Dec. 1, 2008

I know some of you want to hear about Jake's struggles and glorious homecoming, so I will do my best. As you may have read, Jake's Thanksgiving was full of memories and he slept well Thursday night. On Friday morning, Kevin came over and helped us give Jake the 7 pills he took twice a day. They were difficult for Jake to swallow, but Kevin was here and helped, and Jake got them all down. Jake went downhill all day and by 8:00 in the evening he was unable to swallow his evening pills. We called Hospice, and the RN decided to come check out Jake himself. He arrived around 10:00 and, after examining Jake he decided that Jake would probably not last the night. He called one of the around the clock nurses (Candy) and she arrived around midnight. She helped us get Jake comfortable and gave him his meds in liquid form. She also thought that Jake would not last the night and might only have a couple of hours. We decided to call Sarah and Lisa even though it was the middle of the night and they came to be with Jake. Jake's breathing became more and more labored but he hung on and hung on. I wrote the blog on Saturday morning telling everyone to pray for him to be comfortable and to let go and we began getting calls from Jake's friends and family asking if they could come see him. We said okay, praying it was what Jake wanted, and if you say yes, they will come, and they came. The nursing staff had a shift change and Sharon came to be with us. At one time, in and out, around and on Jake's bed or throughout the house were me, Sarah, Johnny, Lisa, Tanya, Bill, Amy, Elizabeth, Kevin, Kara, Steve, Chris, Haley, Stephanie, Stefanie, Kly, Steve, Alison, Memaw, Grammy, Eric, Laura, Christy, and Dean, and Sharon. We thought he would be happy to have an audience, but I guess we were wrong. He still hung on. Scott, Renee, and Jill came by and people came and went. Jake's cousin, Ethan, talked to him over the phone, and still Jake hung on. I lost track of the number of friends and family who came by and if I have forgotten anyone, forgive me. Still Jake hung on. Around 10:00 p.m. we made everyone leave and Johnny, Memaw, and I settled in for the night. I decided to take the first shift and sit up with Jake (and Candy who had returned). At one time I lay down beside Jake and slept. Still he hung on. At 4:15 a.m., Johnny came in and relieved me and I went to bed until 7:15 a.m. Still Jake hung on. Jake's roommate Ryan, who had been in Hawaii for the week with his family came straight from the airport to see Jake and we thought maybe Jake was waiting to see Ryan. While we let Ryan have some alone time with Jake, I asked Candy why she thought Jake was still hanging on and she said that it might be he didn't want us to have to witness his dying and that he wanted to be alone with God when he died. That was hard for me to hear, but after Ryan left, I again said my good-byes to Jake and said if that was what he wanted, to not have us witness his death, I would give him his wish, but that if it wasn't what he wanted, I would be back in his room in 10 to 15 minutes. Candy and Sharon, who had arrived for the shift change, decided to get Jake turned and cleaned up for the day, and while they were doing it, Jake put a smile on his face and died. I probably would have doubted the nurses if it hadn't been for Johnny leaving his cell phone in the room and Sarah calling. Johnny stepped into the room for a second to get his phone, snuck a peek at Jake, and saw the smile on his face. (lucky Johnny!) So Jake went as peacefully as we could have prayed for, in his and God's way, and in his and God's time.
Thank you so much for all your prayers, thoughts, cards, food, tears, hands, and love for us and especially, Jake. I know he must have felt the love surrounding him and coming to him over the miles. We couldn't have done it without you all out there and your prayers. Some of you we have seen, some of you we have spoken to, some of you have left the written word, and some of you are totally anonymous but each of you was important to Jake in a special way during his "journey." As I've said, we were only supposed to have him for 3-6 months and we had him for 19 months. They are nineteen months that we will all treasure in our hearts and memories. Please keep Jake alive in your hearts. I pray that all of you reading this believe that Jesus Christ is your Savior. Jake did and he is playing soccer with Him in heaven right now. I will see Jake again and I rejoice in that fact. It will help me get through the days, months, and years without Jake here on Earth. I know someday I will see my son again and live with him and God's son in heaven.


Keep praying,
Carolyn/Mom

If you need directions to our house for Jake's visitation on Friday, please call us at 817-451-2515.

Nov. 30, 2008

Jake's Funeral/Memorial Service: 3:30 p.m. Saturday, December 6, 2008, Arlington Heights United Methodist Church, 4200 Camp Bowie Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas

Visitation: 5 to 9 p.m. Friday at the home of Johnny and Carolyn Cartwright

Memorials: In lieu of flowers, donations may be made ‘In Memory of Jake Cartwright’ to ThriveWell Cancer Foundation, P.O. Box 29331, San Antonio, Texas 78229-0331. Please mark all donations “For Research.” Jake was a strong believer in cancer research and any donations will be given to cancer research facilities, such as START where Jake was a patient earlier this year.

Nov. 30, 2008

John Jake Cartwright

Born February 24, 1983

at 5:10 a.m.

Died November 30, 2008

at 8:50 a.m.

He wanted his death to be between himself and God with no one watching.

Thank you for your prayers!

