How
is she doing?
Thank you for stopping by to check on Joann. We hope that this page is useful and we will try to keep it as up-to-date as possible. Joann had a lot of visitors yesterday. She really enjoyed seeing everyone, and she was incredibly perky all afternoon. Everyone enjoyed the picnic at Washington Park. The fireworks were canceled because of rain, and Joann and Jim will get a second chance tonight.Click here for the day's unedited digital photos. Joann is not restricted as to visitors, and she would really enjoy seeing you. However, Jim asks that you keep visits brief so as not to tire her, and please don't visit if you have a cold or infection, because her white blood cell count is lower from the chemotherapy. She would also enjoy a card or note whenever you find the time. We are going to try to point to a list of interesting things to do and good places to
eat, so that you'll enjoy even more a trip to Albany. Click here for a
map and directions to the hospital from Exit 23 of the Thruway.
How it started
| Baby Larissa | Jim | Blacky
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How she
is: As you know by now, Joann is at Albany Medical Center with a large, inoperable, cancerous tumor in her right lung. She is also 27 weeks pregnant. This has greatly complicated her treatment. Her doctors, Stephen H. Grund, MD, PhD, Oncology, and Marla S. Eglowstein, MD, Perinatology, have researched and consulted with colleagues around the country to design a treatment program that has started Joann on a road to recovery and is safe for her baby Larissa. Joann had her first chemotherapy on Wednesday. Overnight Wednesday/Thursday, her blood oxygen level dropped to 90%,and she began receiving supplemental oxygen early in the morning. Last night the blood oxygen level was back up to 100% at one reading, which is great! Joann has gained over 2 lbs. since her admission on Monday, so she is definitely doing her job to grow Larissa. Jim is going to stop at Friendly's to get her another hot fudge sunday. Look back at the July 1 edition for more information about the chemotherapy treatment.
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About baby Larissa: Mommy is noticably bigger, and Daddy can feel Larissa bumping the front of Mommy's belly. Actually, Larissa's heartbeat has been so consistently strong that Dr. Eglowstein and the Obstetrics staff decided to reduce the fetal monitoring from once-a-shift to once-a-day. The means Mommy doesn't have to be awakened as many times at night. Mommy and Daddy visited the neonatal nursery yesterday afternoon. More about that in tomorrow's edition.
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What about Jim?  Well, Joann doesn't have a computer at the hospital yet, so Jim has a little bit of time to get straightened around. Check back here in a few days to see how he is doing.
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And Blacky? Blacky misses Mommy, but he is being very good about it. So far he has chewed up only one of Aunt Judy's Rubbermaid food containers. Rosmarie was unable to go to the picnic yesterday because of the retail operation at Smoky Mountain Garden Art, but she came in after closing and gave Blacky a long walk and played with him. Daddy brushed him this morning, and he's going to go out to the farm and see Lilly and the cats. He should sleep well tonight!
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| How to reach Joann: She is going to be moving around, so check here for latest information. mail: visiting: phone: How to reach Larissa: How to reach Jim: mail: Ives & Shaughnessy 318 Wall Street, Suite 2A Kingston, NY 12401 visiting: phone:
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