Lungs for Amber:
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August 8, 2004        It doesn't seem like it's been 2 and a half months since the last update. Time flies when you stay busy.
       About 2 weeks ago, Liz called and told mom that someone had been out to the cemetary and vandalized Amber's headstone. The living flowers planted around the site had been kicked, stomped, and ripped out of the ground. Flowers in the vase were missing. Toys and reminders left by family and friends were gone; some were tossed about, some in the trashcan, others simply missing.
      And the picture was gone. The photo, transfered to a peice of stone and cemented to the headstone, had been stolen. Not broken. Not simply removed and left. Stolen. What kind of person does such a thing? If someone had wanted a photo, all they had to do was ask. Instead, they drove to the cemetary, killed the flowers, threw away the things others had placed there in memory of Amber, and stole her photograph.
It's not the money. It's not even the peice of stone it was on. It's the pure and simple idea that some person, was so screwed up in the head, that they could not simply pick up a phone, stop by the house, email me. They instead felt they had to steal more than a peice of rock. They had to steal the emotions and feelings and tears of Liz and Mike and the kids.       At least this person can never steal our love for, and memories of Amber.

May 23, 2004       Today, the Class of 2004, of Circle High School held commencement exercises.
      As part of the opening ceremony, a group of Amber's friends sang "Angels In Waiting" by Tami Cochran, and dedicated it in Amber's Memory.
      Flowers adorned each side of the podium. On the side of the stage stood a large glass vase, empty. As each student approached the stage, starting with the three co-valedictorians, each was handed a single rose of white with blue tips, or yellow. As they climbed the steps up to the stage, each student placed their rose in the vase. In all, there were over 100 roses in the vase. There was also one large, pink rose, placed in the vase by Amber's best friend, Ashley. It was announced that these, too, were for Amber.
      Ashley and Amber were inseperable during highschool, and both planned to go into the medical field. Amber as an RN, and Ashley in radiology. Ashley has since changed her career choice, staying medical, but specializing in Respiratory Therapy. There are 5 other graduates entering the medical field. As small as the class was, you have to wonder about that.
      Amber was set to graduate at semester, lacking only one-half credit. Due to this fact, the school board saw no reason to deny issuing Amber's diploma post mortem. Ashley accepted for her, and after the ceremonies were complete, handed it off to Amber's mom, Liz.
      You know how at most graduations, as each grad walks on stage, a few people hoot and hollar and make a ruckus, and then it gets even worse as they exit? This graduation was no exception, until Amber's name was called, and Ashley stepped forward. The room was pretty much silent as Circle High Principal Allan Sersland spoke about Amber's life. As he handed Amber's graduation packet to Ashley, the entire graduating class of 2004 arose in a mix of applause and tears. The rest of the house followed, and the ovation seemed to last forever.
      Graduation is something most people never forget. We all have things we remember about our graduation, usually mostly good, sometimes not. This class of 2004 has a very bittersweet collection of memories to live with. They lost a total of 4 students over the course of this one, final, school year; the most recent only a few weeks ago in a car crash.
      The applause, the laughter, the tears, the 100+ cans of silly string at the end. The 100 roses. The fallen classmates. These are the things that will shape these young lives for years to come. Hopefully, the echoes will never grow quiet, and they will never forget their fallen friends and classmates, and they will never forget how special these people were. How much a simple smile brightened their day. Or how much a listening ear eased their load. For most, if not all, of these students, the lessons they learned from each other are at least as important as what they learned from their day to day school work. And in some cases, it was even more important.

Sept 28, 6:00pm Amber's funeral was held at Immanual Baptist Church in Wichita, Ks, on Monday, Sept. 22, 2003. She was laid to rest in the Towanda Township Cemetary, Towanda, Kansas.
It's been a long week. The funeral went well, even if things didnt go quite the way we had planned. It rained all Sunday night, and most of Monday morning, but the sky had cleared by mid-afternoon.
Alot of her friends and most of her family attended, including cousins and extended family (great aunts and uncles, distant cousins, etc). The gravside service was closed the release of about 300 pink balloons.
Alot had to be done prior to the funeral, and I think participating in the arrangements helped me some. I think I did quite well; better than I had honestly expected. Friday night, I think it was, Liz, myself, and a few others selected the music. We had to choose from several peices, but finally settled on:
   "I'll be missing you" by Sean Puffy Combs,
   "Help Pour Out The Rain (Lacy's Song)" by Buddy Jewell
   "65 Roses" by the Australian group Wolverines
   "Angels in Waiting" by Tammy Cochrane (Performed by family friend Donnie Jones)
More info and samples can be found on the Music Selections page.

