DAY 21 IN MINNESOTA

Aloha everyone! This morning I got a call from the doctor telling me that my app't time for the procedure tomorrow is at 7:00 am. If all goes well, I will return to the Charter House tomorrow. I'm feeling pretty good. The catheter was removed. Oh, what a relief it is! Trish, if you're reading this blog, I want to wish you a "Happy Birthday". Continuing with physical and occupational therapy. Sometimes it's hard but in the long run it will be worth it. Weather here is beautiful. Again, keep on with those prayers. If you have a chance, drop me a line. I would love to hear from home. Much love, Jessie

DAY 20 IN MINNESOTA

***TAKING THE DAY OFF IN "SUNNY ROCHESTER"***

DAY 19 in MINNESOTA

Aloha everyone! Today, I returned from St. Mary's Hospital at 11:00am following a successful procedure. I feel great. Doctors are optimistic and feel that I should have one more procedure done and that I should be well on my way to return home in a couple of weeks. My brother, Ed, and my good friend, Dorothy Dutra, stayed back here in Minnesota so that my sons could go back home to be with their families. Your continued prayers for a safe and speedy recovery are very much appreciated. Love, Jessie

DAY 18 IN MINNESOTA

Aloha everyone! At 6:00 this morning I was transferred from the Charter House to St. Mary's Hospital for surgery called kidney manipulation which involves the insertion of a miniature Xray camera. This allows the doctor to view the kidney's function. The procedure lasted about one hr and resulted ina 2nd drain put into the kidney. The doctor was very pleased with the results of the procedure and though there may be additional procedures required in the near future, the doctors are very confident that this will result in a quicker recovery. The procedure was done by a renowned radiologist. Tomorrow I will be going back to the Charter House (skilled nursing facility) for more rehabilitation. We will keep you all informed of any future developments. Thank you for all your prayers and good wishes. I would appreciate hearing from you. My temporary address is: %Charter House, 211 Second Street NW, Rochester MN 5590l. Love, Jessie.

Day 17 in Minnesota (Part 2)

Aloha everyone. We just found out that mom has to go back to surgery tomorrow morning to try and repair her leaking kidney. I have been assured that this surgery is pretty straight forward, and will hopefully fix the problem but the doctor said another surgery after this one may be necessary. We will keep you posted via this blog and we ask that you keep mom in your prayers. Thank you all from all of us here in Rochester. Love you!!

Day 17 in Minnesota

Aloha everyone. I hope all is well back home. As for us here in Rochester, we are doing okay. Mom had a little setback today. She was supposed to have her catheter removed but the doctors decided to leave it in because the kidney drain has too much output. They are monitoring the fluid output for the next 24 hours and hopefully the catheter can be removed tomorrow. Mom is pretty disappointed but she is still in good spirits. As I am typing this, her "neighbor" has stopped by to visit. She has had part of her leg amputated and a knee replaced. She is such a positive motivator for mom. We should all count our blessings. Things could be so much worse.

Well, Gerald and I leave tomorrow. Uncle Ed and Dorothy will stay back until September 8th. I will be returning on the 8th to be with mom until she is well enough to fly home. We have no idea how long that will be. The main thing is that mom is recovering well, and that she has had no complications. She is responding well to physical therapy, she is completely off of oxygen, and her blood pressure has been perfect. Hopefully the kidney drain will cooperate and her catheter can be removed soon.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Uncle Ed Medeiros and Dorothy Dutra for staying here with mom. They have left their families to be with mom, and have agreed to stay while Gerald and I are gone. We are truly blessed to have family and friends that care so much for mom. All of you are precious and we thank you all for everything you have done.

I have to leave tomorrow. I will miss being here. Mom is in the best hands possible, and she has her brother and best friend with her. I will be with my daughter for her surgery on the 31st, but will return here as soon as possible. I am hopeful that mom can be back home in the next 2-3 weeks. Everything is in God's hands and we trust that mom will be fully recovered very soon. With your continued prayers, she will be home soon. Take care and God bless.

Day 15 in Minnesota

Aloha everyone. Well, I'm back in Minnesota and very anxious to see mom. We are at the hotel waiting for the shuttle and I decided to post while we wait. Mom is doing extremely well, and hopefully can be released soon. She has lost a lot of weight, is able to move around a lot better, and is in great spirits. As you know, she is in a skilled nursing facility right next to the Mayo Clinic, and is getting comfortable as the days pass. She has made many friends with other patients and staff members, and in fact is doing a better job with promoting Kauai than the Hawaii Visitors Bureau has done in the last 5 years. She already has a couple committed to visiting Kauai in the next 3 months.

