Christine Kirsch Cancer Fund Blog

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Well, we made to Germany - everything went smoothly - we checked into the hospital and talked to Dr. Rolle - Chris will be going into the hospital on Monday morning for testing with surgery on Tues or Wed.  Its 5:00 PM here - Chris is sleeping - I'm going to be - its been a long day. 

Coswig is a cool little town - weather is rainy - we are staying at a "pension" a small inn - very nice place - we will be here for the weekend.  Hopefully Sat and Sun will be dryer weather so we can walk around some. I will be able to stay with Chris when she is in the hospital.  We met the father of the 12 year old girl - he helped us get set up at the hospital - Dr Rolle and one younger nurse speak fluent english - so, communication should not be a problem. 

We will take some pictures over the weekend and send them along - we got a couple but I'm too tired to mess with it right now. 

Tim Kirsch, Christine's Husband.

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Chris & Tim are having a "lazy" day today. They slept until 4 pm getting some much needed rest for the battle ahead! Their "breakfast" included pizza and Coca-Cola.  It's amazing all of today's technology. Their children have been able to communicate by web cam to see their Mom and Dad. Sadly, they won't have this capability once Chris checks back into the hospital on Monday. They can also watch "American" television on their computer which is hooked up to the TV in their living room at home in Pittsburgh.

Janet Cleversy, Christine's Sister

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Tomorrow, my Mom is finally having her tests for her surgery, so she will be unable to talk to me :(  And her flat iron doesn't work. So my Dad has to go buy a new one. So my Mom's hair is like a poodle.

Caitlin Kirsch, Christine's Daughter

Monday, February 23, 2009

Chris had her preliminary tests done this morning and is awaiting the final results from Dr. Rolle.  She also met with the anesthesiologist.  The epidural and chest tube are left in for about a week, which allows for Chris to be totally mobile.  Great news!  The air card for the computer works in the hospital, so we still have direct contact with Chris through MSN messenger.

Beth Sullivan, Christine's Sister

I am having surgery at 9 A.M. tomorrow morning. It will be 3 A.M. your time. This will take probably 4 hours. They don't tell you what is going on here in Germany, only do that in the states. They told Tim that probably around 3 P.M. he will be able to see me for a few minutes. I will be in the ICU until Friday. Just wanted to let you know.

Christine Kirsch

Monday, February 23, 2009

Chris is having her surgery on the first lung Tuesday morning at 9:00 A.M. Germany time (3:00 A.M. our time). Tim will get to see her briefly after the surgery and before she goes to ICU.  She will be in ICU until Friday.

They are giving Chris a sleeping pill at 3:00 P.M. our time today. Tim's sister Cindy is going to pick the kids up from school to take them home so they can get to "talk" to their Mom on the instant messenger before she has to take her sleeping pill. (On the bus, they wouldn't get home until around 4:00 P.M.) Thanks Cindy!!

I have a feeling it will be a long night for a lot of us!  We'll keep you posted.

Janet Cleversy, Christine's Sister

Monday, February 23, 2009

First of all, a huge THANK YOU to all of you at St. Germaines and St. Katherine Drexel for the wonderful concert and social last night. The money raised was unbelievable, and the participation by all of your choir members was so heart warming. The choir minister at my church would love to have that kind of participation. Anyway, everything was perfect.

Just an update. I did get Caty and Casey home by 3 PM today to talk to their mom, but Tim and Chris did not log on until about 3:30 PM.

Anyway, Chris got to see and talk to all of them. She did tell us that the CT scan showed the mets were the same amount and size as the last scan she had here, so I would think that was good news. She showed us the mark the doctor had made for the incision. It looked to be about 6 to 8 inches long under her arm along the ribs. She said the surgery would take place at 9 AM their time and would last about 4 hours and that she would be in the ICU until Friday. While the web cam picture is kind of unclear, they both looked good.

Thanks again to everyone.

Cindy Hudson, Christine's Sister-in-Law, Tim's Sister

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Good Morning,

Just “spoke” with Tim through the Instant Messenger. Although he only spoke with the doctor briefly, he did inform Tim that Christine is recovering—she just got out of surgery around 9 A.M. our time. The surgery took a little longer because 2 of the 38 tumors he removed were centrally located, but he got all of them without removing any lobes of the lung. She is sleeping now, and Tim probably won’t be able to see her for a couple of hours.  Tim said he will try to update the web site while he is waiting.

THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL OF YOUR PRAYERS!

Pauline Annesi, Christine's Sister

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

My Dad's birthday was yesterday. Happy Birthday, Dad. They ate something, and I forgot the name of it. Ha ha, I'm not too interesting today.

Caitlin Kirsch, Christine's Daughter

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

HAPPY BELATED 47TH BIRTHDAY TIM! Boy, are you OLD!  No, we are not the same age..I will be 29 in April. (Yes, it is possible for me to have had Jimmy at the age of 2!)  I'm sure you are making your usual faces and rolling your eyes! Seriously, thanks for taking care of our sister. You have been her rock, and we appreciate all the love and support that you've given her. You've been by her side this entire time, shouldering so many worries and fears. We love you Tim!

Janet Cleversy, Christine's Sister

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Hi all!  Its Wednesday the 25th about 4:00 pm here. (16:00 - they do the military thing here!)  Chris is currently sleeping. She looks really well and is resting comfortably. They still have an epidural in - that will be in until she gets out of the "Intensive Station" - ICU; then she will be weaned over to oral pain medication. They keep the pain levels down so that she can do her therapy and breathing exercises. 

She has already had two sessions of therapy - she sits up in bed and they have her move her arms and legs - keep things working! The breathing exercises are basically taking deep, full breaths so that the lung will expand completely - Dr. Rolle says that 50% is surgery and 50% is the physical therapy for this procedure. She has also had two meals by now - soup (chicken broth) and white bread with butter, and she also had yogurt with her lunch. They have been pushing tea on her since yesterday, they want her to get fluids. She was standing this morning already, and they had her wash herself and brush her teeth. All is going well.

