Char is OFF the ventilator and breathing on her own!

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

About half an hour ago, we took Char off the ventilator support and she is breathing on her own with a little oxygen support! YEAH!!!

Her chest tube is still draining blood but not as much. Her haemoglobin dropped again due to the blood loss and right now we are transfusing her. SO PLEASE REMEMBER TO KEEP THE BLOOD AND PLATELETS DONATION COMING IN! (Please refer to the blog entry before this)

Char was a little freaked out during the extubation process but she followed through the instructions properly and we were able to remove the breathing tube swiftly. As expected, her first words were "Ma Ma"! OH HOW I MISS HER VOICE!!!

Thank you for all your prayers! It works, please keep them coming in by busloads and truckloads or whatever spaceshuttle-loads!

And most importantly, thank you for faithfully following us through our journey every step of our way. As personal as our journey is, you have always been an integral part, even as a silent supporter.

Thank you also to all the friends who rushed to ICU to rally their support. When I look around me, I know that I'm blessed with some explosive GIRL POWER around me!

Charmaine loves you all and so do Cyn mommy and Jase!

Thank you everyone!!!

One minute at a time, one step at a time and one day at a time!

Love,
Cyn mommy

10 comments:

qwerty said...

Congratulations! She's amazing! You're amazing too!

stn said...

Will be praying for Charmaine and her beautiful family! :) Jiayou Charmaine, once you have defeated this obstacle in your life, nothing can stop the great Charmaine in the future!

yinkoh said...

YES!!
<3s to charmaine..
sy

stacey said...

I would like to share this article title Miracles are Everywhere by Dr. Bernie Siegel with all those who are open to it. http://berniesiegelmd.com/

Never lose sight of the light.

Anonymous said...

This is amazing! I rest my case if the people around do not realise that Char is a living miracle!

Pink Lotus said...

Dear Char's mummy,

I am so happy for little Char that she has overcome another obstacle. Yeah!

I chanced upon this article on the web. Not sure if you have already read it. It is truly inspirational.

"Three strikes, but I'm not out!"

I am a 3-time cancer survivor, having had a childhood cancer called neuroblastoma at age 6 months along with breast cancer diagnoses at ages 34 and 45. At the time of my most recent cancer diagnosis in 1995, I unexpectedly found myself very angry.


I (naively) thought I had already "paid my dues" by having cancer twice and would not get cancer again. Upon finishing my surgery and chemotherapy after my third cancer, I realized I had to change my thinking about my cancer experiences to overcome my lingering anger. I found the quotation by Henry David Thoreau very helpful as I stopped running from my cancer history to begin embracing it:

"When the dog is chasing you, turn around and whistle for it."
I instinctively knew that it was time for me to go beyond coping (which I had obviously done very well for 45 years!) to finally begin healing physically, emotionally, and spiritually from the trauma of having 3 cancer experiences. Although I have used surgery, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy with each diagnosis, this time I was determined to figure out what else I could do to enhance the long-term effectiveness of these treatments by identifying and changing various aspects of my nutrition and lifestyle. I wanted to be a full and equal partner in my health care, making my own decisions based on the best research I could gather, which also meant that I was taking equal responsibility for the outcome I might achieve. This seemed like a big job, but I strongly believe in the power of *active hope* and used a quotation from Dr. Bernie Siegel's book, Love, Medicine, and Miracles, as my inspiration for this new approach I was taking to recovering from my cancer:

"I encourage my patients to have faith in God,
but not to expect God to do all the work!"
I was ready to work! The challenge that I accepted for myself was to see if I could put together a "healing recipe," looking for the best "ingredients" that conventional oncology therapy had to offer and complementing it with additional "ingredients" from the uncharted world of "alternative medicine" and see if I could "tweak my fate." It has been five years since my last cancer diagnosis and I am still cancer-free even though my most recent cancer was very advanced and aggressive! I have also recovered (indeed healed) emotionally and spiritually from my cancer experiences. I no longer live with fear of my future. I may still die from cancer, but if I do, I will die satisfied that I have given my recovery all of my very best efforts.

I wrote my book, A Dietitian's Cancer Story, to give those interested in optimizing their own health after cancer using an integrated and comprehensive approach a "jump start" onto that path. My book is precisely what I wish my own cancer center could have given me when I asked, "What else can I be doing to help myself?" In providing the details of my own path and journey, I suggest you pick and choose the strategies that appeal to you, as you are ready to incorporate them into your life. I hope you find both information and inspiration in my book so that your cancer recovery journey is easier than mine was.

Diana Grant Dyer, MS, RD, Author of A Dietitian's Cancer Story
http://www.dianadyermsrd.com

Ms. Potatoe said...

Good to know!!

Jeffery said...

I am extremely glad that God is viewing the hearts of everyone who are pouring in their bucket loads of prayers ... Stay strong and know that the gentle comfort you extended to little Charmaine in the hospital remains a beautiful sight etched in my memory. Thank you for reminding me that God's grace and love is abound (hard at work in all of us).

We are all rallying behind Charmaine, you and your family. Remember that ..."you are not alone in this path, God has not forgotten you and your child ... Keep giving your child to God, and in the right time and right way, God will give your child back to you." (quoted from book Fearless, by Max Lucado)

kittymin said...

Thank god!

Anonymous said...

Keep on fighting ! Jiayou !

 
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