Recker Family News May 2014

Just wanted to give you all an update on Mark's health.  I apologize for the lapse in blog updates.  It is hard to put in writing the changes we are seeing and I just haven't been able to share information that is not necessarily positive.  It's so much easier when there is good news to report.

Mark is spending progressively more time in bed or on the couch sleeping.  I would say he sleeps 18-20+ hours a day.  He has received 2 infusions of a drug that is supposed to inhibit tumor growth by blocking blood supply to the tumor.  His first infusion went well; his second infusion seemed to go well until the following morning when he woke up early with nausea, vomitting and severe headache.  I could not get his symptoms under control and ended up taking him to the ER.  The Dr. debated about whether or not to keep him overnight and left it up to me.  I wanted to make sure he was comfortable and didn't want to have to come back if things went south, so we stayed overnight to get him re-hydrated and get his pain & nausea under control.  He came home the next morning, Mother's day. 

Since then, he has not fully recovered as far as his energy level.  His headache pain seems to be slightly better.  We saw his oncologist last Friday.  He's ordered an MRI for sometime in the coming weeks to see how his brain looks, checking for tumor growth or change. 

He doesn't go out much as he just doesn't have the energy.  I would like to believe that he's just having a temporary set-back, but my training and intuition tell me otherwise.  These setbacks have been rough.  This is especially hard on the family; the boys see their Dad everyday and see the subtle changes and the big changes too.  We still tentatively hope for a miracle, however sometimes always hoping that tomorrow will be better is exhausting and disappointing.  This is just hard, and we are weary. 

Thanks to the many folks whose efforts to see that the  Silver Crest sign was completed. Mark had all of his extended family members go up to see it about a week ago. That meant a lot to Mark to be able to show them that.  He is a humble man, but I know he was so proud to be able to show his family the legacy he has left in the Silver Crest and also the Pratum communities.  The sign dedication ceremony at Silver Crest was also very much appreciated.  It was so nice for Mark to see his vision had finally come to fruition.  It was so great to have the students, parents and staff there to celebrate with us.

Mark at the Silver Crest Sign Dedication May 2014

We have hired a caregiver that will be here for Mark's care on days when I work.  As Mark's condition changes, we wanted to have someone in place who knew him and knew our family and I did not want to have to scramble for help when we really needed it.  Even though the boys would never say it, I believe the responsibility of caring for their dad while dealing with the grief and anticipating the loss, was too much to put on them. This will allow them time to just "be" with him.  This was a hard step for us to make, but feel it will be best for all of us.

We are by no means giving up. We continue to see his oncologist & neuro-surgeon and pursue treatment.  The MRI will give us a clearer picture of what is going on and what our next steps will be.  

It is possible that Mark will have an upswing and be able to spend more time awake and engaged.  If you would like to come for a visit, please let me know.  I try to pace his activity and visitors so that he doesn't get too overwhelmed and exhausted.  I will do my best to accomodate.  Please email me if you'd like to set something up.   Also, if you would like to respond to this blog, it is best to send an email rather than write comments here as we check our email daily and don't check the blog regularly.

Other news: Noah will graduate from Canby High School in June.  We are very proud of him and look forward to celebrating this milestone! His is working in a program through Clackamas County called Green Corps Fresh.  He works every Saturday at the Oregon City Farmer's Market selling espresso, smoothies and will eventually sell organic, locally grown produce.  It is a great program and he is learning a lot.  As one of the group's leaders, Noah is well-respected for his work ethic and commitment to making the program a success.  We are so happy to see him learning and excelling.  Way to go Noah!

Noah Thomas Recker

Thank you all for your love, prayers and support.  Continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Spring 2014

Keenan, Moses, Noah, Mark & Tyler. Cannon Beach, March 2014.

