Dianna's Stone

Dianna's Birthday- "Good Deeds for Dianna"

Message from- Mikel Porter, FBC Lewisville Student Minister

Hello all--

You may/may not be aware that Miss Dianna Vannostran's birthday is March 12 (this Friday). I know all of us will be think about and praying for her family-- Bret, Nanette, the kids and extended family-- as they continue to grieve and miss that sweet little girl. I was thinking it would be cool to help them celebrate her life-- a life that was full of love, laughter and passion! Here's the idea:

On Friday, March 12, we want to get many people who love Dianna and her family to do a good deed for someone else. It can be someone you know or don't know. It can be planned or spontaneous. It can be done as a family, with friends or on your own. The idea is that we will all celebrate Dianna's life by doing something loving for someone else. When you do the deed, if appropriate, share with that person why you're doing it so they'll know about Dianna too. Then, the most important part: write a note to the Foster family and share with them what you did in her memory. you can email it or send a card or however you want to communicate. This way, Dianna's family will know all the things that were done to celebrate this sweet life and can keep them to remember in the days ahead.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Go out for dinner and leave an extra big tip for your server
Pay for the next person in line at Starbucks or fast food line
Volunteer time at CCA, SpiritHorse or some other organization in her memory
Plant flowers or a tree in someone's yard
Do something extra special to erve someone in your household
Send an encouraging note
Buy a gift card
Buy a drink for the check out clerk at a gas stration
Take flowers to the emergancy room/nursing home and thank the staff for what they do
Donate blood

Please feel free to forward this message to anyone/everyone you know who might want to participate. This is a great way to celebrate a great life!

Email your deeds to Nanette at: nfoster@fbclewisville.org
or mail them to Foster Family: 126 Edgewood Dr. Lewisville, TX 75067

Thank you for helping us celebrate Dianna's life!

Mikel Porter
Student Minister
mporter@fbclewisville.org

Dianna's Funeral Arrangements

Visitation: Thursday September 3, 2009
6:30PM-8:30PM
First Baptist Church Lewisville TX
1251 W.Valley Ridge Blvd
Lewisville TX 75077

Funeral Service: Friday September 4th, 2009
10:00AM
First Baptist Church Lewisville TX
1251 W. Valley Ridge Blvd
Lewisville , TX 75077


Burial Service: Friday September 4th, 2009
3:00PM
Ryan Cemetery
Ryan Oklahoma 73565

Dianna's an Angel-- 9-01-09

Dear Friends of Dianna,

I have sad news to deliver. This morning Dianna passed away after a long courageous battle with Fanconi Anemia. I will send out visitation and funeral service information tomorrow (tentatively scheduled for Thursday night and Friday morning in Lewisville , TX ).

Nannette, Bret, and family have endured great hardship during the past year and many have asked how they can help. To support them during this time of need we are setting up the “Friends of Dianna” fund. This bank account will be used to assist the family with expenses during this difficult time. Should you like to contribute, you can send a check payable to “Friends of Dianna”. The contributions should be sent to either myself or Pat Kempf at the addresses below.

Dianna’s fight was epic. She has been, is, and will always be an inspiration to all of us.

Phil

Phil Hultquist
5712 Texas Trail
Colleyville, TX 76034
312-560-0418

Pat Kempf
c/o Moroch Partners
3625 N. Hall
11th Floor
Dallas, TX 75219

Day + 333

Dianna had a good week, except for issues from withdraw...
The doctors are weaning Dianna off the pain/sedation medications,
but she is having withdraw from being on so much medication for so long. :-(
The doctors have given her methadone to help,
but she is still having shakes, fever, upset stomach (poor baby!)
It looks like Dianna is getting close to a removal of the ventilator tube.
(It may be not work, but I hope that the doctors will at least let her try to breathe on her own.)
Thanks again for ALL the prayers!!!

Day + 326

Wednesday--
The "new" dialysis site (fistula) works great! :-)
Thursday--
Dianna did have an infection in the "old" dialysis line.
(That IS what was causing the fever.) :-(
Friday--
Dianna had dialysis in the morning, then...
Another SURGERY to insert a "pick line" into her right arm.
After she was back into her room and the nurses made sure the pick line worked...
they removed the old dialysis line and the art line.
Due to the infection the doctors had to increase the rates on Dianna's ventilator. :-(
(Yes-- Dianna is still on the ventilator.)
This weekend they're working on weaning her back down to a lower setting.
Please pray for no more infections and getting off the ventilator.
Thank you for ALL the prayers!!!

