Saying Goodbye

It is still hard to take in the reality of the things taking place.  On Tuesday, Dec. 27 Limaris Santiago went to be with her Savior, Healer and closest Friend.  She passed away around 4:10 as we were all at the hospital.  

We grieve the monumental loss that we are left with - a warm and caring sister, a fun-loving and humorous friend, and a hard-working, patient and ever-loving mother to three beautiful children.  Her children are taking it in slowly and in different ways due to their ages.  I think we have a long road of healing ahead, but we are confident that the same Jesus that is holding Limaris now is the same Jesus that will be near each one of these children as they grow. 

As we grieve our loss, it is true that we are also rejoicing that she is cancer free now and that she is feeling no pain, no sickness, no pic-lines, no fatigue.  She is finally face to face with her Creator, who she worships and loves.  She had full faith that this Jesus came to rescue her from her sins and that through grace he forgave her and adopted her into His family.  She is at her true home now.

Our family is overwhelmed by the love and support that has been shown to us from many different people.  We are grateful for all of your prayers.

There will be a viewing and celebration service for her.  Here are the details:

The viewing will take place at 10:00 am 

and the celebration service will be at 11:00 am

Friday, December 30

Cornerstone Community Church 

3167 Frankford Ave

Phila, PA 19134

 

Birthday Visit

Last night we got to celebrate Limaris' birthday with her in the hospital!  She had asked for chocolate cake with chocolate icing, and while she couldn't eat it - I know she was happy the kids got to enjoy it!

Jonerik brought his guitar and worshipped with her for a little while.

Our visit with her was brief but it was full of smiles and fun.  Limaris used Carlos (the cute pig above) to wave and do a little dance.  The kids loved it.

My parents are in town and staying with us right now at the our friends home (downstairs/next door).  We are making Christmas memories by singing and dancing to Christmas music, wrapping presents and making Christmas cookies.  Despite our heavy hearts, there is a spirit of excitement in the air that the children bring and it is a joy to help them laugh and smile.

We are trying to make Christmas as normal as possible for them and to make some new positive memories in the mix.  

Limaris' birthday

Today Limaris turns 29. 

Last night Jonerik and I stayed with her at the hospital overnight while my parents stayed with the kids at our house.  We did get some sleep and were grateful to be there as doctors came around and when she was awake and aware of our presence.  We had taken our ipod and a deck in so she could have some music playing.

Today Limaris is about the same - healthwise.  We were hoping and needing to see some major improvement today to move forward and while she is not getting any worse...she is also not getting better.  The pneumonia is still a problem - and they are almost certain that the cancer that had recently moved into her atrium (the muscle of the heart, not just the tissue where it started) is now affecting the lungs.  She is sedated because of the tube down her throat but she comes in and out and sometimes is able to write, motion, or mouth what she is thinking.

Because today is her birthday and Christmas is on Sunday, we are putting all conversations about next steps on hold until Monday afternoon.  We have a plan, but we are praying that God makes things unmistakably clear and she is able to tell us exactly what she wants to happen. 

We have seen in undeniable ways that God has prepared us for many life events in the past and we pray that this circumstance will follow that pattern as well. We already see God moving in our own lives, our family, and in the friendships that have been made prior to these struggles that are encouraging and supportive. 

This situation is not all about us.  It is so vast and widespread.  Limaris is deeply loved by so many people and because she is such a giving, caring woman of God this is hard for so many.  And ultimately it is about God and bringing glory to His name.  Yes we have moments of asking Him hard questions, pleading and wrestling over and over with Him.  That is part of what it means to have a personal relationship with an infinite God that we don't understand completely.  But in the end we know that His will is what we surrender too and that He is a good God that loves His children more than we ever could.

Please continue to pray for God to move in miraculous ways.  Pray for her precious children who have a difficult road ahead.  Pray that we will have wisdom that can only come from the Holy Spirit.  That His peace, that surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7)  We have felt His presence over the past week.

Limaris is still loving Jesus and knows that her peace comes from Him. 

Thank you again for your prayers, your love, and your support.

Check back in...

This update will be brief because it is from my (Emilys) phone.

As of today Limaris' health has not changed drastically. She is still strong in spirit and her heart is full of love.

The initial plan was to re-evaluate next steps on Friday. This has now been shifted to Monday. Her birthday is tomorrow and with Christmas on Sunday she has asked that we keep this phase going until Monday. We are all peaceful in that decision.

