Dear friends and family of Lorinda (Risse) Stewart,

We would like to extend our full gratitude for all of the prayers and support Lorinda received from each of you throughout her journey! As of 4:30 pm Sunday April 6th 2008, Lorinda is absent from the body and face to face with the Lord. Her loved ones surrounded her with prayer and song as she made the transition with Jesus from her earthly home.

There will be a memorial celebration commemorating Lorinda’s life and the tremendous strength and courage she exhibited as an example for all of us. Please join us in her honor at the following place and time:

Rocky Mountain Calvary Church
4285 North Academy Blvd.
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80918
www.rmcalvary.org
(719) 597-1133

11:00 am Thursday April 10th 2008
A lunch reception will follow

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made for the benefit of her son, Thomas Basil Stewart IV. Please make checks payable to:

Thomas Basil Stewart IV
2820 Coldwater Drive
Colorado Springs, Colorado 80919

If you would like to be notified as news on Lorinda is posted, please send an Email to lorindastewartupdate@yahoo.com.

Lorinda would like to extend her sincere thanks to all who participated in the fundraiser last month. It was a great time and a lot of people got some really good deals on quality products and services.

Lorinda has been really weak and uncomfortable from Ascites (fluid retention in the abdomen). We believe it is from all the toxins being released from her liver. She has had to go to the hospital several times over the past couple of months. It now seems to be under control and she is feeling a little stronger. The Dr.’s in El Salvador need to see her again but she has been too weak to travel. She is thinking that she might be able to make the trip soon. It needs to happen so they can evaluate her progress.

She continues to be vigilant in following her program as closely as she can though, as you can imagine, she is really tired of all the green drinks and restricted diet. We will post another update after her medical evaluation.

We would like to thank so many of you for your feedback and assistance regarding
our last update.

We are excited to welcome any of you that can attend a special fund raising
benefit for Lorinda, scheduled for this Saturday 1/12/08 from 11:00 am to 1:00pm
at the Outback Steakhouse at Woodman and I-25 in Colorado Springs, CO. Tickets
can be purchased at the door for $20 and will include lunch as well as the
ability to shop at an extensive silent auction we've been able to put together.
Many valuable products and services by local vendors will be auctioned! We are
so excited as 100% of all proceeds will go towards Lorinda's journey to health!

For those of you who are out of the area or unable to attend, please remember
that even small contributions from many go a long way towards Tom and Lorinda's
heavy financial burden. Please feel free to use this website to set up small
monthly contributions or one-time amounts of your choice.

Please keep the success of our Saturday venture in your prayers! God never
ceases to amaze!

If you would like to be notified as news on Lorinda is posted, please send an Email to lorindastewartupdate@yahoo.com.



Over the past few months Lorinda has continued her battle to overcome the pain and nausea cycle. She is currently working with a doctor in order to decrease her dosage of the "Fentanyl" pain patch because of its crippling side effects. This has to be professionally monitored in a very gradual manner to prevent horrible withdrawal symptoms. The body builds a tolerance to this medication and continually needs more to alleviate the pain. Lorinda would be thrilled if she could just stay off of this medicine altogether but still desperately needs it due to the inflammation of her liver. This inflammation will continue and can even increase during the entire healing process. Fentanyl was chosen because it is one of the very few pain medications that is not processed by the liver.

We are all thrilled with recent blood tests showing tumor markers in the normal range, indicating the death of living cancer cells! So her approach is working!

Lorinda spends most of her time administering her natural treatments that have brought her this far in the battle. She has been able to put on a little weight since her gallbladder ordeal and continues with this goal every day. Although it is not nearly as damaging as traditional medicine, even the natural remedies have side effects of their own that are very uncomfortable.

Lorinda has been, and continues to be, amazing in her determination and courage. Her vision of victory is walking Thomas to the school bus and perhaps another little one in tow! She derives her daily strength from God and puts every ounce of the energy he gives her into restoring her health and making this vision a reality.

Thomas is now 22 months old and is growing up and out of the "baby" stage into a precious little boy that is extremely active and curious. He is so happy! Thomas laughs and chatters constantly, thinking he is saying real words. We know what he means too! He points at objects and looks at you for answers. He dances to music on commercials, radios and "Hokey Pokey Elmo"! Thomas loves his Mommy and Daddy! He's a tremendous blessing to them both and a great source of pride as well! Lorinda wants you all to know that she feels so blessed. Not only does she have a beautiful, healthy little boy, but a sweet and supportive husband. She also feels so grateful for her friends like you who pray for her and think of her every day.

