Jerryz Blanket of Love Part Two

Just sending this as it seems many of you didn't recive an email letting you know we sent a new post. Hopefully, this will reach many of you so you are aware of what we are up to this holiday season..

Please check out the blog for information on the upcoming blanket making and distribution over the next few weeks.

God Bless.

Sherri

Jerryz Kidz Blankets of Love for the Holidayz

After much discussion and wanting to do something this holiday season to honor and remember Jerry, we decided to give everyone some "warmth" with handmade blankets. The thought was to deliver them to patients in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids hospitals Cancer Units. We were disappointed to find out that we couldn't directly donate items to patients in Cancer units due to privacy and confidentially matters. Completely understandable and the last thing we want to do is cause anyone any undue stress during the holidays while dealing with something unimaginable.

So after further discussion, we have decided to create and donate blankets to a local homeless shelter in the Iowa City area instead.

These are people who are down on their luck, maybe feeling discouraged, alone and saddened at this time of year. We thought what better way to make a difference in Jerry's memory than by giving someone who TRULY needs a gift this time of year. We are hoping to make as many blankets as possible to hand out at the shelter. We are having a family friend make a patch to put on each blanket that will have Jerry's motto "Who You Are Matters, What You Do Counts". Our hope is that when people look at that statment, it will give them hope that things can get better and that they do indeed matter.

A small gathering is planned for Friday, December 11th in Iowa City (see details below) to hand make the blankets.

We are planning on donating the blankets on Saturday, December 26th. In addition to handing out blankets of love, we hope to assist in serving meals and bringing some additional joy to those at the shelter.

Not all of the blankets have to be made by us. We would gladly accept any new or gently used blankets that anyone would like to donate to the cause. If you are unable to attend the blanket making or donation day, but would still like to participate, any and all blankets or additional donations will be gladly accepted.

We have approached Joanne's Fabrics and Wal-Mart for donations of fabric or discounted pricing for our purpose. Joanne's donated $50 plus 10% off of Fabrics, we are waiting to hear back from Wal-Mart regarding a grant from them. It is looking good as this would be for a non-profit organization.

If you would like to participate at the Jerry'z Night of Blanket Making, we would love to see you! The Sheraton Hotel in Downtown Iowa City has donated a conference room for us.

DATE: FRIDAY, December 11
TIME: 6:00 pm - ??
WHERE: Sheraton Hotel, Downtown Iowa City

The night will be festive with holiday music, hot cocoa, cider and snacks. Laughter will fill the air and "Jerry's Elves" will be in full force.

If you have any additional questions regarding Friday night or the distribution night on the 26th, please contact Tanya Rogers at (319) 545-8189.

If you would like to send donations, blankets, etc- please send them to:
Tanya Rogers
616 Red Bird Run
Tiffin, IA 52340
(319) 545-8189

Thank you to every one. May you have a blessed and safe holiday season with your loved ones. You all remain in our hearts and prayers.

Jerry's KC Tree and IA Reflections Spot

Relfection spot in Iowa at parents house planted with love by all of us over July 4th weekend.



Tree in park in Kansas City. Waterfall behind, tree and green grass all around.

As Time Passes

As time passes, people say it gets easier... at this point, I find that hard to believe - but will hold out hope that those that have gone thru this speak truth. While it will never be "right", I'm hopefully it will be better. We all miss Jerry every day in the little things. Knowing we will never see his smile, hear his laugh and watch his eyes light up with merriment or be the brunt of a smart alec comment of his.. we still find those moments in our daily lives and think "Jerry would love this".. that will never change and I hope it never does.

Today, I found out that Jerry’z Kidz raised $8,566 dollars in the KC Aids Walk- placing us as the Fourth highest fundraiser this year (we missed 3rd by $94!) Team Clover, Banana Republic and Team Bucket were ahead of us. Jerry would be so proud of all the hard work and effort that everyone put into this years’ walk. I am proud and honored to have worked, laughed and cried among so many of you as well. It was truly a great event and Jerry was with us every step of the way.

I am also extremely happy to report (for those of you that don’t already know) the birth of my 7th “child” – ok, a nephew, but still… Camren Jerry Oehler was born on Sunday, April 19th and while he, Tracy, Kevin and Wyatt weren’t able to make it to the Aids Walk due to medical reasons – he is healthy, beautiful and growing so fast. Jerry’s little namesake is a treasure indeed.

Jerry’s birthday passed us June 21st in a day of reflection and memories and to those close to him- was not forgotten. The first day of Summer was and will be a beautiful, albeit sad, day to remember from now on. Jerry would want it to be a happy day – and it will… eventually. You know you can hear him making comments and rolling his eyes at me right now.. :)

As most of you know, we planted a tree in Theiss park in KC to honor Jerry during the Aids Walk weekend – it is thriving beautifully and I know several people in the KC area have told me how it looks on a regular basis. Over the July 4th weekend, the Cahill family planted another tree, some flowers and made a reflection/memorial area at our parents home in North Liberty, IA. It turned out beautiful and while it has some work to be done yet, it looks great.

It's hard to believe it has been 5 1/2 months since Jerry departed from our world. Challenges come and go in our lives - personally, professionally and privately... mourning the loss of Jerry hits us every level possible. The comfort and support of friends and loved ones in Jerry's life have made it easier on all of us that were touched by his spirit. Knowing we are not going thru this alone and we have many shoulders to cry upon, help share the burden and heartache of this loss will hopefully comfort everyone on some level. Whether it's an e-mail conversation, a phone call, a Facebook posting or a good old fashioned hug and cry fest... we can all get thru this eventually. Time may not heal all wounds, but it sure does help it to not fester...

I know each of us are dealing with his absence in our own ways and I know personally, I feel his loss keenly every day. Some days are better than others. Life is moving on and while it will never be the same, it will move on. Jerry will always remain in our hearts, our memories and our laughter.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person,
An hour to appreciate them,
A day to love them,
And an entire life to forget them.

…..More accurate words have never been spoken…

I wish you all well until next time…

Jerryz Kidz T-Shirt Distribution

Hi everyone,

We will be distributing the t-shirts tonight and tomorrow before the walk.

For those of you that would like to pick up your t-shirt prior to the walk, we will be at the Hampton Inn Country Club Plaza at 4600 Summit (@ 46th St) TODAY (Fri 4/24) between 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm in the main lobby area.

T-shirts are $10/shirt. If you'd like to pay by check, please make it out to MARILYN CAHILL.

If you are unable to pick up your shirt today, we will be distributing them starting at 8:00 am Saturday morning at the Jerryz Kidz booth at Theiss Park.

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to call me at (310) 595-4045.

~ Sherri

Aids Walk Team Sign up & Donating/Pledge Information

It appears that some people may still not know how to sign up to walk and/or make a straight donation to Jerryz Kidz/Aids Walk.

The following information is how to go about doing that:

Please join the Jerryz Kidz team on April 25th, 2009 as a Team Walker!!

AIDS WALK Kansas City
Saturday April 25th, 2009
Theis Park
Across 47th Street South of the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art
Registration opens at 8:00am
Team meeting/photo at 8:30 am @ Jerryz Kidz Table
Welcoming Ceremonies at 9:30am
We Walk at 10:00am
Jerryz Kidz/Aids Walk KC Raffle drawing at 11:45 am
http://www.aidswalkkansascity.org/

Please feel free to contact me with any questions at sherri.cahill@napster.com
or 310-595-4045 (cell) or 310-281-5006 (office)

** Feel free to forward this information along to anyone else that might be interested in participating with us. All are welcome!! **

KANSAS CITY AIDS WALK INFORMATION
(Everything you wanted to know….and then some…)

TO JOIN TEAM JERRYZ KIDZ AND WALK
Get your donation and pledge faces on and get ready to raise money for Jerryz Kidz/Aids Walk. It’s simple, easy and most people are willing to sponsor you to walk or make a straight donation for such a worthy cause. All it takes is a friendly e-mail, phone call or a stroll around your office or neighborhood to see if people are willing to donate to Aids Walk Kansas City. So, sign up as a team walker then start getting pledges & donations from family, friends and neighbors! Also, many companies do a “Matching Gift” contribution- so if any of your co-workers donate/pledge, they may be eligible thru your company for a “matching gift” – check into it!

This year if you sign up as a Jerryz Kidz Team Member you have a couple fundraising choices you can use the attached pledge sheets like we have done in the past and/or each member can create his/her own online individual fundraising page complete with a personal statement, pictures, and daily updates on pledge totals. If you wish to create your own page which will be linked with the Jerryz Kidz team page follow the instructions below, its pretty simple (even if it may not seem like it at first glance – it really is easy), if you have any questions or need any help please don’t hesitate to contact me.