I will let you know more as we go along these next couple of days.

We brought all the kids for a visit last night and it went as well as it could have gone. A social worker helped us out and that was great.

She knows that lots of people are praying for her.

Tuesday Night Update

First I want to express our deep gratitude for all of your supporting emails, calls, texts, and most of all prayers.  This is a very difficult time for our family as we do not know what to expect.
Here is the latest update:

At 11:00 this morning it was determined that Limaris needed to be intubated (a tube was put down her throat that would help her breath).  This was not the way we wanted things to go, but it was necessary.  The average person takes about 10-14 breaths per minute, she was taking 40-50 small breaths.  She fought through this up until this morning and then her body started to get tired.  Before she was at a crisis level of fatigue we all agreed that she should have the procedure done.  The procedure itself was very risky because her heart is not strong and the didn't know how her body would handle it, but she pulled through fine and they got her stablized. 

She is currently sedated so her body can relax, regain some strength, and so she doesn't fight the tube.  The ventilator is breathing for her at this point, which again will allow her body and muscles to recooperate. 

They anticipate that this scenario could go one of two ways, and the odds are unknown.

1.  She could start to show some improvement, the antibiotics could fight the pneumonia to the point where she is able to start breathing on her own again and she could be weened off of the ventilator.  We would then make plans to keep her stable and would go back to fighting the cancer.  In this case we would hope that she wold get to the point where she could return home to her children and we would make living arrangements to accomodate her needs.

2.  She does not show any signs of improvement.  After 72 of no improvement we will move to a phase of making some difficult decisions.  This is pretty much the last option of getting her back on track, so if she is not able to breath on her own we will need to make a different plan.  One that would keep her comfortable and at peace as she works to live the rest of her life to its fullest.

Jonerik and I are taking all of this in slowly as it comes.  We are trying to be strong at the right times and to express our heart's emotions at the right times.

Limaris' birthday is on Friday, the day that some big decisions may need to be made.  We are praying for clarity and wisdom in knowing God's will.

Several people have asked how they can help....honestly, I don't know.  We need your prayers. 
We have faith that God hears our prayers and answers them. We need a strength, peace, and endurance during this time that we have never needed before.  We do have some family and some close friends who are helping us with the logistics of scheduling things and some practical needs.

Visit this site again for more updates.  I will try to keep it updated as much as I can.  This is especially helpful so we don't need to repeat all of this over and over to people.

Please Pray

We are asking that you pray with us as things have taken a turn for the worse over the past few days.

Limaris was taken to the hospital yesterday and it was concluded that she has pneumonia in both lungs and it is possible that the cancer is continuing to spread.  She is currently in the ICU so they can monitor her more closely over night.

She is struggling with her oxygen levels and her main goal right now is to be able to breath on her own without her oxygen levels dropping.

I realize this is a brief update, I will post more as they come.  Please pray for her healing and restoration as well as praying for our family as we ache to help.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.  We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."  - Romans 8:26-27

Two Updates for the Price of One!

The last post that was written was on the benefit for Limaris.  We had a great turn out and we had a great night with Limaris, the kids, and lots of friends and family.  A good amount of money was donated for her medical expenses, Christmas shopping, and life expenses.  She was so touched by the effort and love that went into this event.  A couple of doctors that she worked for and even the CEO of Rothman Institute was there to support her.  Here are a few pictures:

A big thank you goes out to all of our family and friends who came out to show some love and support and to those who weren't able to come but shared their love as well.

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I also want to share a special opportunity that Jonerik and I had recently.  The MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group at Bible Fellowship Church contacted us and told us they wanted to "adopt" our family this Christmas.  We went to their last meeting and shared more about who we were, what our ministry with Cornerstone was about and our family situation.  

I was able to share a little more on what God was teaching me through this process and to encourage these mothers that whatever task they are doing can be done to the glory of God, even if it simply the 5th load of laundry or washing the dishes yet again.

They had collected gifts for each of the kids, Jonerik's sisters, and a couple for our house.  We had mentioned somewhere in the process that we were looking for a good video camera.  The president of the group came up to us after the meeting and said there was a camera a the church that was donated and we were welcome to have it.  I was so excited because this will help us convey what our ministry is about and to capture fun family memories.

THANK YOU to the MOPS groups!