moved from 2pm, to 11 am, to…

Streak broken at 41

PostHope

If I’ve counted correctly, we have slept at home for 41 consecutive nights. That streak looks like it will be broken today.

Tulips and cotton candy

PostHope

The last two weeks or so have mostly (with a couple notable exceptions) fallen into a somewhat predictable pattern: Mornings good, afternoons meh, evenings bad.

Post-eclipse update

PostHope

I haven't posted since Eclipse Day, so I figure it is time for an update. Here are some of the highlights.

Eclipse

PostHope

I hope many of you enjoyed the great eclipse yesterday.

Home again

PostHope

We got home about 7pm tonight.

Discharge delayed

PostHope

This morning began early. Overnight blood work indicated a number of issues. Penny's hemoglobin dropped below 7, several of her electrolytes were out of normal ranges, and…

Short stay?

PostHope

Things have gone pretty well today.

It has been busy with all the different teams stopping by (oncology, surgical oncology, nutrition, infectious disease, physical…

Likely infection

PostHope

I brought Penny to the ER this morning with a likely infection.

Status update

PostHope

We've been home about ten days now. I'm thinking this may be the longest stretch with out a trip to the ER in the last two months.

Back at home

PostHope

This afternoon we passed the final check — an ultrasound to check on clots in Penny’s legs — and were cleared for discharge. All electrolytes and hemoglobin seemed to be in…

Size seems to matter

PostHope

The new larger GJ tube was placed this morning and we have not changed the little 2x2 split gauze or needed a more elaborate dressing since. The G tube has once again been…

Upsizing

PostHope

Penny remains in the hospital. Consensus is that she can probably return home roughly 24-48 hours after we are sure there will be no more procedures during this stay.

Third time is not (yet) the charm

PostHope

Penny is still in the hospital, and it isn't clear at this point when discharge might be. There was talk earlier in the week that discharge could be as soon as today if…

No answers yet

PostHope

The scan didn't identify any sources of bleeding or any problems with the GJ-tube. That's good and bad. Some things that might have been challenging to deal with have been…

Spring Break | Goals | ER

PostHope

I'm writing this from the ER, and I'll get to that in a bit, after giving an update from the last week or so.

Home

PostHope

Penny was discharged this afternoon, and it's good to be home. The boring walks around the hospital floor were immediately replaced with some kitchen time to prepare a bit…

Couldn't have gone better

PostHope

Just got the report from the thrombectomy. After removing the clot, the vein was still completely collapsed, but they were able to inflate the stent and restore good blood…

Eight years of whack-a-mole

PostHope

Eight years ago today, February 23, 2016, we were in the emergency room at Butterworth for the first time.

Treatment plan

PostHope

Over the last 24 hours Penny's leg has continued to "inflate" and is now feeling quite heavy and can be painful if she isn't careful. In addition, she has some numbness in…

Nutcracker phenomenon

PostHope

We have the results of the CT scan. Two separate things were indicated.

Familiar faces

PostHope

You know you have spent too much time in the hospital when...

A test of time

PostHope

Two weeks ago at this time we were in the ER getting hydration. Here's a quick recap of the last couple weeks.

And we’re off…

PostHope

First week (mostly) at home

PostHope

Here are some highlights and low lights from the first week at home.

Home!

PostHope

I passed my home nursing test, and Penny was discharged just before 6pm. I’ve assembled the IV pole and pump, and we’re up and running at home.

Updated plan

PostHope

Looks like discharge will be tomorrow or Tuesday.

Discharge delayed

PostHope

Penny had a terrible night last night. Pain, nausea, discomfort. We seem to have that all managed better now, but it doesn’t look like we will be leaving in time for a 1pm…

Good days and less good days

PostHope

Yesterday was a good day.

Where’s my knitting?

PostHope

Today is off to a good start.

Off to a good start

PostHope

Today is off to a good start. After about 2am, Penny was able to sleep much better. The nurses let her sleep in this morning and didn't bother her until after 8am. At her…

A is for Apple, P is for ...

PostHope

Today was a "hospital busy" day, especially in the morning and early afternoon when a steady stream of folks stopped by to check on Penny. It's hard to succinctly summarize…

Things are looking good + Bonus procedure

PostHope

A few minutes ago I spoke to the doctor. Penny is out of surgery and in the PACU (post anesthesia care unit). I'll probably see her within an hour or so.

Difficult questions

PostHope

In the past few days, people have been asking questions that for various reasons have been difficult to answer.

