Hospice of the Valley - Arbor Home

Steve will move this evening to Arbor Home at 6063 E. Arbor Ave., Building B in Mesa. East on Main, turn South on Recker, turn East on Arbor. On the South side of Arbor look for the Hospice of the Valley dove on the sign.

Steve has had me worried this week. He had a distant look, was in considerable discomfort and was NOT watching the Food Channel. I knew he was not feeling well.

I am excited to announce the Food Channel is on again!!!

stevethomas2000@gmail.com cell: 602-315-5853

mthomas2604@gmail.com cell: 602-315-5854

Hospice - a scary word

When I think of October, I think of Halloween - one of my favorite holidays. I love seeing children dressed up, excited, running house to house. I enjoyed Halloween as a mother because I would meet new neighbors and visit with friends as we walked with the children.

With Halloween, I also thought of scary things - so I guess it is appropriate that this October we have to face this scary new part of our life - Hospice.


Hospice has always meant the end - giving up...

I am learning doctors recommend hospice when the patients life expectancy is less than six months.

I am learning it also means providing comfort and cherishing the moment.



How much time do we have?

No diagnosis = no prognosis


There is a Palliative Care specialist reviewing Steve's chart. He said yesterday that when people are declining month by month - they have months to live, declining week by week - weeks to live, day by day - days to live. That makes sense to me and is a formula I can remember.



Steve is definitely worse than last month. That is scary.

Looking for a good facility......

One place turned Steve down - they felt insurance would not pay enough.
One place we turned down - we felt it was a depressing facility.

Now the Case Worker is looking at options. Like all the employees we have worked with at St. Joe's, she is amazing. She is working to find a good facility for Steve.


Steve is still at St. Joe's and will receive his chemo on Wednesday.

Steve is still at St. Joe's

Steve is still at St. Joe's.

The case worker is looking for a skilled nursing facility in Mesa that will accept Steve while he is taking chemo. It will be nice to have him closer to home. It will be hard leaving St. Joe's where the staff is amazing.

Thank you to those who emailed Steve - stevethomas2000@gmail.com

Thank you to those who were able to make the trip to Phoenix to visit.

The Next Step.......

On Monday and Tuesday all the various doctors (neurology, oncology, renal, pulmonary, internal - I have probably left someone off the list) assigned to Steve are going to be recommending the next phase of care.

If he is strong enough to do 3 hours of rehab each day he will be transferred to Neuro Rehab at St. Joes.

If he can only tolerate 1 to 1/2 hours of rehab he will need to go to a Skilled Nursing Facility to gain enough strength for the more advanced rehab.

The docs also will be working out a treatment plan (how often he will receive chemo) and decide when he would have the next MRI to determine if he is progressing.

And of course, everything depends on how Steve's body reacts to all that is thrown at him.

Please keep visiting. Please keep praying.

email Steve at stevethomas2000@gmail.com
I will read every email to him.

after 6 - l o n g - w e e k s . . .

Steve got chemo today. Now we watch and wait.

Nothing New (and that is good)

Steve is enjoying visitors. We know St. Joe's is a long drive for most of you. We appreciate your effort on his behalf.

There is nothing new medically.

Steve seems to have stabilized. Tuesday the neuro-oncologist will be back and we hope she will feel that Steve can have chemo.