A little better week

This was Dad this past weekend at Jamie's. Mom sent this from her cell phone.

Dad has been doing a little better this week. Whether he wore himself out last week getting ready for the Men's Fellowship, or got a GI bug, or just was having a couple of bad days, he seems to be recovering this week. Mom said he has felt a little better each day. Appetite is still down, and energy level as well, so please keep praying.

Thank you, JJ Ford

A tough weekend.

These are the pictures I promised from last week.

Dad and Mom went down to Jamie's Friday to spend the night, go to Raylee's soccer game on Saturday, then on to the Texas game in Austin. On the way down, Dad started feeling bad and stayed that way the rest of the weekend. They ended up not going to any of the activities they planned, stayed at Jamie's and watched the Texas game on TV, then drove home Saturday night. I saw them at church yesterday morning, and Dad was tired, out of breath when he talked, and just overall, didn't feel good.

One day at a time, some days are better than others, but this weekend was a tough time. Keep praying for him, and thank you for praying.

In Him, JJ and all the Janszen Kids

Dad is doing well

Dad continues to do well. He is still losing a little weight, 2 more pounds this week, but he is getting out and doing work around the ranch. Tonight he is hosting the "Band of Brothers" men's fellowship out at the Ranch.
(For those that don't know what this is, it is a once-a-month gathering, out at the ranch, at the pavilion (which Mom had Dad build when they moved out there, to resemble the old pavilions at church camp) anyway, once a month, Dad will cook food, along with the help of some other men in the church, to feed anywhere from 40 to 100 men, they eat, have music, worship, then have a speaker. It is a great time of fellowship, and the men love coming out to the ranch, it is peaceful and beautiful.)
Needless to say, and for those of you that know how Dad likes to keep his grass mowed, this week he has had alot of extra work to do to get ready for the meeting tonight, so this may contribute to the weight loss. Mom sends him with a cooler of protein bars and drinks, and reminds him all day long to eat, eat, eat. He just doesn't want to.
We went down on Sunday and spent several days down at the ranch with them for our family vacation. Dad felt pretty good 2 out of the three days we were there. We enjoyed the time we had with them and I got some great pictures. I will post them in the next day or so.
He also is doing better with the stuttering. He hardly did it at all while we were there, except when he was really tired, or when he seemed stressed.
I will update later with the pics. Thanks for reading and caring about our family.
In His grace and mercy, JJ

Home from Colorado

These are from a few weeks ago, when Mom and Dad went to see Jamie, Clint, Raylee and Ryder.

Mom and Dad arrived home yesterday from a very relaxing time in Colorado. They said they sat by the fire and read most of the time. Sounds wonderful doesn't it!! They really enjoyed themselves and Dad did well up in the altitude. They came back a day early because one of Dad's old football coaches from HEB died this past weekend. Dad was asked to speak at the funeral, which he did today, and he did a great. We prayed for strength, and for breath as he spoke, and God gave him both. Mom said they are now going to settle back in to home, and continue working on the healing process, and the strength and weight gain again. We are so thankful that they were able to have a nice time in Colorado, and so thankful they made it back home safely.

Keep praying for strength for Dad to work out, and a desire to eat.

Thank you, JJ

Vacation in Colorado

These are the pics from Jesse's game on Thursday night. (It's Dad in the green.)

Mom and Dad are on their way to Colorado as I type this. They surprised us last night and came by Jesse's game on their way out of town. I took pictures with my cell phone and will try to post one soon. Dad seemed to be doing well yesterday. He got up early and went to his Coaches Outreach Bible Study, then came to Jesse's game last night. They are heading to Avon, CO for a week. The mountains and cool air should be a refreshment for them both. God's creation is so beautiful up there. Hopefully the thin air won't bother him. Pray for a wonderful week of relaxation and rejuvenation for both of them. Praise God that Dad seems to have turned the corner for good. We will continue to pray for a desire to eat and a determination to exercise. God bless each of you and have a wonderful weekend.
For all the Janszen Kids, JJ

Coming Home from Houston

Mom called me this afternoon on their way home from Houston. They still are awaiting an xray to determine if his right lung has cleared any more or if it is getting worse. Other than that, all reports were good. Dr. Roth was pleased with Dad's progress and reaffirmed that Dad's recovery would take TIME. They told us this from the beginning, but still, we really had no idea that it would be like this.
They met with a speech pathologist this morning that they really liked. He was encouraging, and wanted Dad to get started right away with a plan up here in Ft. Worth, but wanted to get the results from the chest xray of the lungs before they proceed. If there is still any problem there, Dad may need to meet with a pulmonologist first.
They said that they would not see Dad again in Houston for 3 months, and in the mean time, he needs to focus on eating, gaining his weight back a little at a time, and exercising.
These are what we will pray for, and also for God to help that right lung be able to breath in deeply and be used to its fullest capacity.
Thank you all, JJ

Follow Up/ Good News

Hey everyone! I'm posting for J.J. because I have 2 dead cellphones and a sleeping husband, so this was the quickest way to let everyone know the latest news. His endoscopy showed that the surgery sight (anastomosis) looked good from the inside and there was no sign of any reoccurring tumors. He has some mild erosion (ulcer) just below the sight of surgery, probably due to the radiation treatments. This is most common they told us. They took several biopsies from the area and we will have those back Wednesday or Thursday.