Hospice

PostHope

As we expected, Dr Lakhani let us know that Penny is not currently healthy enough to be admitted to a clinical trial. His recommendation is that we use the next few days to…

Knitting

PostHope

A while back I commented to Penny that one of my diagnositic tools for how she is feeling is knitting. Penny likes to knit and doesn't like to "do nothing". So when she…

Surgery scheduled

PostHope

Yesterday we received the call from scheduling. The surgery to place a G-tube (or possibly a GJ-tube, if they are able) is scheduled for two weeks from today -- January…

5/10 done with radiation

PostHope

Today was radiation treatment 5 of 10. So far the radiation treatments have been uneventful. The effects of radiation are cumulative and lagging, however. So any side…

Making progress

PostHope

Thursday night I made myself some stir fried vegetables and Penny commented how good it smelled, but she wasn’t ready to try actually eating anything herself.

Radiation. Day 1.

PostHope

Today was the first of ten scheduled radiation treatments.

Preposition week: Ups and Downs and friends

PostHope

Up: Wednesday was by recent standards a good day. Penny took advantage to go out for breakfast with a friend in the morning, make Christmas treats with another friend in…

Spanish rice and shower chairs

PostHope

As expected, we received an electronic transcript of the reading of Penny's scan on Tuesday. The main take-aways are

Getting ready for a scan

PostHope

Penny's scan was moved up to tomorrow morning bright and early. (Arrival time 7 am.)

There's a drug for that

PostHope

It has now been a month since our last trip to the ER, but there have been some trends moving in the wrong direction the last couple weeks. In particular, Penny continues…

All the Ologies

PostHope

We are approaching 3 weeks without a trip to the hospital. It feels like it has been a long time since things were this "normal". But just because we aren't in the…

Home!

PostHope

And it’s more exciting than soup.

Soup!

PostHope

I keep waiting for some defining moment to post an update. The best I've come up with is that Penny had a bowl of soup this evening. That's the first "full liquid" food…

Back in the ER

PostHope

We are back in the ER with the now familiar symptoms of a bowel obstruction. The symptoms began yesterday evening. At her check-in today, she received some fluids, but…

Trial 3: Day 1

PostHope

Penny passed all the pre-flight checks and received her first payment infusion of the new drug today. We also discussed the scan Penny had last week. Not surprisingly, the…

Intake day

PostHope

We just finished our intake appointment. This involved numerous blood samples, an EKG, and some information exchange with one of the nurses. Yesterday Penny had an…

On to the next thing

PostHope

Penny was discharged at around 1pm, after getting a parting infusion of potassium and electrolytes this morning. We went directly from the hospital to the START clinic to…

Progress

PostHope

Yesterday was pretty unpleasant. But things are looking better today. Compared with other blockages, this one seemed to come on more suddenly and painfully, and the scan…

Change of plans

PostHope

Our meeting this afternoon has been postponed.

Looking up, looking forward

PostHope

Things have been steadily improving over the last couple weeks. Penny's weight has gone up each day for the last four days, and the amount of available energy each day has…

Ups and downs, and apple pie

PostHope

It’s been a bit since I last posted. That’s mainly because no day in the last couple weeks has had a particularly dramatic moment. It’s also difficult to see and describe a…

Exit interview

PostHope

Today was the official end of the second clinical trial. This involved an echocardiogram, an ekg, blood work, and a conversation with Dr. Lakhani. We added hydration for…

Battery: Low

PostHope

A week ago we were on our way to the ER because of a blood infection. Since coming home on Tuesday, things have been going pretty well. Pain and nausea have been mostly…

One for the road

PostHope

It looks like everything is set for Penny to come home this afternoon. The scan looks good -- no signs of anything getting worse, and a few things that look better. She's…

Report from Infectious Disease

PostHope

We just talked to a doctor from the infectious disease team. They have identified the bacterium in her blood (some long name I don't recall). Key facts about this type of…

Off to the ER

PostHope

Cultures came back positive and they want to start IV antibiotics ASAP. (Actually, I’m allowed to make her breakfast before we go, but then as soon as possible after that.)

So … tired

PostHope

Pain and nausea have both been better (though not entirely absent) this week. But fatigue has set in. Eating and drinking enough is also still a challenge, and Penny has…

Rx: Food

PostHope

Yesterday we met again with our oncologist and decided to discontinue the current trial. Based on Penny’s experience and the results from others in the trial, it seems…

Good news: It’s pneumonia

PostHope

I guess I should fill in the back story.

Good to be home, but...

PostHope

We got home about 4pm on Friday, and it has been good for Penny to be in her own space. But we are still dealing with pain and nausea that ebb and flow. Friday night was…

Heading home

PostHope

The last of several teams that needed to sign off before discharge just left. Everyone is on board with discharge today and switching to oral antibiotics, and pain and…

Tuesday updates

PostHope

A lot of things have been going on, so I'm going to organize these updates according to time scale.