The surgery day was very strange compared to the states! The night prior they came in and shaved her chest and back and gave her her "surgery soup" - kind of a chicken and rice - it wasn't too bad - very salty (they don't believe in a low sodium diet here!). They also gave her a sleeping pill for her to take later - no they don't watch to make sure you take it! So we talked to the kids one last time for the night and Chris took the pill - she was out in about 10 minutes! They woke her at about 7:00 AM, (this is all German time) and she had to put on her surgical stockings and gown, and pull back her hair. They kept her on her bed, and I walked with her down to the operating room and gave her a kiss! That was about 7:30 - 8:00 AM.  They told me to check back between 1 - 3 pm. 

So I moved over to my "new" room in the administration building - across from the hospital, walked down to the super market "Kaufmart" for supplies, (I'll have to fill you in on that later!) and grabbed a short nap. I got back to the hospital a little after 1:00 PM, and the nurse said she was still and surgery and it would be a few more hours; she told me I could leave (I think! - Meine Deustch ist nicht sehr gut! - High school was a LONG tim ago!), but I sat in the waiting room and talked to the family via instant messaging - thank goodness for technology!  So I waited......and waited......and waited!  Finally I saw Dr. Rolle go into the nurses station and by the time I got there he had gone into a room - so I waited......and waited....Then I saw him walking down the hall and I had to run after him - He told me there were 38 tumors removed (they had only seen 20 on the CT) and that two were centrally located near an artery that took much longer to remove - but that they were able to remove all of the tumors. Most were on the periphery and the additional ones were smaller (not seen on the CT). So he said it would be a few hours until I would see her. Back to the waiting room where I (you guessed it!) waited....and waited....and waited! 

Finally at about 4:30 PM, I started looking around and nobody was in the nurses station or walking around the halls - so I walked to the ICU and rang the bell and just said "Frau Kirsch" and they let me in to see her finally! It was the strangest hospital experience I have ever encountered (and we have been through quite a few!). All and all though, I am so happy that we came this way for this - if the surgery would have been done as planned in Pittsburgh - they most likely would have had to take out an entire lobe, and Chris would have lost a substantial amount of tissue.  "Alles Gut!!"  (all is good!)

Lots happened as I've been writing - the nurse came in an removed the oxygen20tube and I forget to mention that they removed one IV needle earlier also (she still has three others in - left arm and two in her chest). Dr. Kassler, the anesthesiologist, came in and said that one of the two chest tubes will probably be removed tomorrow and that Chris will most likely be moved out of ICU on Friday. Everything is going well!!

Chris and I want to thank everybody for their thoughts and prayers! Your support is overwhelming! 

Love to all!

Tim Kirsch, Christine's Husband

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Its just before noon, about 6:00 AM back home, on Thursday- looks like the sun is trying to come out! Chris is still resting, in and out of sleep; she is anxious to get up and move around. The nurse just told us they will probably take out one of the chest tubes soon, so she will be able to go for a walk! She said she has some minor discomfort in her back/shoulder - we were told the chest tubes will cause this. Overall she said she is not in much pain, and she looks great! She was just served her "mittag essen" - lunch; they gave her scrambled eggs, boiled potatoes (is this a Dan Quayle moment!); a big pile of creamed spinach and yogurt for dessert. She said the eggs were pretty salty, she ate a little of everything; but said she doesn't really have much of an appetite. It was nice for her to have something other than bread and butter! She is still drinking her tea and they gave her a cup of coffee this morning. 

The Doctors (Rolle and Kassler) checked in and everything is going as planned. One thing they did mention was that the largest tumor was only 1 cm - so, that's pretty good news - easier to get them out without losing much tissue! She had her first physical therapy this morning before I got here. I got here a little late - I went back to the room about 11:00 (23:00) here and fell asleep for a bit - I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, so I ended up chatting with Jason, Beth and Lenny for awhile (Instant Messaging has been a great help with staying somewhat normal - the time difference makes it tough though!) and didn't get back to sleep until about 3:00 am. Chris and I didn't talk too much to home last night; she was in and out so she just wanted to relax and watch "TV" - this laptop has been a lifesaver! We watched three episodes of Survivor - Season 2 (Thanks Jason and Tracie!). Lenny got the aircard thing straightened out for us - BIG THANKS to Len for technology aspect of this trip - we couldn't have managed this without you Len!! Apparently the Webcam uses a lot of data transfer, so we are going to limit that to short talks with the kids and maybe a quick glimpse for the family - if Chris is up to it! - It sure makes us a little less homesick.

That's all for now - I'll try to post again a little later - Hopefully we will have some pictures of Chris walking today!!

Love to all of you!!

Tim Kirsch, Christine's Husband

Thursday, February 26, 2009

*************************BREAKING NEWS!!!*************************
 
It's about 1:00 p.m. here and they just took out the first chest tube!! Chris has just returned from her first walk; we walked around the ICU for about 5 minutes. She is VERY exhausted, but was so excited to get out of the bed!! She is sleeping now. As she was walking, the sun began to shine VERY brightly - I can't help but to think that God is smiling down on her and sending all of your thoughts and prayers!!

Alles Gut!!

Love to all!!

Tim Kirsch, Christine's Husband

Friday, February 27, 2009

Guten Morgen!

Well it's now about 10:15 am and Chris was moved from the ICU to her hospital room in C-1 Room 1.084.  She came over here around 9:00 am. (I somehow managed to lose the e-mail that I wrote for the last hour - stupid computers!) So this is a shortened version of the story! Chris is sleeping now; she had a restless night with all of the alarms (for empty IV's), blood pressure cuff and other activity in the ICU - so she said she is very tired. She looks great! We were able to get her washed up and I helped her wash her hair - much to the amusement of the nurse!  She kept telling us - "that is my job! But, I think it made Chris feel better!