Dr. Roth was pleased with his progress except for the weight loss. He encouraged him to eat and exercise. He reminded us that this is going to take time. His nurse removed the j-tube, gave us a list of things to do, called in the nutritionist, and said they would see him in 6 months, unless something else happens.

The nutritionist talked to him about his eating and I asked her if she would go home with us. :)

Then we visited with Dr. Ajani, our Oncologist who will be overseeing his long term follow-up care. He too,was concerned about the weight loss, but thought everything else was showing improvement. They were all in agreement that Mike had had more complications than they expected him to have. They do believe that he is going to be fine and that he will regain his weight, muscle, strength and energy, eventually. Dr. Ajani wants to have him come back in January for a PET Scan.

It was recommended, by one of the nurses, that he get on a program with a Physical Therapist, because they would know how to build him back up safely. :) We smiled at each other. Oh, I wish you Mid-Cities' Physical Therapy staffers could have been there for that.

Tomorrow we go to Speech Pathology to see if he needs speech therapy for his talking difficulties. Then we will see the radiation oncologist, Dr. Jeter. If nothing else is indicated, we will be heading back to the ranch.



We are so blessed to have such a wonderful army of warriors standing in the gap for us, crying out to the Lord on our behalf. We could never express how much we love and appreciate you for this support. May the Great I Am bless you from His abundant supply and reward you for your faithful service in prayer.

In His Amazing Grace,

Jan and Mike



"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You will revive me;

You will stretch out Your hand against the wrath of my enemies,

And Your right hand will save me.

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me;

Your mercy, O Lord, endures forever;

Do not forsake the works of Your hands."

Psalm 138:7-8

In the words of my dear departed dad..."Amen and amen and amen, again".

P.S. This is JJ finishing this post up. Mom called me and asked me to read over this and then add this one last thing. She said she feels like Mrs. Clause on Rudolph (the TV Christmas movie) when she keeps telling Santa "Eat Papa, Eat!!!" For those of you who don't have kids or grandkids that watch that every year, you will have no idea what we are talking about; but for those of us who do, you will understand. We are praying and saying to Dad "Eat Dad, Eat!!"

In Him, JJ

In New Braunfuls

Mom and Dad drove down to Jamie's house last night to see them for the weekend, then on to Houston on Sunday. When I spoke with Mom yesterday on their way down, she told me that out of 1-10, Dad woke up feeling like a 1. She said he had no energy, and just loading the bags into the car for their trip, he was out of breath, and exhausted. This was so discouraging to Dad. He has lost so much weight, and has no reserves, no muscle either, to keep himself going. On their way down, he said he was feeling a little better, maybe a 5 or 6.
They are planning on asking the drs., while in Houston, if there is anything else they can be doing or Dad can be taking to increase his energy level, and to increase his appetite. Pray for wisdom and guidance from the Drs. and also attentiveness to Dad's specific needs from them as well. They are going to Raylee's soccer game today, she was very excited about having Babe and Buddy there!!
Keep praying, this challenge is definitely not over yet. Dad has a long way to go before he will feel like his old self again. Thank you for hanging in there with us. This is a long term commitment you have made to check in on Dad and to continue to lift him up. We are grateful from the bottom of our hearts.
In His amazing love, JJ

Lost 40 lbs.

Dad has had some good days and some not so good days since I posted last.
On Sunday, Dad actually rode into town with Mom to go to church, but once they got there, he started feeling upset in his stomach, and stayed in the car during the service. He felt pretty bad the rest of the day. He had a better day today, but felt bad all day yesterday.
He thanked the Lord for how he felt today, knowing that tomorrow might not be as good.
His gut has gone all the way back down, but he has lost a total of 40 lbs thus far.
They are scheduled for Dr's appointments on Monday in Houston. They are planning on going by New Braunfuls to see Jamie and her crew for the weekend, before heading down to Houston on Sunday.
Dad still says nothing really sounds good to him to eat, and he never really wants to eat, please keep praying for his appetite to return. Hopefully, if the doctors feel it is ok, they are going to pull the jtube on Monday. He is looking forward to getting that out.
Thank you again for praying and for being patient with me and the spread out updates.
In His Grace, JJ