Sept 18, 9:00pm Last night, Amber promised her mom that she would keep fighting. When the doctors wanted to place her on a ventilator, she said no, that she wanted to fight it. Thats just the way Amber did things.
This morning, I got a phone call at work, asking me to get to the hospital faster than ASAP. Mike (her step-dad), said that it was "really bad". I left work about 10 minutes later, and arrived at St. Francis 10 minutes after that.
She was on the bipap machine with a full mask, and only able to take a few breaths per minute on her own. Her pulse, blood pressure, and blood oxygen level were dropping. When I arrived, her pulse was about 87, and her sats were 92%. That was about 10:45am.
By 11, her pulse had dropped considerably further, and her blood oxygen level was in the 60's. The decision was made to take her off the bipap, and let her fight it out, on her own, to the end. About 11:15 am, central time, the machine was turned off, and the mask removed.
Amber fought on for several more minutes, taking only a few very labored breaths per minute. By 11:20, she had gone Home.
Amber is survived by her mother and step-father, 1 brother, and 1 sister with them, as well as her father and step-mother, and their son and daughter; too many close relatives to list.
Any monies sent to the Amber Ward Fund will be used to help pay outstanding medical expenses. Any future donations may be placed in a college fund for her younger siblings, or donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
This will be the last update of this nature. Future updates may contain memories, special moments, useful links, or whatever else comes to mind at the time.

Sept 18, 9:30am    Things have really gone downhill. Liz has requested no visitors until things change.
  This morning, her oxygen sat was in the low to mid 90's, while on the bipap.
Last night, she was given yet another medication, to help her sleep, and she did sleep quite well. But then, when you've fought as long and hard as she has, I suppose any sleep at all is welcome.
Between the drugs and exhaustion, Amber is completely out of it, and only breathing completely on her own once in a while. Amber is still saying no vent, even though it may be the only way to save her.
I know she's still fighting, but I also know that she's tiring quickly. Please keep praying, not just for Amber, but for all of us.

Sept 17, 2003 9:00pm   Amber suffered another huge setback today, and is basicly back where she started last monday (9/8). The doctors placed the NG feeding tube, and are keeping her on the bi-pap 24/7. Her doctors wanted to put her on a ventilator, but she adamantly refused. It's now between Amber and God.
  I know she was put here for a reason, and I know she's touch so many lives, but it's still very hard to sit back and feel helpless, knowing that there is nothing you can do except to pray, and visit her, and try to make her comfortable.

Sept 17, 2003 9:00am   Amber's blood CO2 is still higher than normal, and she is fighting depression and a form of delirum called ICU Psychosis, and is being treated with a variety of medications.
  Her white count is once again very high, following her 2nd transfusion in a 3-week span, to compensate for a low red cell count.
  Amber's CF doc is trying to push forward the flight to Childrens Hospital - LA, so that Amber can be moved as soon as her blood gasses and cell counts become stabilized.

