The Miracle of Mom 2015
April 1, 2018
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The Miracle of My Mom 2015
The Summer of 2015 began with a bit of a challenge. My mom was scheduled to go in for a surgery to replace her defibrillator. It could be somewhat risky, as she was in her upper seventies. I had not yet reached Florida, so I was not going to be there for the procedure. My brother and his family were by her side, and friends and family lifted her up in prayer.
Mom struggled a little with the recovery, but she came through fairly well. Except…the doctor was unable to attach the third lead on her defibrillator. They would have to go in again to attach the third lead, and a specialist would be called in. We all agreed that Mom would wait until I arrived back in Florida a couple of weeks later.
This summer was also a challenging one, because my Mom was going to move out of her beautiful three-bedroom home with over 2,000 square feet on a beautiful lot in Bloomfield Hills to a studio apartment in an independent living studio apartment. It was a challenge for her to even consider such a move, and my brother and I, along with our families, were going to sort through and pack up all of her stuff when I returned. We were also planning a garage sale and the sale of her house. These were daunting tasks.
I will skip many details for the sake of this post, but the weeks that followed were extremely tiring, especially for my mom who had two main challenges, her congestive heart failure which she had been diagnosed with in 2004 and her faulty heart valve that she had her entire life. The faulty heart valve meant that one valve did not close completely during each pump. So her heart had had to work harder than yours or mine for her entire life. Her heart was a bit tired. When was it discovered? 2004.
On Monday, July 20, 2015, I had the privilege of driving mom to the hospital and being with her pre-surgery. My brother has always been there for every surgery, every hospital visit, and he took great care of her. I was thankful to be able to be there this time.
We had a sweet time together in the pre-op room. We talked, we prayed, and reminisced. I was fairly confident that mom would pull through, because she is such a strong woman, even with her tired heart, but she was in her late seventies. We told each other that we loved each other (multiple times), and then they came in to take her way.
I went out to the waiting room and my brother, sister-in-law, and I all talked for a while and might have even stepped out to get a coffee or hot tea.
The specialist finally came out and said that the procedure had gone well and that she was in recovery. Another surgery done.
When we got to her room she was doing okay, but she was uncomfortable. Normally my mom is happy, smiling, joking, but this time, she seemed more serious. In fact, as the hours passed, she became incredibly restless…never a response I’ve seen from my mom.
One time she raised herself up in the bed and she looked at us and said, “Something’s not right”. She was so adamant that we called the nurses in. The nurses said that the area above her defibrillator was a bit puffy, but they could not tell what was wrong. We finally called the specialist.
After some time, we finally found out that mom was hemorrhaging. Apparently the third lead had not been secured well enough and was working itself loose, causing the area to bleed. She would have to return immediately to surgery.
I distinctly remember NOT getting the impact that going under twice for a major surgery would have on my mom, the woman who was in her upper seventies, had congestive heart failure, and had a heart with a faulty valve. I guess I was so impressed by God’s miracle in 2004 and the way my mom had functioned for the last 11 years with all of these health issues, that I did not realize the toll this second surgery would take.
When mom came out, she seemed to ‘feel better’, but she was struggling to breath. The fluid on heart made things difficult. Time passed, and she struggled even more. The next day, an incredibly kind Emergency Room (ER) doctor came by and asked her how she was doing. She told him that she would like to go on life support. The doctor seemed surprised. He told her the risk, that many do not come off of life support, and that she could get worse. She smiled up at him, and she told him that she understood. “I’ve been on life support before,” she said with a huge smile.
The doctor agreed, and they put the ventilator in place. When we were allowed back into the room, mom seemed at peace. However, her tired body decided it was time to rest and Mom eventually became more and more unresponsive.
As the days passed, her condition began to decline. Her body was fine to let the ventilator do the work, the lungs and other bodily functions shutting down.
Important note to insert here: There is a cardiologist, whose name is Dr. Brown. This doctor was not only my mom’s cardiologist, but also my Dad’s. Prior to my Dad passing away, this doctor helped my Dad so much. After my mom’s miracle in 2004, he also became my mom’s cardiologist. He teased her, encouraged her, and told her that she was his favorite. He was definitely my mom’s favorite!
