thank you

Thank you all so much for your kind words via cards, email and Facebook! It is a joy to be a witness to how many lives just one life can impact!

Some of you have been asking about bringing meals....thank you! Please contact Linda Springer, as she is helping us by organizing them. (360-779-3185)

We are looking forward to next Wednesday being a wonderful celebration. My dad is now with our Savior, and living life to the fullest with the Light of Life himself!

God bless,

Michelle

Memorial Service

The memorial service for my dad will be Wednesday, March 23, at 2pm at Christ Memorial Church (Gateway Fellowship) in Poulsbo.

We welcome any notes or cards of memories, words of encouragement, or ways he impacted your life. Feel free to send them to us before the service, or there will be a basket at the memorial for you to place them into.

More stories to come on the blog about how God has been with us through this journey today. God is Good!

Thank you all again for your prayers and support during this time.

Michelle

Face to Face with the Lord

Marc passed away just before 10:00 this morning. Most of the immediate family was there at the time and God was faithful to answer our most ferverent prayer that his passing would be without stuggle.


During this time, we ask that you would give the family space by refraining from phone calls, visit and such. We know that you are such a giving people and want to help give back to someone who has given so much. Feel free to send a note in the mail, or post a note on Facebook.

If you are one that is inclined to want to purchase flowers for the family, we ask that you would honor Marc and us by giving to the organization that he helped start called Finishing The Task, which has a goal to introduce Jesus to tribes and cultures that have never heard the name of Jesus.

You can give via the link below and will need to designate your missions giving as, "FTT." You can also drop a gift off at the church office at the giving kiosk or in our church services.

https://secure.accessacs.com/access/memberlogin.aspx?sn=104631

We are doing well. We are glad dad's struggle is over, and we know he is in a much better place...face to face with the Lord.

We will continue to post information on this blog.

Mario & Michelle

I will praise Him

I lay down to nap this afternoon and my mind was full of memories. Rich, warm memories of playing at the beach at San Pedro. Us kids laughing, playing in the sand, burying each other, and my mom, dad, and grandad's laughter and smiles. Such good memories.

They come at a wonderful time. As my dad continues to decline, and his death is eminent, it's good to recall some of the wonderful memories. Today has been full of struggles, and it is hard to watch my dad suffer so. But a verse in Psalms came to mind, reminding me that no matter what happens, I know God is good. "I have seen you in the sanctuary, beheld your power and your glory, because your love is better than life I live to glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in Your name I will lift up my hands." I can't recall the reference...but I know the SEEDS song. Glad it plays over and over again in my mind to remind me of truth during hard times. I HAVE seen God in so many ways and so many times over the course of my life. I have known his power and glory. And no matter what comes my way, I will praise Him.

Thank you for your continued prayer support during this time.

Michelle

update

As many of you know my dad continues to decline weekly, if not daily. We sometimes get a "new normal" for a week or two, and then decline a bit, and start a "new normal". But sometimes it's a shorter span of time, even just a day, and the decline starts again and we think my dad might go be with the Lord that day.  Today was one of the harder days. We know that this earth is not his home, and he is Heaven bound. Could be days, could be weeks, could be months. That is in the Lord's hands. Thank you all for your continued support as we continue on this journey.


A funny story (to end today's blog on a positive note) is yesterday was Mario's birthday...and we celebrated by having dinner over at my parents. JP, Rie, & Missy were there too! Just as Mario entered the house Ethan and Senna ran out to Mario yelling "surprise!!", and then came Marcelo bobbing along after them. He too yelled "surprise!" and ran straight past Mario and to the door...wanting to see the surprise! =) What a funny site for us all to witness. Including my dad who had a perfect view of the whole thing from his bed in the living room.

God bless! And thank you all again for all your wonderful prayers, encouragement, and support!

Michelle

Eye Gaze

Great news! The eye gaze arrived on Thursday! Thank you all for your prayers!

We still need to program info into it, but we are excited about the possibilities. It is amazing the technology that exists. To think that my dad's eye can be the mouse is incredible!

Thank you again for all your prayers!

Michelle

Birthday Blessings!