NEW This year, there is a great tool for those of you on Facebook! There is an app you can choose that will load your fundraising page onto your Facebook account – this will enable all your friends to make donations thru Facebook and is an additional tool to help you get donations.

Click on the link to see the Jerryz Kidz team page (you can also join the team from here) http://www.firstgiving.com/process/teamarea/default.asp?did=1615&TeamId=60049&EventId=45727

1) To create your page, just go to www.firstgiving.com/aidswalkkc
2) 1st Page: Click on the 'Get Started' button.
3) 2nd Page: Click on Kansas City Aids Walk 2009'
4) 3rd Page: Enter your email address, select 'I'm new to this site' and hit the 'continue' button.
5) 4th Page: 'Your Details' page, fill out your information and click on the 'continue' button.
6) 5th Page: 'Are You Part of a Team' page, Go to the second box - 'Yes, I am raising funds as part of a team', under Team Name go down to Jerryz Kidz and click on the 'select' button to the right.
7) 6th Page: 'Create your fundraising page',
7a) first box, choose a web page - e.g. - http://www.firstgiving.com/yourname
7b) second box, design your page - under choose a page title - Jerryz Kidz -
7c) Where the image of the woman walking -- 'change the image' you can choose to leave the default image shown or you can choose another image from the collection supplied or if you have a picture you prefer or from past walks you can choose to post that. You may also choose a 'caption' for below what ever image you choose.
7d) If you have a Fundraising Target you can enter that amount and the thermometer will display at the top of your personal web page and show your Fundraising progress. The Fundraising Progress thermometer will only show if you enter a Fundraising Target. Last year Jerryz Kidz raised over $7000!!!
7e) In the 'Edit the personal message to appear on your page' - you can leave the default message that appears or you can click inside the box and create a personal message of your own about why your walking, your motivation or what ever you it is you want to express.
8) third box, Donation confirmation, for your donors - This will be included in the thank you email sent to everyone who makes a donation to your fundraising page. If you would like a confirmation email whenever anyone donates to your page check the box next to 'For you', and then click on the 'continue' button.
9) 7th page: You can preview your Fundraising Page - if you want to make changes click on the 'I want to change something' button at the top of the page OR if your happy with your page click on the 'I am happy with my changes' button at the top of the page.
10) Congratulations!! Your fundraising page is live on the web and ready to take donations at the web address displayed. To edit your page at any time just log into your account. You can start collecting donations on your page by emailing and telling your friends and family!!

TO MAKE A DONATION ONLY
If you are unable to walk or participate on April 25th, but would still like to support the team, any and all donations are welcome. You can make your donations by going to: http://www.firstgiving.com/sherricahill

TEAM MEETING LOCATION/TIME DAY OF WALK
Jerryz Kidz team will meet at the Jerryz Kidz tent/table inside Theis Park. We’d like to do a group photo, so please be on hand at 8:30 am the day of the walk. We’ll distribute t-shirts (if you don’t have them) and will do a quick group photo to commemorate this years team.

Aids Walk Raffle Information

We have a few people that are actively selling Raffle tickets for this year’s Aids Walk Raffle giveaway. If you’d like to PURCHASE raffle tickets or are interested in helping SELL raffle tickets, information below will help you.

The raffle this year is being co-sponsored by the Aids Walk Association as well as Jerryz Kidz. We have some wonderful prizes and hope to sell as many, if not more, than last year. All proceeds will be donated to the Aids Walk KC.

The raffle prizes this year are:

1 26” Plasma TV donated by Best Buy
1 2 night stay at the Hampton Inn Country Club Suites in Kansas City
donated by Hampton Inn
1 1gig MP3 player and 1 year subscription to Napster To Go, donated by
Napster

Raffle tickets are $2/each or $10 for 6 tickets.

Tickets are already being sold by various people and we will also be selling tickets at the Aids Walk from 8:00 am – 11:00 am from the Jerryz Kidz booth. The drawing will take place at approx. 11:45 am on the main stage at the Walk.

If you’d like to sell tickets, please contact Marilyn Cahill at (319) 331-6162 to get tickets sent to you.

Aids Walk T-shirt and PARTY Information

The date is fast approaching and I hope that everyone is out there getting donations for the KC Aids Walk and getting ready to walk next weekend. We are certainly excited and have a large group this year – almost 150 walkers!!! J

If you haven’t already signed up on the Aids Walk Firstgiving website as a walker for Team Jerryz Kidz – please do so by clicking on the following link to see the Jerryz Kidz team page (you can also join the team from here) http://www.firstgiving.com/process/teamarea/default.asp?did=1615&TeamId=60049&EventId=45727

*This is also where to go if you want to make a donation only if you are unable to walk with the team.

T-SHIRTS
The t-shirts are ordered and they will be $10/shirt per person. Please make your check out to MARILYN CAHILL and send your money to :

Marilyn Cahill
c/o Jerryz Kidz
P.O. Box 714
North Liberty, IA 52317

We will also collect money the day of the walk for those of you that aren’t able to send money ahead of time and/or didn’t order a shirt. We do have a few extra shirts ordered, but they will be first come first serve (we can order shirts after the fact if you want them).

SATURDAY AFTER WALK PARTY
Once again, we will have the traditional “After Party” after the walk. This year, the party is being graciously hosted by Shawn and Katie Hart at their home. Please join us for a fun time to unwind, relax, laugh and enjoy good food and company. Everyone (including KIDS of all ages) is invited to join in the fun – please come!!

Details for the party are:
Saturday, April 25
TIME: 5:30 pm
LOCATION: The Hart Residence
4204 West 113th St.
Leawood, Kansas 66211
PH: (913) 669-0659 – Katie’s cell
RSVP: shart1@kc.rr.com or sherri.cahill@napster.com
PLEASE RSVP by Monday, April 20th so we have a count for food and beverages.

Mapquest Map to The Hart Residence: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Leawood&state=KS&address=4204+West+113th+Street&zipcode=66211


We will send out information for the morning of the walk i.e. where to meet, where to get your shirts, where to bring your pledge money, etc. later in the week – please check your email Thursday for this information so you don’t miss out!!

If anyone has any further questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Thanks and looking forward to walking with each and everyone of you on Saturday!!

Kansas City Aids Walk Info - everything you need to know and then some..

Please save the date and join the Jerryz Kidz team on April 25th, 2009 as a Team Walker!!

The incredible efforts and compassion last year from team members of Jerryz Kidz
made them among the top 3 fundraisers of more than 3500 men, women, and children
who participated in last years’ annual AIDS WALK Kansas City

AIDS WALK Kansas City
Saturday April 25th, 2009
Theis Park
Across 47th Street South of the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art
Registration opens at 8:00am
Team meeting/photo at 8:30 am @ Jerryz Kidz Table
Welcoming Ceremonies at 9:30am
We Walk at 10:00am
Jerryz Kidz/Aids Walk KC Raffle drawing at 11:45 am
http://www.aidswalkkansascity.org/

Please feel free to contact me with any questions at sherri.cahill@napster.com
or 310-595-4045 (cell) or 310-281-5006 (office)

** Feel free to forward this information along to anyone else that might be interested in participating with us. All are welcome!! **

KANSAS CITY AIDS WALK INFORMATION
(Everything you wanted to know….and then some…)

TO JOIN TEAM JERRYZ KIDZ AND WALK
Get your donation and pledge faces on and get ready to raise money for Jerryz Kidz/Aids Walk. It’s simple, easy and most people are willing to sponsor you to walk or make a straight donation for such a worthy cause. All it takes is a friendly e-mail, phone call or a stroll around your office or neighborhood to see if people are willing to donate to Aids Walk Kansas City. So, sign up as a team walker then start getting pledges & donations from family, friends and neighbors! Also, many companies do a “Matching Gift” contribution- so if any of your co-workers donate/pledge, they may be eligible thru your company for a “matching gift” – check into it!

This year if you sign up as a Jerryz Kidz Team Member you have a couple fundraising choices you can use the attached pledge sheets like we have done in the past and/or each member can create his/her own online individual fundraising page complete with a personal statement, pictures, and daily updates on pledge totals. If you wish to create your own page which will be linked with the Jerryz Kidz team page follow the instructions below, its pretty simple (even if it may not seem like it at first glance – it really is easy), if you have any questions or need any help please don’t hesitate to contact me.

NEW This year, there is a great tool for those of you on Facebook! There is an app you can choose that will load your fundraising page onto your Facebook account – this will enable all your friends to make donations thru Facebook and is an additional tool to help you get donations.

