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Entry for January 19, 2008
Jim is still at Hopkins enjoying the new beds. Hoping we can transfer him on Monday to a Rehab center. Carole went home to Delaware to check on the house, the cat, and to get the mail. But dad is not alone, he has quite a few visitors coming in over the weekend to keep him company.
Hope JIM is enjoying the football game today.
Thinking of you Jamie.... get well and strong.
Off to Australia in a couple of hours. Prayers for you from downunder...
G'day dear friends,
Mary & Bob
Entry for January 21, 2008
Jim enjoyed watching the games with his son Jim Jr. He is probably not going to get transferred for awhile. My mom is not thouroughly impressed with the care staff at the Annapolis facility and really wants him to go to a beautiful private facility near their home in Delaware. She went and visited it while she was on her trip home over the weekend. They are waiting to see if that facility can get certified in using the device to drain dads fluid from his lungs. Another great problem which Hopkins seems to be saying is an affect of the cancer is the edema in his legs. They are severely swolen and it makes it very hard for him to walk. He has gained about 57lbs in the hospital without even being able to eat, it's all fluid buildup. He did eat 2 scrabled eggs and a muffin Sunday morning though, which was a good sign. My mom says to let everyone know that if you had ever thought about coming out to visit with Jim, it would probably be better to do it sooner than later. No need to make plans with Carole, do what is convenient in your schedule. The nearest airport to Jim is BWI (Baltimore-Washington International). You can always give me a call or email me with questions. Thank you, Jamison
Jim and Carol,
I don't know for certain that you even remember Ed and Judy Smith. We are and have been close friends of Dick and Maureen English for over forty years and through them we have know the two of you. We have been watching these pages throughout your ordeal and we want you to know that our prayers are with you both. May there be peace in your hearts with the knowledge that you are known by our Lord and He will take care of you both. May the Lord bless and keep you. Amen.
Entry for January 24, 2008
We heard some good news today. Jim will be discharged tomorrow morning and be on his way home to Delaware. Carole along with a nurse liason was able to set up Hospice in home care. So no need to worry about care at a facility because now he will be at home with Carole and a round the clock Hospice worker to do the IV's, the catheter draining, and help him when needed. A therapuetic bed has already been delivered to the house so dad will be able to relax and look out over the Bay. Thank you for all your prayers. I know this is what my dad really wanted, to go home. He still is not eating that much on his own, but we are hoping that when he gets home maybe his appetite will increase. PTL for some answered prayers.
Carol and Jim, What a blessing and I1m sure relief to all of you. Carol you are persistent and caring. Please take care of yourself as well. Hope to see you soon. Love you Pauline. P>S> Call if you can
Jim and Carol, Nart wanted to pass on a message to Jim. If they pitch quarters and Jim lets Nart win, he will make him the best scrambled eggs. Fair enough?
Entry for January 30, 2008
Jim has been enjoying the view from his home the past 5 days, but it seems his health declines daily. He has had caregivers there 24 hours a day, but they do not provide medical assistance. The Hospice workers come in several times during the day to perform the medical duties and are supposed to train the family members these functions until they feel comfortable in wholy leaving the medical attention to the family members. I was planning on taking off work for awhile and go down to perform these functions since Carole's eyesight, though better, does not allow her to feel comfortable handling the IV needles and drain. I was also going to help the caregiver in getting him out of bed and or chair for walks and restroom breaks, since as you all know Jim is a tall guy and needs some leverage to get him up, especially with the severely swollen (edemic) legs hindering his ability to do it himself.
All that has changed now. The social worker Carole has been working with strongly suggested he be admitted to a facility for round the clock Hospice care. The problem was finding a place which wanted to be responsible for the care he needs. As an answer to prayer and some connections with the Hospice worker, a place was found in Salisbury, Maryland that had availablility and he is being transferred today. The facility at Coastal Hospice http://www.coastalhospice.org/ seems like it will be a nice place for him and will provide the care he needs. It is about an hour from where Jim and Carole live in Rehoboth Beach. A bit of a hike for daily trips, but close enough to go and visit at any time. I still plan on taking some time off to help give emotional support for my mom and spend time with my dad.