Today is my dad's birthday, and we have been having a great time celebrating his life! Yesterday we had a birthday party while JP was home. Just the family, but fun none the less! The little kids certainly make everything lively! Mom and dad have a little kids kitchen, so the kids "cooked" us all sorts of things to eat. And Marcelo really likes to throw the sponge basketball....especially at Papa....which makes my dad laugh and smile...only encouraging Marcelo to throw it at him again. =)

Senna gave dad a beautiful picture of her kissing her Papa!  It is now hanging just above my dad's head.  It is so great for our little ones to still connect with my dad, even if he can't do things as he used to.


Today, Ethan had a "date" with Papa. It was a body painting date! Ethan first painted with body paint all over his own legs. Then asked me to paint on his face (a rainbow, a beach ball, and car). Then, with all these decorations, Ethan asked Papa if he could paint his legs for his birthday. So, my dad has all sorts of things painted all over his legs right now. Including three dinosaurs, several shapes, a coffee mug, a various other designs. Let me tell you that today's birthday date was filled with smiles, giggles, and laughter. It was a good birthday!

Health wise my dad is having a good day as well. He still have very thick secretions, but overall he is breathing well today. Each week he continues to decline, some weeks more than others. But we know that's going to happen. So, in the midst of all of this, we attempt to create more positive family memories together. I think yesterday and today were two great ones!

I wonder if my mom will let Ethan birthday body paint her this Thursday for her birthday? Hmmmmm.....

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support!

Michelle

Christmas

This Christmas was a wonderful time for our family. It would not have been so wonderful and blessed without the DELICIOUS Christmas dinner a family in the church made for us! We were so spoiled by incredible food! It really helped make the day seem more like Christmas. Without those items we would still have gotten together...but I wouldn't have been surprised at all had we ordered pizza or something...because it's just too much to try to have "all the fixins" AND care give for my dad AND keep an eye on the little ones (making sure Marcelo in particular doesn't switch all the dials on the cough assist machine, or anything else with buttons)!
As we knew would happen with ALS, my dad continues to decline. Some days it is hard for any of us to make out what he is saying because his speech is so slurred. Other days he is much easier to understand. Each day is different. In fact a morning can be quite different than an afternoon or evening.

He continues to enjoy listening to audio books, and watch tv....particularly football these days. And he has become an avid watcher of Jeopardy and Who Wants to be a Millionaire. Previous to being bedridden he hardly took time to watch tv (unless it was 24). But, if he ever was in the room when Jeopardy or Millionaire was on he always knew the answers. Even now you can sometimes hear his slurred voice trying to get out the answer before the contestant does. =)

A prayer request we'd love to have you join us in is for an eye "mouse" to become available for dad. I'm not sure of the technical name for it, but he has this speaking computer that can speak on his behalf...but right now it requires touch. But there is this eye gaze piece that allows his eyes to be a mouse and click what he wants to say. He is next on the ALS Associations list to receive one should one be donated. He was supposed to receive one the end of November, but the family that donated it had some sort of family feud about it and it's ended up in the Kent Police station. As far as I know it is still there until the family works something out. Whether it is this particular eye gaze or a different one, it sure would be helpful in communicating with my dad.

Thanks for your prayers and support! Happy New Year!

Michelle

Harder Days

Over the past few months, we have had some hard moments but I think this past Tuesday was the hardest day we have had yet. My dad was congested all day, requiring constant usage of various medical equipment to help him. We also needed to lift him several times to help him breath better. For a good portion of the day and even part of the night we needed 2-3 caregivers present to help with various tasks. It was tiring, and hard to see my dad like that.

Praise the Lord, though, for a variety of things. That several caregivers were available to help that day, that his congestion cleared up by the late evening and he slept well, that he woke up with no congestion, and that we know that no matter what comes our way the Lord will help us through it!

Today is proving to be another really rough day for my dad (which then means a rough day for all of us). He is very congested, and needing constant help. We are happy to help, but it gets overwhelming after awhile. We would greatly appreciate your prayers.


Thank you all! We are so blessed to have your prayers and support though this difficult time!