Dr. Krassler told her that all is well and that she may be able to get out of here in a week! The nurse - Jan - (The "hottie" Pauline saw on the webcam!) told us on the way over that they may be able to pull the other chest tube over the weekend - that should help with the discomfort Chris is feeling. She still has the epidural and IV lines in as well as the chest tube - but they are disconnecting more and more each day! Dr. Rolle and his "team" were just in and told us to keep drinking tea to help loosen the phlegm in the lungs and try to cough it up - I know kinda gross! He said to try to sit up, cough, drink and continue with the breathing exercises.  Chris is sleeping now. I'm going to transfer the luggage back over here to the hospital.  I may try to rewrite some of my earlier thoughts later today!

Tim Kirsch, Christine's Husband

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Hello All! 

It's about 4:00 p.m. here in Coswig on ANOTHER dreary, rainy day - sure does remind us of home! Chris is sleeping again - we just had a chance to see the girls via the webcam;  we sure do miss you guys!!!!! She spent a restless night, she was able to sleep earlier in the night but, the nagging cough kept her up the remainder of the night - she has a lot of congestion in the lungs that she needs to get out. Doctors said she needs to keep moving and taking deep breaths, so she's been walking around a lot on this floor and doing her breathing exercises.

We sat in the waiting room here in C-1 for a while and talked with Karina and her dad. Karina (the 12 year old, who just underwent her second surgery) from Seattle, is doing great and is able to go outside for walks around the building. She had her surgery on Wednesday of last week, the day before we got to Germany. Her dad said they were going to try to take a walk to the Kaufland (supermarket) today! The doctor came in and slid the chest tube out about 3cm that will hopefully help with the discomfort Chris is experiencing in her back. Dr. Krassler said that the pain she is feeling in the chest is due to the lung expanding and rubbing - kind of like if you had a burn between your fingers and they rub against each other  -  just the tenderness of the healing skin. The chest tube may be removed completely tomorrow - Monday at the latest!  So the healing continues!!

I woke up this morning to an e-mail from Janet, Chris' sister, about Katie Shanahan - and her fund raising efforts -  THANK YOU KATIE!!!!! and all of the students and families of Seton-LaSalle -  The future is in GREAT hands with kids like these!!  Tom and Cheryl you must be bursting with pride for raising such a wonderful, thoughtful and caring daughter!! 

Since everyone I chat with asks about the food!Breakfast was "ruhreir mit schinken" - scrambled eggs with ham and toast. Lunch turned out to be pretty good - I had "Pichelsteiner Eintopf mit Rindfleisch" which was a vegetable (gemuse) soup with beef and Chris had Kase Pizza - cheese pizza which was also pretty good. Its been hard to find foods that Chris likes today being the first two meals that she actually cared for. For dinner I had cheeseburgers, which the Schwester warned "not McDonald's" ......she was right!! And Chris' eyes lit up when she opened the lids and saw a nice big salad and a GIANT bowl of pasta. Germans don't do Italian!!! So we made it down to the Lindencafe before closing time at 6:00 PM and she had a hotdog and a Coke! We shared a piece of German "Schwarzwald" chocolate cake - Excellent!! I really can't complain about the food - but, then again, I eat just about anything! Can't wait to see what we get for tomorrow - we ordered the same breakfast and lunch (the biggest meal of the day) is "Hahnchenkeule mit Kohlrabi und Saltzkartoffeln"  - chicken leg with cauliflower and salted potatoes! I am going to try the Bratwurst for dinner and Chris just asked for corn flakes with milk!! - figured that was safe!! So now its 6:30 PM; we are back in the room and Chris is lying down again for a bit - she will get up and take another walk and breathing exercise before we settle in for the night! These updates take me forever to do! I keep getting sidetracked - Beth, Chris' sister, and I had a little chat this afternoon ; then dinner came and we ran down to the Cafe before it closed! So sorry this is posting so late in the day!

Until Tomorrow!

Monday, March 2, 2009

I watched the kids this weekend at Chris and Tim's house. Tim's Mom and I spent a lot of time on the phone on Friday trying to coordinate activities for Casey and Caty. Another niece, Abby, who is usually Chloe's Best Friend, spent the weekend with us as well. Chloe decided on Saturday night at 8:00 pm that Abby was no longer her best friend, and she begged me to take her to see Bella (my sister Pauline's daughter) in Columbus, Ohio, since Bella was her "real" best friend. Of course, I couldn't take her but an argument ensued about who lived in Pittsburgh and who lived in Ohio. 

By Sunday afternoon, Abby and Chloe had had enough of each other and were getting on each other's last nerve. After two time outs, Abby told me that she didn't want to be there anymore because she needed to get back to Pittsburgh to see her Mommy, which started another argument because Chloe reminded her that she was already in Pittsburgh! You had to be there. They are quite comical.

Abby let me know several times that, "Aunt Chris has never, ever, ever, ever, ever put me into timeout!" The funny thing is that while in time out, they would sneak by me (like I couldn't see them) to be with each other and start fighting again 10 seconds after being together!

Casey and Kevin got to have fun on Friday night skating with Casey's friend Luke and his Dad. Caty was itching to spend her money she earned and go shopping but we weren't able to do that this weekend. The kids have determined that Aunt Janet is really mean just like Jennie (my daughter) has told them! Grandma and Grandpap Kirsch are holding down the fort during the week with Aunt Beth, Aunt Denise and Uncle Jamie babysitting this weekend.

Janet Cleversy, Christine's Sister

Monday, March 2, 2009

Good Morning back in the States!!

Well good news!! They took out the second chest tube and the epidural line this morning. Chris is VERY excited about this! We have already taken a walk outside today. It's an overcast day, but the temperature here in Coswig is about 48 degrees (according to MSN), so we managed to take two laps around the outside of the hospital with Karina and Brock! Chris may have overdone it a little, since she had a restless night and didn't get much sleep. Those two factors have caused her a little discomfort, so she has just had an IV infusion for pain meds and is sleeping now!

