March 30th

Kirk and Laura had a good visit from Mike and Alisha. They left around lunchtime today. Laura said that Kirk ate a little more today and has had no nausea. It seems that everyday he improves a little from the day before. Prayers are certainly being ansewered. I am thankful for that. She said that he gets out of the room and walks down to where the computer is 2 or 3 times a day to check out the blog, so keep the comments coming. It is good for both of them to have a connection to home.

God bless.

Monica

March 30th

I talked to Laura around 11:00 this morning. She was getting herself some breakfast. She said that it is very busy in the mornings with Kirk. She is very happy because Mike and Alisha Huff are on their way up for a visit. They will be spending the night with them tonight. Mike is going to stay in the room with Kirk. Laura and Alisha will go somewhere for dinner and stay in a hotel. This will be good for Laura to get a nice meal and a good nights rest. She said that they are going to try to take some of the IV's away today. Take the nausea and pain meds from the IV and put a pain patch on and give him the nausea med by mouth. They are going to try to take some of the nutrition away and try to get him to eat a little more on his own. If everything goes well they may be back in RR next week. Praise God!

Monica

March 29th

I talked to Laura around 1:00. She said that Kirk had eaten some oatmeal this morning for breakfast. He got up and took a shower and sat up for a little while. He ate a little broth and drank some Ensure for lunch. So, it looks like he is starting to eat a little on his own now. She said that he actually looked like he was "filling out " a little bit, maybe gaining a little weight back. It is possible that they will be able to come home sometime next week. I noticed that some of the nurses from BRMC had commented on the post a few days ago. Laura had said that they had made some friends when he was out there. The nurses up in Cleveland are the same. They just love Kirk. Isn't that so typical of him to make friends no matter where he is or how bad he is feeling. They do have many friends and that is why I believe there is HOPE for Kirk. I wear my little Relay for Life bracelet everyday that says HOPE because he means so much to us and to his family. So, keep praying for his strength, and healing. He is in God's hands.

I posted the address to the Cleveland Clinic on the right side of this page at the top above Kirk's picture. If anyone wants to send cards, keep in mind that they might come home sometime next week you may want to go ahead and send them so that they will reach them up there.

Monica Patton

March 28th

Kirk and Laura really enjoyed their visit yesterday from Don and the boys. Kirk slept quite a bit yesterday though. He had a rough night last night. Laura said that he was up and down all night. His back was hurting and he felt bad. They started the nutrition through the IV last night so mabye that contributed to his sleeplessness. They are going to focus on getting some calories in him for the next few days. He will be getting Insure ( hope I spelled that right) starting today. The goal right now is to get him stronger so that mabye he can take his next chemo treatment. It is scheduled for April 2, but we don't know if he will get it then or not. It just depends on how this nutrition works out. Keep praying. I know that my prayers right now are that this is his low point and he will improve and get stronger.

Monica

March 27th

Just talked to Laura, Kirk is having a good day. He ate a popsicle and some graham crackers this morning. The docs are still saying if they can keep introducing some solid foods over the next couple of days and he does well then he will be able to come home.

He is resting up for his big visit from Don, and the boys. Blaine Rhodes, Don, Matthew and Chase are going up today to visit. I know that Kirk and Laura miss them terribly.

Pastor Jonathan just stopped by. He said that there was a little over 100 people at the healing and prayer service on Sunday and they collected about $500.00 for Kirk and Laura. After the service there was continous prayer for Kirk for 24 hours. Thank you to everyone that signed up and kept the prayers going. As I have said before the power of prayer is remarkable. God hears us and Kirk's health is in his hands. If you were not able to attend the service and wish to contribute you may do so through the church. You can send donations to Grace Lutheran Church - Justice and Mercy Fund at P.O. Box 478, Rural Retreat, VA 24368. Please indicate your contribution is for Kirk Heldreth on your check.
God bless you.

