From Nick Warkentien:

We’ve been here at the hospital in Kalamazoo, MI with my sister. When we arrived yesterday, it was really heartbreaking to see her condition. She could barely breathe. Her breathes were like pants, very quick and shallow. She could talk, but it was very hard to understand her, and she could only say a couple words at a time. She started Radiation treatments yesterday (which she will continue to have every morning). The radiation is only to try and bring the swelling down on the tumors which are pressing in on her lungs and wind pipe. Basically, they are trying to help her breathe better so she doesn’t suffocate, and she can be more comfortable. The radiation will leave burns and permanent scars on her chest. It will also cause about 20% damage on her lungs. Also, she had a minor surgery yesterday afternoon, where they removed over a liter of access fluid from her chest. They don’t know where the fluid is coming from yet. They removed it to make more room for her lungs, to help her breathe. Yesterday afternoon, after having these treatments, she was obviously in less pain. She was able to eat, and she could breathe easier, and talk better. Things were more light-hearted then, because she was able to joke around a little bit, and we were all more at ease knowing she was in less pain. After she went to sleep last night, things got a little bit harder again. She was obviously not comfortable and started having trouble breathing again. Her oxygen mask was really bothering her, and she was having a lot of bad dreams. This morning, she has had another radiation treatment. She’s doing ok, for now. We still believe that God can perform a miracle in her life. Medically, it looks like she has very little time left, and we are all prepared to lose her anytime. We are trying to enjoy what time we have left with her as much as possible.

I know this is getting long, but there is one more thing I would like to share. We received a phone call yesterday, informing us that my brother in law was being admitted to the hospital. He has been nursing a kidney stone all week, and yesterday, his heart started acting erratic, and he had severe chest pain. They ended up transferring him to the same hospital Missy is in. He is now one floor up and one room over from Missy. It’s very ironic, but nice that we could be there when they brought him, as his wife (Amy’s sister) was the only one who was able to come last night. His heart is now stable, and we will probably be released tomorrow. His name is Jerry.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and emails, and for taking the time to read all my long updates. 🙂
Much love,
Nick