Financial challenges continue to be a burden as absolutely none of Lorinda's alternative treatments that have brought her this far are covered by insurance! Even her traditional methods, such as the Fentanyl pain patch or Zofran for the nausea, are not covered. A family friend suggested that everyone who desires to contribute to Lorinda's medical fund make affordable yet consistent monthly contributions so that Lorinda's monthly needs can be met without increasing the debt even further. The thinking was that "many helping a little keeps a large burden from a few..."

There are a couple wonderful and generous friends that have alleviated part of this burden by obtaining particular alternative treatments for her! This has helped tremendously and we are so grateful for their generosity. Although this has made an amazing difference, the current debt remains over $15,000 and the monthly needs still total to approximately $2,500.

As many of you know, we have set up a tax-deductible way for our friends and family to contribute to Lorinda's ongoing medical requirements. On the home page of this website you will find the Paypal links for credit card donations as well as bank wiring information. We appreciate your prayerful consideration of such a contribution.

We will keep you posted in the coming months of Lorinda's progress. We fully expect Lorinda's health to be completely restored as she looks forward to life with her family. Thanks to all of you for your continued thoughts and prayers. Anything you can do will help more than you know.

If you would like to be notified as news on Lorinda is posted, please send an Email to lorindastewartupdate@yahoo.com.

It has been a little while since you’ve heard from us and much has happened! We have appreciated your thoughts and prayers during these difficult past few weeks and months!

Lorinda has been recovering from a gallbladder surgery…….that never was! Although she has had to deal with all the side effects and discomfort of such a surgery, thankfully, her gallbladder did not end up having to be removed after all! This all started when Lorinda experienced severe pain with an intense gallbladder attack and was taken to the emergency room and then admitted to the hospital shortly after that.

While in surgery, the doctors discovered that the gallbladder was situated by her enlarged liver in a way that made it impossible to safely remove. At that time they also discovered that the gallbladder itself was actually healthy. Lorinda was finally able to handle the intense pain from gallstones by a natural dissolving method. Meanwhile, although the gallbladder wasn’t removed, the whole ordeal of such a major surgery set Lorinda back a couple months or more in her healing process. This situation also created more than a 10 pound weight loss at a time when weight gain is a crucial part of her recovery.

To date Lorinda has been able to recover about 3 pounds of what was lost and it continues to be an ongoing daily effort. She is currently struggling with a pain/nausea cycle that tends to be overwhelming much of the time. A pain patch medication called Fentanyl makes it possible for Lorinda to go through the day, yet has such incredible side effects that she yearns to be able to slowly decrease and eliminate the drug altogether. That is not yet possible. We have been greatly encouraged by the addition of a natural treatment called “Safinur”. In a nustshell, this natural alternative medicine disguises itself as a sugar and is readily accepted by the cancer cell. While these types of invasive cells love sugar and feed on it, the Safinur slips inside the cell before revealing it is not a sugar. Once inside the cell, Safinur begins to attack and destroy that which does not belong and permanently kills these cells. The nausea challenge Lorinda faces threatens the effects of Safinur as she must be able to keep this treatment down in order for it to work! The drug “Zofran” which is said to eliminate nausea, costs about $3,500/month without prescription coverage. We are currently working on a way to find any alternatives.

Meanwhile, little Thomas is “talking”, laughing and walking! Thomas took his very first steps on April 30th and by May 5th was strolling along effortlessly! He is at that adorable stage where he is curious about everything and is a full-time “job” until he finally goes to sleep! Thomas has a very happy, inquisitive and active disposition. He seems to have already developed quite a sense of humor! Thomas is a wonderful gift to us all. This little toddler knows how much he is loved and literally lights up when his Mommy and Daddy come into the room!

We are so very appreciative to all of our dear friends and relatives who have been with us through thick and thin. So many of you have never missed a day of including Lorinda in your prayers and we are eternally grateful to each of you for that. Please continue to remember Lorinda and know that we are relying on you for this. Your thoughts, ideas and kind words are treasured. We are also currently facing great financial concerns as we try to address Lorinda’s needs in order to restore her to full health. As you may already know, alternative medicine has been the only remedy working in a positive way for us to date…..none of which is covered by insurance! Her insurance also excludes prescription drugs like Zofran and Fentanyl, which currently are a necessity. Any ideas you have regarding fund-raising would be greatly welcomed as well!

We will keep you posted in the upcoming weeks of Lorinda’s challenges, goals and progress! Thank you so very much for your kindness and please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers!