Even though he was a heart specialist and there were several internal medicine doctors assigned to the ER, it was agreed by everyone that Dr. Brown would take the lead on her care since he knew my mom so well. He was in charge of her treatment, and he would insist on certain ways of responding to her needs, such as her incredibly low blood pressure. The average person would need to operate with a normal range. Not my mom. She would operate at much lower numbers. Nurses would get scared and try to give her medicine to raise her blood pressure. Not Dr. Brown. He knew how she functioned, and he insisted that his plan be followed.
Unfortunately, there were two doctors who did rounds in the ER and did not always like Dr. Brown’s prescribed methods (although they would never say this to him directly) and who were very unkind and unprofessional toward my family and me. One of them came by to tell my brother and me that my mom was in really bad shape. He went on about how we should not just keep her on life support long-term. It was a guilt-type of conversation about how we should do what is right.
The second doctor came by during a rare moment on Friday night when my brother was out of the room. It was odd that I was alone, because I tended to take breaks more often than my brother. Yet, there I was and this jaded doctor called me out of the room to talk in the hallway. He started telling me how people don’t usually come off of life support. When I shared that Mom had come off of life support before and that we were going to follow Dr. Brown’s plan, he looked at me and said, “Let’s face it. Your mom’s going to die.”
I will never forget that moment. I was so stunned that a doctor would say something so crass in that moment to me, especially when I was alone. I was upset, but I calmly replied, “We follow Dr. Brown’s plan.”
The hours grew longer and my mom’s body kept shutting down. Finally, her kidneys stopped working, and my mom was slowly getting more and more swollen. There were also signs that her liver was shutting down. We were reaching a critical moment. On Saturday morning, Dr. Brown pulled my brother Clark aside to say that we might need to make a decision regarding whether to continue with my mom on life support. He told us that we would probably need to decide the next day.
Sunday morning, July 26, I woke up prepared to let my mom go. Her wish was not to live on life support. Mom told Clark, “If there is any chance that I will live, please try. But, please do not leave me on life support if there isn’t any chance that I will get better.” We knew our mom’s wishes.
That morning, when Clark arrived, he asked me if it was the right thing to do. I said that it was. She would never want to live this way. I felt bad for Clark, because as her Power of Attorney, he was the one who had to make the final decision. He had to sign the papers.
As we hugged and cried, Dr. Brown popped into the room. “Well, her liver numbers are a bit better. We go another 24 hours.”
What? I had woken up that morning convinced that I was going to say goodbye to mom that day. I was blown away by his optimism and his conviction that we go another 24 hours.
The two ‘sunshine doctors’ were sure to tell us after Dr. Brown left the room that there was barely any change in her liver numbers. There was almost no change, only a very slight improvement. While Dr. Brown had seen very little improvement, it was still improvement, enough to say, “We go another 24 hours.”
The next day there was slightly more improvement, but she was still a long way from functioning normally. Each day brought more hope, and friends and family all around the world were praying.
On July 29, one week after we were originally scheduled to fly back, my family boarded a plane back to Korea. In this post there is not space for all of the ‘mini-blessings’ that happened along the way. My Head of School granted Larry and me compassionate leave, so we could stay an extra week in Florida. Delta airlines changed my flight not once but three or four times…and waived the fee.
Larry and the kids would now fly back, and I would stay behind a little longer. They got to tell Grandma that they loved her before they left. Mom was still in a critical condition, her kidneys weren’t working, but her numbers were “just a little bit better, so we go another 24 hours.” ‘We go another 24 hours’ was such a comforting phrase.
On July 31, 2015, I posted the following on my Facebook page:
Today in lovely Lakeland, Florida, God chose to work another miracle in the life of Juanita Geise Berry. She was removed from the ventilator and all IVs. She is doing well, but still weak. Please continue to pray for complete healing and recovery and for those kidneys to kick in. 😊
We rejoice today in God's many blessings in our lives. Blessings and love to all of our family and friends. We are forever grateful for your prayers and love! ❤️
Later on, I would refer to my mom as a “Miracle x 2”. Who comes off life support twice in a lifetime? Well, Juanita Gayle Geise Berry for one.
