Archive for September, 2007

Monday, September 24th – A Beautiful Funeral

Monday, September 24th, 2007

Dear Friends & Family,

This is Joe, Ann is on her way back to Fowler with her family, it’s been a very long weekend for us. I thought that I’d blog, and give her a break.

Today we had a beautiful Funeral Mass and Celebration of Mike’s life. I would like to thank all the people that came from across the country to share this time with our family, it was truely a special time and a great tribute to Mike and a testimonial to the impact he’s made on our lives.

Many of you have expressed your desire to be here, but couldn’t make it. I know that all of you were with us in spirit and thank you for your kind thoughts and prayers.

I have posted the photos of Mike that we had on display. I hope you enjoy these and remember the good times we had with Mike.
Mike’s Photo Gallery

Thank you all for reading and following Mike’s story.
Love,
The Kagerer Family

Funeral Mass & Visitation

Thursday, September 20th, 2007

Note for our out-of-town guests:
There is Major Road Construction around Flint. For precise directions see our Maps & Directions page. Maps & Directions

Visitation
Mike will be at Dodds-Dumanois Funeral Home in Flint Michigan
901 Garland St.
Flint, Michigan 48503
(810) 232-0187
http://www.doddsdumanois.com/

Saturday, September 22nd.
The family will be present at the visitations from 2-4pm and 6-8pm.
(John and Barbara and their boys will not be at this visitation as they will arrive in Michigan that night.)

Sunday, September 23rd at Dodds-Dumanois.
The entire family will be there between 1-4pm and 5-6:30pm

Rosary
A Rosary will be recited Sunday, September 23rd at Dodds-Dumanois at 5:30pm.

Funeral Mass
Mike’s funeral Mass will be on Monday, September 24th at 11am
St. John Vianney Catholic Church
2415 Bagley St
Flint, Michigan, 48504
(810) 235-1812
http://stjohnvianneyflint.catholicweb.com/

Funeral Lunch
A funeral lunch will be held immediately following the Mass at the Church. All are welcome to stay for the lunch.

Wednesday, September 19th – Day +Heaven

Wednesday, September 19th, 2007

Hi Everyone,

It is with extreme sorrow in my heart that I am telling you that Mike died on Tuesday, September 18th at 1:25 in the afternoon. 

My husband, Bruce and our cousin, Sara (from Ohio) and I arrived at UofM Hospital around 9am Tuesday. Mike was in the ICU.  He had been put on life support the night before after he suffered a cardiac arrest during a proceedure to change the tubes to his kidneys.  Deacon Tom came to be with us and called the Hospital Priest to come and pray with us and say the Last Rites and annoint Mike.  After the Priest left the doctors came in and very gently and with great compassion removed all of the life support from Mike.  Mike lived for about two hours after that and Sara, Bruce and I stayed with him throughout that time holding him and talking to him and telling him how much he was loved by so many.  Mike was very peaceful when he died.

Mike will be at Dodds-Dumanois Funeral Home in Flint Michigan on Saturday, September 22nd.  The family will be present at the visitations from 2-4pm and 6-8pm.  (John and Barbara and their boys will not be at that visitation as they will arrive in Michigan that night.) 

Visitation will also be Sunday, September 23rd at Dodds-Dumanois.  The entire family will be there between 1-4pm and 5-6:30pm with a Rosary being recited at 5:30pm. 

Mike’s funeral Mass will be on Monday, September 24th at 11am at St. John Vianney Catholic Church with a lunch immediately following.  All are welcome to stay for the lunch.

Mike will be buried later that week since he chose to be creamated, which will take place after the funeral Mass.

I want to express, once again, my gratitude for all of the support and prayers that have been shown over the past four months.  I have read every comment that has been written – they were wonderful!

Mike was such a kind and gentle man and he was so humbled by everyone’s care and concern.  He will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him, especially his family. 

With much love, Tanny, Rick, Sally, Ann, Bruce, John, Barbara, Joe and all of Mike’s nephews.