As some of you know, my dad just had emergency triple bypass surgery yesterday in Seattle. We are happy to report that his surgery was a success, and he is up walking today. God is AWESOME!!

These last few weeks have reminded all of us about the power of prayer. There is no way of thanking all of you, the prayer warriors, who have been at my mom's side. We have seen her light up with your messages of prayer and good wishes. You have enabled her to recover from this very serious surgery. Yes, she still has a ways to go, but we are convinced that with your continued thoughts and prayers, she will be home soon. She has been through a lot and I know that if she could, she would personally thank each and every one of you for all that you have done. But, for now, I will pass on her MAHALOS to all of you. Thank you and God bless you all.

Days 10, 11 and 12 in Minnesota (via Las Vegas)

Aloha everyone. I am so sorry about this late post but the Fremont Hotel does not have reliable internet service, and we have been so busy running around trying to get my son settled here at UNLV. He seems to be adjusting quite well. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

My brother Gerald reports that mom is doing much better. There was a concern about her drain a couple of days ago, but the doctors examined it and changed the drain type so we have to wait and see how that works. Mom is walking daily under the close eyes of the skilled nurses at Charter House. Going forward, she is set to remove her catheter on the 27th, then they will monitor the drain output for 24 hours to see if the drain can be removed as well. If so, she will be able to come home real soon. If not, there are other procedures that can be done to fix that but she will have to remain in Minnesota for a longer period of time. Let's all pray that all goes well and she can be released shortly.

We are so thankful to have mom in Minnesota. The doctors and nurses at the Mayo Clinic and the Charter House are very good, and also compassionate. Mom is a wonderful patient, often making them laugh with her stories and fast tongue. She has made many friends there and although is much more comfortable today, she wants to get back home to see all of you real soon. We thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and we will all see you soon. Take care and God bless.

Day 9 in Minnesota

Aloha everyone. I hope all is well back home. As for us, it was a much better day here in Rochester, Minnesota. Mom was transferred to Charter House, a skilled nursing facility right next to the Mayo Clinic. She has a private room and is being monitored by an excellent nursing staff. Her hallucinations have stopped and her IV was removed. She is on a general diet and is beginning to do things on her own. She still has a catheter and a drain but otherwise she is doing real well. She still has to0 be watched so that she doesn't run away :) She likes the new environment but is still looking forward to coming home soon.

We were informed this morning that mom's departure date will not be on the 28th, as we had planned. She is having some drain problems and the doctors will have to watch this for at least another 10 days. Although this is inconvenient, we are going with the suggestions of these fabulous doctors and will make the necessary adjustments. We will keep all of you in the loop and make all information available through this blog.

I am on my way to Vegas for a few days. I will be back in Minnesota on Monday but will have to leave for Hawaii on the 28th. Gerald and I will leave and Uncle Ed and Dorothy will stay back. I will be on Oahu for my daughter's surgery on the 31st and will return to Minnesota as soon as she recovers and doesn't need me around. Uncle Ed and Dorothy will come home once I get back to Minnesota.

We are all hoping for a quick and full recovery for mom. We thank you for your prayers and we ask for your continued prayers. Mom truly appreciates all of you and will be home soon. Take care and God bless.

Day 8 in Minnesota

Hi everyone. We just got back to the hotel after a better day at the Mayo. Mom's hallucinations stopped and she seemed to be a lot better today. She walked the halls today, but on one of her laps she got winded and had to stop and get a nebulizer treatment. She had a difficult time breathing so another chest xray was taken and they found a little fluid in her lungs. She is being constantly monitored and it doesn't appear to be a serious problem.

Mom's surgeon, Dr. Chow, informed us today that she will not be able to leave on the 28th. She has a catheter and a kidney drain that cannot be removed until the 28th. There is still some leaking from the drain that they are hoping will go away within the next 10 days. If not, they will be doing other procedures to stop the leaking. We are hoping for everything to fall into place within the next few days.