Auntie Carole and Uncle Jim, You should take that bet from my Dad! He makes a pretty good egg, although not as good as yours of course. Isn't it funny that I would even remember that! You guys were always betting something and that was the prize. Rest easy
Entry for February 05, 2008
Jim has been at the Deer's Head Hospice Center for about a week now. He was not very excited about the news of the move originally, but it is definitely more complete care than what he was receiving at home. I was there a few days the end of last week to visit. Beautiful setting right on a river and surrounded by woods. Very secluded, away from the hustle and bustle. Jim has had many visitors while he has been there. My mom has been there as much as she can, she has been fighting bronchitis for about a week. My wife and I are going down for a few days to visit with dad and be with my mom.
Jim has been under a lot of medications which makes him sleep most of the time we are there. They tried to cut back on some of the doses over the weekend to see if it would help him to remain a little more alert. It seemed to have worked for a little while. Continue to keep praying for strength for Carole and comfort for Jim.
Entry for February 06, 2008
My wife Meghan and I drove down to meet my mom at the Hospice Center today. Jim was real restless, always trying to get out of the bed by himself, but he was not in any condition to try and do this. He did get in a chair early in the morning when three of his high school basketball buddies arrived after a drive from the Philly area. Jim could not speak very well but communicated as well as possible as they reminisced of stories of old. Very special for them to come down and visit. Jim has started to get a really congested cough and breathing. We would try and sit him up and pat his back to try and loosen it up so he could get it out. It worked once, but then we had no luck. Some of the literature we have read, describe this as a regular occurence in the last few days of life. His breathing has become more labored also. We question whether to even go home for the evening, but with some help from medicines Jim starts to relax some at night and we feel he will be ok.
Entry for February 07, 2008
We were called this morning and informed that Jim's breathing has become really short and he has become unresponsive. We were about to head out the door anyways, so we made our way to the facility. Beautiful clear day today. We arrived and saw Jim was in bed with his eyes shut and did not respond to anyting we said. He probably can still hear us, but we believe this may be the day he returns to his Lord. He is breathing very short breaths, with one deep one every now and then. What you can call "fish out of water" breathing. He has a fever and his bloodpressure is lower than normal. The color has started to depart from his extremeties. Jim Jr and his wife came down today after we told them dad's condition. Please pray for Jim to have peace in his heart and be able to let go when the time comes.
Dear Stubbs Family,
My heart goes out to you and I hope that Jim goes peacefully, surrounded by his loving family. I'm sure he can hear you and knows you're there for him and is comforted. Lots of love and support going to all of you.
-Joyce
Entry for February 08, 2008
Late last night the Lord decided to bring one of His sheep home. At about 11:20pm Jim took one last breath in this world and started breathing freely with His God in heaven. It was a very peaceful time, Jim was asleep and didn't even know what was happening. We stayed with Jim a short while longer and decided that since he was there no longer, there was no need for us to be dwelling on a body in which the spirit has left. We stayed over night in a hotel and this morning are meeting with the local funeral home which will be taking care of his cremation. The plan is to have a Remembrance ceremony in about 2 weeks on February 23rd at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Annapolis. http://www.epannapolis.org/ We are looking into securing rooms at some local hotels for those of you from out of town that would like to join us on this day. Check back for updates on the exact date and time, as this date has not been verified with the church yet. We want to give enough time for those of you who will be traveling to make the appropriate arrangements. Thank you once again for all your prayers and thoughts over the last year and a half and especially the last two months. God is with us.
The Stubb's Family,
May Jim rest and enjoy everlasting peace.
God Bless You All,
Jeff G.
So very sorry for your loss. God be with you and give you strength, understanding and peace.
Betty Johnson
My deepest condolences to all of you, the Stubbs family.
Marions
Caring thoughts are with you all. So sorry for your loss.
Carol
Thinking of you and your family at this time.
celoi (Charlene Eloi) daughter of David Cook
I am so very sorry for your loss. May God be with you and give you strength, peace and comfort.
Joni Craighead
Thanks to all of you, whom I or Jim have never met, for all your kind words.
Stubb's family,
may your faith and your friends hold you close during this difficult time.
with love to each of you,
barb h
We know Jim is at peace and is watching over you all now just as you did for him. Let your faith be your guide. Heartfelt condolences to you all.
The Caminiti Family
Entry for February 11, 2008
It's looking more like we will be having the memorial service at Annapolis EP http://www.annapolisep.org/ on Sunday February 24th. In lieu of flowers we are asking people to make donations to either the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation http://www.cholangiocarcinoma.org/donate.htm to help in the education and finding cures for Cholangiocarcinoma and/or the Gideons http://www.gideons.org/Tgi.web/TGI.Web. … /Give.aspx, which Jim was actively involved with. I will make another post describing all the work the Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation is involved in.
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