Click on the link to see the Jerryz Kidz team page (you can also join the team from here) http://www.firstgiving.com/process/teamarea/default.asp?did=1615&TeamId=60049&EventId=45727

1) To create your page, just go to www.firstgiving.com/aidswalkkc
2) 1st Page: Click on the 'Get Started' button.
3) 2nd Page: Click on Kansas City Aids Walk 2009'
4) 3rd Page: Enter your email address, select 'I'm new to this site' and hit the 'continue' button.
5) 4th Page: 'Your Details' page, fill out your information and click on the 'continue' button.
6) 5th Page: 'Are You Part of a Team' page, Go to the second box - 'Yes, I am raising funds as part of a team', under Team Name go down to Jerryz Kidz and click on the 'select' button to the right.
7) 6th Page: 'Create your fundraising page',
7a) first box, choose a web page - e.g. - http://www.firstgiving.com/yourname
7b) second box, design your page - under choose a page title - Jerryz Kidz -
7c) Where the image of the woman walking -- 'change the image' you can choose to leave the default image shown or you can choose another image from the collection supplied or if you have a picture you prefer or from past walks you can choose to post that. You may also choose a 'caption' for below what ever image you choose.
7d) If you have a Fundraising Target you can enter that amount and the thermometer will display at the top of your personal web page and show your Fundraising progress. The Fundraising Progress thermometer will only show if you enter a Fundraising Target. Last year Jerryz Kidz raised over $7000!!!
7e) In the 'Edit the personal message to appear on your page' - you can leave the default message that appears or you can click inside the box and create a personal message of your own about why your walking, your motivation or what ever you it is you want to express.
8) third box, Donation confirmation, for your donors - This will be included in the thank you email sent to everyone who makes a donation to your fundraising page. If you would like a confirmation email whenever anyone donates to your page check the box next to 'For you', and then click on the 'continue' button.
9) 7th page: You can preview your Fundraising Page - if you want to make changes click on the 'I want to change something' button at the top of the page OR if your happy with your page click on the 'I am happy with my changes' button at the top of the page.
10) Congratulations!! Your fundraising page is live on the web and ready to take donations at the web address displayed. To edit your page at any time just log into your account. You can start collecting donations on your page by emailing and telling your friends and family!!

TO MAKE A DONATION ONLY
If you are unable to walk or participate on April 25th, but would still like to support the team, any and all donations are welcome. You can make your donations by going to: http://www.firstgiving.com/sherricahill

TEAM MEETING LOCATION/TIME DAY OF WALK
Jerryz Kidz team will meet at the Jerryz Kidz tent/table inside Theis Park. We’d like to do a group photo, so please be on hand at 8:30 am the day of the walk. We’ll distribute t-shirts (if you don’t have them) and will do a quick group photo to commemorate this years team.

HOTEL INFORMATION
We have secured a group rate at The Hampton Inn & Suites Country Club Plaza. It features: free parking, free WIFI and free continental breakfast. There is also a fitness center and an indoor pool for the kids! Room rates are $95 for standard rooms or $139 for the suites. The suites all have kitchenettes and a full bedroom & living room area. There is no minimum stay.The Hampton Inn & Suites Country Club Plaza4600 Summit StreetKansas City, MO 64112PH: (877)-410-4600http://www.hamptonkc.com/Home.html

There are 2 ways to book the HAMPTON ON THE PLAZA for the AIDS WALK:Call either 800- HAMPTON or 800 HILTON and ask for the AIDS WALK KANSAS CITY rate or go to:http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/groups/personalized/MKCHSHX-AWK-20090425/index.jhtmlT-SHIRT INFORMATION
As in years’ past, we will be creating Jerryz Kidz t-shirts for everyone to wear on the walk. This has been a great way to get the group noticed and for us to see the group scattered throughout the walk. This year, the t-shirts will feature a picture of Jerry on the shirt in memory of him. T-shirts will run approx. $6-9 and everyone can order one. The shirts are unisex sizing for men and women. We will also have kids t-shirts printed as well for the little walkers in the group. PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY FRIDAY, APRIL 3RD AT 10:00 AM CST WHAT SIZE YOU THINK YOU MIGHT WANT SO WE CAN GET AN ACCURATE COUNT. Once we have the actual cost of the t-shirts, we’ll let everyone know how much the shirts are and where to send their money. T-shirts distribution will be determined as we get closer to the walk.

WRISTBANDS
“Who You Are Matters, What You Do Counts” wristbands will be on hand for everyone at the walk. If you already have one, you are encouraged to wear it with pride.

BALLOONS
Like last year, we will be handing out balloons at the walk. They were a big hit with the kids and also proudly displayed Jerryz Kidz team motto throughout the day.

RAFFLE
The 2nd Annual Jerryz Kidz raffle is on track to take place at the end of the walk. We have donations from Best Buy, Napster and a local hotel/dinner stay. Tickets will be available shortly for those interested in selling them prior to the raffle ($2/ticket or 6 tickets/$10) and they will also be sold day of the walk 8:00 am-11:00 am. The raffle will be held about 11:45 am.

DEDICATION
We will have a tree dedication in Jerry’s honor immediately after the Aids Walk in Theis Park. The location hasn’t been decided, but we will keep you posted as details become finalized. All are invited to attend the dedication.

KC Aids Walk Hotel Information - UPDATE

There are 2 ways to book the HAMPTON ON THE PLAZA for the AIDS WALK:

Call either 800- HAMPTON or 800 HILTON and ask for the AIDS WALK KANSAS CITY rate or go to:
http://hamptoninn.hilton.com/en/hp/groups/personalized/MKCHSHX-AWK-20090425/index.jhtml

Rates are

$95/night rooms
$139/night full suites

rates include free parking, free wifi, free breakfast and an indoor pool.

Kansas City Aids Walk Information

Hello everyone!

Thank you for being so patient as we gear up for the KC Aids Walk on April 25th and get the websites and information for Team Jerryz Kidz set up. FINALLY we are good to go.

Please see below for information on:
* How to register to walk: pledge sheets, Jerryz Kidz Team Information; donation information
* Hotel information for those not in the KC Area needing accomodations
* COMING SOON: T-shirt & Wrist band information -we are working to finalize details.

We will be sending out emails to those of you that have expressed an interest in the walk (and if we have your email address) in the next day or so. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me at sherri.cahill@napster.com

KC AIDS WALK:
Saturday, April 25th 8:00 am @ Theis Park, Kansas City, MO
http://www.aidswalkkansascity.org/


JERRYZ KIDZ Team registration page: (register here to be a walker)
* Register as a walker on the Jerryz Kidz Team
* Find out how if you can't walk that day, and want to make a donation to Jerryz Kidz
* Get your pledge sheets & other team information
* Create your online donation page to raise money for Aids as a member of Jerryz Kidz

http://www.firstgiving.com/process/teamarea/default.asp?did=1615&TeamId=60049&EventId=45727


KC HOTEL INFORMATION:
Scott has managed to secure us a great rate at the Hampton Inn & Suites on the Plaza. It features: free parking, free WIFI, free continental breakfast. There is also a fitness center and an indoor pool for the kids! Room rates are $95 for standard rooms or $139 for the suites. The suites all have kitchenettes and a full bedroom & living room area. There is no minimun stay.

The Hampton Inn & Suites Country Club Plaza
4600 Summit Street
Kansas City, MO 64112
PH: (877)-410-4600
http://www.hamptonkc.com/Home.html

T-Shirt & Wrist Band Information:
* We will be ordering t-shirts for all walkers - same design as in previous years however this year will prominently feature Jerry on the shirt.
* Sizing , pricing and order deadlines will be posted in the next few days. Kids t-shirts available!!
*Wrist bands are being ordered as well - if you don't already have one, we'll have some on site for everyone.


Lots of other fun things are in the works for everyone for the that weekend.... stay posted.

Start getting your walking shoes warmed up - it's gonna be a great day!!

Jerry's Obituary

Hi everyone,

I recently was told by Adam that the Kansas City Star sets up an online "guest book" when you run an obituary with them (something we were not told). I'd like to share the link with you and invite you to post anything you'd like (or read what others have submitted) on Jerry. It also gives you an option to post pictures if you found a great one worth sharing.

http://www.legacy.com/KansasCity/GB/GuestbookView.aspx?PersonId=123681197

Also, if you do have pictures of Jerry you'd like to share with the family, please feel free to send them to me at sherri.cahill@napster.com and I am happy to share them with the rest of our family and keep them in our album on Jerry. I know we only touched on a few pictures throughout Jerry's life - but boy they were some good ones!!

A Heartfelt Thank You

We wanted to extend a heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you that have been in Jerry's life and ours in the past, and especially these past 3 months. Everyone has been hit hard with this tragedy and everyone is dealing in their own way. Personally - our family is struggling, but each day brings a new dawn and happy moments mixed with memories...some make us sad, others make us laugh.. everyone says that "time heals" and right now, it's hard to see that, but I do hold the faith that it will and we will all be stronger for this.