Monica

March 26th

I see on yesterdays comments that Laura has figured out that she can make comments. I am so glad that she can access this blog. It is so helpful for them to keep the communication line going. She said at lunchtime today that Kirk's white blood count is up over 1,000 now. There was a new group of docs in to see Kirk today. They are changing his meds. They are thinking this might be part of the reason for the nausea along with the chemo, the stint surgery, and the fact that he hasn't eaten for so long. They are also putting some "nutrients" in his IV (this is NOT a feeding tube). If he can start to eat for a couple of days they will let him come home. He is being moved into a private room sometime today. Laura said that she had a good nights rest last night in the hotel. The hot shower was nice too. She sounded really good when we talked today. Keep praying that Kirk will get strong and heal.

Thanks

Monica

March 25th

I talked to Laura around 4 pm today. She said to thank everyone for coming to the healing and prayer service this afternoon. There were many people there to pray for and support Kirk and Laura. The pastor had given her a copy of the service last week and she read it to Kirk this afternoon around 2:15 while we were here having the service. She said that he was not having a very good day today. He woke up sometime last night and was feeling nauseous again. She said they were probably going to do some more tests tomorrow. Look at the stomach and make sure the stint is still in place and do another CT scan of the stomach. They are talking about a feeding tube if he still can't eat in a couple more days. It has been about 5 weeks now and he really has not eaten much at all. Laura said that she will probably go a hotel via a shuttle bus tonight to get a good nights sleep and a shower. She found a computer in the hospital that she can access the Internet on. She can get on this blog and read your comments, but she cannot sign in to post hers. So, I will continue to do my best to relay her messages to you, and you keep the comments coming to them. Thank you again for everything everyone has done to help out.

Monica

March 24th

Kirk was feeling much better today. He was awake more than he was yesterday. Laura said that he asked for a bowl of cereal for breakfast. They wouldn't let him have that because they are trying to gradually get him used to eating again so he stuck with jello, sherbert and apple juice. She said he got up once and walked around in the room. Once again our prayers are being answered. Remember the healing and prayer service tomorrow afternoon at 2pm at Grace Lutheran church. Thanks for checking in on Kirk. I know they both appreciate everything everyone is doing.

Monica

March 23rd

The "immediate" relief that we were all expecting Kirk to have after his procedure yesterday did not happen. He was still pretty nauseous this morning. He slept most of the day. His white blood cell count is low. The docs say this is due to the chemo treatment. He is very weak, but hopefully he will start to feel better in a few days when his blood count goes up. He received blood platelets yesterday. Laura is staying with him in his room. She is sleeping in a chair. She won't leave him for very long at a time, only long enough to get herself something to eat. Please remember Kirk and Laura both in your prayers. He is struggling right now and he needs our prayers. Remember the healing and prayer service at Grace Lutheran on Sunday at 2pm.

Thank you.

Monica

March 22nd

Laura said that they got the stint in and everything went well. They took him in sometime around 2 pm and I talked to her around 6 pm and he was already up in his room. He was a little sick when he got out but that was probably from the anesthesia. She does not know when they will be able to come home but we hope it will be in the next couple of days. Thank God the stint was successful and maybe he will feel like eating tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and concern!!

Monica

March 21st

Talked to Laura this afternoon. She said that they are doing the stint tomorrow. She was not sure of the time, just sometime tomorrow. He is settled in a room and resting. She said that the doctor told them that after the procedure he would have immediate relief and he should be able to eat. Please continue to pray that the stint is successful and he does okay. Thanks.

Monica

Healing and Prayer Service

Please join us on Sunday, March 25th at 2:00pm at Grace Lutheran Church in Rural Retreat for a special Healing and Prayer service just for Kirk. The power of prayer is amazing. Together we will lift Kirk up in prayer. Please try to attend.

March 21st

Here's the latest. Kirk and Laura arrived in Cleveland around 5am this morning. Laura said the plane ride took 1 hour and 35 min. and Kirk traveled really good. He is still in the ER right now. They are moving up to a room very soon. He has seen a doctor and he said he can do the procedure to put the stint in to open up the tube between the stomach and small intestine. She said that they have already talked to several doctors. Thank God he is finally in Cleveland. I will pass along anything else I hear today.

