Peaceful Day

Today Kristina has been resting peacefully. We tried to wake her, she has her days and night confused. She sleeps much during the day and awake at night. Which is not good. We usually leave the hospital around 9pm at night, after visiting hours. Sometimes Kristina is up when we leave and becomes sad and cries. It'll be best if she slept when we aren't here and awake during the day so we could keep her company. Kristina's respiration and vital signs are all good.

Thanks again for all of your calls, texts, emails, and prayers.

Our family appreciates all of the love and support.

A Letter for Kristina

Dear Christian friends,

I am a doctoral candidate at Emory University, and am writing to you to introduce you to my wife's niece, Kristina Jones, 27yrs, who is being currently treated in Atlanta, Georgia, for a brain stem tumor, a Glioma. Kristina was diagnosed in 2010, and underwent radiation therapy treatment in Savannah. The tumor responded to said treatment, and shrank. About a year later, in September 2011, incredibly, the tumor was back. Kristina’s Savannah and Atlanta doctors have advised her family that surgery is not an option, and they are disinclined to do any more radiation, since she was given the maximum dosage allowable, last year. At Emory University hospital, Atlanta, in January 2012, Kristina was able to see one of the top neurosurgeons in the world, and a top-notch oncologist, who suggested chemotherapy. She was administered her first dose of chemotherapy on Friday, January 20^th and seemed to do well. Unfortunately, she was rushed to a hospital the next evening, with breathing problems—which she had experienced before—possibly due to complications from the tumor, and, or the chemotherapy.

Currently, Kristina is in a Critical Care Unit near Atlanta, fully conscious, mentally, but being assisted by a breathing machine/life support system. The tumor, located at the junction of Kristina’s spinal column and the base of her brain, is adversely affecting the nerves that control Kristina’s breathing, among other things. She has near-paralysis on her entire left side and her right side is weak. She can responds “yes” or “no” to questions by shaking her head and blinking her eyelids. While the doctors and nurses at all the hospitals so far have been very helpful and supportive, it has become apparent that their general disposition is that the family might do well to consider removing Kristina from the life support system, provide her with “comfort measures,” and let her pass on. This is, of course, a very difficult situation for her family to consider—Kristina is young, and a mother, herself, of two young boys, aged nine and six, who need her alive! She also has sisters and a brother, aunts, uncles, grandparents, nephews, nieces, and a mother and father, all who love her! Given the fact that Kristina’s mind is still as aware of her surroundings as you are, reading this letter, it seems unconscionably cruel to have to consider “letting her go,” as the doctors and nurses euphemistically advise us!

It has become apparent that IF Kristina had been covered by regular medical insurance (she has Medicaid/Medicare), she could have access to, perhaps, an indefinite time on the life support system, at a long-term care facility like Kindred Hospital, also in Atlanta, while her family tries promising, new, emerging treatments, and, or Kristina receives a miracle. Her brother recently found out about a treatment called oncolytic, for just her type of tumor—something the family would like to try. We need to “buy time” for Kristina, and to be able also to buy the medication. There is also a doctor that we would like Kristina to see in Texas, Dr. Burzynski at the Burzynski Clinic. The family has been told, in many ways, that her time at the hospital where she is now is just about over, they having done all that they can, and they have encouraged us to seek care at a long-term care facility. We have been advised that IF she is admissible at the long-term care facility, she has only twenty days there—that Medicaid/Medicare will ONLY pay for twenty days of her care on a respirator/life-support system!

Hence our letter to you—we would like you to consider helping the family in any way that you can, to facilitate getting the time and medication for Kristina. You might be able to help financially, or you might have access and connections to medical personnel, facilities and equipment; or you might be able to spread word about Kristina’s situation through your church, organizations, families and friends, or social networks. Above all, we ask that you keep Kristina and her sons, especially, in your thoughts and prayers. As a family, we look forward to hearing from you at your earliest opportunity, and thank you in advance for your kind consideration. Below are appended additional “letters” from other members of the family, including Kristina’s siblings, parents, aunts and uncles, and other family members and friends. Again, thank you, and may God bless you and yours.

Sincerely,

Kwesi J. DeGraft-Hanson

Peaceful day

Today has been a very relaxing day for Kristina. She's still on the vent, some days they attempt to ween her off the vent. The longest she has been off the vent has been 9 hours, praying tomorrow would be longer. Yesterday we massaged her legs and arms and painted her toenail bright orange. I think she enjoyed that. Please continue to pray for Kristina, prayer changes things.

Psalms 91

~We read Psalms 91 to Kristina everyday.