Day + 322

Tuesday:
The doctors took Dianna off the CVVH (dialysis machine)...
they want to try her new graft on the "regular" dialysis machine on Wednesday.
If the new graft works...
they will take out the old "temporary line" which is good
(one less area for infections).
ALSO--
Dianna is NOW on such a low setting on the ventilator...
the doctors are going to try to take her off the vent in the next day or two! :-)
Dianna did have a little fever today...
please pray that she does not have an infection.

Day + 319

Dianna is the "Come Back Kid"- AGAIN! :-)
She is amazing the doctors again...
This morning the nurse was able to turn OFF the last of the blood pressure medications!
She had been on three different medications at one time just to keep her pressures up.
The ICU doctor said-- "I wish that I could say it was something that I did."
**But we know that it was something God did!**
(and maybe a little of Dianna's stubbornness-- "I'll show you!") :-)
She is still off the oscillator, but not off the ventilator.
THANK YOU for all the prayers!!!!!
Please keep praying that Dianna continues to improve and that she does NOT get an infection.
(Dianna's body is so weak at this time, but she is still fighting.)

Day + 316

Today was NOT a good day...
We had a "Care Conference" with Dianna's doctors-
to see if all the doctors are on the same page with Dianna's care.
The three doctors that were in the room all said that they felt that there is nothing more they know to do to help Dianna.
She is not getting any better-
her blood pressure is unstable even with high doses of blood pressure medications
and they have not been able to take off enough fluid with the dialysis machine.
Each day she ends up being positive fluid for the day.
The doctors feel that her veins may be leaking fluid into her body tissue. ???
She does not have an infection, but she is not getting better.
Her hematologist said that the bone marrow transplant was successful,
but that she still needs transfusions due to being so sick from the kidney failure.
I think that Dianna is getting tired of hurting and fighting.
Her body is very weak, but she is still fighting.
*I do not want her to suffer!*
*God, please take care of my baby!*

Day + 312

Good News! :-)
Dianna is OFF the oscillator and back on the ventilator...
doctors are still running blood gases to be sure the her oxygen & CO2 stay at good levels.
She is still having issues with her blood pressure, but I hope that gets better soon.
*Dianna (& Mom) need MORE GOOD DAYS!* :-)

Day + 308

Dianna had a better day today. :-)
Dianna's blood pressure was better and the nurses were able to reduce some of the blood pressure meds.
She did have an issue with pain late afternoon, but we found that it was from an IV site.
The nurse switched the iv medication to another location and so far Dianna seems to be feeling better.
PRAY for more good days! :-)

Day + 307

Today did not go to well...
The doctor tried to switch Dianna from the oscillator back to the ventilator-
But, she could not take deep/large enough breathes to get the oxygen she needed on the regular vent.
(Her chest was too stiff--??-- Now WHAT??)
Also, as the RT was about to try to switch Dianna- she unplugged the wrong machine!
She unplugged the CVVH (dialysis) machine! :-(
And the Oscillator!
Which caused Dianna's blood pressure to drop...
This was very scary.
SO-- Dianna is STILL on the oscillator. :-(
Still on several IV med's to keep her blood pressure up. :-(

Day + 305

Dianna had a better day today.
Thank you for all the prayers!
Dianna had her eyes open most of the day. :-)
She still can not talk or move her body due to the oscillator,
but she was trying.
(She is such a fighter!)
I am praying that she continues to improve and
will be able to switch back to the regular ventilator soon.
Also- that Dianna does not get another infection...
this would be very bad as weak as she is now.

Day + 302

Today was NOT a good day!
This morning Dianna had a "Code Blue"--
she stopped breathing and her heart stopped for a couple of minutes.