Sincerely,

Lorinda’s Family

Dear Family and Friends,

I think it would be impossible for Tom and me to convey the blessings and hardships that have come our way this past year. Although the journey we have been on has had its ups and downs, it has taught my family and me so very much about being thankful for each and every day that we are given. On that note, I would like to share a little about what is happening currently in my battle to restored health.

The latest tests results were good. Although the battle is far from over, we are encouraged that things are heading in the right direction. My liver enzymes and tumor markers were almost normal and the doctors feel that there is currently ‘no active disease’. The tumors that show up on ultrasounds, x-rays, etc., have not grown and many have shrunk or have disappeared. However, as cancer is a tricky monster, it is imperative that I keep all the irons in the fire as far as the dedication to my treatment. I have to say that when I get good news it is tempting to act ‘normal’ and let up a little. One look at little Thomas though and the temptations to let up quickly dissipate.

Regarding little Thomas, he is doing wonderfully. He now weighs in at 20 lbs. 11 ounces. I think the preemie days are over. He now crawls wherever he wants to go and can pull himself up to standing. We are so proud and so blessed to call this little one our son. He is the visible evidence of God’s love and mercy. He is our little miracle.

I want to thank each and every one of you for walking this road with us. Although things are going well, our battle continues. God has been so good to us and has used so many of you to encourage us through prayer and support. We have received so many phone calls, visits, notes of encouragement, prayers it is difficult to think of ever being able to respond appropriately to all of those who have shared their time and love. Please know that Tom and I live each day with heartfelt appreciation and gratitude for your amazing support. We truly could not get through all of this either emotionally or financially with out all of you. Thank you so very much and please continue to remember us.

During this holiday season, I want to encourage each of you as well. Life goes so fast, even when our days are not cut short – time passes quickly. Each day is such a gift. Please live with this awareness, spending time and appreciating the ones you love. This IS the day the Lord has made, rejoice and be glad in it!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and enjoy the reason for this precious season!

In His mercy,

Lorinda Stewart

If you would like to be notified as news on Lorinda is posted, please send an Email to lorindastewartupdate@yahoo.com.

Over the past month or so Lorinda has had to deal with several challenges. She started to run a fever of over 103 and became very sick. It turned out that she had a very serious staff infection in her blood from the port by her collarbone. She had to be hospitalized for a few days and is now back home with an almost normal temperature. They installed a new port so she could continue with her medication. A blood infection goes everywhere in the body, even the brain. She was so weak she could hardly think clearly enough to get a glass of water at the worst of it. During this ordeal, she really could not eat much and her weight dropped to 96 lbs. They put her on an antibiotic, which brought her fever down, and now that her appetite has returned, she is back up to 103 lbs. The nasty side effect of the antibiotic though is that her liver pain is pretty consistently back up to a 5 or 6 on a scale of 1 to 10. It really is incredible what she has to endure with essentially no reprieve. She is waiting for another shipment of the Ferguson oil from Germany that really helped with the pain before. Hopefully she will be able to discontinue this antibiotic soon and the pain will subside.

Lorinda has had to pause the chemotherapy treatment while dealing with this infection but she will resume as soon as the antibiotic is discontinued. We will keep you posted as important news develops.

In some of our earlier postings, I think we mentioned that Lorinda has had a couple of dogs as her very close companions for the past 13 years or so, Precious and Princess. She truly loves these dogs; they have been like her children. A couple of months ago, Precious had to be put to sleep which was quite a loss. The night before Lorinda had to go to the hospital, she was relaxing with Princess and, as she was petting her, she noticed that her breathing was slowing. A few minutes’ later Princesses eyes glazed over and she died in Lorinda’s arms. Yes, all while Lorinda is extremely weakened with the temperature and about to go into the hospital. Sorry to paint such a gloomy picture but this is what is actually happening. It just keeps going…One really starts to think of the biblical character, Job, after a while. Of course, Lorinda does get comfort from thinking about that story, not only how it ended but also because God had reasons behind it. Even though she does not know the reasons for her suffering right now, she knows that God does. In this she takes hope.

On the brighter side, young Thomas is quite a little fella and tremendous source of pride and light for Lorinda and Tom. That’s him there in the picture to give you an idea what’s going on there. The smile is self-explanatory.

Tom is putting in some long hours at work trying to keep their heads above water financially and their close friends and family members are helping with errands and taking care of Thomas. Lorinda is continuing to be vigilant in this fight and, aside from all the complications, overall she seems to be slowly winning the battle. They continue to be extremely grateful for all of your prayers and financial support. As the bills pile up, when they receive a gift, it is truly like a breath of air.