Update on Konley

As you can see from previous posts we had a wonderful holiday with Konley. He seemed to really enjoy all the fun and entertainment that was going on. We did our own tour of Christmas lights, playing the Wii, making crafts, had several family gatherings and of course he enjoyed opening all those Christmas presents. Konley was with us on Christmas and several days following. We had decided that after the Christmas holiday Konley probably would not be coming back to our house. Each day gets a little more difficult for him and we decided this would be for his health and comfort. Russ talked with Konley and he seemed okay with this. When he returned to his mother's house, Hospice had brought a hospital bed for him. This has made sleeping so much more comfortable for him and he has also been sleeping better. He also had a rash on the trunk of his body over Christmas and it seemed to get a little worse each day. After a trip to his PCP, he was diagnosed with Fifth Disease but his chest x-ray was clear. We have seen quite a decline in his health since Christmas. We have seen more paralysis in his body, he is having more difficulty keeping his left eye open, chewing and swallowing is more difficult - as he is dealing with more choking when drinking/eating, so he is trying to eat more soft foods. Russ continues to go see him each morning before going into work. Getting him up and ready in the morning and then returns in the late afternoon for several hours. Konley isn't able to do much on his own, so there is a lot of care taking of him at this point. He doesn't seem to complain about what is going on with his body even though he is getting very tired. Russ and Konley have had a lot of talks on a daily basis about what is happening. Russ is very honest and straight with him. Konley does have the faith of a child and it is comforting to hear him say at times that he isn't scared because Jesus helps not to be scared and that prayer helps him to be strong. We are grateful and appreciative of all your prayers and thoughts to our family. Please continue to remember us all. There are very many dynamics going on and things get very stressful at times. We are at the point where we are trying to keep Konley as comfortable as possible and trying to help him enjoy something each day of his life. Love You All - Russ and Jennifer