I was upstairs getting ready to come down to check on Dianna...
(during shift change- no one can go in or out of the ICU from 6:45-8:00)
About 7:55AM- I got a call from one of the nurses asking me to come down right now.
I could tell by the tone of her voice that it was not good.
Then I walked through the double doors of the ICU- I could see the crash cart in front of Dianna's room and a few nurses were standing there crying, saying to me "I am so sorry."
(I thought that Dianna was dead!)
Then I walked into her room it was full of doctors and nurses working on Dianna!
The ICU Doctor that was in charge called me over to her bed-
Everyone had to move around to let me through the crowd.
The doctor said that he got her back after just a couple of minutes.
He said that her breathing tube had gotten kinked, so she stopped breathing and her heart stopped.
Due to the stress on her body from this-
Dianna had to have large doses of Epi & NorEpi most of the day.
The doctors were not sure if she would make it through the day.
BUT- Dianna is doing a little better tonight-
the nurses have been able to reduce the amount of medication to keep her blood pressure up.
PLEASE PRAY that Dianna will pull through this.
She has been such a fighter!

Day + 302

Day + 288

Dianna had another setback on Wednesday...
She had to be put back on the oscillator to help her breath. :-(
This also means that she must have medication that paralyzes her body-
so she does not fight the machine helping her breath.
Dianna had too much fluid in her body and this was putting too much pressure on her lungs.
She was not getting enough oxygen in her body, so the CO2 level was rising.
Dianna was off all her IV drips, but now she is back on several again. :-(
She had dialysis Wednesday, but it was not enough to help her breathing--
today Dianna will have dialysis again.
Dianna is still running a fever. (???)
The doctors have run many, many tests but so far nothing found as to what is causing the fevers.
Please pray that Dianna will not need to be on the oscillator for a long period of time...
that she will not loose the strength that she has gained the past few weeks from physical therapy.
Also- that the fevers will stop and the skin on her leg will continue to heal.
THANK YOU!!!

Day + 280

This week Dianna is doing OK,
but can not get rid of a fever.
The fever stays around 99.5 to 102.
The doctors have run many tests-
but so far have not found what is causing the fever.
She is on several different antibiotics (???)
I am praying that the doctors find what is causing the fever &/or
the antibiotics work to get rid of the cause for the fever.

Day + 274

Tuesday-
The nurses got Dianna into a reclining chair! :-)
(The only down side was that Dianna thought that she would be able to go for a ride out of her room-- but she can not with the ventilator still attached.)
Wednesday-
Dianna had a surgery to clean/switch out the old temporary dialysis line in her right thigh.
(She had an infection in the plastic line and the doctors were afraid that it would spread to her new dialysis line)
Thursday-
Dianna had surgery to insert the NEW Permanent Dialysis line in to her left thigh.
(The doctor said the surgery to insert the new line went well, but Dianna's skin is still so thin and fragile that it was very difficult to close-- The doctor said that he HOPED that her skin would not tear away from the stitches.)
PLEASE PRAY that Dianna's NEW Dialysis Line works, her skin heals and she does not get another infection.
THANK YOU!

Day + 269

Dianna continues to get stronger each day. :-)
She is still on the Ventilator, but the Respiratory Therapist has been doing tests and exercises to check the strength of Dianna's lungs.
(Her lungs are still a little weak, but getting stronger.)
The Shingles on her leg are almost gone...
so now Dr. Goldman & Dr. Quan are talking to the Surgeon about the new dialysis access.
They hoped that the surgeon would be able to complete her surgery next week.
After Dianna recovers, she could try to have the ventilator removed.
*Dianna asks me everyday if she can take the tube out of her nose. :-(
I am praying that the next surgery goes smoothly and she can get off the ventilator very soon.

Day + 264

Dianna continues to improve! :-)
She is getting much stronger each day.
Dianna is still on the ventilator, but at a very low rate...
so we hope that she will be able to have it removed soon.
Dianna does have "Shingles"-- on one leg. :-(
(It has not spread-- so the doctors hope that the medication that was started is working.)
Now the doctors are waiting to preform the surgery to insert a new dialysis access till the Shingles begin to heal.
Dianna is down to having dialysis- Monday, Wednesday, Friday & Saturday.
The doctors have stopped the fluid removal on Tuesday & Thursday.
(because of the reduction of IV medications)
Today-- Dianna is OFF all IV drips! :-)
She is only receiving two medications by IV.
Dianna is still receiving her food and few medications through the feeding tube in her nose.