Thank you from the bottom or our hearts to everyone that visited Jerry or us at the hospital or the house; to those that have sent cards and notes and trinkets and to those of you that made the Celebration evenings in Kansas City and Iowa City - your love, support and friendship means the world to all of us. It is a true testament to Jerry's life the amount of love that has surrounded us thru all this.

I hope that those of you that attended the Celebration of Life enjoyed the evening and that it has helped. Know that seeing each of you meant so very much to our family and I know that Jerry would have been proud of each evening. We sure had a lot of "quality time" for him to enjoy!! :)

Thank you to each of you that were brave enough to stand in front of the crowd and share your Jerry stories. Thank you to those that perhaps couldn't get in front of the crowd, but shared your stories with us afterwards.. no story was too small and each touched us deeply.

From the hearts of all of the Cahills: Marilyn, Ken, Cindy, Sherri, Tanya, Tracy, Trent, Kevin, Haley, Michael, Madison, Xander, Toryn, Wyatt, Aunt Barb, Lanie... I could go on.. but we all thank you for being a part of our lives and Jerry's. God Bless. :)

Donations for KC Aids Walk in Jerry's Memory

Many of you have asked where you can send donations for the KC Aids Walk in Jerry's memory.

While we have made some headway on the KC Aids Walk site as far setting up Jerryz Kidz for sign-up and such.. we are still have a few issues. hopefully, we'll get those resolved ASAP so you can sign up to walk as well as make on-line donations.

In the meantime, we have set up a Post Office Box where you can send donations and we'll make sure they are taken care of when the time comes.

Any donations can be mailed to:

Jerryz Kidz
P.O. Box 714
North Liberty, IA 52317

* Please make checks out to Aids Walk Kansas City
* Note in the memo section of your check it is for Team Jerryz Kidz

Thank you in advance for any donations you make- Jerry would be honored and thrilled that so many people have asked how they can contribute to this cause.

Iowa City Accommodations

For those of you that may be traveling from afar and/or interseted in staying the night in Iowa City on Saturday, Feb 21st - Scott Tallman has spoken with the Sheraton and secured a room block rate (if we are able to get 10 rooms in the block).

The Sheraton has offered a rate of $89/night and the Vetro a rate of $139-$189/night (all suites) under the block.

If you are interested in a room and being put into the block, please contact Scott at scotttallman@hotmail.com

Thank you.

Iowa Memorial Service Information

We will be having a Celebration of Life for Jerry in Iowa City, Iowa on Saturday, February 21st from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm at Hotel Vetro in Iowa City.

Memorial Service Location:
Hotel Vetro
201 Linn Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
www.hotelvetro.com
(319) 337-4058

For those of you that are coming from out of town, Hotel Vetro and Iowa City Sheraton both have room availabilty if you'd like to stay. The Sheraton is located about 1/2 block away from Hotel Vetro. You can contact them for room rates and reservations.

Hotel Vetro
201 Linn Street
Iowa City, IA 52240
www.starwoodhotels.com
(319) 337-4961

Sheraton Iowa City
210 South Dubuque Street
Iowa City, IA
www.starwoodhotels.com
(319) 337-4058

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jerry's memory to the Kansas City Aids Walk. Delivery address if needed is
Marilyn & Ken Cahill
2292 Highway 965 NE
North Liberty, IA 52317
(319) 331-6162

We hope many of you will be able to come and join us for this Celebration of Life.

Kansas City Memorial Information

We will be celebrating Jerry's life with a memorial this Wednesday, February 4th from 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm CST at The Pavillion at Arrowhead Stadium.

Arrowhead Stadium

The Pavilion, Champions Room

1 Arrowhead Dr

Kansas City, MO

Please park in the E lot and proceed up the stairs to the Pavilion entrance. The Pavilion is a very large white permanent tent. Please see the attached map for the location of Lot E within the stadium.

Our entire family hopes that you will be able to join us and share in the life of Jerry. We look forward to sharing stories, laughter and the inevitable tears that come with the loss of our dear Jerry.

ADDITIONAL MEMORIAL INFO

We will also be having a memorial in Iowa City, IA in the coming few weeks for those of you that are not able to join us in Kansas City. That information will be posted here in the coming few days once we secure the date and location.

Memorials

Please check back as we will post informaiton regarding memorial services here in Kansas City and also in Iowa City which will occur sometime in the next week or so.

Rest In Peace

After a morning filled with family and friends saying private moments of goodbye and love to Jerry and each other, at 11:02am CST the doctors removed the breathing machines and medicines from Jerry.

Surrounded by a warm circle of love that encompassed two rooms and a waiting room - we gathered around Jerry offering words of encouragement and love for him to make his journey safely and quickly. Laughs were shared, I still tried to make a joke (and failed) and we all gave Jerry our energy and love to move on to the next phase.

After a little over 2 hours, at 1:15 pm CST on Friday, January 30th our dear Jerry has departed this Earth for a higher place. He is now resting peacefully and surrounded by love ones that have gone before him.

Rest in Peace dear brother, son, uncle, cousin and friend.... you will be missed more than you can possibly know. You will never be forgotten.

Kansas City Aids Walk 2009

As many of you know, Jerry was a firm supporter of the KC Aids Walk and had created a FANTASTIC team know as Jerryz Kidz which rose to one of the top fundraising teams the last few years.

After much discussion amongst all of us - and at the firm request of mom- we will be taking over the reigns for Jerry this year and still continue on with a Jerryz Kidz team this April.

If you are interested in participating with us this year, please leave a post here with the best way to reach you (email address, phone number, etc). When the time starts to begin planning and fundraising, we will reach out to each of you and will rally in mid-April for another year doing what Jerry held dear.

We hope to see many of you on Jerryz Kidz team this year!

~ Sherri

Quiet Moments

Today has been a day fraught with tension, emotions and quiet moments.

It was unclear whether or not Jerry would make it thru the night tonight as his blood pressure continued to drop ever lower and his heart rate rose to alarming rates. Family and close friends are all gathered at KUMed and we have once again set up "Camp Cahill" in our same waiting room.

Home made cookies; take out pizza and laughter over old pictures of Jerry and the memories they conjure have made this evening carry on at a bearable level. In Jerry's ICU room, we have gathered around him in a sort of "camp circle" and have been sharing memories and stories of Jerry and times gone by as episodes of Cheers and Friends play softly in the background... the laughter has been healing. Thru it all, Jerry has not stirred overly much, but even now I'm sure he is hearing our memories and laughing with us as he prepares for his journey.

The mass of family here have found quiet moments of solitude to remember Jerry, catch some sleep or share laughs amidst the group. To be sure, everyone is on edge and what little sleep we do manage to catch may not be restful, but we are all here for Jerry and sleep will come later for us.

It is mid-morning now and appears that Jerry is still holding on. Friday morning is the moment in which the breathing tube and other machines will be removed from Jerry... until that moment, and long after, we will all be here for him with endless amounts of love.

As The Clock Winds Down

Today started off with Jerry resting comfortably..and continued that way throughout most of the day. There were a couple of incidents this morning where his blood pressure dropped extremely low - to the point that the doctors would have to severely medicate him to get his blood pressure back to normal.

The afternoon passed relatively calm without incident.

This evening, as we gathered to celebrate Michael's 16th birthday, Jerry's blood pressure dropped into the 70s a couple of times, and then stabilized. At 9:00 pm, we were informed that his blood pressure dropped yet again, and they are now administering him to almost the maximun level of the blood pressure medicine they can..he is currently at 4.0 ml and they can only go as high as 4.2 ml...the rest will be up to the hands of fate.

It is unclear at this moment how soon Jerry will turn to the Guardian Angels and go home. We are hoping that he will make it thru the 28th so as not to taint Michael's birthday forever more.

Blood Donors

To all of those that have wanted to donate blood directly for Jerry but were never able to. Jerry hasn't had to have blood in several days, and most likely will not need any more.

I would still like to encourage all of you (whether you are A Positive or not) to donate blood. One person donating blood can save 3 people's lives. Your blood will never go to waste - no matter where in the country you are located!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Sherri

The Cruel Hand of Fate

Well Monday did not turn out like any of us anticipated AT ALL.

The did not do the bone marrow tap/biopsy on Jerry today due to several factors. The doctors did not come in until early afternoon.. and not for anything that we expected.

After a pow-wow with over ten doctors, they decided that Jerry's billiribin is too high and that at this point, they have no way of bringing it down to an acceptable level. Becuase they can not bring that number down, they can not do chemotherapy any longer, also, due to the amount of medication that Jerry is on, they do not see any other recourse they could do to help him get better.

To say it bluntly: they can not do anything further to help Jerry recover from this disasterous disease. The Cancer appears to be the victor in this bout as the Doctors do not have anything else to treat him with.

In light of this new information and after much discussion with the doctors and amongst family, it looks like we have decided to take him off the respirators on Friday, January 30th and let Jerry take it from there. According to the doctors, that could mean minutes, hours, days or weeks.. the decision will be up to Jerry from that moment on.