Michelle

Photos

As I look at some recent photos I smile knowing my dad has been enjoying his grandkids. Senna and Ethan helped Nana decorate the Christmas tree this year...and they loved every minute of it! It was all within view of Dad, so he got to enjoy their squeels of delight!

Another photo is one of Ethan "reading" a book to his Papa. They are both smiling, and I know they both enjoyed themselves that day together.

What interesting weather this pre-winter has brought in! A huge thanks to all our friends who helped my parents get a generator the night the power went out! No sooner did they get a generator, and figure out how it works, did the power go out. It's like the Lord was holding off the 2 day power outage until there would be power to run my dad's cough assist and other machines....not to mention heat!

Dad's health continues to slowly decline and we are extremely cautious about any potential germs he may come in contact with. He has less of a voice (we think partially due to the cough assist machine), and that just makes our guessing game of what he is saying even harder. But all in all, he is in good spirits. It is a tough time for all of us, but we know the Lord is with us and is helping us through this. What peace there is in knowing this life is not the end....just the beginning of something absolutedly amazing and full of LIFE!


The phrase from David and Karen Maines' book comes to mind: "To the King, to the Kingdom, to the Restoration!"



Michelle

Halloween and Birthdays

This month has gone by so fast. One favorite memory of mine was actually October 31st. The grandkids all came over to mom and dad's house dressed up in costumes ready to hand out candy to anyone who came to the door. Ethan made sure Papa was a part of things by making a costume for him! He cut strips along a paper bag making a hula skirt. And found a fake lei for Papa to wear. So we laid the items on top of dad as he lay on his hospital bed. It was great!

Something dad has been asking us to do lately is to the lower his bed as low as it can go when the grandkids come over. That way they can see him, and he can see them. Ethan likes to push the big brown chair over next to the bed so he can climb up and be right next to Papa...especially when he wants to kiss him hello or goodbye.


Last night we celebrated Ethan's birthday over at mom and dad's house. Ethan, Senna, and Marcelo all "performed" various songs for everyone. Ethan got a pretend guitar and keyboard, so the two little ones attempted to play the keyboard together, while Ethan played the guitar. Ethan enjoys getting his stool, standing on it to perform, making sure Papa can see him, along with everyone else. They are pretty funny to watch!


Dad's health continues to slowly decline. We are very careful to not expose him to any colds, coughs, etc. He seems steady for a week or so, then he has a rough couple of days, then a new normal starts again for a week or more. Nothing giant, but definately a slow decline. We have had to cut back on his food intake a bit since his body wasn't absorbing all that we were giving him through the food peg. I know we'd all like to think this is a temporary issue, but more than likely it's just another way his body is declining.


Although it is hard for all of us to understand him, we are finding that certain family members are now acting as "interpreters" for other family members or caregivers. It's kind of funny sometimes, and yet frustrating as well. I wonder if for those of us who "interpret" it counts as knowing a second language. =)

That's all for now. Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and encouragement. We love you!

Michelle

Dates with "Papa"

This past week Ethan (almost 4 years old) and Papa had a "date" together. Ethan asked me how Papa could have a "date" with him since he cannot get out of the house and doesn't get in his wheelchair. I told him some "dates" people have inside a house....as long as they are doing something together.

So....Ethan and Papa got matching tattoos! =) The kid kind that's supposedly supposed to come off with soap and water. (I say supposedly because they are both still wearing their tattoos...but no longer by choice). =)

Ethan and I found some tattoos that say "Jesus Is The Light" on them...so that's what we used. Then Ethan went on to "perform" the SEEDS worship music song of John 8:12 "Jesus said I am the light of the world, whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

We are looking forward to more grandkid "dates" in the future. If you have any ideas for us, feel free to post them.
Thank you all for your continued support and prayers! We are blessed, and we love you!

Michelle

p.s., Nana (Carol) also had a "date" with Ethan this past week. They went to Fish Park for an "adventure" followed by an cone at McDonalds. As they went through the drive thru and had already ordered the cone, Ethan told Nana to tell the people at the window to please put ice cream in the cone. He thought Nana only ordered a cone...but no ice cream!

