Friday Dec. 22, 9:20 pm

Lance has had some serious setbacks today. His body is tired and it's shutting down. He is aware of what's going on, but has lost his ability to communicate. We think that the next 24 hours will be critical for him, but he is comfortable and is in no pain. He's surrounded by his whole family and is aware that all those he loves are there with him.

Jill is constantly at his side, and he visibly brightens whenever she is in the room with him. The whole family is there with Jill and the boys and they seem to be holding up pretty well considering the task they have at hand. Mike Ryan has been with them all day, helping to assist Jill with Lance, and he'll be staying the night with them tonight to make sure that Jill has someone there with her in case there is a need. (This man is truly an angel )

Lance's journey here with us is ending and he's preparing to move on to the next one. He has been a loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend. He's lived his life to the fullest, whether enjoying the beautiful family he and Jill have created, catching a wave on a warm sunny afternoon, fighting a fire alongside his brothers, helping to support a friend, or proudly cheering on his son's at their games, he has accomplished more in his short lifetime than most could ever wish for. I know I speak for all of us when I say it is we who are blessed to have the great honor of having this man touch our lives.

Please keep them all in your thoughts tonight.

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A personal message from me to Lance, Jill, Max, Brian, Alex, Donna,Tracy, and all of the family and friends who love and care about them so much:

Several years ago, after the tragedy of Sept 11, when not only so many innocent people died in the Twin Towers and on those hijacked airplanes, but also over 300 courageous firefighters who died trying to save them, I became very scared (as did every person in our country). My husband was a firefighter, most of our friends were too. Although we did not not know these people , so many FD families somehow understood their loss in a different way. We all seemed to share the grief of the loss of these strangers as if they were our own family members. During this time I heard a song that touched me very much. It gave me hope, and made me feel that if we had faith, we could all be safe. Again tonight, I have such deep sadness in my heart, as I know all of you do as well. I offer you the words to this song and hope that it may give you the comfort that I found in them. I know that soon Lance will always be safe....

"The Prayer" (Andrea Bocelli & Celine Dion)

I pray you'll be our eyes, and watch us where we go

And help us to be wise, in times when we don't know

Let this be our prayer, when we lose our way

Lead us to the place, guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe

I pray we'll find your light

And hold it in our hearts

When stars go out each night

Let this be our prayer

When shadows fill our day

Lead us to a place

Guide us with your grace

To a place where we'll be safe

We ask that life be kind

And watch us from above

We hope each soul will find

Another soul to love

Let this be our prayer

Just like every child

Need to find a place, guide us with your grace

Give us faith so we'll be safe

Friday Dec 22, 1:30 am

I was fortunate enough to get to see Lance last night. I stopped by to drop off some things for Jill and he was awake. He's so sweet, even now, being so weak and so terribly sick, saying "hi Kim", and reaching out to give me a hug. I felt blessed just getting to have a minute with him. I'll cherish that hug for a very long time...

Yesterday morning Jill said that he had some lung congestion, but that things were pretty much the same as her report the day before. Last night he was talking a lot to Jill and was a bit more agitated in his movements. One good thing is that he does not have any pain.

I feel the need to ask you all for special prayer for him today. I know there are so many of you that do pray for him all the time, but he needs some extra powerful one's to help keep him going. He is so terribly sick, and so terribly tired. We want to support him in his goals, but we also may just need to send him the message that we will all look after his family and that they will be alright.

Wed. Dec. 20 9am

I'm sorry I wasn't able to get out an update yesterday. There was so much going on at the Michaelis's that I didn't want to bother Jill. I will try my best to do as many updates as I can, as I know so many of you are concerned. I am however most concerned with letting the family deal with whats important right now, and not make Jill give me a big rundown if they're having an especially hard day.

Yesterday was frustrating for them. There was confusion about what insurance would cover for the nutritional bags of fluid Lance would be getting, and they wouldn't come out and set it up until

they got it straightened out. Jill was on the phone most of the day trying to get it worked out. Finally at around 4:30pm they got it set up.

Lance is very heavily medicated for the pain and is in (what I can make of it through phone relays) kind of a semi-conscious state. He sleeps continually, wakes up and talks a bit, and sleeps some more. According to Jill he's been fighting some fluid buildup in his lungs. He has oxygen now, and his heart rate and oxygen levels were fairly good yesterday. We wish him a good day today.....

I checked the website stats this am and we have had over 17,500 hits on the site this month, with

over 900 yesterday alone. I sincerely appreciate your checking on them like this, and I like to report the numbers occasiionally so that Jill and the family know how many are supporting them. I've also had a lot of questions about meals for January and we haven't been able to confirm yet if they will be needed or not. I will keep you posted and put the word out just as soon as I know. I also want to thank so many of you for the kind emails offering help, and your encouragement to me personally. There are so many who want to help, and I am very touched by people's generosity. I try to email as many of you back as I can, and there are a lot of you. If you don't hear back from me please know that I appreciate your kind words and support for the "backup support team". Mike Ryan is the other big part of that support team of many, and he's become my buddy. If something's going on, I call Mike, or he calls me. It's good to have someone to lean on!