God Bless.

Monica

March 20th

There really isn't much to report today. They are just waiting to be moved to Cleveland. They are hopefull that it will be tomorrow. Laura said that Kirk rested good today and is feeling pretty good tonight. She said that he got cold last night and she covered him up with the VT blanket that Buster had all the kids sign for him. That was a great idea. He is eating things like sherbert, popsicles, and jello. She said he seemed to really like the cold things. They sit better on his stomach. I faxed comments to them last night and again tonight. Keep them coming. Kirk likes to hear from everyone. It is good therapy for him knowing that everyone is thinking about him. Also, keep praying that God will make him strong and heal him.

Monica Patton

March19th

PRAISE GOD!! Our prayers are being answered. The tumor in the tube is benign! They are waiting for a room to open up for him in Cleveland. Instead of taking the helicopter they will be going to Tricities airport in an ambulance then a plane will take them to Cleveland. Continue to keep Kirk in your prayers. I will update you again as soon as we hear more.

God Bless.
Monica

March 19th

I am moving this picture back up to the top. I know how proud Kirk and Laura both are of Matthew and Chase. They are good boys. Matthew has been so strong through all of this and helped to keep the business and things at home going. This is just another reason for them to be proud. Laura said that today Kirk is in a better frame of mind. What a fighter! I think they both feel better knowing they are going to Cleveland. They are moving to Cleveland, OH via a helicopter out of Johnson City called "Wings" hopefully tomorrow or Tuesday. She said that they will probably put the stint in up there to open up the tube between the stomach and the small intestine. This is a risky procedure. There is a chance that the tumor might move into the bowel. Laura said that many of the nurses and even doctors in Bristol have become attached to Kirk. She said that they all talk about what a remarkable person he is and how they pray for his recovery. I am sure that you are like me and not surprised by that statement, because if you know Kirk you love him. He makes it easy. They both thank everyone for the support and prayers. Please continue to post your comments. I will print and fax these to Laura while they are in Cleveland. Your support and concerns really matter to them.

Monica Patton

March 17th

Laura asked me to post today. She told everyone in her last post on Thursday that they were going to run a light down in Kirk's stomach on Friday. They did this test late yesterday afternoon. The bad news is that they did find a blockage. It is a tumor in the tube between his stomach and the small intestine. This blockage is what is causing Kirk's nausea. Laura wants to go back to Cleveland, OH next week and talk to the doctors up there. They will possibly put a stint in to open up the tube. It is vital for them to open up this tube so he can eat and get the nourishment he needs to be strong enough to continue fighting. Please keep Kirk in your prayers. The power of prayer is remarkable. We all know how competitive Kirk is, and he will win this game with our prayers and support.


Monica Patton

March 15th

Hey everyone, I'm sad to say that we had another little set back today. The doctor decided to try to take Kirk off of the IV medications and put him back on the same medicine in pill form. He started out good, even ate a good breakfast but by 10:00 am things started looking bad. His stomach started hurting and the nausea started to return. He visited with Harpo and Barbara for a little while but started looking pretty pale. By lunch while Allen was there everything broke loose. He was really sick so they had to start the IV medications again. This always seems to calm things down but he sleeps alot.

Later in the afternoon the Doctor came in and told us that at this point he does not think the nausea is coming from any of the treatments. Now he is concerned that there may be a blockage in the small tube coming from the stomach to the small intestines. This is also where they did a biopsy and found some cancer cells about a month ago. They are going to run the light down in his stomach tomorrow to see if this is the case. If so, there are two options, a stint or a small procedure that is usually used to correct an ulcer. If not, he said that we would have to try some stronger drugs to get things progressing.

Kirk was sad because he really wants to come home. But if this will get him to feeling better a couple more days is worth it. As soon as we find out what the deal is, I will let everyone know.

God Bless!