In the ER

PostHope

After stopping the study drug on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday were quite a bit better than the 10 previous days. (Back to "queezy" rather than "nauseous".) But late…

Taking a Break

PostHope

The last 10-14 days have been pretty lousy, with nearly perpetual nausea (sometime more severe, sometimes less) and increased fatigue. This has also made eating difficult…

Stable-ish

PostHope

We haven't posted in awhile, in part because there haven't been many events of the sort that naturally trigger a post. And when people ask us how things are going on the…

On the clocks

PostHope

Today is another long clinic day, beginning and ending with a dose of the study drug and interspersed with blood draws and heart monitoring.

36 hours in

PostHope

We are now 36 hours and four doses into the new trial. There was some fatigue and mild nausea yesterday, but less of both today. All in all, things seem to be off to a good…

By the numbers

PostHope

Today is day 1 of the new clinical trial. At least we hope it will be (see 60, below).

Signing on the dotted line

PostHope

Yesterday Penny signed the consent form for the new study. Today we received the treatment schedule. The first treatment day will be May 31, and there will be a visit to…

Full speed ahead

PostHope

The treatment on Wednesday went much better than the previous two. Penny was pretty much back to normal the next day and has had a busy couple days of work, supported by a…

Last treatment?

PostHope

It is possible that today will be Penny's last immunotherapy treatment and that she will begin a new trial in a few weeks.

Add nausea

PostHope

One of the pleasant advantages of immunotherapy compared to chemo therapy has been the relative lack of nausea. Typically the anti-nausea meds that are given prior to the…

Cycle 5, Day 1

PostHope

The immunotherapy proceeds in 6-week cycles with treatments on days 1 and 22 of each cycle. Today is day 1 of cycle 5. (For those scoring at home, this means Penny has had…

Steady as she goes

PostHope

There hasn't been much to report the last few weeks, and that's usually a good thing. But since it has been a little while since we posted, here's the unexciting update...

Change in protocol

PostHope

Yesterday when the scheduling nurse called we learned about some changes to the protocol. Because things are going smoothly, the between-treatment check-ins will be…

On to Cycle 3

PostHope

The summary of the scan was "no measurable growth", so we are on to cycle 3. The hope is that we will continue with these 6-week cycles for a while. Each cycle will have…

Cycle 2 winding down

PostHope

Today was the last weekly check-in for cycle 2. Tomorrow we get to brave the snow storm to get to the hospital for a CT scan. Assuming there are no negative indications on…

Grace's December Treasure

PostHope

You may wonder what we do when we aren't posting here. Well, here's a partial answer:

Cycle 2 begins tomorrow -- we think

PostHope

The clinical trial runs in 42-day (6-week) cycles. Each cycle includes 2 treatments days, 3 weeks apart. At the end of each cycle there is a CT scan to see what the cancer…

Cycle 2 underway

PostHope

As expected our conversation with the Dr. this morning included the word "stable" many times. Cycle 2 has begun. The Benadryl nap will begin soon.

All systems go for round 2

PostHope

The pretreatment bloodwork came back “absolutely fantastic”, so treatment proceeded according to schedule today. As was the case three weeks ago, there was a…

Round 2 this Thursday

PostHope

The last couple weeks have been largely uneventful, with no negative indicators at the weekly check-ins.

Long, boring day

PostHope

The day ended up being even longer than we expected.

And we're off...

PostHope

We arrived at the START clinic a bit before 8am this morning. Currently Penny is in the "pre" phase -- a couple hours of fluids followed by 30 minutes of some…

New start date

PostHope

A scheduling glitch has led to a new start date for the clinical trial: Wednesday, October 5.

Home again

PostHope

Penny was discharged this afternoon.

Steady as she goes

PostHope

Just a quick update. Reintroduction of food is going well (no steps backwards), and it is possible that Penny could be discharged as soon as tomorrow or Thursday. She is…

In the ER

PostHope

Penny has been struggling with gut attacks since Thursday morning and this afternoon we were sent to the ER. Results of the CT scan indicate a “high grade obstruction”.

Gi…

Progress

PostHope

About 45 minutes ago we suddenly had an indication that the blockage may be resolving on its own. Penny is feeling much better.

Signed on the Dotted Line

PostHope

Today we had our rescheduled consent meeting with Dr Lakhani and Penny signed on the dotted line. This initiates the official "screening phase", which will involve some…

Postponed

PostHope

Our consent meeting needed to be rescheduled, so that didn’t happen today as originally planned. Likely it will be next week sometime.