Update from Michelle

     It is amazing that it is already October. My dad has been home from his long hospital stay for a little over three months now. Much has changed since before his hospital stay, but I think we have finally found a "new normal" for now.

     I can't thank all of you enough for your prayers, notes of encouragement, meals, babysitting, and volunteering! We have been amazed at God's goodness during all of this. We can't imagine going through these hard times without the Lord and without our church family. You are a wonderful blessing!

     "The New Normal" may be difficult for some of you to hear. But I think it's important for you to know how significant the changes have been over the past several months. Prior to the long hospital stay my dad was in his wheel chair every day for most of the day. He could manage it himself, and would often enjoy "driving" into the backyard to read his kindle and enjoy the outdoors. Now, he lays in a hospital bed all day long in the living room. He is basically paralyzed from the neck down, and receives all his meals through a food peg. He requires a caregiver 24/7, and his speech is often hard to understand. BUT, he is in good spirits!

      Us kids are over there daily--visiting, helping, etc. And we have a wonderful crew of caregivers that allow my mom to sleep at night and take a bit of a break in the afternoons. We couldn't do it without them!
This past month we also received some encouraging news! There is an ALS Doctor here in Poulsbo! She doesn't advertise because she only takes on a few clients in order to be home with her kids when they are not in school. My dad's ALS doctor from the UW put us in touch with her, and she has accepted my dad as a patient. Not only that....she makes house calls!!! When we met with her she gave some great ideas of things we can be doing with dad. AND she thinks it might be possible to help build back up some strength in my dad's back and neck to allow him to sit in his wheelchair briefly each day. It will take some time, but I know we were all encouraged at the possibility!

     In the meantime my dad passes his time watching the news, listening to audio books, listening to music, and visiting with family. Please don't hesitate to drop them a note of encouragement. They enjoy hearing from you!

     He is still not taking many visitors. As you can understand he only has minimal energy to expend, and he wishes to spend it with his wife, kids, and grandkids as much as possible. Thank you for understanding.
Again, thank you all for the wonderful blessing you have been, and are, to the Pearson family. We are blessed.

Michelle

Recent Happenings:

We celebrated Marcelo’s first birthday yesterday with family and Marc seems to have the magic touch with Marcelo. Our son won’t kiss anyone else in the family but apparently Marcelo knows to take advantage of the time he has with his Papa!

Currently, Marc is reading (via caregivers) Case for Faith and Case for Christ. Next on the list is How to Win Friends and Influence People with Missy. Of course, The Bible is not too far out of his sights as well.  And JP just bought a joke book and when he reads them there is constant laughing from the two of them.

Well, it has been a while and much has taken place since the last blog. I (Mario) am writing this, and will be, on behalf of the rest of the family to keep you updated on us.


Many of you have experienced his decline in mobility until his retirement in November of 2009 and saw him go from walker to motorized wheelchair. Since retiring, he has not been able to be at church but this was because of some issues he was having with the motorized wheelchair that was to be compatible with the wonderful ADA certified minivan that the CMC congregation helped purchase for him. The process of getting the right wheelchair with all the right components was just one of the many hoops he has wrestled with during this time.

From retirement until the end of May, his decline was fairly slow. There were some moments that caused him to go to the hospital but there was nothing too unexpected. The end of May, however, found Marc in the Bremerton hospital due to a cough. After being there for 20 days, he was released to the Hospice Care Center where he stayed for five days before returning home. He still coughs and is congested, but we now have some tools to help deal with them that we didn’t have before the hospital stay.

Many people have asked, “How is Marc doing? Is he back home?” The answer is yes, but we hope you understand that this doesn’t mean that he is better, or back to where he was before the hospital stay. It means that with the help of caregivers, volunteers, and Hospice we feel we can currently manage to take care of him from home.

Currently, Marc has someone caring for him 24-7 to help him with his needs. He is able to get into his wheelchair for about an hour each day, and has really been enjoying the beautiful weather we are having.

We have been blessed with many volunteers and yet, there is always a need for more. Marc is not taking visitors at this point – while we know he loves people, he simply doesn’t have the energy to entertain or converse for very long right now. And what little energy he does have he desires to spend with family.