Mom’s kidneys still weren’t working, and the urologist, one of the two 'sunshine doctors', had come in to tell me how surprised he was that she was alive. But he was quick to point out that even though my mom was doing better, her kidneys still weren’t functioning and that she would most likely be on dialysis the rest of her life. Almost immediately, Dr. Brown popped in and said, “Well, what do you think, a little dialysis, Doctor?” He smiled and left.
Within the next month, mom’s kidneys did kick in…and she never went on dialysis again.
In an effort to make this post readable, I have left out countless details of blessings and ‘mini-miracles’ that happened along the way. Prayer warriors, pastors, family, and friends, came by, praying when mom was struggling, and praising God when he moved again in such a powerful way in my Mom’s life.
There were some very specific things that had to happen for me to feel comfortable getting on a plane to come back to Korea. God would work those things out like moving mom to a regular room, then getting her in a room with a lift when I watched them almost drop her trying to move her, etc.
I jumped on a plane on Sunday, August 9, and got to say goodbye to mom early that morning. It was hard to say goodbye, but I knew, as always, she was in God’s hands.
My brother would go on to find a great rehabilitation center for her. It would take a couple of months, but my mom would leave the rehab center to go live independently in her beautiful studio apartment at a really wonderful place called Arbor Hills. She would live 2 ½ years there.
I found this post actually difficult to write, not because I didn’t want to write it, but because I do not believe I was able to capture the sheer wonder of God. There were so many details that happened in between each major event that were amazing, too, but I trust that those who read it will know and understand the miracles of God!
Later my mom would ask what her purpose was. Over the next two-and-a-half years, we would discuss that a lot. Near the end of her journey here on earth, it became apparent what her purpose was. I will share that in my next post.
Today is Easter Sunday. He is Risen! I praise God for His faithfulness, for His many blessings, especially the miracles with my mom, and for His precious Son, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed Himself on Good Friday for our sins and arose on Easter Sunday, proving that He is God. Praise His Holy Name!
The Summer of 2015 began with a bit of a challenge. My mom was scheduled to go in for a surgery to replace her defibrillator. It could be somewhat risky, as she was in her upper seventies. I had not yet reached Florida, so I was not going to be there for the procedure. My brother and his family were by her side, and friends and family lifted her up in prayer.
Mom struggled a little with the recovery, but she came through fairly well. Except…the doctor was unable to attach the third lead on her defibrillator. They would have to go in again to attach the third lead, and a specialist would be called in. We all agreed that Mom would wait until I arrived back in Florida a couple of weeks later.
This summer was also a challenging one, because my Mom was going to move out of her beautiful three-bedroom home with over 2,000 square feet on a beautiful lot in Bloomfield Hills to a studio apartment in an independent living studio apartment. It was a challenge for her to even consider such a move, and my brother and I, along with our families, were going to sort through and pack up all of her stuff when I returned. We were also planning a garage sale and the sale of her house. These were daunting tasks.
I will skip many details for the sake of this post, but the weeks that followed were extremely tiring, especially for my mom who had two main challenges, her congestive heart failure which she had been diagnosed with in 2004 and her faulty heart valve that she had her entire life. The faulty heart valve meant that one valve did not close completely during each pump. So her heart had had to work harder than yours or mine for her entire life. Her heart was a bit tired. When was it discovered? 2004.
On Monday, July 20, 2015, I had the privilege of driving mom to the hospital and being with her pre-surgery. My brother has always been there for every surgery, every hospital visit, and he took great care of her. I was thankful to be able to be there this time.
We had a sweet time together in the pre-op room. We talked, we prayed, and reminisced. I was fairly confident that mom would pull through, because she is such a strong woman, even with her tired heart, but she was in her late seventies. We told each other that we loved each other (multiple times), and then they came in to take her way.
I went out to the waiting room and my brother, sister-in-law, and I all talked for a while and might have even stepped out to get a coffee or hot tea.
The specialist finally came out and said that the procedure had gone well and that she was in recovery. Another surgery done.