We’ve Been Matched

PostHope

We found out today that Penny has been matched to an immunotherapy clinical trial. We have a “consent appointment” next Thursday at which we can ask questions and decide if…

Therapy Tutorial

PostHope

Monday’s meeting ended up giving us an overview of the kinds of studies that might be available and some information about how the process goes. Dr Lakhani is keen to start…

Monday we find out more

PostHope

Penny had some blood work done last Friday and a CT scan this Wednesday. Today the researchers at START Michigan will be reviewing her case to see what clinical trials might…

Exploring Options

PostHope

We met yesterday with our oncologist. It looks like we basically have two options: return to the chemo we have been using for the last 5 years (possibly adding in some…

1 Month

PostHope

Surgery was one month ago today. We celebrated with a trip to John Ball Park Zoo with Hannah and Andrew. Penny rode in a wheel chair, but enjoyed her first real outing.

Post Op Check-In

PostHope

Yesterday we met with the palliative care team (nausea and pain) and this morning we had the first post-op check-in at the surgeon's office. Everything is looking good, and…

Settling in

PostHope

The first few days at home have gone well.

Home!

PostHope

Penny was discharged a bit before noon today. She seemed to enjoy “real food” for lunch.

Nutrition

PostHope

It's been all about nutrition the last couple days.

Good to go home (almost)

PostHope

We just talked with Dr Chung, who is covering for Dr Assifi while she’s on vacation. We are good to go home anytime, but…

Sunshine on my shoulders…

PostHope

… makes me happy. (J Denver and pdp)

Progress

PostHope

The last 24 hours have been nausea-free, and Penny was able to eat at least a little at all three meals yesterday. So that’s good progress.

Twists and Turns, Ups and Downs

PostHope

The short description of the last two days is that the good parts of the day are getting a bit better and lasting a bit longer, but they are still interrupted by bouts of…

Are we there yet?

PostHope

If you mean Are we still in the hospital? then the answer is yes. If you mean Are we about ready to go home? then the answer is still no.

The last couple days have been a…

I think I’m hungry.

PostHope

After a Benadryl-assisted nap this afternoon, Penny woke up feeling much better. Her first words were “I think I’m hungry.”

It’s Complicated

PostHope

Yesterday was another day of nausea, so we’re taking some steps back.

Unpleasant, But Temporary

PostHope

Here's your medical term for the day:

Nausea

PostHope

Penny continues to make slow progress, and the pain is lessening pretty consistently day to day. But today has been a big struggle with nausea. So we’re making steps forward…

Inchstones

PostHope

Today was marked by checking off lots of little things that need to happen before heading home.

Slow Progress

PostHope

That’s the goal for the next couple days.

What a Difference a Day/Drug Makes

PostHope

Things are going much better this morning. No nausea. Normal blood pressure. Good pain control. The switch from dilaudid to fentanyl seems to have been a good one.

Nausea, Pain, Blood Pressure -- Pick Three

PostHope

Since last night we have been trying to triangulate controlling pain and nausea without having Penny's blood pressure drop. The good news is that we found a good dose of…

First Walk

PostHope

After a nausea- and pain-filled day, Penny managed to walk about 10 or 15 feet and then sit for awhile. That probably had more to do with her determination to do it than…

Today will be the worst day…

PostHope

But then things will start getting better.

Challenge Accepted

PostHope

Penny managed to sit in a chair for about an hour and a half. It seemed to go pretty well. Her official status has gone from “up with 2” to “up with 1”, meaning she needs…

Day 2 Goals: Deep Breaths, Pain Management, Getting Up

PostHope

We are now in the surgery recovery phase. We aren't exactly sure how this phase will go. To some extent, that is true with any surgery. But had the full surgery been…

Surgery is done

PostHope

I talked with Dr Assifi at around 11:45. The surgery was over. Much of what we hoped would happen could not be done because there was too much scar tissue and too much…

In surgery...

PostHope

Penny was wheeled away to surgery a little after 7:30 this morning. The surgery itself should be starting just about now. The two main objectives of Dr Assifi are (1)…

Surgically Optimized and Ready to Go

PostHope

Last week we had an appointment with the surgical optimization team. That’s a new thing for us this time around.

Surgery scheduled for July 11 (and how we got here)

PostHope

Here's a short version of how we got here (since some of you might not know):

START HERE - Welcome to Penny Pruim's care page

PostHope

This site is for family and friends who want updates on how things are going. We're new to this platform, but here's a quick overview of how PostHope works. (Let's assume…