She was supposed to start her "sport" physical therapy this morning, but, she had to miss it while waiting for the doctor to come to remove the tube - I don't think she was too upset by that, though!! She did begin her "inhalation" therapy - kind of a breathing treatment - she did the first one this morning before the tube was removed and therefore had to breath through a tube; the second treatment was after the walk, and she just had to sit in a glass box and just breathe deeply. She said, "they have something about putting you in boxes around here!" I can just imagine like an old sci-fi movie with the German scientists all standing around in white coats and clip boards!!! The woman there didn't speak much English - so I did the best I could to translate - it was pretty self explanatory, and we talked to Karina during the walk to get the scoop! She did say that it got pretty warm in "the box" and that it made her nose run. I think the purpose is to breathe warm, moist air to help loosen any remaining congestion in the lungs to help to clear them. She is not coughing very much, and the breathing congestion is negligible. She also said that breathing is much easier with the chest tube removed. So all in all a very good day here!

Sorry for not updating yesterday - I guess my "creative juices" were dried up! That and the fact that Chris was able to sit most of the day and chat with her family - I didn't even check to see if one her sisters had posted on the site - I don't think I even used the computer other than to watch "TV." We watched several episodes of "Grey's Anatomy" throughout the day as well as taking frequent walks, with Chris wheeling her "cart" around for the last day! We did walk down to the cafe last night and had cake and coffee with Brock and Karina - we sure are going to miss them! I think she's out of here on Friday - I don't envy their flight home - Brock said it's about a 24-hour flight - all the way across the country; after crossing the Atlantic! But we have two of our favorite nurses here today - Karla and Susie - Susie is a big help with English, and Karla told me she wants to learn more! I told her I would help her with English, and she can help me with Deutsch! She did say my German was getting better! Well that's all for now, Chris just woke up, maybe we can go take a stroll! 

Bye Everyone!

Tim Kirsch, Christine's Husband

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Hello All!

It's Wednesday morning and Chris had a pretty good night's sleep - her first since arriving at the hospital! It's been a week now since her surgery, and she is down to the single IV line in her chest. She is still receiving an infusion for pain medicines twice a day. Dr. Krassler has adjusted her medication to control pain since they removed the epidural on Monday. The medication was wearing off by the time the morning rolled around - so she was beginning to feel pain in the morning and not able to sleep all night long. They readjusted the times of the infusions from 8 am/8 pm to 10 am/10 pm. She is also on oral medication with each meal, so the changes seem to have helped her remain pain-free (well, as pain free as can be expected following major surgery!) throughout the day. 

 She looks great! Yesterday we were able to walk to the "Kaufland" - the Deutsche Walmart! - and she got a chance to look around there and get some fresh air. We should have done this earlier in the trip - we were able to figure out some of the foods on the menu!! Apparently cabbage and pigs are the main food sources in Germany! It seems most of the meat was some form of pork, and all of the salads and sides have some cabbage involved! We did recognize some American brands at the store - Heinz ketchup was big, with many different flavors; McCain "smiley fries"; Pringles potato chips; Corona beer and of course - Pepsi and Coke! We bought a few "junk food" items - some cashews and chips, as well as a prepared salad (with - of course! - cabbage) and some salad dressing - Chris found some Balsamic dressing, and I tried what I thought was a ranch - but neither were very good! Oh well!

We also bought Chris a new curling iron. We had problems with the one we brought from home - she blew a breaker at the pension when she tried it there! I don't think the converter we brought from home could handle the wattage! The converter still works - we are using it to power the picture frame her family got for her before she left, so we can see lots of pictures of the kids! We sure do miss them - everyone tells us they are doing OK though! Last night she had her hair done at "Che Tim" - I helped her wash her hair and straighten it - the things you do for love!! - and it's getting REALLY boring around here! So she doesn't have "poodle hair" today! 

She had to go get an X-ray this morning and then she did her morning "inhalation" - the glass box thing! We are waiting now for her 10:00 am infusion - It's now almost 10:30 am, and I guess she will miss her exercise class - she said it was pretty easy - more learning how to breathe correctly than the physical aspect of it. The weather looks decent - partly cloudy - so we will take a nice long walk to make up for that. We have to stick around the hospital this afternoon - Dr. Rolle is supposed to stop by after he completes his daily surgical duties and check in with Chris and let us know the game plan for when we get out of here. He is leaving to teach tomorrow, I believe, so this will probably be the last we see of him before we go. They changed the dressing on her incision today - it's amazing how well the wound is healing - compared to the scar from the initial pelvic surgery; the technique and ability of the Doctor here...........I won't even go there!  

We spent an evening with Karina and her dad on Monday night - the day Chris got rid of her "ball and chain" - the cart she had to drag around. We talked for the evening - it's really nice to have people around that you can have a conversation with! We can have some talks with our nurse Karla, but there are some things we just can't get each other to understand! She was off yesterday - but Suzie was here and she can hold a pretty good conversation - but they are so busy they really don't have much time for small talk! Karina leaves very early Friday morning so, we will be on our own! We're really going to miss them - she is a great kid and really reminds us of our son Casey - she likes to play Halo 3 with her dad! She's been through so much in her young life, but really has a good attitude and a smile on her face every time we see her! I'm sure we will keep in touch with them (even though he's a Seahawks fan! - I tried not to rub that in too much!); they have become very close friends!

Well that's all for now!  I think Chris may be writing something soon! Maybe give me a break!!

