Honeymooning-diabetes style

I love the honeymoon. I hate diabetes but at least we're being slowly lowered into the depths. How long does it last? Everyone is different, right?

I've noticed from all the D-blogs I obsess over (as in locate their diagnosis story and cry) that the younger the child is diagnosed, the shorter - if any at all - the honeymoon lasts.

Riley had just celebrated his 13th birthday a month earlier. Now we're almost to the 6 month mark.

It's Been Too Long

I began this blog as a result of an outcry from friends and family who wanted to know the status of my dad's health after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in 2007. It was difficult to even look at this blog after he died on June 2, 2009 ( see below).

But now I'm a blog-reader addict. And every now and then I get so inspired by the stories I read-mostly Type 1 diabetes blogs - that I want to revive my original blog and start again.

So here it is. Wish me luck!

On June 2 at 10:30 pm Bill Ennis left this earth and promptly arrived in Heaven. II Corinthians 5:8 ...to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

Billy, Natalie, Glenda, Tim and Bonni were all here to wish him well on his journey. Our sadness is beyond words but our joy is overwhelming-the suffering is over.

Thank you all, friends and family, for your love and support for us and for our dad and husband.

-Bonni, Billy and Glenda

Today, we enjoyed an afternoon baseball game -watching Riley hit the best game ever!

Thank you all for your continued prayers and visits.

Happy Mother's Day!

We've hit the 2 month mark that Bill and Glenda have been in Pennsylvania. We have enjoyed all the guests that have come to visit from Ohio, Virginia, New York and Maryland. One of our favorites is (not so) little Liam pictured here with the proud Grand-dad.

The Latest from Glenda

This is our 5th week in Pennsylvania. We are being spoiled rotten by Bonni and Tim. It's wonderful to be close to family with the grandchildren running around. Billy, Natalie and Liam come often to visit on weekends since we live much closer to them now.
The good news is Bill seems to be responding well to the new environment here. A recent blood infusion gave him a boost of energy. He went to his first captioned movie last week and we all enjoyed our local Mexican restaurant together on Valentine's Day.
Hospice comes often and their goal is to bathe Bill-but his goal is not be bathed by someone else! He is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. When the aide's plans fail, they help Glenda tidy up their 'cottage'.
Glenda reads every book available and has found a morning ritual coffee place that suits her just fine. She is looking forward to planting a little garden in the back yard when spring comes. Bonni and I have been enjoying the farmer's market every Friday. It has a touch of the Amish tradition and makes me feel welcomed to Pennsylvania. They have the best pies in the world as well as donuts, lemon bars, eclairs and so on...We pick out something special for Bill each week.
We are much closer to all our Northern Virginia and Maryland friends again. We really enjoy the visits.

Dear Family & Friends

We appreciate all the prayers and support that dad has received. We wanted to give an update on how he is doing. At the end of October he began 3 weeks of radiation on his shoulder. He made it through radiation without any serious side effects but after the treatment and just before Thanksgiving his condition worsened. For about 2 weeks he was very weak and not eating. Last week he had a blood transfusion because his hemoglobin was low. The blood transfusion has helped and dad has been doing much better the last few days. The doctors also noticed that his heart rate was high and he scheduled an echogram.

The echocardiogram showed that his heart is pumping well and strong. The doctors were glad to see the positive results from the blood transfusion and the prescriptions to boost his appetite. They will monitor his scans and blood test results and do whatever necessary to improve his quality of life. The radiation has almost completely eliminated the severe pain in his shoulder.

We are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas spent together with family and friends. We wish the same for you.