March 14th

Well, we had a much better day today. Kirk was feeling much better and very chipper today. We had such a nice afternoon we chit chatted about everything. Something we hadn't done in a couple of weeks. He slept some but not as much as usual. The doctor told him this morning that he was going to change a few things because Kirk needed to be at home. He started today by giving him the last of his chemo through the IV. Orginally, he was going to have take chemo for ten days orally but the doctor decided that may be upsetting his stomach so he had them give him the whole treatment today. Kirk seemed to handle it O.K. When I talked to him at around 9:00 pm he was still doing well.

Tomorrow I think they are going to make more medication changes but we are not sure what it will be yet. Kirk still isn't eating much. He says that he doesn't have an appetite but I also think he is almost afraid to eat for fear of getting nauseous. I can't blame him but he really needs to eat. He had a few visitors today, his dad and Uncle Moon, Lee Alley (Russell Alley's brother), Chad and Mandy and Jim Jon and Regina.

I'm glad that everyone can check this site and thank you so much for the posts. They are very encouraging to Kirk and the whole family. Until tomorrow.

God Bless!

March 13th

Well today was a little better. They took Kirk down first thing this morning and put in a portacath. This goes in on the left shoulder right under the skin, so no more needles. They can use it for IV's and for drawing blood. He was kind of drowsy but rested really well all day. I only got to talk to him a few times but he was in good spirits. Pastor Jonathan was also there today. Now if we can just get him eating again he will be on a roll. Today he was just doing liguids and then as he feels like it he can go to more solid foods. The doctor said that he really wants to make sure he is functioning well before he comes home again, so it could be a few days.

People have really pitched in to keep things going here at the farm. This afternoon when I got home John Huffard was helping to get the plows ready for planting season. Casey Williams has been working of the mornings before he goes to his real job in the evening at Volvo. Then in the afternoons Kyle Kincer a Senior in Matthew's class who is doing Deca comes in and helps. Like I said if it were not for everyone's help we couldn't do it. Our thanks to all!

God Bless!

March 12th

Hey everyone, well things didn't go as well as planned. Kirk continued to get sicker during the evening and after three calls to the hospital at 4:00 am this morning they said to bring him in. We were afraid if we didn't he would get really dehydrated. So he is back at Bristol Regional. The doctor said that he didn't think it was the treatments but where Kirk has been sick for so long his digestive system is really having trouble getting back into a routine, so he said hopefully in a couple of more days he will be straightened out. I tried everything last night but there was no medicine that we had that was going to ward this off. So hopefully he can come home again in a couple of days. Thanks again to everyone for everything. The food, the gift baskets, the cards, the calls, for letting us use vehicles while mine is being serviced and for being such good friends. I don't know what we would do without all of you!

I'm going down early in the morning so I will let everyone know the progress tomorrow evening.

God Bless!

March 11th

Well Kirk finally got home today. He went through the first chemo treatment yesterday and did quit well. He was up at 6:00 am this morning getting ready before the doctor even came in. When he did come in at about 9:00 he said that he could go home and Kirk was ready in five minutes but of course with all the paper work it took about another two hours before we finally left for home. Once we were at home he had lots of visitors and probably stayed up more then he should. This evening he is having a little trouble with nausea but hopefully the medicine that we have will help keep it under control. I really don't want for him to have to go back to the hospital.

I will continue to keep posting so that everyone can continue to keep up and keep Kirk in your prayers.

God Bless!

March 9th

Today Kirk was feeling a little better. He is still sleeping alot but I'm sure that is from all the anti-nausea medicines they have him on. He is still eating but would rather sleep then anything. Chase was out of school today so he went to visit him today and Kirk was so glad to see him. His dad and Nancy were there when we got there and later Dave and Jamie came in. Other visitors were Willie and Jordan Hall, Shawna and Chelsie and Kirk said that after we left Donna Tarter came by. Tomorrow is the first day of chemo and I so hope he doesn't get sick. The doctor came by again this afternoon and said that everything really looked good and before the treatment began they would give him alot of medication to do everything that they could so that he wouldn't get sick. So lets all pray that he doesn't get sick and he can come home on Sunday. Before Chase and I left tonight he said that he really wants to come home!