Tim Kirsch, Christine's Husband

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Just wanted to say a special thank you to so many people. I'm sitting here crying over the video clips that Julie Snyder has been sending to Chris & Tim from the concert. I'm sure it is going to be the highlight of their day today to see and hear all of the well wishes from home. It is funny too that the girls being in yellow HOPE shirts, you can follow them in the background! Thank you to Julie's husband and son who took the videos of the concert and arranged for people to leave messages for Chris & Tim. Thank you to Kathy Colligan for everything that you are doing to make this fundraising a success. A huge thank you to Norm and Marge Kirsch who are watching the Kirsch kids during the week. They have the toughest job of all!! Thank you to Dennis Gilfoyle for assisting in many, many ways! Thank you to Deena for updating the web pages with my hundred emails a day to her! There are so many people "behind the scenes" who are all working to make this fundraiser a huge success, so just a heartfelt thank you to those folks as well.

Janet Cleversy, Christine's Sister

Saturday, March 7, 2009

I am on the patient computer typing this. This computer is slow and the German keyboard is different than the US version. Still don't have a discharge date. They took my central line out yesterday and took the bandages off of my incision. So...we will email again when we can.

Christine Kirsch

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Unfortunately, we, and the children, are not able to communicate with Tim and Chris because of aircard issues. I asked them to still keep sending us updates when they can. I am looking into aircards. If anyone has any information about them, please write to me. I've never used one. Additionally the tickets for the week's vacation for up to 8 people in sunny Florida will be here today! $5.00 a ticket for a 8 days and 7 nights in sunny Florida...lying on the beach...sun warming your skin. Ahhhh.... I wanted the tickets to read "up to 7 people and Janet Cleversy!" hehe.

Janet Cleversy, Christine's Sister

Sunday, March 8, 2009

I telephoned Chris last night at the hospital.  We had a nice chat.  She said that she and Tim are really bored without the internet.  They played cards yesterday and watched some DVD's.  She thinks that she will be released from the hospital some time next week.  Chris is very homesick and really missing her kids.  I visited Beth yesterday.  She had Chloe and, of course, Abby.  They fought the entire time I was there.  They are so hilarious because they fight to entertain themselves.  Beth took them outside where they played in the mud and took a long walk.  Didn't hear anything about the  other kids.  I told Chris that I will call her on Monday.  Brother-in-law, Lenny, is working on getting them back online as well as Danielle, the manager at Best Buy. She has been wonderful and very generous in keeping the communication alive between Pittsburgh and Germany. Thanks, Danielle and Lenny!!

Janet Cleversy, Christine's Sister

Monday, March 9, 2009

Hi all. I'm actually missing Tim's blogs and his attempts to fool us that he knows some German!  I spoke with Tim briefly this morning and then talked to Chris for a few minutes.   Chris said they are still very bored.  The language barrier is hard for them.  They attempted to use the phone, however, the nurses who are on shift do not speak any English and explained how to use the phone in German, but they were unable to understand them.  Chris went for pulmonary x-rays and blood tests today.  Once she is home, she will not be able to get back to her workout routine until possibly this summer.   Her doctor told her that she can walk on the treadmill but no running or lifting weights.  Chris also advised that when she is released from the hospital they are coming home (depending on if they can ever figure out how to use the phone to change their flights).  When I have details I will let everyone know, however, they want to keep it a surprise for the kids!  Hopefully she will get to come home soon!!   She will go back to Germany for the second lung at some point in April.

Janet Cleversy, Christine's Sister

Monday, March 9, 2009

Where there's a will there's a way! I got an email from Chris saying that she is working to figure out the German computer. She said the more she plays with it, the easier it is becoming. Chris is going to send us an update tomorrow! Over the weekend, Caty stayed with Aunt Denise and had a blast playing outside with Hanna and Olivia. She must have had fun because she didn't ask to go shopping! Casey and Kevin spent the night at Uncle Jamie's. I'm not sure that we want to know what he did with them. Ha, Ha..Jam! They played video games and ate pizza. Uncle Jamie even bought them each a video game to take home for the X Box. I took Chloe to get a new pair of earrings..little gold hearts. She was very excited. She even picked out hot pink nail polish as a gift for her big sister, Caty.

Janet Cleversy, Christine's Sister

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Christine Kirsch

Saturday, March 14, 2009

Good news everyone! I spoke with Janet (Christine's sister) on the phone this afternoon, and she told me that Christine was released from the hospital in Germany this morning! She and Tim are staying in a pension until Tuesday, when they will be flying back to Pittsburgh! Hurray! It is so wonderful to hear that Chris & Tim will be coming home soon and will be back in time to attend the Spaghetti Dinner on Sunday, March 22, 2009. I am truly looking forward to meeting them in person. And I'm also looking forward to meeting all of my Internet friends who I've been corresponding with online since I began my journey of creating this web site. Have a great weekend, everyone.

Best Regards,

Deena Alansky, Webmaster for the Christine Kirsch Cancer Fund

Monday, March 16, 2009

I guess everyone is waiting for me to write something!   So......................!

Hello All! 

Its been a long time since I've reported in - sorry for the delay! It's now Monday morning, 6:30 AM, on the 16th of March. It looks like another dreary, overcast day.......so what else is new! We are back at the "pension" were this all began ....  seems like a lifetime ago! We have a meeting with Dr. Rolle this morning at 11:00 AM to go over the test and surgery results and schedule for the surgery for the left lung. He is back from vacation and we have to get officially discharged. We actually got out of the hospital on Friday and came back here to sleep in a soft bed with no distractions.....and to get away from the hospital food! Chris is doing well with some discomfort that she is controlling with two pain medicines, a liquid and tablets. Unfortunately we have not been able to do too much due to the weather - we figured it was sunny only 3 days in all the time we have been here! However, Saturday was BEAUTIFUL - sunny, warm  - we walked all over Coswig and sat for a while on a bench in the middle of town and watched the traffic go by and soaked up the sun!

