Dear Dave & Irene,
So encouraged by todays report and Thanking God with you.  Was thinking of you today knowing your were going   to UCSF.
We returned yesterday from a Palau PC and will be here except for a day here and there in Merced with Denise.
Praying for the right combination so you can keep some food down.  One of these days we will be going to Mama Mia’s again.
By the way, several ask about you at the Palau conference.
We continue to Pray….so appreciate the daily updates.
Our Love,  Phyllis and Jack

8.30 p.m…

Good evening!

The UCSF clinic went very well today. Irene was given one unit of blood because of a low red blood cell count. However, are you ready to hear some good news? Irene’s blood platelet count is now at 122!!! The target range is 140+. She is moving toward that target count rapidly. You may recall that last Thursday the count was 93; last Tuesday it was 77. This is very encouraging news! The bilirubin count is now at 8.7!!! This is also exceptional news, given the historical counts over the last several weeks hovering in the 12-14 range. The target range is 1.5. Clearly, it is moving in the right direction!

Irene’s most significant and continuing challenge is her ability to keep food down. We have started on a new nausea regime…again! Hopefully this will be just the right combination to support her during this healing transition.

In the meantime, however, we’re rejoicing in these recent blood count developments and are reminded of Psalm 72.19: “Praise be to His glorious name forever. May the whole earth be filled with His glory”.




Perhaps you have noticed the addition of some wonderful photos of nature with scripture verses added to our UPDATES over the last few days. We’re grateful to Hosannah Loh, who is allowing us to display her art on Irene’s website. You can see more of Hosanna’s inspiring work at http://www.naturespraise.com.

Thanks for caring…

Caminando con Fé
Dave

Dias Family,

You have all been in my thoughts and prayers over the last few months. I know you are trusting the Lord in all circumstances and what a testimony that is to His power in your lives.

Thank you for all the updates you have been able to give through the website - what an excellent tool to inform those who care so much about you. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help your family and Irene.
We love you all!
-David Schmidt

9 p.m…

Good evening, everyone, and thanks for checking in!!

Irene had a dialysis session this morning.  After coming home, she struggled with keeping food down, despite the new nausea medication combination.  Some marginal progress, but not as much as we would like to see. Thanks for your continued expressions of concern.

Irene’s sister, Carmen, leaves our home tomorrow.  She has been here for a week and has supported Irene and our family in many wonderful ways.  We’re so grateful!! 

Tomorrow, Irene and I venture to UCSF for out patient clinic services.  It’s usually an all day event.  We will obtain updated blood counts, see the medical team and hope to give you a positive report tomorrow evening!

We wait, we trust, we hope…in a better tomorrow and are grateful for today.  We rest in Him. 

He orders our steps.  He directs our lives.  His timing is perfect.  He knows all things. He is good.  He loves us. 

As Irene has said many times over the years, “we’re not in control, but He is”.

We rest in the verse…“Be still and know that I am God.”  Psalm 46.10

Caminando con Fé
Dave

Please know that the Walter Family continues to pray for you Irene, we’re praying for healing, health, restoration and for joy in the midst of pain. You guys are such an encouragement to all of us, thanks so much for keeping us updated via this wonderful website, and thanks so much for sharing with us how God is working in your lives. May God continue to bless each and every one of you!

Tambien caminando in Fe,
The Walter Family
Jeff, Sue, Grant and Christy

Dear Irene and Dave,

It’s been wonderful to read your news these last few days, and
I really enjoyed the Lessons Learned.  I thank God that you’re
home, Irene, and pray to God to continue to provide all that you need for a steady recovery.

/sfm
Susan Roach

8 p.m…

Good evening!!

Sometimes our experience is more of a choice than a feeling…

If yesterday was a GREAT day for Irene physically, and it was, we are choosing today to say that “...this is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it…”  (Psalm 118:24)

In other words, it is a CHOICE to say that it is a good day.  Even when we don’t FEEL like it is, we will DECIDE to rejoice and be glad in it because Irene has physically struggled today.  Her energy level is low and she feels very nauseated and uncomfortable…thank you for your continued care and concern for her welfare.

We’re so grateful that Dave and Laura Gschwend brought us dinner this evening.  In fact, it was more than dinner;  it is a feast and enough food for days!!   

The Gschwend’s also graced Irene with a “hosanna!music” CD featuring Paul Wilbur.  Laura is a cancer survivor and called this her “chemo CD” that “took me through many hard times—...” I am certain that Irene will enjoy it in the days to come!

We do hope that tomorrow brings us more emotional connection to the verse above, because, hopefully, Irene will be FEELING better!!