Sunday, September 16th – Day +118

Sunday, September 16th, 2007

Hi Everyone,

I got a call today from Mike’s nurse.  They put the feeding tube back in today and he was having a rough time not pulling it out!  She told me they did put some soft restraints on his wrists.  I told her that I understand.  He needs the tube in to get his nutrition and his meds.  He isn’t able to realize what he is doing at this time.  He is confused and not able to verablize to much at all. 

She also said that he does have GVHD of the skin.  They are still waiting for his tests results to come back and are hoping that he doesn’t have GVHD in his liver.  That wouldn’t be good.  Actually any infection at this time wouldn’t be good.

So, hopefully when I get down there in a couple days the results will be in and we may have a better idea for his care. 

Please keep praying.  We appreciate all of the support so far.  It has really gotten us through!

love, Ann

Saturday, September 15th – Day + 117

Saturday, September 15th, 2007

Hi Everyone,

No big changes today for Mike.  Our cousins, Ron and Sara and our brother Rick visited him today.  I’ll see him mid-week. 

Mom is doing great.  She is wearing her pj’s all day in rebellion since they used to get her up and dressed at 5am!!!!  It’s great that she is home.

I’ll keep you posted – keep praying!

love, Ann

Friday, September 14th – Day +116

Friday, September 14th, 2007

Hi Everyone,

MOM IS HOME!! Yea!  I sprung her this afternoon.  She said last night that she wanted to go home so she did!  She is relaxing this evening with a game of Freecell and Scrabble and watching her own TV.  I am going to stay overnight tonight.  I need to go get her new meds this evening.  Her friend Joyce went to the store and brought her some food.  She seems to be her self again and that is such a blessing.

Mike, on the other hand, had a traumatic day today.  His liver counts are still on the rise and so they wanted to try a feeding tube – not the usual NG tube but a smaller one. They are hoping that with the nutrition going into his gut his liver will get a break.  The IV feeding is harder on the liver.  They got it in and it was there for about a half hour and Mike pulled it out.  He is just not aware of what is happening right now and I’m sure it felt bad so out it came!  The nurse felt really bad and she said they may try again tomorrow but tonight they were going to let him be.  He has been through so much lately.

Tomorrow I think Ron and Sara (cousins from Ohio) are going to try and see Mike after the UofM game.  (I hope they win this one!)  Hopefully their visit will go well. 

I wish I had more positive things to report but I don’t right now.  I am hoping to hear about the test results maybe early next week.  I will probably go on Tuesday or Wednesday to see Mike.  I really wish I could be there all the time, but such goes life!

Thanks again for your support and prayers.  Mom is much stronger and doing very well and it is just great to have her home again.

love, Ann

Thursday, September 13th – Day +115

Thursday, September 13th, 2007

Hi Everyone,

I talked to Mike’s nurse this afternoon and there are really no changes to report today. They haven’t scheduled his MRI as of yet. I’m sure they’ll be calling me for consent when they do.

We are kind of in a ‘wait and see’ mode right now. Hopefully we’ll begin to see some more improvements. The nurse on Wednesday told me that his rash seemed to be improving so that is good news!

Mom on the other hand is ready to go home. I talked to her this evening and they took out her catheter and want her to try self-cathing. She doesn’t see how it will work there and would just like to go home. I told her to check with the nurse and see what we have to do to spring her!!! She said she’d talk to her and if need be to her doctor in the morning. I’ll go pick her up and take her home if she is ready to go! The therapists have been urging her for the last week or so and I think she is finally ready. So, hopefully I’ll talk to her in the morning and then head out to Flushing to move her home.

Mom just called me and said that she needs to talk to the Social Worker tomorrow morning and that I should be ready to take her home!!! How about that. :)

Keep praying for both Mom and Mike. Mom is still very concerned about Mike and I know that is hard on her. Thanks for all of the continued support.