We dared to try some new (for us) restaurants - the "Tsing Tao House"  a Chinese restaurant owned by a family from Thailand! The food was GREAT - and I managed to translate most of the menu - so we had a pretty good idea of what we were ordering for a change! And they actually put an ice cube - that's right - 1 ice cube - in our Coke! Apparently the Germans don't believe in ice in their drinks! I think we found another"favorite" place to eat, in addition to the pizza place we found when we first got here. We took a stab at a German restaurant on Sunday, and fortunately the waiter spoke English and explained the menu somewhat, but we weren't thrilled with the food. I've been going to the bakery in the morning for donuts and coffee - no more scrambled eggs with ham! There is a small shop next to the Inn with good coffee! We still have one or two more places we have to try - just have to figure out that menu, though! My dictionary is spotty with names of food, since I think a lot are "ways" in which they are prepared, rather than an actual name of some food type! So, I can figure out what the meat and sides are for the most part, but we don't know how they are prepared or if there is something on it. We have learned that most German dishes have some kind of gravy/sauce, and that it is usually salty! .......and its BIG portions! So our votes for the best eats in Coswig .........The Thai Chinese place and the Turkish Pizza shop!

The other two sunny days we had here were the day that Chris was able to go for a walk in the ICU that I wrote about, and the day that we went to Dresden for a short sightseeing trip. We went with Brock and Karina and rode the "Strassebahne" - street car - in. It was a fairly long ride and Chris was not feeling all that well at the time. I think is was difficult for Karina also! We walked around the old section of the city with the churches and museums. We did not go inside the museums due to the limited time we had, but we did go into the "Frauenkirche" the Lutheran church and the "Kreuzkirche" the Catholic church - ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! These buildings were constructed around 1700 - to think that at that time Pittsburgh had a log cabin "blockhouse"! Both of these churches were completely destroyed in the WW II bombings and have been totally reconstructed. Most of the old city was destroyed by the bombings and ensuing fires and it has been completely restored. It's amazing that they were able to replicate the architecture and craftsmanship - the stonework and carvings are incredible.  The interiors of the churches are breathtaking - the altars and the pipe organs!  - unfortunately you are not permitted to take pictures inside, but, it is something that we will never forget! 

We also walked around the "Zwinger" which was constructed by Augustus the Strong to house his art and porcelain collections. He was the ruler of Saxony, and his collections were the most extensive in the world. Somehow the collection survived the bombings and communist rule, and many are on display at this time. The Zwinger is a garden area with grass and fountains (unfortunately, they were not yet turned on) surrounded by the display buildings with a walkway above that encircles the grounds. The place was partially destroyed, but, has also been rebuilt. Much of the stone and carvings (for much of the center city) is still blackened from the fires after the bombings, so you can tell where the reconstruction has been completed!

One other place we stopped and sat was on a raised pavilion area that overlooks the Elbe river; it is a terrace that is adjacent to the art and technical schools of Dresden and commands a view of the river, the "Augustusbrucke" - Augustus Bridge and the new town on the other side of the river. They have a paddle boat fleet that offers tours on the river that sail from the area below the plaza.

On the way home we took the "Eisenbahne" - train - back to Coswig. It was a much shorter ride, only took about 10-15 minutes, and was much more comfortable. Chris and I are hoping to spend a couple days in the city before she has her second surgery to explore the museums and see the lights. There was an an area between the Frauenkirche and the River that had many restaurants and sidewalk cafes that had lights strung across the streets that looked like it would be very pretty at night! We felt that she would be able to enjoy it more without the pain from the surgery! 

Well, I guess I have gone on for long enough! We only have one more night in Germany!!!!! You can't believe how anxious we are to get home to the kids. All and all it has been a pretty good experience - considering the circumstances! But, it is a LONG time to be away from home! Hopefully, when Chris has to have the other lung done, the weather will be a little better, and we will be able to walk or at least sit outside, and it will make the time go a little faster for us! I think that was the biggest thing - we were stuck inside most of the time! The hospital got pretty small after a while! It wasn't too bad for Chris when she first got out of surgery the walk was long enough! But, as she was feeling better........ ! The hospital grounds are nice, with a lot of walkways and benches, but it was a little to cold (or rainy!!!!) to be outside too much! They (the grounds) will be beautiful in the spring when the trees and flowers bloom, so maybe that will make it a little nicer!

It's hard to believe we have to go through all this again! But, the hospital care here was excellent and the procedure went very smoothly and was something that could never have been done in the States! We are looking forward to seeing everyone - can't wait to get home!

Love to All!  

Tim Kirsch, Christine's Husband

PS - Janet - I will send some pictures a little later!

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Good Morning!

Our last day in Germany!  It's about 7:30 AM and rainy!!!! Yesterday turned out to be a pretty nice day after all! The morning fog/rain burned off and the sun came out for a little in the afternoon! We met with Dr. Rolle and went over the test results - 33 of the 38 tumors were Leiomyosarcoma metastasis - 1.4 cm was the largest and 3 or 4 were 1 cm and the remainder less than that! Good news is no evidence of lymph node or vascular involvement and all margins were clear and well defined. The x-rays showed no problems with the lung re-inflating, but to expect pain for 2-3 more weeks (normal). He said to keep exercising by walking, biking, treadmill, etc. and to keep up the breathing exercises. We also scheduled the left lung surgery for next month (April) for the week of the 20th. 

We left the hospital and walked around town for one last time, had lunch, did some shopping, and sat on "our" bench on the main street and enjoyed the sun again! Last night we watched a couple movies and got a good night sleep! Today is going to be a long day - I got up early - guess I am anxious to get home! I got things packed up and went and got us coffee and donuts for "Fruhstuck" - Breakfast. We are planning to get to the airport with plenty of time to avoid any problems and will try to grab some lunch there. The plane is scheduled to leave at 2:30 PM here - so that would be 9:30 AM in Pittsburgh. The "big" flight leaves Frankfurt at 5:00 PM (12:00 Noon Pittsburgh time) and arrives in Washington D.C. at around 9:00 P.M. Then off to Pittsburgh. Our plane is scheduled to land at 11:32 PM. Jason (Chris' brother) is going to pick us up and take us home!  