On the positive side, it looks like mom will be discharged tomorrow and sent to an assisted living facility not far from the hospital. She will receive special attention there for the next few days. It's not a hospital but she will be in a relaxed environment complete with nursing care. This should help her with her recovery. Even through all of this, mom is in good spirits and still putting smiles on everyones faces. She is truly an angel.

Unfortunately, I will be leaving Minnesota tomorrow night to meet my family in Las Vegas as my son Baron is starting college at UNLV on Monday. We will be setting him up in his dorm and making sure that he is settled in. I will return to Minnesota on Monday evening. It will be tough leaving mom but she is in great hands with Uncle Ed, brother Gerald and friend Dorothy. I will be getting updates from Gerald and posting them daily. We really appreciate your support and the emails and comments really help mom's recovery.

Again, your thoughts and prayers and really appreciated. Mom told me again to thank all of you, and she said that she cannot wait to get back home to see all of you. We cannot wait either. Mahalo for everything. Take care and God bless.

Day 7 in Minnesota

Aloha everyone. What a day it has been. Mom had a very rough day today, due to the hallucinations from the pain medicine. Fortunately, her pain has subsided and they took her off the narcotics and are just using Tylenol. She is responding well and was pretty comfortable when we left the hospital about 30 minutes ago. She should have a much needed good nights rest.

On the positive side, her surgery this morning was successful and the doctors are saying that she might be discharged in the next few days. Of course, she has to get over the hallucinations first, but otherwise she is recovering quite well. This hospital is simply amazing. The nurses and doctors are truly remarkable. They even join us in prayer when mom asks them to.

The weather here is great. Although we are indoors most of the time, we do get a chance to get some sun. It is in the 80s here with a nice breeze that makes it very comfortable. Quite a difference from the weather here in December. But no matter what, Hawaii is the best place on earth. Maybe we can get Mayo to open a Hawaii clinic. That would be great. Wishful thinking.

Anyway, I'll end here. We need to get some rest ourselves. Again, we want to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. I am hopeful that we will be bringing mom back to the hotel soon. Your prayers have helped and we love you all. Take care and God bless.

Days 6 and 7 in Minnesota

Aloha everyone. First of all, let me apologize for not posting yesterday. It was a long and rough day for mom, and we ended up staying at the hospital last night to help her. Although recovery is moving along, the pain medicine that she is taking causes her to have severe hallucinations. This frustrates her and makes her very upset. It is very hard to see mom this way. On top of that, the hospital staff is light on weekends so we all needed to stay with her to make sure she was okay. Aside from these hallucinations, mom seems to be doing fine. She did have another minor surgical procedure this morning to put a stent from her kidney to her bladder. This is common and is needed to propery drain the urine out of the kidney and into the bladder. I haven't spoke to the doctor yet but the nurse left a message saying that mom was doing fine. After 3 hours of sleep, we are getting ready to return to the hospital to see how she's doing.

Mom is a tough person, and we know that she will pull through this. The next few days will be tough so we are again asking for your continued prayers. We are so thankful for all of your thoughts and prayers, and we look forward to seeing you all back home real soon.

As you know, I read all of her email to her daily. Please send your messages to jessiesamfong@gmail.com. You can also post comments here by clicking the "Comments" link right below my post. In closing, we want to thank you all for your kind thoughts and prayers. Mom always talks about her prayer warriors back home. Take care and God bless.

Day 5 in Minnesota

Aloha friends. Thanks for checking in on mom's condition. Today, mom had a busy day. She started off with 2 units of blood because her blood count was a little low. The doctor said that we should not worry about that, as it is very common for this type of surgery. She tolerated the transfusion well, and although still in pain and a little groggy, she is in great spirits. There is constant activity in the room, but mom always has a smile on her face. She is such a wonderful person.

She was moved to a private room this evening so she is a little more comfortable. We left her tonight at about 9:30 and she asked me to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. Our family thanks you as well. She is making great progress and we need your continued prayers.

Tomorrow they will make her walk for the first time. She was able to stand up today but she really needs to walk to help her body "wake up." She is dreading this, but tomorrow she will have to do it. We will be there to cheer her on (and to make sure she doesn't run away). We will keep you posted on her accomplishments through this blog.