In the meantime, sometimes our life experience is a choice, so we choose today to say that “this is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Caminando con Fé
Dave

Hi Dias Family,

How wonderful it is to get these updates knowing you are home and Irene is improving. I am so blessed to read todays message from Dave. The wisdom you have shared today is so important. It is hard to believe that you would need people and prayer so much when everyone is healthy and life is going well. Your support base is a testimony to how you have lived your lives in Christ. Thank you for sharing your lives - your struggles, fears and your unending hope and reliance upon our Savior. What a resource your experience can be for others that are faced with crisis and don’t know what to do. Can’t wait for Irene to be well enough to do an update for us.

Praying for you daily - Betty Fairhurst

11.30 a.m…

After confronting Irene’s diagnosis and the journey she’s been on for the last 3+ months, we are trying to understand and reduce the number of identifiable and significant lessons we’re learning…

Here’s a very short list of four lessons we’re learning:

• Build the NETWORK ahead of time

o When crisis strikes it is too late work to build a network of people who can assist you. The people are either already there or they aren’t. It would have been impossible to navigate through the challenges in front of us without a number of AMAZING people that we know who were willing to help us. Each person represented a sub-network of relationships that was also very helpful.

o Quick example: It was only after leveraging those trusted relationships that allowed us to transfer to UCSF. The primary care team told us that UCSF wouldn’t accept Irene. Remember, this is before diagnosis. They were merely treating Nephrotic Syndrome symptoms. This same team advised us to treat Irene’s symptoms on an outpatient basis and return in three months. Of course we weren’t satisfied with that answer and pursued UCSF through our network…Irene was admitted to UCSF the next day. During the admission process, the UCSF medical team communicated to us that Irene’s needs were extremely complex and significant. Three days later she was diagnosed with Primary Amyloidosis.

o Ask yourself, “Who is my “go to” network if things go array?

• We must be our own HEALTHCARE ADVOCATE

o When current test results are radically different than historical, don’t wait for your primary care physician to take the lead but rather challenge the primary care advice that is given if it doesn’t make sense to you and get a second and/or third opinion. Don’t wait; time is not your ally.

o Make sure that the medical teams that you are working with are communicating with each other and they’re not operating in silos. As smart and gifted as physicians are, unless they are intentional about communicating and knowing that there is an accountability structure in place to follow-up on the care they are administrating, they will tend to operate within their own frame of reference. No one knows the symptoms and all of the information better than you do and nobody cares as much as you. Continuity of care between medical teams is YOUR responsibility. We also cannot rely upon the information to be adequately transferred. There is a lot of information transmitted but there is also a lot of information that may or may not be transmitted.

o Quick Example: Irene’s cholesterol went from 200 in October to over 400 in February after she had her annual physical. In retrospect, we should have acted earlier. Rather than taking the primary care physician’s advice to simply go on cholesterol medication without a ‘recheck” and further evaluation, we may have discovered months earlier what Irene was dealing with if we had been more proactive. Unfortunately, by the time Irene had other symptoms i.e. 2 blood clots (one in the lung and the other in her thigh), edema and the loss of protein in her urine we were already deep into the crisis.

o Ask yourself, “Do I have the right medical team in place today?”

• Spiritually speaking, in this time of significant crisis, we didn’t have time to spend QUALITY TIME IN THE WORD.

o The time we had already invested in the Word and the scripture we had already memorized and know to be true is all that we had to rely upon, except, of course, for the indwelling and ever present Holy Spirit. There was simply too much going on with Irene’s complex case to spend quality/quantity time in the Word. Almost everything was done “on the fly”. There wasn’t time to plan, deeply think and/or reflect. It was “reflex time” and a time to rely upon Spirit lead instincts…

Quick Example: “word picture” illustrations:

o In a prior life as a police officer, I liken the situation to being on the SWAT Team. In a “fire-fight” I could only wish that I had spent more time at the shooting range practicing for the real thing…

o In a sporting event, at game time I could only wish that I had spent more time in training and preparation

o Ask yourself, the following two questions: Am I spiritually prepared if things really get challenging? Am I spending enough time in the Word and preparing myself for an unknown future?




• TRANSPARENCY as a STRENGTH, not a weakness

o I decided to build a website in order to communicate with family and friends.

- Quick Example: We took the risk of being VULNERABLE with the many challenges in front of us and live out the journey in a “glass bowl”. However, the assets that came out of that have overcome any potential liability. Living out this experience out through the VIRTUAL COMMUNITY of http://www.irenedias.com has been a wonderful blessing to us. The amount of love that is being “poured out to us” (and especially Irene) from people around the world is an emotional and spiritual BOUY that gives all of us the strength and encouragement to keep going!!!! We believe that the WELL WISHES read to Irene everyday have been KEY to her encouragement and promising healing and restoration. Thanks again!!!!!!!!!

o Ask yourself: Am I trying to control my circumstances and keep others at arm’s length or am I willing to be transparent and trust God even if people see my weaknesses?