Can't wait to see everyone!

Tim Kirsch, Christine's Husband

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Hi all..Great news! Chris and Tim were reunited with the kids early this morning. Grandpa and Grandma Kirsch made a last trip to Giant Eagle about 11:00 pm to make sure that the essentials were in the fridge. The kids made a sign on the door...all 3 contributed to making. Chloe was asleep so we woke her up when we knew that they were close to the house.

Does anyone watch the TV show:  Brothers & Sisters? It is a funny show about a big family and their interactions with each other. It reminds me of my family so I enjoy watching the show. Last night when Chris and Tim landed, Chris called my brother Jason who was supposed to pick her up. Jason informed her there was a change in plans and that my other brother Jamie really wanted to pick them up from the airport. Chris and Tim leave and meet Jamie. Jason then gets a call from a strange man who said that he found a phone in the airport, and he dialed the last number called. So Jason calls Jamie to tell him they need to go back to the airport to pick up Chris' phone!!  It was funny and we laughed! I, of course, blamed Tim when they arrived, and he made sure to tell me that it was Chris' phone and not his!  

The kids ran to the car when their parents arrived. Caty was emotional and clung to her Mom until she remembered they were to bring her back a present so she asked Chris for it!! Casey presented the cards and money that he collected for his Mom. She was overwhelmed and appreciative and is very proud of Casey. Tim showed his Mom pictures from Germany while the kids played with their new presents. The kids are off school today to spend the day with their parents. It was an emotional, happy reunion. Thanks for all of your prayers because Chris looks great!!!!  I took a vacation day from work, so I can't upload the pics of the reunion until tomorrow as my cable is in my desk!

Thanks again everyone and I will see you on Sunday!!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

My sister Beth and I went to visit Chris for a couple of hours today. Well, Beth got to visit and I sent updates to Deena since my internet was down at home. Deena came up with ways to make it easier for Tim, Chris and me to update the blog and photos but we decided to keep things the way they are because Deena did a fantastic job in creating this website, and people love it just the way it is. It is perfect, Deena..so thanks!

Back to Chris..she looked great. Chris showed Beth the scar from the surgery and said that it didn't look that bad. I am the squeamish one and couldn't see it so I'll take Beth's word on that one!

Caty decided that she has "bags" under her eyes. I told her a remedy was to put cucumbers on her eyes and to lie for 15 minutes. What a sight with Casey, Chloe, Caty and Abby all lying on beach towels in the sun with cucumbers on their eyes. Sorry no pictures, but it was funny! Never did hear if they thought that this remedy worked!

Tim went to work and had many errands to run. The kids were all in good moods considering that they didn't get much sleep waiting for their Mom and Dad to arrive in the wee hours of the morning.

Check out the events page to see all of the exciting items that we have for the Chinese Auction. We have autographed Steelers and Pirates items and tickets to a game as part of our Special Sports Chinese Auction. Tim's sister Denise and family are doing a great job in creating the baskets!

As Tim said before, Chris is scheduled to go back to Germany the week of April 20th.I wonder if Tim's Mom and Dad are having "empty nest syndrome" with not having to babysit? hehe

Janet Cleversy, Christine's Sister

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Hi Everyone...we went to the hall tonight to get things ready for tomorrow. Everything looks great! The Chinese Auction room is FULL of wonderful baskets, and we have many more baskets coming tomorrow. Tim's sister, Denise, and family did a wonderful job on the baskets. I can't wait until the raffle!! It is still overwhelming when we think of the generosity and kindness of family, friends and the community. 

A lot of people keep asking if Chris is coming tomorrow. We will have to wait and see how she is feeling. The sad thing is that everyone is so busy with the dinner that we haven't gotten to talk or spend time with Chris this weekend. Our sister, Pauline, is in from Ohio and staying with the Kirsch family, so Chris has some company.

My nieces, Michelle and Amy, made the signs for the dinner. Their Mom was concerned when they came home with black poster board and chalk. They did a wonderful job and will make it easier for people to know where to go tomorrow, since there are separate rooms. My brother, Jule is taking a vacation day tomorrow to cook the food for the spaghetti dinner. He is getting up at 4:00 AM to get the party started!! Brothers, Jamie and Jason spent the day in a van picking up the deliveries for the dinner. The van was packed to the roof with not one spare inch of space!!

We look forward to seeing you tomorrow at the dinner!  Tim is slacking in his blog writing so I will make sure he writes the blog for tomorrow after the dinner!!  :)

Janet Cleversy, Christine's Sister

P.S.  The week's vacation in Florida tickets should have read 6 people plus Janet and Denise.  If you win, we are coming with you!! (Just kidding!)

March 22, 2009

Wow..where do I begin? The 22nd of March holds many memories for my family. It was my Grandma's birthday, and it was also the day that I got married 27 years ago! I didn't say it was always a good day!  :)  I wish Gram could have been with us. She was the most wonderful, amazing person who never had a bad thing to say about anyone. She was a perfect role model for us growing up, and we loved spending time with her. I'm sure she was watching over our new, wonderful memory of being with loved ones, friends and people who reached out to help my sister and her family by coming together for the spaghetti dinner. 

At the end of the day, I cried because the day was just perfect. Everything came together and everyone stepped up to the plate and worked hard to make the fundraiser so successful. Hmmm..I wonder if Donald Trump regrets his producers' decision to reject me after 2 rounds of auditions for The Apprentice a few years back! Seriously, a lot of people have given me the credit because I organized the event, but it is what I do best. Okay, not beat people to submission.  :)  My sister-in-law said that she told my brother that, "Janet may be crazy and demanding..." Hmm..is that the way to start a compliment?

