Cliff's Battle

It was hard to keep up with updates this past weekend. There was a series of downturns that have led us to finally realize Cliff's battle is definitely coming to an end. Even with visits from his best friend and his sister, he has not been able to respond. Today I was asked several times, during the rare early morning visit from the Hospice nurses, if there would be someone with me today. They know that Cliff's fight is in the final stages. We have all been able to shower him with love during this time and keep him comfortable. Again, we thank you for continued thoughts, prayers and support during this most difficult time for the family.

Cliff has been unable to walk back to the bedroom for several days so Jeff and Tyler moved the hospital bed out of the bedroom yesterday and into the living room area. This was definitely a good move for Cliff. He does not like to be secluded in the bedroom. He sleeps much better now and it is easier for us to move him when he needs shifting. He remains, for the most part unresponsive except when he does not wants you to do something! We still see an occasional thumbs up but it is very difficult for him to talk at all. Our visits from the Hospice nurses every day now is always beneficial because they are able to address the situations that arise daily and can also give us assurance that we are giving Cliff the best care. Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers and thank you so much for the food and treats that have been shared with us. We really appreciate all the love and support.

It is just 36 days since Cliff was first diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. It is hard to grasp how quickly this cancer has progressed. The past couple days have been spent trying to keep Cliff comfortable and watching for any distress. He is no longer conversational but can let us know what he does not like and sometimes, what he wants. The only obvious pain he is experiencing right now is on his tail bone. We have tried several different pads and blow up devices but nothing seems to offer much relief. We put in a request and hopefully today the Hospice nurse will bring along the perfect pad that will work for him. We will begin some PEG feeding again today. We tried the day he made his comeback but after just an hour, two different times throughout the day, it clearly was too much for him. The nutritionist helped us adjust the flow and amount and we hope it will work and offer some nutrition. Thank you for your continued thoughts, prayers and support.

After the Hospice nurse came to evaluate Cliff last night and the family was told that Cliff would only have a few hours left, he woke up . . . snapped out of it at about 4:00 in the morning. It has still been a process of drifting in and out but he definitely had no plans of saying goodbye to us yet. We are not at all surprised at this point because he has been fighting this most aggressive cancer every step of the way, confusing his family and doctors regarding his resolute determination to plow through the pain and obstacles in his way. This morning another Hospice nurse came by and we will begin to attempt to get back on a 'routine.' We began the feeding but within an hour, he felt the discomfort so that will be on hold. We will begin some of his medications again to see if we are able to stabilize him. We know he is improving because he continues to offer amusing insights into the conversations and he is still just as stubborn as he always has been! Thank you for all yo

This evening Cliff's battle is coming to an end. Surrounded by his wife, kids, best friends and family, the hospice delivered news that he doesn't have much time with us. It's been quite an emotional night for all of us to say the least. We lit some candles and played Tom Petty in the background along with some of Cliff's guitar recordings. One by one we all said our goodbyes. There was some laugher and a lot of tears. The best we can do for him is to keep him comfortable and let him know how much we all love him and how much we will miss him when he's gone. Thank you for all the love, prayers and support, it means the world to our family.    The Fisher Family

After several days of managing Cliff's care, we believe we finally have everything figured out. He is still likely to require adjustments to the schedule and the amount of the medicines he is administered, but at least we have a schedule that at this time seems to work. It has been nerve-wracking on our part to make decisions regarding visitors because Cliff is fiercely proud and does not want to appear to be sick and he definitely has limits. With that said, yesterday when his best friend for nearly 50 years came up from Salem to visit along with his sister from Fontana, California who drove up with her husband, and his sister Jan, who has made the trek from Madras every single weekend and several times during the week, all came together today, it turned out to be such a special time for us all. Because this cancer is progressing so very quickly, we just keep trying to buy more quality time together. Yesterday was one of those days we will all remember but he definitely felt it