It’s been a while since we’ve updated the blog.  We’ve been hesitant, not because things are necessarily bad, but there’s no significant news to report.  I wish I could say that Mark is improving but progress is slow and hard to measure.  We take things one day at a time around the Recker house and sometimes hour by hour.  If Mark is having a good day, we try to make the most of it by spending time with the boys, Becca & Moses.  If it’s a “bad” day, we lay low, clear the calendar and allow Mark to rest.  Thank you all for understanding this; it’s not easy to turn away friends and family who want to visit but we are trying to pace Mark’s activity and rest so he doesn’t get too overwhelmed.  His fatigue can be debilitating at times. 

Mark is very encouraged by the sign construction under way at Silver Crest Elementary.  Amber Stutzman has been posting pictures on Facebook to keep us up to date on the progress (thank you Amber!).  The sign is the realization of a dream of Mark’s for his school and seeing it actually happen has made him very happy.  We are looking forward to seeing it in person soon. 

Sign construction at Silver Crest Elementary, March 2014.

We spent a few days at Cannon Beach to celebrate the boys’ March birthdays.  We rented a house that accommodated all of us. We enjoyed eating meals together, playing cards and even spent some time on the beach (in between the rain downpours)!  It was good to get away and  having everyone close was comforting.  We needed that. 

Mark’s treatment continues to be an oral chemotherapy pill for 5 days/month.  He has MRI’s about every 2 months to monitor how the tumor is responding to treatment.  We try not to live and die by these reports but rather take each day as it comes.  It's an emotional roller coaster to live any other way. 

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.  We are grateful for your kindness and words of encouragement.  Keep your cards, prayers and encouragement coming!

Cannon Beach, March 2014.

Happy New Year from the Recker's

Blazer Game December 2013

3rd Annual Express Christmas 2013

Happy New Year Friends & Family!  We wanted to give you a sampling of some of the highlights from the Christmas season.  There's a few pictures here to show you what we've been up to.

As the Trailblazers got off to a great start this season, we've been faithful, loyal, enthusiastic fans, watching every game we can and going to a few as well.  Mark & Kelley went to a game in early December.  It was a great outing and we were so grateful that Mark was feeling up to going.  We've determined that our grandson, Moses, is the key to the Blazers winning, particularly when the game comes down to the fourth quarter.  He has a red and black hat and Keenan & Becca make sure he's wearing it when the Blazers play.  Since this ritual started the Blazers have not lost a game.  Fellow Blazer fans, you're welcome!  :)

Moses with his lucky Blazers hat.

Cutest Baby Ever, and his parents

One of our family traditions, "Express Christmas", started 3 years ago.  The idea is to do a variety of Christmas related activities in a short period of time.  We decide ahead of time what the categories will be and then pick names out of a hat to determine the teams.  This year Becca, Noah & Kelley had Christmas train set-up and decor, Taylor, Keenan & Lexie (Noah's girlfriend) had dinner prep and Mark & Tyler had Christmas tree set-up and decoration.  We set a time limit, usually 1 1/2 hours to complete each task, then we sit down for a meal together prepared by the Dinner Team.  It's a fun way to kick start the Christmas season and we have a great time working together to pull it off.  After dinner we worked on gingerbread houses together.  It was a great evening and a memory-maker.  Sometimes I think we have the best kids on the planet--always willing, eager and excited to do these silly things their parents come up with.  :)

Please continue to keep Mark in your prayers.  Overall, he is doing well despite ongoing fatigue and headache pain.  He had a minor setback in early January and fractured a vertebrae in his back.  The prescription for healing is rest, ice, heat and time.  We will check back with his Dr. in about 4-6 weeks to have his back x-rayed.  Right now, it is not causing any more than minor discomfort.  Mark is planning to get on his recumbent bike again very soon.  It's hard to keep him down for too long!  Thank you all for your continued words of encouragement, cards, emails, prayers and not least of all, food. We are blessed and can see God's grace and kindness all around us; often it is in the words of encouragement or acts of kindness from friends, family and even strangers.  We hope that you all are experiencing some of that in your lives too.
                                                                     