Love, Ann

Wednesday, September 12th – Day +114

Wednesday, September 12th, 2007

Hi Everyone,

Well Mike was a little better today in that he recognized me more than the other day.  However, his conversation mostly consisted of “Come on Ann, let’s get out of here!!!”.  :)

He had a big day too because this morning he was scheduled for an MRI and an ultrasound.  The ultrasound was a go and they thought they  might see a blood clot in his liver? but they need the MRI to confirm it.  But they couldn’t do the MRI because they couldn’t sedate him enough so they have to do a general on him and hopefully that will be tomorrow.

Then this afternoon they were going to do a bone marrow biopsy and a spinal tap under conscious sedation but they couldn’t do that type of sedation twice in one day. So, the doc did both of them after giving Mike some Morphine.  I was present for those two proceedures and he did very well.  Mike had had his previous bone marrow biopsies without anything but a local!!!  More than I could do I’ll tell you.  He also had a skin biopsy and now they are thinking that his rash is a different thing than GVHD which would be great! Hopefully the skin biopsy will confirm that.

It was a long day.  Mike did very well for all he went through and has been going through.  I think Sally and Rick are going to visit him over the next two days.  I have a lot going on until mid next week when I’ll have a chance to see him again.   I could be there everyday if my life permitted it believe me.

Mom is doing great and is excited about heading home soon.  I am so relieved!  I told her it was good to have her back.

Please keep praying – I really feel Mike still has a chance to make it through all this and get his life back.  Hopefully that will be confirmed within the next week when all of the test results are in.

Thanks and love, Ann

Tuesday, September 11th – Day +113

Tuesday, September 11th, 2007

Hi Everyone,

I spoke with the nurse this afternoon.  Mike had a skin biopsy today to check for GVHD.  Tomorrow morning he will have an MRI of the head and an ultrasound of the abdomen and liver.  They still want to do a bone marrow biopsy but that will probably be sometime on Thursday. 

She thought I might want to wait to visit on Thursday because originally all the tests were going to be done tomorrow.  But, since they are both in the morning I will run errands for the family and then go to Ann Arbor and spend the afternoon with Mike.  Rick and Sal are going to go down on Thursday and Friday to be with him.

He is a little better today and that is a blessing.  When I go I will talk to the BMT doc.  Hopefully he’ll continue to recover.  The PA told me that his liver levels were still rising but they will keep an eye on them and maybe the ultrasound will help them determine the cause.  He has been off one of his meds that could cause that for a couple days now.

Mom is doing very well and hopefully will be going home within a week.  Can’t wait to get her back to her own space!!

Keep up the prayers – they are working.  Thanks so much.
love, Ann

Monday, September 10th Day +112

Monday, September 10th, 2007

Hi Everyone,

I spoke with Mike’s nurse this afternoon.  No big changes.  He was still waiting for the MRI to happen.  She told me she’d have the doc call me.  He did call, not much later, and we talked about Mike’s wishes that he had expressed to John and they had written down in February.  The doc told me at this point there is still hope so they would do anything for Mike to revive him if something were to happen.  He is still hopeful that there isn’t something else going on and that the meds are what are causing Mike to be confused and disoriented.  They would like to ween him off the pain meds but he needs them right now.  His liver levels aren’t right so they took him off V-Fend and hopefully they’ll level out. 

He also talked about a rash that has come back and he is hoping that it isn’t GVHD ( Graft vs Host Disease) which Mike had early on.  If his liver levels don’t get to normal or he has GVHD again then he will be in trouble – but so far so good.

I told him I’d be in on Wednesday for the day and would bring copies of the papers that John faxed me from Alaska.  I feel much calmer today and at peace that we are doing what we can at this time.

Mom sounds good. ;)  I told her I liked having my “bad teenage daughter” back again (that’s my pet name for her because she is usually full of life).  Hopefully she’ll be moving home soon.

Thanks for the prayers and all of the support!  I know I say that every day but I can never really express to you all what it feels like to know that we are so blessed with wonderful friends.

love, Ann