Have a good day everyone,

Kim

Monday Dec. 18

We have good news! Lance got the call to come up to Stanford this afternoon to get the PICC line inserted!!!! He was transported by ambulance, they got him in quickly, and he got right back home. The whole process took place between 3pm to 6:30pm or so, and at last check he was being hooked back up to recieve fluids again. The actual liquid nutrition is not flowing yet, and I'm not exactly sure why not. I'm assuming it takes another nurse coming to the house to do that. I haven't actually talked to Jill yet to get the specifics, just a quick call with her Mom. I will get specifics about the rest when I talk to Jill and will then get out another update.

I do know for sure that they had to start with oxygen yesterday to assist Lance with his breathing and to make him more comfortable. Please pray fervently for him. He's having a very hard time.

Saturday Dec.16

Lance's pain level and the dehydration have been big issues the past few days. They have increased his pain meds again as of last night and he's getting a lot of fluids from the IV . Jill said that he seems more comfortable. He is in a place now where he sleeps continually.

In regards to the PICC line that he'll be getting for nutrition:

I got some great information from a friend of theirs who has had a PICC line herself while getting treatment for her cancer. She says that it is so much easier than IV's, especially when you begin to deal with veins collapsing and dehydration. If you'd like to know more about this you can go to this site for more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peripherally inserted central catheter

As far as when he'll get that line inserted it's still up in the air. Because Stanford is so busy it comes down to schedulinig. The doctor said that he would request it stat, but that would mean anywhere from 3 days to a week. Joanne, Lance's nurse, will start calling them on Monday to push them to get it done immediately, and if she get's no results with that the doctors from hospice will start calling Stanford. All the red tape at a time when hours count is unbelievable to the family and all of us who care about him I'm sure.

On a good note, we do have some happy news to report. Jill's Mom arrived on Thursday afternoon for an indefinate stay to help Jill and the boys. For those of you who do not know this story and why it's important I'll give you a brief summary:

In talking with Jill last week she was having a very hard time emotionally. I asked her if it would help to have her Mom here with her, as they're very close. Jill wanted her here very much, but didn't want to put one of the boys out of their rooms and give them a change to have deal with, when they were already having to deal with more changes than any kids should have to. (Jill's mom sleeps in one of the boys rooms while she comes to visit. She just had knee replacement surgery, and the couch was not an option as far as Jill was concerned.) So Jill said that she just had to give up on that idea to keep the boys as comfortable as possible. So, I got to thinking that maybe we could get a few people together and sponser Jill's mom coming here and putting her up in a nearby motel. Mike Ryan forwarded an email I wrote about it to the SCFD people, and I emailed a few of our close friends, and the whole thing snowballed. People started forwarding my call for help and I got an avalanche of helpers. It has been truly amazing to me to see how many people not only want, but seem to really NEED to help them in some way.

Here is a recap of the email Mike Ryan sent out to his dept. members. He speaks for both of us in this reply:

Mike wrote:

I wanted to fill you all in on what happened yesterday (12/14). We picked up Jills's mom at the airport and brought her over to the house. It was a complete surprise, but trust me when I tell you that the emotional lift and joy this brought to Jill and the rest of the family was spectacular. Then, right after that she got mad at us (not too mad!) because she soon figured that there must be a larger organization involved in this caper.

So, that leads me to write this: Thank you all for your monetary and spiritual support of their family. We should all be proud to say that we work along side some of the most caring and compassionate people anywhere. The Michaelis family has a large circle of friends and neighbors that are participating in this too, and show their love, support, and concern for them in this effort as well. We all stand together as one community. Lance is working hard to reach his goal and all of you are right there with him. He knows it too. The family is overwhelmed by the love and support they receive from so many.

Visit the website to read details and updates. Jill reads each new post and email to Lance that she recieves to Lance. Your kind words of encouragement are recieived with all of the humility and appreciation that is a Lance Michaelis trademark.

Please keep all the positive energy you can pointed in the Michaelis famly direction.

Thank You...

Mike

I stand with Mike and give my heartfelt thanks for rallying together to help them. Seeing Jill with her Mom that day, the surprise, the emotions, the unbelievable relief and gratitude, will be a memory I will always cherish and one of the finest things I've ever had the priveledge to witness. I told Jills mom Gail today that although this is a time of such sadness for all of us, I have never felt so much Christmas spirit. I am witnessing the gifts and caring of angels that come in the form of friends and family. I see unfaltering hope for this family in all those that surround them. I feel the prescence of God all around us, helping us. He may not be able to take this burden from them but he is holding them all in his hands...