The disease may be the victor, but our love for Jerry will always win - no matter how the tides turn, no matter if the moon doth shine - come what may, love will always win.

Lord, Hear Our Prayer

As everyone may have figured out, things with Jerry are not progressing so great - they are stable, but not really progressing as well as we might like. He has definite good days and bad days, and lately more on the bad day side.

As of this morning, his white count is back to normal. His hemoglobin is great and they haven't had to give him blood in awhile. They are doing the bone marrow biopsy tomorrow, and may have to do a bone marrow tap as well.

Mom has thought that a group prayer might be a nice thing to do, so I'd like to ask everyone that happens to check the blog today, if you are so inclined to prayer or reflections - please say a quiet pray or thought tonight (Sunday) at 8:00 pm CST. Also, again on Monday morning at 10:00 am CST as that's about the time they will be doing the bone marrow pull on him.

Here is a prayer to the Patron Saint of Cancer, St. Peregrine:

Oh great Saint Peregine, you who have been called "The Mighty" and "The Wonder Worker" because of the numerous miracles which you have obtained from God for those who have have recourse to you. For so many years you bore in your own flesh this cancerous disease that destroys the very fiber of our being, and who had recourse to the source of all grace when the power of man could do no more. You were favored with the vision of Jesus coming down from His Cross to heal your affliction. Ask of God and Our Lady, the cure of these sick persons whom we entrust to you. Aided in this way by your powerful intercession, we shall sing to God, now and for all eternity, a song of gratitude for His great goodness and mercy. Amen.

Thank you to everyone and we'll continue to keep you posted.

A Few Days of Highs and Lows

The past few days have shown us the highs and lows with Jerry and definitely put us all on edge with everything - the good and the bad.

Jerry has been very alert this past week and it's nice to see him follow nurses and visitors around the room, and responding via hand squeezes, eyebrow raising and pointed stares. He definitely wants the respirator tube removed from his throat and we had a few incidents where we thought he might pull the tube out on his own (most definitely NOT a good thing).

They pumped up the fluids they were pulling from him to 200 ml/hr, however, that didn't last very long as his blood pressure dropped extremely low... into the 40's and they almost had to bring in the crash cart for him - you've never seen so many nurses and doctors come running! After that incident, they put him back to 50 ml/hr and it took over 24 hours for his blood pressure to regulate. They began pulling out 100 ml/hr last night; as of this morning, they are now pulling 150 ml/hr and have put him on blood pressure meds in order to maintain a good blood pressure level. He is still really puffy from all the fluids in him, and will remain so until they can begin pullng much more fluids from him - a task they can't or won't do as his bp remains so low.

His color has been that of watered-down pea soup off and on for the past few days. His bellyrubn (which should be around 1-2) was at 20 on Thursday. The rest of the markers they test for on his liver/cancer were all good - just the bellyrubn was off. This is what also causes his color to be off and make him look jaundiced. They thought there might be a blockage in the liver that was causing this number to be high. If so, they wanted to try and do a shunt down his throat into his stomach/liver to see if there was blockage and or drain the area if needed. Last night, we were told they can not do this procedure due to how cramped up his organs are inside.. the area that SHOULD be clear and allow them acccess is shoved up into his diaphram and stomach prohibiting them from doing this.

They ran a CT scan on him Thursday to check out how things were going in him with the Cancer and if the chemo had any effect and to check for any blockage in his liver and see what next steps would be. The scan came back mixed - the cancer/tumor hasn't grown; yet hasn't shrunk. They want to do a bone scan on him on Monday in order to see if the Cancer has spread to his bones or not.... that answer will hold a lot of power over next steps in Jerry's care.

The doctors have pumped up the support for him on the respirator which means that now, the machine is doing a good portion of the breathing for Jerry. This is most assuredely not a good thing and we are constantly trying to wean him off so that we can remove the tube from him ASAP. He has been on full support on the machine for 3 days now... the longer he is at this level, the lower the odds of getting him off soon are.

To say that Jerry is improving is not right; to say that he is deteriorating isn't either. He is having good days and bad days; good moments and bad moments ... on the whole, the bad moments seem to be taking over right now, but we are still in this fight for him and he is holding on strong.

This morning, one of the ICU doctors came in and spoke to us about additional options for today. They are for sure doing the bone scan to see if the Cancer is indeed in his bones or not. If it IS, they will stop doing Chemo on him as once Cancer is in the bones, nothing will cure him (at least that is how we understood what he told us). if it ISN'T in his bones, they want to remove him from the respirator immediately, put a small "trach" hole in his throat. This will allow them to pump more meds into him if needed and will also allow Jerry to begin the recuperation process from having the ventilator on him.

Monday will be a fraught filled day while the bone scan occurs and until the results come back to us. For sure, it will be a day of decisions and may choose the path that Jerry will take.

Once again, we have a house full of family down to visit Jerry and to be together as a unit. The support from family and friends for Jerry still continues to flourish...a true testament to Jerry's love and friendship that he has spread throughout.

As The Week Wears On

Well, the week is almost over and Jerry has stayed pretty much the same this week.

He has managed to maintain his blood pressure consistently over the past 3-4 days without being on the blood pressure medicines - a feat we are very glad to have hit. The dialysis is still working fairly smoothly with the machine pulling off 100 ml/hour of excess fluid in him.

Wednesday was a good/bad day. Jerry was very alert and aware of everyone in the room- and he let you know when he wanted you! The bad part of Wednesday was that his color wasn't the best - he was really yellow and hands/feet were extremely puffy.

Today he is alert once again and (to my eyes) his hands do not look as puffy. His feet are still very puffy, but he had a lot of excess fluids in him, so it will take time. The hope is to keep his blood pressure consistent over a period of time and then they can pull more fluids from him to help reduce the puffiness that has become Jerry. He would hate me saying it, but his feet are in the running (haha) to compete with the Michelin Man or the Stay Puft Marshmallow man. Eeks.. might have gotten myself in trouble with THAT one, they are puffy but not hideous .. and I hope people realize this as an exaggaration to a point.

One not so great thing this morning is that they have him on the respirator and it's currently breathing for him. The past 4-5 days (maybe longer), Jerry has been doing all the work himself. THey turned him up on it last night (late) and he hasn't been able to tolerate breahing wihtou the machine.

Our fingers are crossed that the additional fluids they are pulling off him as well as him being able to keep his blood pressure up will work in his favor so we can get the tube off of him ASAP.

The Oncologist visited this morning and said that all of his numbers look good (3 of 4 good) except his BellyRibbon number was very high (he's at a 20, should be at a 1-2). This is what is making him so yellow and causing back up of fluids and such. She is recommending an additional CT scan and ultrasound of his liver to see if the Chemo has helped any/none and to see if there is any blockage or such in the liver.

In the meantime, we continue to screen, grill and motivate the doctors and nurses around here to do the best for our Jer and help us get him better.

Another Week Begins

Today Jerry is resting very peacefully. His past few days have been pretty hard on him in that he didn't sleep much; was very restless and antsy. The nurses have sedated him a bit more today in order to keep him from thrashing around and also to keep his anxiety at bay. As he awakens/becomes alert, he still tries to wrench the tube from his throat..something we definitely do not want.

We are under "quiet" orders today from Nurse Shannon. So, while there will be someone with him all day, we won't be chatting with him as much instead, simply holding his hand and being there for him. Her goal is to let him rest today as she feels the last 24 hours or so have been very stimulating and hard on him with family in/out, chatting with him and of course, the regular check up of "Jerry, can you hear me? Squeeze my hand, or raise your eyebrows" was somewhat draining on him.

His blood pressure and heart rate are within nominal ranges today. They have turned the pressure support on the ventilator back up due to the fatigue they feel he has been thru the last few days. Also, they have put him back on one of the blood pressure meds. This isn't too surprising as when they sedate him/he's asleep, his bp drops.. so they are doing this to simply regulate him - nothing to be alarmed about.

His swelling has gone down considerably.. and they are now pulling about 60-75 ml/hour from him (the level changes depending on his BP levels). The kidney doctor thinks his swelling hasn't gone down, as he isn't pulling the amount of fluid from him that he would like.. but again, nothing alarming. He can't pull the amount he wants until his blood pressure stabilizes.

We are constantly in a tug of war between the blood pressure and kidneys -and every now and then something else decides to jump in and gives us a good tug.... but we are flighting steadfastly and will win out in the end.

A Saturday update

Today it appeared we were going to make some major progress, but it turned out that we didn't make the steps we thought we would.

Jerry had a long night last night- he didn't sleep at all (and I mean not even napping too much). He was extremely alert and responsive to everyone that was in the room visiting him. We brought one of the kids Alphabet game boards as he was really trying to communicate with everyone, and with the tube in, he wasn't able to. The board worked fairly well, and we are still working on a few other ideas to help him communicate with us.