When we got to her room she was doing okay, but she was uncomfortable. Normally my mom is happy, smiling, joking, but this time, she seemed more serious. In fact, as the hours passed, she became incredibly restless…never a response I’ve seen from my mom.
One time she raised herself up in the bed and she looked at us and said, “Something’s not right”. She was so adamant that we called the nurses in. The nurses said that the area above her defibrillator was a bit puffy, but they could not tell what was wrong. We finally called the specialist.
After some time, we finally found out that mom was hemorrhaging. Apparently the third lead had not been secured well enough and was working itself loose, causing the area to bleed. She would have to return immediately to surgery.
I distinctly remember NOT getting the impact that going under twice for a major surgery would have on my mom, the woman who was in her upper seventies, had congestive heart failure, and had a heart with a faulty valve. I guess I was so impressed by God’s miracle in 2004 and the way my mom had functioned for the last 11 years with all of these health issues, that I did not realize the toll this second surgery would take.
When mom came out, she seemed to ‘feel better’, but she was struggling to breath. The fluid on heart made things difficult. Time passed, and she struggled even more. The next day, an incredibly kind Emergency Room (ER) doctor came by and asked her how she was doing. She told him that she would like to go on life support. The doctor seemed surprised. He told her the risk, that many do not come off of life support, and that she could get worse. She smiled up at him, and she told him that she understood. “I’ve been on life support before,” she said with a huge smile.
The doctor agreed, and they put the ventilator in place. When we were allowed back into the room, mom seemed at peace. However, her tired body decided it was time to rest and Mom eventually became more and more unresponsive.
As the days passed, her condition began to decline. Her body was fine to let the ventilator do the work, the lungs and other bodily functions shutting down.
Important note to insert here: There is a cardiologist, whose name is Dr. Brown. This doctor was not only my mom’s cardiologist, but also my Dad’s. Prior to my Dad passing away, this doctor helped my Dad so much. After my mom’s miracle in 2004, he also became my mom’s cardiologist. He teased her, encouraged her, and told her that she was his favorite. He was definitely my mom’s favorite!
Even though he was a heart specialist and there were several internal medicine doctors assigned to the ER, it was agreed by everyone that Dr. Brown would take the lead on her care since he knew my mom so well. He was in charge of her treatment, and he would insist on certain ways of responding to her needs, such as her incredibly low blood pressure. The average person would need to operate with a normal range. Not my mom. She would operate at much lower numbers. Nurses would get scared and try to give her medicine to raise her blood pressure. Not Dr. Brown. He knew how she functioned, and he insisted that his plan be followed.
Unfortunately, there were two doctors who did rounds in the ER and did not always like Dr. Brown’s prescribed methods (although they would never say this to him directly) and who were very unkind and unprofessional toward my family and me. One of them came by to tell my brother and me that my mom was in really bad shape. He went on about how we should not just keep her on life support long-term. It was a guilt-type of conversation about how we should do what is right.
The second doctor came by during a rare moment on Friday night when my brother was out of the room. It was odd that I was alone, because I tended to take breaks more often than my brother. Yet, there I was and this jaded doctor called me out of the room to talk in the hallway. He started telling me how people don’t usually come off of life support. When I shared that Mom had come off of life support before and that we were going to follow Dr. Brown’s plan, he looked at me and said, “Let’s face it. Your mom’s going to die.”
I will never forget that moment. I was so stunned that a doctor would say something so crass in that moment to me, especially when I was alone. I was upset, but I calmly replied, “We follow Dr. Brown’s plan.”
The hours grew longer and my mom’s body kept shutting down. Finally, her kidneys stopped working, and my mom was slowly getting more and more swollen. There were also signs that her liver was shutting down. We were reaching a critical moment. On Saturday morning, Dr. Brown pulled my brother Clark aside to say that we might need to make a decision regarding whether to continue with my mom on life support. He told us that we would probably need to decide the next day.
Sunday morning, July 26, I woke up prepared to let my mom go. Her wish was not to live on life support. Mom told Clark, “If there is any chance that I will live, please try. But, please do not leave me on life support if there isn’t any chance that I will get better.” We knew our mom’s wishes.