Carolyn/Mom

Nov. 29, 2008

Jake continues to fight and hold on. At one time he had a room full of pretty women for an audience, and we thought he might let go, but he didn't. Now, as hard as it is, we are going to try to leave him alone for a little while, and see if he wants to die in peace with just himself and God present. Pray that Jake will stop fighting soon and that God will take him home to his room in heaven.

Keep praying,
Carolyn/Mom

Nov. 28, 2008

Please pray Jake home to Jesus in heaven. He is in a lot of pain and is fighting terribly. Let him go be with his Savior. If You are praying for a miracle, the miracle is that Jesus died on the cross for Jake's sins and that He is waiting for Jake in heaven. Pray for Jake to die easily without a fight. It's time we let him go.

Carolyn/Mom

Nov. 27, 2008

One of my prayers was that I would have one more Thanksgiving with Jake, and my prayer was answered "yes". I also prayed for one more Christmas with him, but I don't know if that prayer will be answered "yes" or "no" because Jake woke with blood in his urine. (I know Jake is in God's hands and He will take Jake when He is ready, not when I am.) We called the nurse who blamed it on the tumors in the liver not allowing blood to clot correctly causing the blood in his urine. Whatever. I know it is because his organs are starting to shut down as God gets closer to calling him home. Yet even with the blood in his urine and pain in his stomach area and back, Jake was a real fighter and wanted to go to his Aunt Tami's and Uncle Todd's for Thanksgiving so we loaded him up in the car and arrived only slightly after the 1:00 time set for the meal. Jake was hurting in his wheelchair and wanted to be placed on the ground on Todd and Tami's patio. I guess the solidness of the concrete felt good to his back so we did what he asked. It was so nice for Johnny to have the help of his brother, Billy, and his brother-in-law, Bill, to help with some of the lifting. Jake's cousins Elizabeth, Amy, and Kyle were a big help, too as they were always ready to be "gophers" and go for anything Jake asked for. Jake's Aunt Tanya was also at his "beck and call". Johnny's brother, Micheal and his son, Jeff, were there also. Later in the afternoon, Jake's Aunt Renee, cousin Jill, her husband, Rich, and their son, Riley Scott came over (yes, Sarah has Riley Aaron and Jill has Riley Scott) and Rich became a big help to Johnny as well. (Uncle Scott is in Denver visiting with his son (Jake's cousin) Ethan for the Thanksgiving holiday.) Jake would go back and forth from the concrete to the wheelchair to Todd's Captain's Chair and back to the concrete and so on. Jake didn't eat very much, but he had a lot of great conversations with everyone. It's amazing how sharp his wit still is at times and how massive his sports knowledge is. In the evening, Jake wanted to go back outside so Todd and Tami found their patio heater and set it up for Jake along with a neck massager with heat. When we finally decided it was time to head home, (we decided against the jacuzzi garden tub as lifting Jake in and out would cause him too much pain) Bill helped Johnny load Jake into the car and then went with them to our house to help Johnny get Jake inside and situated for bed. I stopped at Jake's house in Benbrook and picked up a few more things and then stopped at my mom's for a short visit with her and my brother, Kip.
I know it may not sound like much of a Thanksgiving, but it really was the best we could have hoped for. Jake was still here with us and awake most of the day and I will forever treasure this Thanksgiving in my heart and remember it fondly.

Keep praying (specifically that we can keep Jake's pain under control and keep him comfortable).
Carolyn/Mom

Nov. 26, 2008

Jake slept well last night and woke with his back in less pain. It may be Lisa's presence or the board under the mattress. Tomorrow night will be the true test. We let Jake sleep until it was time to take his meds at 9:30 and then he went back to sleep. He finally woke up around 11:00 a.m. and we moved him to the couch. The paralysis has started to move up his body, which is normal, and his arms and hands are getting weaker. He ate a bowl of Trix, which seems to be one of his favorite foods right now, and we had to use 2 sided tape to attach the spoon to his hand. He then took a bath and sat outside for a while. Stephanie came over to visit Jake and Samson. After she left, Jake went back to the couch for a nap. He slept from about 2:00 to 5:00 on the c0uch until Sarah and Riley arrived. Riley wanted to go for a walk in his stroller so we woke Jake and asked him if he wanted to go, too. He said yes, so PaPa, Nana, Memaw, Sarah, Riley, and Jake went for a walk around the block. We met Ginger the dog on the way as the owner was out and introduced us. Riley started to get restless after 2 times around so Sarah took Jake for another trip around and PaPa, Nana, Memaw, and Riley went back to the house. Chad spent the day at Johnny's sister Tami's house preparing as much Thanksgiving dinner as they could ahead of time. We are SO lucky to have 2 such excellent cooks in our family. After Chad and Tami finished, Chad came over to join us for hamburgers on the grill as did Johnny's sister, Tanya, and her family, Bill, Amy, Elizabeth, Muffy, and Missy. The hamburgers were delicious as Johnny is a pretty good cook, too. After dinner, Jake's friend Ben came to visit and we sat outside under the patio heater until 9:00 p.m. It was a good day for Jake and he is looking forward to going to Tami and Todd's for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and soaking in their jaccuzi garden tub.

Keep praying,
Carolyn/Mom

P.S. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!