His blood pressure was awesome all night, and the nurses actually took him off all the blood pressure medicine.. so he is now back to regulating his own BP. Hopefully, it will stay at a good level for the future.

He is now breathing on his own and the pressure support on the ventilator is at the lowest possible level they can use ... this is all great as it means that he is breathing virtually on his own. He is very aware of the tube and several times during the night he has tried to pull the tube out of his throat.

They have been pulling fluids off of him since yesterday and you can see the change in him. Yes, he is still puffy, but he is no where near the level of puff that he was last night. They are going to continue to pull fluids from him and they are fairly optimistic at how this process is going.

This morning, it looked like we would have a breakthrough, however, after the doctor's consulted- things stayed the same. Because his levels and such were so good this morning, Nurse Jamie (yeah! she's back!) let the docs know and said that she wanted to see if they would take the tube out and get him off the ventilator. The doctors took over an hour to consult and finally decided to keep him on the ventilator for another 24 hours. They will re-evaluate his status tomorrow again and see if things have improved. Their reasoning for not removing him off the machines is to keep pulling fluids off of him. They don't seem to see any issues with his breathing, blood pressure or other vitals that would prevent them from removing him from the machine.. it all seems to revolve around them pulling fluids off of him to get him better. So, we hope tomorrow will bring more fluids out of Jerry and enable the docs to remove him from the ventilator. I know that he will be extremely happy as will the rest of the family and the great nurses that have bonded with him.

What day is it? Can't recall.. but things are progressing...

Today has been a fairly good for Jerry. He's been very alert and responsive to everyone all day today. He really notices who is in the room and follows what you say and do.

His blood pressure is up now, but they are still medicating him for it (haven't given him any MORE of the BP meds, but are still maintaining the level they have him on). This afternoon was a banner afternoon for Jer - they started to pull fluids from him! We are all very excited in this small, but important step for him. He is using the ventilator less and less these days- not even using it for breathing as he is handling that on his own. He is (for the most part) on the ventilator for "pressure support" for his lungs and they have lowered that to 5/5 (he was at 15/5). His color remains good and the rest of his vitals are nice and strong.

Our nurse this evening is lovely (said dripping with sarcasm). She has a very strong Island accent and does not really speak to you unless spoken to, and even then, answers you with as little informaiton as she has to. She is not our favorite nurse here by far....

Information on Giving Blood

Thank you to all of you that have offered to donate blood for Jerry in case it's needed. As he is A Positive - those that are also A Positive as well as O Positive (Universal Donors) can give blood for Jer.

We are in the process of setting this up with the Community Blood Bank so that you can go in and Direct Donate for him. It should be all set up by later this afternoon/end of day for anyone to donate after today.

Here is information on local Kansas City Community Blood Banks:
Website information: www.safealilfenow.org
Location/hours information: http://www.savealifenow.org/services/hours-locations.php

For those of you that haven't given blood before, you will have to present a photo id and they will do a small physical on you to ensure you are healthy enough to give blood. Once you pass that, they will hook you up and the process should take about one hour.

When you arrive, please let them know that you are there to be a Direct Donor. Those of you that have commented on the blog that you will donate - your names will be on the list. For those of you that haven't and want to donate, please let me know so that I can add you to the list as well. It's my understanding they will not accept unless they have your name on the list(due to "patient/family wishes and only accepting those that they know I guess). I am trying to verify all this information this morning.

Thank you for all your precious time and blood! Let's hope we won't end up needing it and that the Blood Bank can use it instead!!

A Heartfelt Thank You

I wanted to take a moment on behalf of Jerry and the entire Cahill Clan (immediate and extended family alike) to thank everyone of you that have read and posted on the blog, stopped by, brought food, offered to watch the little ones or called to check in- your love and concern for Jerry and everyone of us is unbelievable and heartwarming and it means more than you will every know to have this outpouring of love and support during this trying time.

I have received many questions on what people can do for us: where they can send gifts, cards, etc. for Jerry. At this point, the best thing would be to send anything to Jerry's house. As he is in ICU, he is not allowed to have live plants and i don't really know how the hospital handles mail for patients - so the best bet is Jerry's house. There is generally always someone there since the babies and Lanie hang out there and cause chaos most days.

The address is:
Jerry Cahill
207 W. 81st
Kansas City, KS 64114

Thank you again and know that all of your love, blessings and friendship mean the world!

Love,
Sherri and all the Cahills

As Day Seven Begins

Today has dawned bright and clear in Kansas City and Jerry's room is bright and as cheerful as we can make it. The room is dotted with artwork from 3 very talented kids under 5; pictures of family cover the room and Jerry is covered by a blanket left by one of our cousins.

He is doing pretty good today. Yesterday, they did a CT scan on his head to ensure there was no bleeding going on as his pupils were a bit different in size. They were both responsive, but they were a tad concerned since they were not equal. Found out later- ALL IS GOOD. No worries there.

He is doing good on the dialysis machine. last night and today they have really started pulling a lot of the toxins, potassium and such out of his body- they are constantly changing the bags which is a beautiful thing.

His blood pressure continues to be problematic. They have him on 2 different meds to help regulate it. It's doing better, but still not as great as they would like it to be. They really are trying to get it regulated and normal so they can start pulling the fluid from his lungs and limbs.

Jerry is really quite alert thru most of this. A squeeze of his hand to say "I Love you" gets a squeeze back; a loud hello causes a turn of the head and a raise of the eye; a bad joke by a sister gets the ol' eyebrow raise and roll of the eyes (some things never change I guess). A loving touch on the feet as mom leaves the room gets his head and eyes on her to let her know he is aware.

Last night, Trent, Michael and Scott read to him and kept him company thru the midnight shift and he was even able to sit a bit more upright for a short time period.

We are still not out of the woods yet, but slight improvments here and there help. Let's see what today brings and we'll go from there.

I Vant To Suck Your Blood...

The doctor has told us that it's a good possibilty that Jerry may need some blood transfusions in the next few days/weeks depending on how his treatments go.

I am told with the Chemo in his system that it's a good possibility that he will need to have transfusions to replenish the lost blood in his system. It doesn't look like they will need to transfuse platelets or plasma at this point.

If anyone would like to donate blood, i would encourage it. Jerry is a type A Positive...but anyone can donate regardless of your blood type - the blood banks can always use all types of blood. One person donating blood can save 3 people's lives (yes, I pulled out the factoids there).

You can go to any local blood bank to donate. Donation time is usally approximately 1 hour (max).

Thank you in advance for considering this option. Jerry and the Blood Banks thank you.

A Message From Trent

Well, Trent and I tried to post this as a comment for him, but after about 15 minutes of not getting it to work, we are posting it here....

There are a lot of things in this world that you sometimes take for granted and my 2nd family was probably one of them. After being down here for the last week it put back into perspective how blessed I am to be part of the Cahills. Even though you have to be somewhat crazy to fit in most of u know that's usually not too hard for me either. Scott did an awesome job of painting the perfect picture of what is going on down here and it is something we will all be able to look back and smile considering the circumstances. The girls have been strong and there for each other like never before (if u know them u know what I mean). Tanya and Tracy are at home with their kids this morning trying to re program them after Kev and I have been doing what we can to keep life normal. By normal we r talking about pizza for breakfast the first 3 days followed up by birthday cake and ice cream the next day and yesterday it was left over chocolate sundaes from McDonalds that Tanya and Xander shared in the car in front of the hospital for their time together for his b-day. So as you can see I think they’re really enjoying dad’s way of normal. We don't know where this journey will lead us but everyone is onboard the new ride at Disney the "Jerry Cahill" roller coaster it will scare the shit out of u. To all of our friends and family all over the place thank u you have made a bad situation bearable. And to gramma margie "Thank u" for leaving your life behind and being a nanny, doctor, nurse, counselor, cook, maid, party planner, and a rock when nobody else knew where to turn you gave the advice u thought was right and it always was whether it was accepted at first or not. I almost forgot the whole reason why I sat down and started babbling Tanya and I have our hands full with the 2 little spirited rascals that keep us smiling and hard to imagine but sometimes trying to win arguments that u know we can't win. Tracy and Kev are the ones that deserve the congrats so we can stop the rumors before they start. Thanks for everything.
Trent

A quick update

Jerry has been pretty out of it over the past 12 hours since they started him on the dialysis machine. They have kept him fairly sedated to ensure that he remains calm.

Due to the addition of dialysis on a continual basis, the hospital staff has asked that we only have 2 people in the room at any given time so that we are not in the way of the machines and the nurses ability to check on Jerry if needed.