Gratitude

Family Beach Trip 2013

Mark & Noah,  Lincoln City

Mark & Kelley

We realize it has been a while since we've updated the blog with news of Mark's health.  While we understand that friends and family want to know details, it is hard to know exactly how much to say.  Also, things change quickly with Mark, sometimes there are big changes even within the course of a single day or hours.  We've also learned not to live and die by the words of Mark's doctors.  We found ourselves on an emotional roller coaster; we've got to remember that despite what the doctors say, we can still hope and pray for a miracle and we ask that you all support us in that. Pray, pray, pray!  Thank you!

Right now, Mark is stable.  His most recent MRI showed no tumor growth since the last MRI 6 weeks prior.  That is something we are thankful for!  He will continue with at least one more round of the oral chemotherapy.  It is a 5 day treatment with 23 days off.  He tolerated the last round very well with his only real side effect a decreased appetite and fatigue.

We are looking forward to Christmas with our family.  We had the best Thanksgiving ever this year.  Mark felt great all day and was able to engage with family.  We played a game, worked on a puzzle and had great food and conversation.  We are so grateful for those good days and this was one of the best.

We want to thank the many people who have supported us with prayers, food, yard work, cards, house maintenance, garage repairs (thank you Eric!) and many other jobs and tasks that we have been unable to do ourselves.  Many of you have asked about helping us financially.  We are humbled by the thought of your generosity.  We have held off on accepting donations because we had a hard time justifying doing so.  We are not poor by any means; however, the medical expenses add up quickly.  We have an account set up through US Bank for donations for medical expenses.  It is under the account name: MARK RECKER DONATIONS.  We will use any funds that come in for medical expenses incurred following Mark's brain surgery, subsequent hospital stay in October and his ongoing medical care with his neurosurgeon and oncologist.  Donations can be made through any US Bank branch.  Any donations above and beyond what we need for medical expenses will be donated back to fulfill Mark's dreams for technology and exterior upgrades at Silver Crest and Pratum schools.

Again, we are grateful for this wide circle of friends, family, students and even strangers who bless us with their love and support. Continue to pray for healing and strength.  We appreciate you all!

Thank you!

A few weeks ago, we posted some practical ways that you, our friends and family, could help.  We've been amazed at the response.  Thanks to Andrew Murphy, administrators & staff from the Silver Falls School district, Eric Anderson, Doug Frogner, Tony Huserik, Dale Rohr and probably some others that I am forgetting.  We are so grateful for all that you have done for us.  We will have more opportunities to help, I'm sure.  Life doesn't stop or slow down, and it's been hard to keep up at times.  Your support is appreciated.  Thank you for your kindness.
Mark, Kelley & family

Practical ways to help

. . . and there are many more leaves yet to fall.

I know that many of you feel like you'd like to help, but aren't sure what you can do.  Here are a few ideas:
1. Yard work: We are drowning in leaves!  We could use some help raking leaves, trimming bushes, etc.
2. Winterizing (sp?): Doing whatever needs to be done to get the house ready for winter.  Mark has always done this and I've never paid much attention, but I imagine putting covers over outside faucets was included.
3.  Taking bottles/cans back to store.  Maybe there are some teenagers out there who might like a few extra bucks? We'd love to have you take those off our hands.

Please email Kelley at mnkrecker@gmail.com if you'd like to help.  Thank-you!

Family Photos

The family all wearing Recker's Runners t-shirts; even baby Moses--his shirt says "Future Recker Runner" :)

Noah holding baby Moses for the first time.  What a cool uncle he's going to be!

Becca made a beautiful birthday cake for Kelley's birthday.  Sooooo good!

Just a few pictures of the events we've shared over the past few weeks.  We are enjoying spending time together, as always, but every gathering has an added element of making the most of being together--more hugs, more pictures, more sweets!