As lifelong learners, we see these short examples as valuable lessons and hope that in some small way they are helpful to you along this journey we call LIFE.

Caminando con Fé

Dave

Dear Irene and Dave,
We are so happy that Irene has returned home.  There still is no place like home to recover.  We are and will be praying that Irene’s kidneys return to normal soon.  God bless both of you as you contine on this journey.
Henry and Marie te Velde

Hi Dave,

I am so sorry about my late response to your email about Irene’s condition.

My heart goes out to you and Irene and your family. I pray that our almighty God will heal the cells in her kidney and other places that only God can do and give you and Irene comfort and peace during this difficult time. Take comfort in knowing that God is in control.

May God’s favor rest upon you and Irene in abundance.

Blessings,

Michael

9.30 p.m…

Greetings family and friends!!

Irene had a really good day and we’re so grateful!  She experienced only minor discomfort related to the ongoing nausea issue.  This is a first and certainly worthy of encouragement!  The medication combination appears to be giving her some quantifiable relief.  She was also able to keep 3 small meals down.  A big victory!! 

Irene carefully ventured into the “Wisteria Garden” with Carmen and JoAnna and stayed outside for a couple of hours.  The weather was warm and sunny.  She even planted some “lavender” and “Forget me not” flower seeds that Janet Williams had given to her.

Carmen and Jocelyn prepared a delicious dinner this evening; JoAnna followed by baking oatmeal cookies for dessert!

Irene is comfortably settling in for the evening… We’re rejoicing in a faithful God that answers our prayers. 

Thank YOU for your faithful prayer and concern!!  We remain hopeful that each day will bring forth continued healing and restoration of Irene’s body!!

Caminando con Fé
Dave

It is so encouraging to read about the improvement in Irene’s ability to take in nutrition!! It seems like finding just the right medication is a big part of recovery these days, everyone responds so differently.  We will be praying especially for the new drug to continue to work, for the digestive system to be calmed by freedom from nausea so that soon the medication won’t be necessary.  We will also be praying that this weekend will be very quiet, as close to normal as is possible, and always for the healing work the Lord has already accomplished to be multiplied in Irene.  We know this time of family being together is one of the true blessings He has brought out of this great trial and pray for great times of closeness and making memories for all of you.  You guys are an inspiration to all and your determined faith is an awesome witness to the power of our God.

II Corinthians 13:11:”...be resolved, be encouraged, be at peace , and the God of love and peace will be with you.”

With many prayers and love,

Steve and Sue Azevedo

8 p.m…

Good Friday evening!!

After an early morning dialysis session, Irene came home, had a light lunch and took a long nap! The new nausea medication combination seems to be helping. She still has some lingering nausea but not to the significant and painful extent that it was earlier in the week. We’re rejoicing! On Monday I ordered SCANDI SHAKE over the internet and the “powder mix” arrived today. Irene enjoyed about one third of the vitamin rich, 500 calorie shake tonight without any significant adverse affects. We mixed the powder with almond milk and also have a supply of rice milk for SCANDI as compared with soy and regular milk which the hospital was using. Both the soy and regular milk at the hospital proved to be a combination that wouldn’t work for Irene. Sounds like an incremental development, but compared to where she was, this is very encouraging!!

Jocelyn and JoAnna will be spending the weekend here at the house encouraging and supporting Irene…

It has been an enormous blessing to have Irene’s sister, Carmen, here to help us since Tuesday. She’s a school teacher and starts work next Wednesday...I told her this evening that she may get “fogged in” and won’t be able to return to her home in HOT Merced anytime soon…

We’re hoping that this weekend will be very unspectacular. Unspectular defined as no complications related to Irene’s slow but sure progress, that is!! Irene hopes to get through the entire weekend without tummy upset. We also hope she can increase her calorie intake!!

Thanks for your continued interest and support. The progress is very slow, but at least it is FORWARD...!!

Caminando con Fé
Dave

Dear Dave & Irene,  We like to watch “It’s a wonderful Life” every year too.  I enjoyed your comments about it.  I am praising the Lord of the good report on the platelets and billirubin.  That’s great.  We will concentrate our prayer on Irene’s appetite and strength.  I recall when my Dad had heart by-pass surgery that he sruggled for a while with nausea and then to regain his appetite.  The doctor didn’t have an explanation but my mom thought it was from medication but finally his body adjusted and he began eating great.  He is now 88 and doing well.  I am trusting the Lord to give Irene the relief she needs and more strength every day.  Love,  Dave & Bev