Lauren's Mom, Gert Van Roekel

Lauren's parents, Gert and Lawrence, live in northwest IA, and Lauren left on Thursday to drive to Sioux Falls, SD where his mom is in the hospital. She was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma on Sept. 15, and was going to have chemotherapy on Wednesday, but she is too weak to have treatment. After visiting with the doctors, the family has decided the best thing they can do for her is to make her as comfortable as possible before she goes Home to be with the Lord, which could be in a few days or weeks. They hope to transfer her to the Orange City hospital on Monday, which is only 3 miles from their home in Alton for hospice care. Lauren's dad had surgery on Aug. 10 and has recently been cleared to drive, and it will be such a blessing for him to have Gert close. The Sioux Falls hospital is about 70 miles from their home, so Lauren will take his dad back and forth and he will stay in IA until Gert gets transferred and then drive home to MT on Tuesday. Of course, all of this is in God's hands and we hold all plans lightly, knowing in His infinite wisdom His plans are best. Lauren's mom knows of her condition and she is ready to go to be with Jesus. She has been ill for quite a long time and she is tired; how wonderful it will be when she tires no more and will "soar on wings like eagles; she will run and not grow weary, she will walk and not grow faint." Isaiah 41:31



Her family has put her story and information on her condition at http://www.caringbridge.org/; just type gertrudevanroekel where it says Visit a Website. Please pray for Gert and her family as they spend time together, for Gert to have God's peace and comfort, for her to be able to be transferred to Orange City on Monday, and for Lauren's 12 hour drive home on Tuesday.