I am going down tomorrow and will spend the night just so that I can be with him after his chemo. I will let everyone know on Sunday how everything went.

God Bless!

March 8th

Today Kirk had a little bit of a rough day because they ran another CT Scan and put a pick-line in because his veins kept collapsing. This new line will help because now he won't have to be stuck all the time. I finally got to talk to the Doctor this afternoon. This is what we now know, the CT Scan showed that the cancer has not spread so that is a good thing, also they have determined that the primary site is not the lungs or the colon. So they are going to use a chemo regimen that focuses on the upper GI Tract. Our Doctor said that this was better because it would be targeting a specific area. He also talked with the Doctor in Cleveland and they have decided to start the chemo on Saturday. This chemo will be given every 21 days along with a pill form that will be taken for 10 days of the regimen. He also said that if he took the treatment on Saturday and did not get sick he could come home on Sunday. So now I am really praying for him not to get sick but if he does at least he is in the hospital and they can help control it better. I asked Kirk how he felt about everything that was said and he said that he was O.K. with it.

I just want to say thanks to everyone for all of your posts. We love you all!

March 6th & 7th

I arrived at the hospital at about 3:00 pm yesterday afternoon. Kirk was asleep and his sister Jamie and his Granny Sult were there. For those of you who do not know his Granny Sult, she is 89 years old and just the cutest little lady. They left soon after I arrived and Kirk didn't wake up until about 5:30. He ate supper which was pork loin and some sweet potatoes, which he ate a little of, but he ate a whole piece of apple pie. We had a nice evening and we both slept O.K. The nurses do not come in as much when someone is there at night. This morning Kirk woke up at 7:30 am and was already wanting breakfast. He ate some cereal and a little oatmeal. So his appetite is coming back. The doctor I was waiting to see was off today, imagine that, but I talked to his nurse Paula and she had called Cleveland. They are sending all of their notes to our doctor here and she said as soon as they received them the two doctors would talk and decide when to start chemothereapy.

Kirk had a busy morning his IV had to be changed and he had several visitors, his brother Eddie and wife Rita, and Rhea Cole and Scotty Vaught from the County. He enjoyed seeing them. I also apologize if I leave anyone off when they visit. If I'm there, I will know you are there, but a couple of times I think Kirk was drowzy and didn't tell me when someone had visited. Sorry if I missed you but Kirk really appreciates all of the visits and cards and all of your prayers. His phone number is 423-844-2025 and usually lunch time is best for him. Thank you so much for the posts. I am going to print them each day and take them to Kirk. He will really enjoy them. He doesn't think he is important enough to have his own blog but we will have to show him otherwise. Thanks again and I will update tomorrow.

March 5, 2007

On Monday Kirk started the radiation treatments again. I got to his room at about 11:00 am and he had just gotten back. He was a little nauseous but they gave his medications and he basically slept all day. He still ate a little which is good. His Uncle Fred and Beverly drove all the way from Richmond yesterday to visit. He really appreciated that even though he was a little groggy. I am going out after lunch today to visit and spend the night so that I can talk with the doctor in the morning. You have to be there early to catch the doctors. So I will post tomorrow afternoon to let everyone know how he is doing today.

March 4, 2007

Kirk had a better day today. Still not his old self but a little better. They changed his medication and he actually started to eat some small meals today. Grits for breakfast, oatmeal for lunch and pudding for dinner. Not a whole lot but better than nothing. He also had lots of wonderful visitors today. Harpo and Barbara Hilton, Kenny, Sally and Kendra Tibbs, Linda and Curtis Vaught, Pastor Jonathan and his family, Chase, Marcus and myself and one very very special visitor Jasmin our boxer. The head nurse said she could come and visit and she really enjoyed seeing Kirk. Thanks again for the visits and prayers. I will update again tomorrow.

Laura