Again, we would like to thank you all for your support. It has made all the difference for mom. She lights up when I read your messages to her, often times breaking down in tears. Happy tears, of course. Please keep the messages coming and be assured that she is getting them every morning. It really cheers her up, and sets her up for a great day. You all have been wonderful and we truly appreciate your love and support. I will be signing off for now. We gotta do laundry tonight so that we can have clean clothes tomorrow. Take care and God bless you all.

Day 4 in Minnesota

Aloha everyone. Mom is doing much better today, although she is still in a lot of pain. She was transferred from ICU to a semi-private room and hopefully will be in a private room in the next day or two. She had a good night in ICU but was happy to get out of there. One of her nurses was an intern from the University of Hawaii. What a small world. As usual, she has everyone smiling in the hospital. She is an awesome woman.

Tomorrow we meet with the doctor again at 9am. We are praying for more good news. The Mayo Clinic has been great throughout this ordeal. They are specialists in everything that they do. And the food is good too. Mom actually ate a little today. Can you believe that she has room service from 7am to 7pm? Only at the Mayo.

Keep the emails coming. All emails to jessiesamfong@gmail.com will be printed and given to mom daily. If you rather send a written note, they can be sent to:

Jessie Sam-Fong
c/o Fiksdal Hotel, Room 608
1215 SW Second Street
Rochester, MN 55902

Again, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We have a ways to go so your continued prayers are greatly appreciated. Take care and God bless.

Day 3 in Minnesota

Hi everyone. It's Mel here to report for mom who is recovering tonight in the intensive care unit at the Mayo Clinic after a successful surgery. After checking in this morning at 8:15 am, then waiting for pre-op at 12 noon, then surgery at 3:15 pm which lasted almost 4 hours, I am happy to report that all six tumors were removed and the kidney was saved. Praise God! Now, she is not out of the woods yet, but according to Dr. Chow, she did extremely well during the surgery. She is in a lot of pain but she was in good spirits when we left her a little while ago. We will be meeting with the doctor tomorrow morning at 8am to get a better report of what occurred and what we can expect. She asked me to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. If possible, send a short note to her at jessiesamfong@gmail.com and I will print them out for her to read tomorrow. I'm sure that your words of encouragement will help her during this painful recovery.

We would like to especially thank Pastor Bill Ashpole and his wife Bonnie Lou for stopping by this morning and saying a very special prayer for mom. They were very heartwarming and Pastor Bill's message made it a lot easier for all of us as we waited for the call for mom to go into surgery.

From all of us here in Minnesota, we would like to thank all of you for your kind words of support. The power of prayer is remarkable. Your prayers have allowed mom to survive this very risky surgery. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! We will continue to update this blog daily, so feel free to drop a note and we will make sure it gets to Jessie. Take care and God bless you all!!

Day 2 in Minnesota

Hi everyone. Today was another long day here in Rochester. Several appointments with doctors and specialists. The worst part was hearing about the possible risks associated with tomorrow's surgery. We just found out that I have to check in at 8:15am tomorrow but still not sure what time the actual surgery will be. My surgeon has 5 surgeries tomorrow, including two kidney transplants. My surgery will be about 3-4 hours, and I will be in ICU for the first night. The goal is to save the kidney however there is a chance that the kidney may have to be removed. We are all praying for a successful procedure and we appreciate all your thoughts and prayers.



We will continue to update this blog and monitor emails. Your kind words of support are very helpful and I look forward to them. Please know that I love you all very much and look forward to seeing you all real soon. Take care and God bless you all.

Day One in Minnesota

Aloha everyone,

After a long flight, we (brother Ed, sons Gerald and Mel, best friend and nurse/prayer warrior Dorothy Dutra, and myself) finally made it to Rochester, Minnesota. We left Kauai on Monday at 12 noon, and arrived in Rochester on Tuesday at 8:30am. We were in the air for almost 10 hours. We landed here and were greeted by beautiful weather. It was 70 degrees with blue skies, quite a difference from the 5 degree weather that greeted us back in December. We checked in to our home away from home, the Fiksdal Hotel, and after one room change (because of smoke coming from the air conditioning vent), we were able to relax and take a a short nap. Tomorrow, we start with pre-operative tests and a meeting with Dr. Chow, the surgeon and the anesthetist. At that time, we will find out the time of the surgery, which will be Thursday morning, Aug. 13th. Please keep me in your prayers and we will post daily updates to this blog. You can email me at jessiesamfong@gmail.com.

Love you all,

Jessie