August 8, 2004	It doesn't seem like it's been 2 and a half months since the last update. Time flies when you stay busy. About 2 weeks ago, Liz called and told mom that someone had been out to the cemetary and vandalized Amber's headstone. The living flowers planted around the site had been kicked, stomped, and ripped out of the ground. Flowers in the vase were missing. Toys and reminders left by family and friends were gone; some were tossed about, some in the trashcan, others simply missing. And the picture was gone. The photo, transfered to a peice of stone and cemented to the headstone, had been stolen. Not broken. Not simply removed and left. Stolen. What kind of person does such a thing? If someone had wanted a photo, all they had to do was ask. Instead, they drove to the cemetary, killed the flowers, threw away the things others had placed there in memory of Amber, and stole her photograph. It's not the money. It's not even the peice of stone it was on. It's the pure and simple idea that some person, was so screwed up in the head, that they could not simply pick up a phone, stop by the house, email me. They instead felt they had to steal more than a peice of rock. They had to steal the emotions and feelings and tears of Liz and Mike and the kids. At least this person can never steal our love for, and memories of Amber.
May 23, 2004	Today, the Class of 2004, of Circle High School held commencement exercises. As part of the opening ceremony, a group of Amber's friends sang "Angels In Waiting" by Tami Cochran, and dedicated it in Amber's Memory. Flowers adorned each side of the podium. On the side of the stage stood a large glass vase, empty. As each student approached the stage, starting with the three co-valedictorians, each was handed a single rose of white with blue tips, or yellow. As they climbed the steps up to the stage, each student placed their rose in the vase. In all, there were over 100 roses in the vase. There was also one large, pink rose, placed in the vase by Amber's best friend, Ashley. It was announced that these, too, were for Amber. Ashley and Amber were inseperable during highschool, and both planned to go into the medical field. Amber as an RN, and Ashley in radiology. Ashley has since changed her career choice, staying medical, but specializing in Respiratory Therapy. There are 5 other graduates entering the medical field. As small as the class was, you have to wonder about that. Amber was set to graduate at semester, lacking only one-half credit. Due to this fact, the school board saw no reason to deny issuing Amber's diploma post mortem. Ashley accepted for her, and after the ceremonies were complete, handed it off to Amber's mom, Liz. You know how at most graduations, as each grad walks on stage, a few people hoot and hollar and make a ruckus, and then it gets even worse as they exit? This graduation was no exception, until Amber's name was called, and Ashley stepped forward. The room was pretty much silent as Circle High Principal Allan Sersland spoke about Amber's life. As he handed Amber's graduation packet to Ashley, the entire graduating class of 2004 arose in a mix of applause and tears. The rest of the house followed, and the ovation seemed to last forever. Graduation is something most people never forget. We all have things we remember about our graduation, usually mostly good, sometimes not. This class of 2004 has a very bittersweet collection of memories to live with. They lost a total of 4 students over the course of this one, final, school year; the most recent only a few weeks ago in a car crash. The applause, the laughter, the tears, the 100+ cans of silly string at the end. The 100 roses. The fallen classmates. These are the things that will shape these young lives for years to come. Hopefully, the echoes will never grow quiet, and they will never forget their fallen friends and classmates, and they will never forget how special these people were. How much a simple smile brightened their day. Or how much a listening ear eased their load. For most, if not all, of these students, the lessons they learned from each other are at least as important as what they learned from their day to day school work. And in some cases, it was even more important.
Sept 28, 6:00pm	Amber's funeral was held at Immanual Baptist Church in Wichita, Ks, on Monday, Sept. 22, 2003. She was laid to rest in the Towanda Township Cemetary, Towanda, Kansas. It's been a long week. The funeral went well, even if things didnt go quite the way we had planned. It rained all Sunday night, and most of Monday morning, but the sky had cleared by mid-afternoon. Alot of her friends and most of her family attended, including cousins and extended family (great aunts and uncles, distant cousins, etc). The gravside service was closed the release of about 300 pink balloons. Alot had to be done prior to the funeral, and I think participating in the arrangements helped me some. I think I did quite well; better than I had honestly expected. Friday night, I think it was, Liz, myself, and a few others selected the music. We had to choose from several peices, but finally settled on: "I'll be missing you" by Sean Puffy Combs, "Help Pour Out The Rain (Lacy's Song)" by Buddy Jewell "65 Roses" by the Australian group Wolverines "Angels in Waiting" by Tammy Cochrane (Performed by family friend Donnie Jones) More info and samples can be found on the Music Selections page.
Sept 18, 9:00pm	Last night, Amber promised her mom that she would keep fighting. When the doctors wanted to place her on a ventilator, she said no, that she wanted to fight it. Thats just the way Amber did things. This morning, I got a phone call at work, asking me to get to the hospital faster than ASAP. Mike (her step-dad), said that it was "really bad". I left work about 10 minutes later, and arrived at St. Francis 10 minutes after that. She was on the bipap machine with a full mask, and only able to take a few breaths per minute on her own. Her pulse, blood pressure, and blood oxygen level were dropping. When I arrived, her pulse was about 87, and her sats were 92%. That was about 10:45am. By 11, her pulse had dropped considerably further, and her blood oxygen level was in the 60's. The decision was made to take her off the bipap, and let her fight it out, on her own, to the end. About 11:15 am, central time, the machine was turned off, and the mask removed. Amber fought on for several more minutes, taking only a few very labored breaths per minute. By 11:20, she had gone Home. Amber is survived by her mother and step-father, 1 brother, and 1 sister with them, as well as her father and step-mother, and their son and daughter; too many close relatives to list. Any monies sent to the Amber Ward Fund will be used to help pay outstanding medical expenses. Any future donations may be placed in a college fund for her younger siblings, or donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation This will be the last update of this nature. Future updates may contain memories, special moments, useful links, or whatever else comes to mind at the time.
Sept 18, 9:30am	Things have really gone downhill. Liz has requested no visitors until things change. This morning, her oxygen sat was in the low to mid 90's, while on the bipap. Last night, she was given yet another medication, to help her sleep, and she did sleep quite well. But then, when you've fought as long and hard as she has, I suppose any sleep at all is welcome. Between the drugs and exhaustion, Amber is completely out of it, and only breathing completely on her own once in a while. Amber is still saying no vent, even though it may be the only way to save her. I know she's still fighting, but I also know that she's tiring quickly. Please keep praying, not just for Amber, but for all of us.
Sept 17, 2003 9:00pm	Amber suffered another huge setback today, and is basicly back where she started last monday (9/8). The doctors placed the NG feeding tube, and are keeping her on the bi-pap 24/7. Her doctors wanted to put her on a ventilator, but she adamantly refused. It's now between Amber and God. I know she was put here for a reason, and I know she's touch so many lives, but it's still very hard to sit back and feel helpless, knowing that there is nothing you can do except to pray, and visit her, and try to make her comfortable.
Sept 17, 2003 9:00am	Amber's blood CO2 is still higher than normal, and she is fighting depression and a form of delirum called ICU Psychosis, and is being treated with a variety of medications. Her white count is once again very high, following her 2nd transfusion in a 3-week span, to compensate for a low red cell count. Amber's CF doc is trying to push forward the flight to Childrens Hospital - LA, so that Amber can be moved as soon as her blood gasses and cell counts become stabilized.

Lungs for Amber: A Memorial

Lungs for Amber:
A Memorial