There have been some bright moments in the midst of the time passing and future blogs will offer some of those things. The goal in this one was to catch you up to speed so you wouldn’t feel so in the dark. I know that Marc has blessed so many, and many want to know how to help. Future blogs will also talk about this as well. In the meantime, pray for our family, in particular Marc and Carol as they go through this time of transition.

My son JP and I went to my three-month check-up at the Univ of WA Med Center - ALS Center yesterday. The #1 issue they check is respiration/breathing. #2 is the ability to swallow. These are the critical issues.

I took a computerized breathing test again. They want to see what my lung capacity is. The maximum is 100, and anything 80 and above is considered normal. I scored 95, the same as six months ago! And, my ability to swallow remains at 100%. Praise God.

Thanks for your ongoing prayers, love, and awesome support.

On the same day, two friends told me of a helpful website for those of us with ALS - www.patientslikeme.com. One learned of it in BusinessWeek magazine and the other on NBC News. I immediately signed up and now have access worldwide to others with ALS so we can share our stories and what we're learning about this disease. The first person I heard from was in England. We share what's been working and what hasn't. One of the most encouraging parts is that so many I've talked with on the site are believers who have many praying for them like I do.

Only about 300-400 have ALS in the entire state of Washington. 90% is random or sporadic while 10% is genetic or inherited. I am in that 10%. Carol and I are part of an ALS support group that meets locally each month, although we can't be there every time. The Evergreen Chapter of the ALS Association is simply remarkable. We are so impressed. But, when it comes down to what really matters - your prayers, love, encouragement and support are at the very top of our Thanks to God list!

Thanks for your prayers and concern for me. Carol went with me for my check-up at the UW Medical Center ALS Clinic Nov 12 and the news was very encouraging. As expected, I am losing some strength on my right side but they were pleasantly surprised that it had not progressed even more. They pulled and pushed and said, "Wow." This disease results in muscle loss, thus weight loss. Praise God when they weighed me Nov 12 I had not lost any weight.

So far, my progression has been slow. That is an answer to prayer. They checked my ability to swallow by eating crackers, applesauce, and cheese and drinking water. I still have 100% swallowing ability. Praise God. The speech therapist checked my speaking ability and it has not decreased at all. I still need to slow down and articulate clearly, and I'm doing the best I can, although I've spent most of my life talking fast (you think so?). This must be an answer to prayer by some of you who prayed, "Lord, please help Marc speak a bit slower." Your prayers are working on that issue, too!

For me, healing from the Great Physician includes more than a complete healing from this disease - I am wide open for that, and let's keep praying for it! It includes slowing the progression and minimizing strength loss and fatigue.

I could not have a more supportive wife in Carol and in my family. For those of you who know us, it comes as no surprise that we are dealing with this disease and its ramifications together. This is not Marc's disease, it's my family's disease. We've chosen to deal with it with eyes wide open, not denying anything but living in reality, and going on with our lives. That's why we traveled to Japan and Hawaii recently. We spend a lot of time laughing, enjoying our lives and talking about a great future. Further, I can't think of a more supportive and caring congregation than CMC. You continually lift my spirits.

Thanks again for seeking the Lord for us. God hears and answers prayer. He knows what's best and my heart rests in him.

Health Update - Sep 12, 2008

My last regular appt was Aug 25 at the UW Med Center. They tested the strength in my arms, legs and tongue and their official word – “Very strong.”

I was given a pulmonary test to determine my lung capacity and I scored 95% on 2 separate tests (80% is considered normal).

I am not losing weight – which is great news. No evidence of any swallowing problems, which often becomes a key issue for those with ALS.

I can’t begin to express what your love and prayers mean to me, Carol, and our family. Thank you and please keep it up – we know you will.

June 27,2008

Your prayers for my health and our family mean everything to us. We are asking God for a healing miracle. Just your encouraging comments, notes, cards, letters, emails, and telling us that you love us and are praying for us “makes our day.” I remain physically strong. I believe prayer has kept me strong.

This whole episode has renewed friendships from our past all over the country and the world. Psalm 34:8-10 (NIV), “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.” God’s love is never ending. Praise his name.