Helping LaSchan On Her Surgical Journey

Hello, Friends -

My name is Juli Austin and as a lot of you know by now, my dear friend, LaSchan McCarter, has recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Since then, she's been in contact with neurologists, specialists, and surgeons to come up with a plan to remove the tumor. Two weeks ago, LaSchan and her husband Lloyd went to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, met with a surgeon and scheduled surgery for October 12th. The procedure is expected to be quite extensive. If all goes well, she will be in the hospital for approximately seven days, with the first two days being spent in the ICU. Recovery after discharge is projected to take at least 12 weeks. Lloyd, LaSchan, and the kids left for Minnesota tis morning. As you can imagine, unexpected expenses are adding up quickly and will continue to do so. The combination of travel expenses, accruing medical bills, and time off work have created a financially demanding situation that none of the family were prepared for. I am asking for your help to ease the burden for her and her family. LaSchan and her family have been close friends for nearly 20 years. She and Lloyd have organized numerous fundraising events and it is time to return the favor.

Cover Photo credit ~ Elayne Woods Photography

Photo of family on the way to Mayo this morning.

A message from LaSchan's social media page ~ "As always I thank each and every one of you for rooting for me, being on my team, and forming the AMAZING army of family and friends who care. I am in awe of how many people have reached out with love and support. You all help keep me going, every day!! Hugs and love to all of you."

Updates from her daughter Payton. Thank you, Payton for keeping us all updated!

10/11/2023 Surgery is tomorrow. We ended the night with many tears, but are one step further on this journey. Mom so courageously shaved her head tonight in preparation for surgery early tomorrow morning. Her strength these past few weeks makes me SO PROUD to call her my mom, & tonight was no exception. We love you, mama!

10/12/2023 Surgery Day. AM Update: The surgical team took mom back around 7:45am. Surgery is projected to last around 8 hours, with up to 2 hours in recovery following the procedure. We met with everyone on her team this morning & they were all excellent. She has such a compassionate group of doctors around her today - we are thankful for their smiles and warm welcomes as we begin this long day ahead of us. I will keep the page updated with any new information throughout the day.

PM Update: The surgeon stated the procedure went exactly as planned and is confident all of the tumor was removed. The nurses have notified us that she is awake in recovery and feeling well. We are currently waiting for her room assignment in the ICU before we are able to visit. Thank you all for your prayers & words of encouragement today. We appreciate it so much!

10/13/2023

POD #1 morning update: We went to the hospital around 6:30am to see mom. She didn’t sleep much - she said the pain was pretty intense. She hates her head wrap and says that’s where most of her discomfort is coming from. The surgeon rounded at 7:00 and said he was very pleased with everything. She appears to have some deficits from the surgery but it’s hard to know the extent at this time. She had some breakfast and more pain meds and now she’s trying to nap again. They have plans to remove one of her drains today and (maybe) get her to the chair. She is very eager to get moving but we are encouraging her to rest and take it slow.

POD #1 evening update: We had a VERY eventful day (hence the late post ). She had consults today from OT/PT/and speech (all before 1:00pm, whew!). She is now in a regular room (no more ICU ). She is up and walking around with assistance. They were able to take her head wrap off and her head drain out - both of which have made her more comfortable. She is still very groggy and confused (they are thinking from the meds) and she still hasn’t slept very well - we are hoping and praying she has a more restful night. Her short-term memory isn’t the best right now but the docs think that will improve when the swelling starts to go down. All in all, a good day on her recovery journey. Tomorrow she is looking forward to a wheelchair ride around the hospital (the cabin fever is setting in). Lloyd, Ethan & I are hanging in there the best we can - taking this whole thing one day at a time. Thank you all for your continued prayers.

10/14/2023

POD #2 morning update: I’m happy to report mom is feeling pretty good this morning! Her pain was well controlled overnight and she was snoozing when we arrived around 7:30am. She told us she was able to sleep for a few solid hours until her morning meds around 4:00am. She also told us she tried to get out of bed last night and set off her bed alarm (always keeping these nurses on their toes ).

The surgical fellow rounded this morning & is very pleased with her progress. She is still confused but he explained to us that memory problems are often more evident after an extensive procedure - he reassured us that her memory should get better as she heals. He also did the daily cranial nerve test - it seems that mom’s facial sensation is starting to come back (slowly), however, her double vision is still persistent. We were warned about those deficits before the procedure & both of those can continue to change over the next 12 months. Luckily, her facial mobility is fully intact (as anticipated) so she still has her BEAUTIFUL smile . The speech therapist did a swallow study this morning & she is cleared to eat whatever she feels comfortable with - of course taking it slow to allow her muscles to heal.

We are planning to get her out of the room today when she is ready - the nurses told us the chapel is a great place to visit (and she’s been asking about it ever since ). She asked about all of you today & I told her she has the BEST support system anyone could ask for. We are very thankful for everyone keeping up with her progress & checking in on us.

POD #2 evening update: Mom had a very good rest of the day. OT came to evaluate her and she was able to perform many of her daily tasks. She moves a little slower these days but eventually gets it done. PT came and walked in the halls with her. She even attempted some stairs! Because of her double vision, she needs to use a walker when walking but the therapist said he was impressed with her mobility so soon after surgery. She is unable to wear her glasses at the moment, due to the placement of her incision. We are hoping to modify her glasses once we get home in order to allow her to see better (this should also help with her balance and walking).

Her favorite part of the day was when the nurse told her she was able to go for her wheelchair ride. Ethan and I took her to the chapel and outside to the gardens - she loved looking at the flowers. Her pain is still there but is being controlled. At this time, we are unsure of a definite discharge date due to her doctor being out of town. His residents/fellows have been taking excellent care of her and we will know more come Monday. Lloyd is staying with her tonight and we are hoping for another night of good rest.

10/15/2023

POD # 3 morning update: Here’s that beautiful smile we all know and love! Mom got some good rest last night (Lloyd not so much ). She tried some new foods last night/this morning & was able to eat a little more than she has been. Her right side is still numb so eating has been a challenge. OT is working with her again to try and get her double vision under control. Unfortunately, her incision is in a tough spot so we are having to do some trial and error to find the perfect solution. The doctors are still happy with where she’s at today in her recovery. She’s looking forward to another wheelchair ride around the hospital today! Thank you again for all of your support.

A gift from a friend. A buffalo - a sign of strength.

POD #3 evening update: Unfortunately, the afternoon/evening did not go as well as this morning . Mom’s pain has flared up again and her swelling is the worst it’s been so far. She’s really feeling it in her throat, cheek, & tongue. The nurses told us that day #3 is usually the hardest so she is trying her best to make it through. She’s also starting to get very anxious being in the room, so we went on another wheelchair ride to try and give her some peace. Lloyd brought his guitar up and played a little while mom rested this afternoon. We ended the evening with a walk in the halls as instructed by PT. Despite the pain, she’s trying her best to stay positive. The good news: her confusion wasn’t as bad today - this comes and goes in waves throughout the healing process. Her surgeon is back tomorrow and will be rounding on her in the morning - we are told we will discuss a discharge plan at that time. Please continue to pray for rest and healing .