Kim

Thursday Dec. 14 9:45 PM

I went over to the Michaelis house late this afternoon. Lance was completely out of it from his day at the doctor. He was back on the IV and getting some much needed liquids, and in and out with sleep.

He has to go back up to the hospital at Stanford to put the pick line in and it may take 3 days or so for that to happen. It took a huge effort for him to do what he did today, and he EARNED the hopeful results....

More tomorrow, it's been a very emotional day for all of us.

Thursday Dec. 14 1:45 PM

Jill just called me from her cell and said that the Dr. has come up with a non-surgical way to provide Lance with some nutrition. I'm not sure yet exactly what this procedure is, but Jill says they'll insert something called a pick line into his arm that will help give him what he needs. Hopefully this will help to make him feel stronger quickly, and he won't face the risk of surgery.

Jill sounded very relieved and is hopeful they will get it done very soon. I'll update later this evening when I know more. Thanks for your prayers today everybody.....

Kim

Wednesday Dec. 13

Well, Lance is having a pretty rough time of it right now. He was having a hard time keeping the 24 hour IV in, and so they decided to go without it for a few days to see whether it was actually helping or not. Since it's been out, he's been sick to his stomach a lot more, and he's very weak.

There is a ray of hope coming for Lance though. After hope of a feeding tube being inserted a few weeks ago was squashed, one of the medics at SCFD (Aaron Drumright) felt compelled to push to get just one more shot at it with a highly regarded specialist at Stanford. He worked incredibly hard, and actually managed to make it happen. (Thank you Aaron) So, tomorrow at 11am Lance will be getting his labwork done and at 12 pm he will be seeing the specialist. Lance's hospice nurse Joanne has also asked to go along with them and speak to the doctor to try to represent hospice's wish to support Lance's need to get the tube inserted . (This is an incredible act in itself).

Lance's goal is to live to see midnight December 31st. Making it to this date will allow his pension benefits to be significantly higher for Jill and the boys once he passes away. He is heroically fighting for the future of his family, which is so like the Lance we all know and love. So we need a giant Christmas miracle and this doctor visit could be it.

We would like to ask you all for help with this. Lance's visit will be at noon and will probably last about an hour. Would you please try to take the time from 12 to 1 to create a large prayer circle for Lance.

Get together at the firehouse, your work, at home, or doing whatever it is you do at that time, and pray for him. Pray out loud or silently, alone or together, meditate, or ask whatever power it is that you believe in to allow Lance the chance to get the doctor to agree to give him that tube to feed him.

People ask me every day, "What can I do?' Well, now is the time to take action. Give him all the positive energy you can manage and surround him with hope and love.

Lance very much wants to be given a chance to live for 18 more days. Please pray for that for him.

Blessings to all of you angels out there who support this family in so many ways.

Kim

P.S. Jills computer is competely on the fritz since yesterday, so please know that she'll

get back to checking her emails just as soon as we get it fixed.

Monday Dec. 11

Lance had a day of much needed rest on Saturday and then a day of family visitors on Sunday.

He's very tired and Jill reports that he's not feeling well at all today. She tells me that each day

he seems to be worse, and that he loses some ground every day.

Joanne the hospice nurse is coming today, and the pastor from the church, so Lance is resting to

be ready for those tasks. Jill's having some computer problems, and Mike Ryan is coming over

to try to fix it, so if you don't hear from her via email in the next day or so - that's whats going on.

Thanks to you all for your love and support.

Friday Dec. 8

In all of the difficult things that Lance has to deal with on a daily basis, he had a bright spot happen yesterday. Hospice placed him on an IV drip that will run 24 hours a day (from what I understand this is a very unusual thing for them to OK). There is glucose added to the mixture he's recieving, and the expectation is that it should help him feel more comfortable. Lance has been becoming somewhat jaundiced, but after recieving fluids for almost a day, his hospice nurse Joanne, told Jill that his eyes seem clearer and his skin color seems to have improved a bit. Jill was encouraged by this and is hopeful that the IV will allow him to have more quality in his day now.

The other big daily hurdle for Lance is fatigue. Things that he could manage the day before now become more difficult each day. He wants everyone to know that he's been loving the past visits,

and that he wishes he had the stamina to see everyone that wants to come and see him. Now that he is becoming weaker , it's very important to him that he has enough energy saved for his boys to spend time with them when they get home from school. Each day is precious now, and their priority is making each minute count for the 4 of them, as it should be. ( Many of us are trying to let them know that it is perfectly right for them to focus on themselves now and to not worry about all the rest of us so much.)

And speaking of all the people who care and support them ....

I was asked if I had checked to see how many "hits" the website has recieved. I figured out how to look up this info. and was amazed! The website has been online for 22 days now, with total hits being 9,288 as of this morning. It averages 600 - 700 hits a day. If this isn't a testament to how much Lance and his family mean to people, I don't know what is. Thank you everyone. And please keep sending those guest book messages. They mean so much to Lance.