We'll continue to watch over him and see how things go- but for now, stable is good. :)

Moments of Beauty

It's 2am on Wednesday morning Haley, Kevin, Trent and I are sitting with Jerry in his room as the dialysis machine sighs while cleaning Jerry's blood. Sherri has done a masterful job in updating everyone on Jerry's condition, but for those of you who aren't here to witness it there have been some really beautiful moments that I want to share. The Cahill clan took over one of the waiting rooms in the ICU for the last several days. It is full of loved ones 24 hours a day with people sleeping on the floor and under the furniture to avoid the glare of the lights that don't turn off. You don't realize how wide a path Jerry has made until you see the many different people who have come to him, family, friends, young, old all brought together by their love for this special guy. Then there are the moments, a father lovingly shaving his stricken son, a sister arranging stuffed animals and pictures, a friend swabbing Jerry's dry mouth with Diet Coke, friends arriving with homemade dinner for the entire group, a lawyer friend setting his own emotions aside to help guide Jerry through the legal maze of his situation, an expectant sister spending her third night sleeping on the hospital floor and then feeling guilty when she had to leave to go to the ER to care for her own health issues, a child sharing his fifth birthday with his favorite uncle in the ICU, a mother assuring her son with a kiss, the way he responds to someone holding his hand, or grandma margy taking on babysitting duties so the exhausted dads can take their shift to comfort their brother-in-law . The room overflows with symbols of love sent from every corner of the country. Everyday we take time to read the blog posts and cards aloud and are constantly reminded of the love and good carma coming are way. I just thought you should all know that no little gesture goes overlooked, even in the midst of these very difficult times the Cahill family has stuck together like glue. Its been and honor and a privileged to witness people rising to the occasion and creating these moments of beauty.

What a Roller Coaster Ride!

Thank you for riding, pull the lap belt tight across your lap and please be sure to keep your hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times.

Whew! What a ride the past few days have been.

We received the test results back from today on the CT scan.. and let me tell you, it's pretty darn good after everything else we have heard.

For the most part, the scans looked about the same, HOWEVER, the lymph nodes do not look as swollen and the tumor appears to be about the same size. They are currently putting him on dialysis and he will begin receiving continuing dialysis for an indefinite period of time. They will get rid of the toxins in his system and then begin getting rid of the fluids in his system. Once the dialysis begins on a regular basis, his kidneys should be able to pump the toxins out of his body.

He is still connected to a ventilator and will remain on it for at least 24-36 more hours. While he is on the ventilator the doctor will get additional drugs into his system that they might not have been able to while he wasn't on the machine. Once they start to take him off the ventilator, it will take a few days as they want to be sure that he will be able to breath on his own without complications. All told, it looks like Jerry may be on the ventilaor for about 5 days (if things go well).

He is now re-connected to nutrients as well.

Jerry is aware of the ventilaor and does not like having it (would you?) he has abeen trying to remove it from his mouth a few times. As long as there are 2 people back there, the nurses will not have to strap him down to prevent him from pulling the tube out of his mouth. I think we have the covered with as many of us as their are!

After we received this news, we were all extremely relieved while at the same time a bit skeptical. Can it be real? Is this really a shift in his prognosis? it sure seems that way... what a ride!

On a side note, we were all so excited to have this good news and start planning "time away in a real bed and showers" that we came up with a plan of shifts to keep at least 2 people here at all times in with Jerry. Well, that took a little time and became a bit of a show (who knew planning 3 hours shifts for the next 24 hours would be so difficult?), but was nothing compared to the sideshow that was going on around this: the great pillow debacle of 2009. Determing what stuff to leave in the Camp Jerry waiting room and what to take home, became a bit of a struggle and a comedy of errors. (You really had to be there to enjoy the humor, so just take our word on it).

So we shall see how the next few days and weeks pan out, but we are definitely in the zone for improvement now. Next stop: CHEMO in 2 weeks.... that is our goal today.

The Day Thus Far....

This morning the doctors have come in and things are about the same as they were yesterday. They ran an X-ray this morning to check out his lungs, they are also going to run a few additional tests: a CT scan.

They have connected Jerry back to a feeding tube as well.

Because of the fluid in his lungs, they will be connecting him to a breathing tube in order to run a few additional tests on him today. If Jerry is responding to the treatments/tests today, and how the results come back, they may keep him on the breathing machine.

He is resting most of the time now, and we are trying to limit visits with him to 10 min or so in order to not tire him out. there has been an outpouring of love and support for Jerry and our family and we truly appreciate it, more than everyone knows.

We still remain in our Camp Jerry waiting room in the hospital, so please check in with us when you get here, so we don't have too many visitors in his room at once.

Hanging In

The day is waning and Jerry is still holding on.

He has had a good day with his vitals and was put on meds to help maintain his blood pressure levels. He is no longer using the pressure mask for oxygen instead moving back to the oxygen hose into his nose. He actually seems to be breathing easier this way.

At our request, they did draw some blood late this morning to let us know how everything stand.s As suspected, his liver is no longer processing anything; his kidneys are failing and his blood pressure is dropping.

Jerry is not speaking too much today. It seems to zap him of energy and strength and we've decided to let him do as little as possible.

We have spoken to a few people here in the Palliable Care unit to help everyone cope and (eventually) move forward. The kids are dealing as well as can be expected, the adults are doing exactly like you think they would be doing.

It has been a long day, and the evening hours will be equally as long and harrowing.

A Matter of Time

The clock is winding down and the inevitable is upon us.

Jerry is done fighting the good fight and is now remaining with us in comfort for his last amount of time. How long that will be is now up to him.

Mom, dad, sisters, nieces and nephews; cousins and dearest long time family friends are with him at the moment. Those that were here and couldn't remain for various reasons are here in spirit and are being kept updated regularly.

The "old neighborhood" came en masse last night and visited as well - sharing storeis of Ally McBeal night and other fond memories from back in the day.

We managed to have a "slumber party" if you will with about 20 people here all night in the waiting room. We have shared some memorable stories and antics of Jerry while also brinigng a lively decibel level to the ICU halls at 2:00 am.

Jerry rested comfortably last night and his vital stats have remained unchanged. His blood pressure is dropping, but his oxygen and heart rate are still very good. He has agreed to put the oxygen pressure mask on to help him breath, but at this point, other than the pain meds - that is the only assistance he is receiving medically.

It seems he is no longer quite lucid (although, it is 8am so he could have been out of it due to sleep). Not even Aunt Barb singing "You Sexy Thing" seemed to register with him.

He is back to facing outside and the cityscape of Kansas City for his last views, along with various family picutres and notes on the wall for him.

We will all remain by his side until such time that he decides to move on to his next step - hoping that is a long time coming.

A Moment of Peace

Jerry has decided to stop receiving medicines and fluids as well as accepting the no-go on the Chemo and Radiation. He is however, still taking meds to alleviate any pain he is in.

He is resting fairly comfortably and family and close friends have been by his side all day. He no longer has the oxygen pressure mask or tubes on him constantly- he has instead chosen to take it off and talk with people when he can. He does have the small tube in his nose so he is still receiving oxygen as needed.

The hospital has stopped giving him meds (per his request) and are still slightly monitoring him. He has declared his request to live out the remainder of his days in comfort and not have all the drugs and machines hooked up to him. It has been hard to hear, but we are respecting his wishes and hoping for the best. His vitals this evening were very good - his breathing seems to actually have improved some from earlier in the day.

We have been visiting him individually for about 10 minutes at a time so as not to overwhelm him, or tire him out.

We do not have any sort of time frame for Jerry... we have been told it could be hours, days or even a week. A Priest came in to visit with him earlier this evening to help him be at peace.

Jerry seems at peace for the first time in a long time and he does not look in too much pain.

I Don't Know What To Say....

Truly, I don't... this has been an up and down weekend and the hits just keep on coming.

The doctors just told us that Jerry is NOT getting any better and that in fact, his kidneys have all but stopped functioning. They could put him on dialysis, but they don't think in the long run it will be worth it.

His breathing has gotten worse and they have moved him from a standard mask to a "pressure mask" to help him breathe, however, it still isn't helping like they want it to. They are talking about putting him on a respirator, however, he has told our parents that he wants quality of life ..so that is probaby not an option.

We are in the throes of making some extremely tough decisions right now as the worst that we feared seems to have come to pass.

Decisions will be made in the next 24 hours that will affect all our lives forever. We are still praying for a miracle... but are having to face the harsh light of reality at the moment.

Sleep filled days and nights

Jerry has managed to go thru 2 treatments of the special Chemo cocktail and will resume Radiation on Monday.

The weekend has been pretty good for him. His color has improved ten-fold; his jaundice has all but disappeared. He has started to rest more comfortably since Friday evening as well - managing to sleep during the day and thru most of the nights. They did tell us that the Chemo cocktail they started him on will make him tired .. so we expected this.