Everyone played a huge part in whatever role you had and made it a spectacular day. We worked as a team with everyone doing their part. We have so many people to thank that it is impossible to do so. Every little part leading up to and including that day made things flow so smoothly! I am pleased to tell you that we raised enough money for Chris to get the second operation on her right lung in April! Our fundraising efforts are not over, however, because there is still the anesthesia bill, room and board, and travel expenses; as well as the expenses for the kids at home. Notwithstanding, it would be great if we were able to keep our efforts going so that Tim and Chris can put back the money that they needed by depleting their savings and retirement funds to make the first trip.

Tim said that on his first day in Germany that they made the right decision in going. Whether we agree or not with their decision, you have to wonder what you would do if you were dying. Is money more important than living? Only someone with a terminal illness could ever fully understand that there was never a choice. Through the pain of having our sister suffer, we have learned of others who are also challenged by the unknowns in life, such as a young child with cancer who will never get to lead a full life. And there are many that we don't even know about, and the lives that we've touched. We met a woman who Chris inspired. She wants Chris to meet her brother so that hopefully he will make the same decision to fight his lung cancer with a visit to our favorite German surgeon!

For those who donated to the chinese auction, we have the deepest gratitude. Unfortunately, some donations had to be combined with others, and some got pushed to the back, and didn't look as beautiful as when they were given to us. We couldn't fit one more basket in that room! Please know that every act of kindness was deeply appreciated.

We numbered the baskets, but because of shifts and last minute changes, we were unable to write down the contents of each basket. We have the number that was assigned to the baskets. If you know of a winning basket, please email me and I will update for the website. We videotaped the pulling of the Florida trip, the 50/50 and the Sports Auction. We started doing the Chinese Auction, but we realized how time consuming it was and that we would never complete all of the baskets in an efficient way. Nor would we be able to post that much video on the website.

Tim's sisters, Denise and Cindy, Julie Snyder, and my sister, Beth all stayed until close to midnight to finish the drawings for the chinese auction. Imagine, having to take all of those baskets back HOME with them!! A funny story...Abby, Beth's daughter, who is also Chloe's best friend, wanted to win the Barbie basket in the worst way. After the drawing, and she didn't win, she was reduced to tears and very upset! To try to get her to calm, they gave her some chalk to color on the chalkboard. She made a square with an oval loop on the top. Beth asked her what it was. And with her cute little pouty lips said, "it's the princess basket that I didn't win."  Awww..Abby!!!  While many people may be disappointed not to win a basket or a prize, the true winners were our newly found Christine Kirsch Cancer Fund family.  

Now the Brothers & Sisters part of the day. A brother of mine, who shall remain nameless, made his decision about where he would work in the kitchen based on an attractive blonde volunteer named Lisa!   Your secrets are always safe with me!!

To see the list of all the prize winners from Sunday's event, please click here.

Yes, to answer the burning question:  YES, we are going to have more fundraisers! I have had so many people offer to volunteer already! We are going to wait until Chris and Tim come back from Germany so that we can use the time that they are away for the second surgery to exclusively focus on Casey, Caty and Chloe. Keep checking  the website for upcoming events planned for early summer:  A Night at the Races, and another raffle based on the lottery system. More information will be provided as details are ironed out.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart!  Gram, Happy Birthday!

Janet Cleversy, Chris' Sister (Chris hates to be called Christine! lol)

MARCH 24, 2009

I HAVE TO GIVE MY KUDOS TO JULES, ANITA, DEENA, MARK AND RALPH THE OWNER OF ARMSTONG'S. WITH THOSE GUYS' & GALS' HARD WORK, THEY PRODUCED THE BEST TASTING ZITI, MEATBALLS, SALADS (LETTUCE-CUCUMBERS &TOMATOES, DRESSINGS), AND BREAD THAT I EVER HAD.

THEY ALSO SPENT COUNTLESS HOURS OF NOT ONLY PREP WORK A WEEK BEFORE, BUT THE RUNNING BACK AND FORTH TO BRIDGEVILLE. ARMSTRONG'S KEPT THE HOT BOXES FULL AT THE HALL SUNDAY, AND ALSO KEPT COUNTLESS TRAYS OF PASTA, SAUCE AND MEATBALLS IN BOTH KITCHEN LINES FULL BEFORE ANYTHING EVEN CAME CLOSE TO RUNNING OUT.  IT WAS AMAZING TO SEE THE PERFECTION FROM THE REAL PROS.

IN MY EYES, EVERYONE WORKED SO HARD (EVERYONE)! I, MYSELF, WAS SO PROUD OF THE YOUNG SERVERS WHO WITH NO PAY, RAN BACK AND FORTH SERVING PEOPLE ALL DAY, AND BETTER YET, WITH HUGE SMILES & JOKES WITH  ALL OF THE KITCHEN PEOPLE & CUSTOMERS, THE WHOLE ENTIRE EVENT.

AND LASTLY, JANET (AMAROSO) FOR ALL THE HARD WORK SETTING THE WHOLE EVENT UP.  ALL OF THE STUFF SHE HAD SET UP FOR THE KIDS WAS AMAZING. SHE COVERED LIKE A THOUSAND BASES ON SUNDAY. (AND ALSO THANKS FOR THE 2,500 EMAILS. YOU DO KNOW THERE'S A THING CALLED A PHONE JAN)  JOKE....SORRY JANET.

P.S. I STILL THINK OUR BLUE (KITCHEN) LINE PUT OUT THE BEST, AND BEAT THE (RED KITCHEN) JASON G. AND MIKE SULLY CREW....WE HAD A 99% REPEAT CUSTOMER RATING. EVEN GORDON RAMSEY WOULD SMILE.

THANKS AGAIN (EVERYONE!!!!)

JAMIE (CHRISTINE'S BROTHER)

MARCH 27, 2009

Dear Friends,

I'm so sorry for the delay in getting the photos online from Sunday's Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser!