A Peaceful Ending

Jim Bearden — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:39:03 +0000

I have unfortunate news to report, once again we’ve lost a loved one too soon. For the second time in nearly as many years our family has lost an amazing individual. My dad, Jim Bearden, passed away yesterday morning. He transitioned from this life into the next peacefully and surrounded by his children and his sister Wanda. Jim fought a long difficult battle with pancreatic cancer during which time he remained positive and never lost his zest for life. He touched many peoples lives and he will never be forgotten. We hope that you can join us to celebrate a wonderful life. The information is as follows:

Vigil:
Date: Sunday, November 13, 2011
Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Location: Wade Funeral Home
4140 West Pioneer Parkway
Arlington, TX 76013

Funeral:
Date: Monday, November 14, 2011
Time: 10:30 am
Location: St. Vincent De Paul Catholic Church
5819 West Pleasant Ridge Road
Arlington, TX 76016

-Brad Bearden

Update

Jim Bearden — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:39:17 +0000

I have unfortunate news to report to all our friends and family and anyone who takes the time to read the blog. The weekend of October 22nd my dad’s breathing became more labored and he felt like he was not getting enough oxygen. We knew the trouble breathing was a result of fluid building up in his chest causing pressure on his lungs. The fluid build up occurred in his stomach also and was known to be present by doctors. He had the fluid in his stomach drained by dr.’s several times, however the doctors avoided draining the fluid from the lung due to the potential for problems. The following Monday my dad went to see his oncologist about his breathing troubles. After speaking with his doctor about his decreasing strength, trouble breathing and a general evaluation his dr. determined the chemo was causing more harm then good and had quit being effective. His dr. made arrangements for him to enter into Hospice and to get the fluid drained of his chest the next day.

Upon joining hospice he received oxygen and a medical bed as well as walker and wheelchair. These proved to be essential as his strength rapidly began to decline and the breathing trouble remained. About a week later my dad made arrangements with the hospice company to get the fluid drained off his stomach. He checked in on Tuesday night and they performed the fluid drain on Wednesday morning. We were hoping to get him back home Wednesday or Thursday but his strength continued to deteriorate and his body is showing signs of slowing down.

Currently he’s been sleeping quite a bit about 95% of the day. Occasionally he will wake up, but he has trouble communicating because he doesn’t have a strong voice. He will smile when we talk to him if he’s awake. We don’t know how much time we have left, but its most likely in the range of days to weeks, if that long. He’s been very lucky to have so many friends and family present and thinking of him. There have been many individuals that I would like to thank, but if I do name them I run the risk of leaving someone out and I don’t want anyone to feel left out. Anyone is welcome to come visit us, however we ask to limit your visits to about 20 minutes and be respectful of his sleep as being woken up can confuse him, irritate him and causes him to be aware of his physical pain. Also we prefer to have just family late at night after 9 PM or so. If you would like to visit we are located at:

Baylor All-Saints
1400 8th Avenue
Fort Worth, TX
Building C, Floor 3 in the Vitas Hospice Unit.
Room 379

We appreciate everyone’s concern and prayers for dad during this difficult time. Prayers for peace and comfort are appreciated. We will do our best to keep you updated as new information becomes available.

Brad and family

Shana Bearden

A Peaceful Ending

Update