His vitals have remained stable as well after a Saturday morning where his Oxygen levels were dangerously low. They have since put a tube in his nose to pump Oxygen into his system and help him breathe. Blood sugars are a bit low, but rising every hour. His liver count is continuing to decrease (woo hoo.. special dance) and his blood pressure looks strong.


The new chemo treatements have shown some of the side effects the doctor said may show such as blood in the urine and fluid in his belly - however, the fluid in the belly is not enough to worry about and the blood in the urine (which shows itself almost immediately after his treatment and then tapers off after a few hours. The doctors are not concerned about these but are monitoring them closely.


They did take him off of the nutrition IV as his system was not digesting it. They upped his fluids instead to replace the nutrition he is no longer receiving.

We talked to the docter on scene yesterday, who had also talked to his Oncologist (Dr. Williamson) - neither were thrilled with the lack of progress after 24 hours of the Chemo cocktail. They had hoped that the treatement would immediately start to break down the tumor in the liver "lyrosis" I believe is what they called it - where the tumor starts to break down and is digested back into the body.

He also told us that Jerry is basically breathing on one lung at the moment. This came as a shock as we didn't realize he had progressed that far. The cancer in his lung as well as the swollen lymph nodes and the tumor in his liver pushing his diaphram and everything up into his lung has significantly decreased his lung capacity making it harder to breath. This is why they connected him to a tube after his oxygen levels had dropped so low. They have mentioned that if his Oxygen levels stay decreased, they may switch to an Oxygen mask instead of only the tube.

His abdomen is still very rigid and tender. Due to the fact that they are pumping so many liquids into him as well as the Chemo drugs, they feel that he may be getting more fluid into his abdomen then they previously thought. If keeps up, they may take him down and "drain" the fluid from him to help him breath.

All in all, he's had some good moments and bad moments. We've had good news and not so great news.

Father Can You Hear Me?

Our sister Tanya has a prayer group back in Tiffin, IA that has been praying for Jerry and sending good thoughts and energy his way. They have discovered a priest that will say special prayers for people in need and he has had good success.

So, Padre Pio has come into our world.

If you are praying or speaking to whomever you speak to in your private moments, throw a special prayer, request or shout out to Padre Pio to watch over Jerry and help him thru everything that is going on right now.

The power of prayer can be amazing.... both spiritually and emotionally.

At Last Some Good News!

Today started off like any other, and then this evening we received some fantastic news from the Oncologist.

Jerry now has a window view room (after they turned his bed to face out the window) and he has spectacular views of Kansas City and downtown (He said it's look really pretty at night). We are calling it his "penthouse suite with a view".

Jerry had his second round of Radiation this afternoon. His next bout of Chemotherapy will be in 3 weeks. He is looking very well for everything he is going through. They are still keeping him connected to the food and IV as well as an intravenous pain drug. He is also receiving Heparnin for his heart and Insulin to help aid his liver and kidneys. He has these in order to counter act the affects of the Chemotherapy.

The Oncologist came in this afternoon with the results of the biopsy from Wednesday. They are almost now positive that the Cancer is the Lymphoma type. This is GREAT news in that, they want to try a second "cocktail" of Chemotherapy that is more aggressive and will really target what is going on with his system. The treatment will last over a period of 5 days and is one of the more aggressive types they can use. There are however, a few side affects such as disorientation, and stress on the liver but the doctors and Jerry feel that this is ok compared to what the end results could be. They are doing a lower dose of the cocktail than they would normally in order to cause less stress/strain on the liver. They plan to start it tonight (Friday).

Jerry is very pumped with this news and we are all excited to get this treatment going. His attitude is truly great for everything that is going on, especially after the news this evening.

He is surrounded by his family and a lot of friends at the hospital. We have managed to take over one of the visitor lounges - and even scared off 2 people that thought about coming in to sit this evening. His nurses are really friendly and they are taking excellent care of him.

Tomorrow will bring a brand new day bright and clear ...and we have very good feelings after this evening's news.

And a one-two to the head as well

They are starting Chemo & Radiation on Jerry today at 2:30 pm (CST). They hope to be able to slow the growth and if lucky, eliminate some of the Cancer in his body. The chemo/radiation will be a 15 day process.

Not sure at this point if we'll be trekking to MD Anderson. For now, staying put in KC at KUMed and getting this treated.

A Sucker Punch to the Gut

Well, overnight things have gone from not great - to just darn right not good at all, dare I say- even bad.

Jerry is now in the ICU at KUMed. They put him there last evening as his heart rate was extremely low and they were taking some precautionary measures. They managed to get that stabilized, but kept him in in ICU for monitoring and "just in case" his heart or blood pressure dropped again. They have him hooked up to a feeding tube so he is now getting nutrition back into his body (yeah!) as well as an IV with fluids to keep him hydrated.

They also took another CAT scan of his body last night just to check things out.

...and that's where things went South....

The tumor has now grown to the size of a basketball. His Lymph nodes are severly swollen with Cancer at this point, and that is also making it diffucult for him to breath & swallow. Both of these combined is what is causing Jerry so much pain as well as his loss of appetite.

The Cancer has also spread to several more parts of his body, including more in the bones and one lung. They have determined that he has a "solid" Cancer and not a blood Cancer (which is a good step in the right direction on figuring this out), but still unsure the origin of the Primary Cancer cells.

The Oncologist and Radiologist are supposed to come in today ASAP and figure out what we can do from here. They want to start him on radiation IMMEDIATELY to try and reduce the size of the tumor and see if it helps things or not.

At this point, not really sure how things are going to progress. In the 5 weeks since Jerry was diagnosed, this Cancer has spread rapidly and with a viciousness that is unrivaled.

Please say an extra prayer/thought/chant for him today if you have the time. I have a feeling he is going to need everything he can get.

Once we know more from the doctors, I'll re-post information to keep you updated, but for now... a grim outlook.

What is up with all this?

Well, this week has already been an interesting week and we aren't even half-way thru it (ok, we are JUST half-way thru it).

Jerry is back in the hospital (at KU Med) as of yesterday afternoon. Not sure how long he will remain there this go around.

He went in yesterday morning for his 3rd biopsy, however, they determined that he was too dehydrated to perform the procedure. They admitted him to the hospital and immediately put him on fluids. He spent the evening there, and remains there as of Wednesday night for an undetermined period.

Today, he was up and around (but apparently, had a bad night). They were able to perform the biopsy though (THANK GOODNESS! sometihng is moving forward at last) as well as run a test on his throat. He has been very hoarse the past few days as well as complaing about sores in his mouth, so they wanted to check that out. They also ran an additional ultrasound on his liver and such just to check things out.

We are hoping we will still be able to get the results back from this biopsy by Friday to help determine what the heck is actually going on. They are all stumped and this waiting is brutal as he can't begin any type of treatment protocol until they determine what they are dealing with, as well as Jerry's strength needs to be up for the procedures (which at this point today, they are not).

Not much more to tell really.. he is pretty weak, but now that he's in hospital, they will keep him hydrated and get some food into his system to help build his strength back up. Mom and Dad are with him in KC and keeping everyone updated as well as keeping Jerry company.

Onward and Upward

I hope everyone had a great holidays and spend lots of time with family.

Jerry is back in Kansas City as of last Friday. He had an appointment at KU Med and we are slowing, but surely moving forward with things.

They have decided to do yet another biopsy to remove more tissue from the tumor and/or lymph nodes so they can determine just what kind of Cancer we are fighting here. To date, the tissue samples they have are too small, and they can not determine just what type of Cancer Jerry has. Sooo.. Tuesday, Jerry goes in for another Biopsy at KU Med. Friday will show us the results and hopefully give us the answer we are all waiting for: what type of Cancer we need to kick butt on.

MD Anderson has finally started responding to us and they have received all of the records on Jerry. I've spoken to them a few times and they are now in the process of reviewing his case to determine if he is eligible (DUH, yes) and what treatment they can offer. I should hear from by end of this week on a date that Jerry can get down there and get something started.

The hurry up and waiting is brutal!

Jerry and mom are both in KC at the moment. No plans to return to Iowa in the near future.. but hoping to head down to Texas ASAP. He has his moments of pain and weakness, but for the most part, is doing really well. Mom is trying to keep his strength up so that when the time comes, he'll be ready to begin whatever treatment the doctors say is best for him. Attitudes seem to be on the positive side for the most part as well.

Lanie is Lanie thru all this. I think she is aware something's going on, and all the new people in/out are definitely throwing her off, but she got some new toys for Christmas and those seem to revive her spirits as well.

For those of you that want to visit him- please call Mom first to see if he's up for it. Also, if you or anyone around you is or has been sick recently - we ask that you please stay clear of him so as not to possibly get him sick. We don't need that to fight as well right now.

Talk to you all soon!
Sherri