That morning, when Clark arrived, he asked me if it was the right thing to do. I said that it was. She would never want to live this way. I felt bad for Clark, because as her Power of Attorney, he was the one who had to make the final decision. He had to sign the papers.
As we hugged and cried, Dr. Brown popped into the room. “Well, her liver numbers are a bit better. We go another 24 hours.”
What? I had woken up that morning convinced that I was going to say goodbye to mom that day. I was blown away by his optimism and his conviction that we go another 24 hours.
The two ‘sunshine doctors’ were sure to tell us after Dr. Brown left the room that there was barely any change in her liver numbers. There was almost no change, only a very slight improvement. While Dr. Brown had seen very little improvement, it was still improvement, enough to say, “We go another 24 hours.”
The next day there was slightly more improvement, but she was still a long way from functioning normally. Each day brought more hope, and friends and family all around the world were praying.
On July 29, one week after we were originally scheduled to fly back, my family boarded a plane back to Korea. In this post there is not space for all of the ‘mini-blessings’ that happened along the way. My Head of School granted Larry and me compassionate leave, so we could stay an extra week in Florida. Delta airlines changed my flight not once but three or four times…and waived the fee.
Larry and the kids would now fly back, and I would stay behind a little longer. They got to tell Grandma that they loved her before they left. Mom was still in a critical condition, her kidneys weren’t working, but her numbers were “just a little bit better, so we go another 24 hours.” ‘We go another 24 hours’ was such a comforting phrase.
On July 31, 2015, I posted the following on my Facebook page:
Today in lovely Lakeland, Florida, God chose to work another miracle in the life of Juanita Geise Berry. She was removed from the ventilator and all IVs. She is doing well, but still weak. Please continue to pray for complete healing and recovery and for those kidneys to kick in. 😊
We rejoice today in God's many blessings in our lives. Blessings and love to all of our family and friends. We are forever grateful for your prayers and love! ❤️
Later on, I would refer to my mom as a “Miracle x 2”. Who comes off life support twice in a lifetime? Well, Juanita Gayle Geise Berry for one.
Mom’s kidneys still weren’t working, and the urologist, one of the two 'sunshine doctors', had come in to tell me how surprised he was that she was alive. But he was quick to point out that even though my mom was doing better, her kidneys still weren’t functioning and that she would most likely be on dialysis the rest of her life. Almost immediately, Dr. Brown popped in and said, “Well, what do you think, a little dialysis, Doctor?” He smiled and left.
Within the next month, mom’s kidneys did kick in…and she never went on dialysis again.
In an effort to make this post readable, I have left out countless details of blessings and ‘mini-miracles’ that happened along the way. Prayer warriors, pastors, family, and friends, came by, praying when mom was struggling, and praising God when he moved again in such a powerful way in my Mom’s life.
There were some very specific things that had to happen for me to feel comfortable getting on a plane to come back to Korea. God would work those things out like moving mom to a regular room, then getting her in a room with a lift when I watched them almost drop her trying to move her, etc.
I jumped on a plane on Sunday, August 9, and got to say goodbye to mom early that morning. It was hard to say goodbye, but I knew, as always, she was in God’s hands.
My brother would go on to find a great rehabilitation center for her. It would take a couple of months, but my mom would leave the rehab center to go live independently in her beautiful studio apartment at a really wonderful place called Arbor Hills. She would live 2 ½ years there.
I found this post actually difficult to write, not because I didn’t want to write it, but because I do not believe I was able to capture the sheer wonder of God. There were so many details that happened in between each major event that were amazing, too, but I trust that those who read it will know and understand the miracles of God!
Later my mom would ask what her purpose was. Over the next two-and-a-half years, we would discuss that a lot. Near the end of her journey here on earth, it became apparent what her purpose was. I will share that in my next post.
Today is Easter Sunday. He is Risen! I praise God for His faithfulness, for His many blessings, especially the miracles with my mom, and for His precious Son, Jesus Christ, who sacrificed Himself on Good Friday for our sins and arose on Easter Sunday, proving that He is God. Praise His Holy Name!