"My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior!" At about 1050 AM CST, Mariz peacefully surrendered to God's will, ending all worldly suffering. She simply stopped breathing as her time expired without pain or prolonged suffering. We are grateful for all your prayers and the high esteem you held Mariz and her family. She was very happy even in her passing because God's love was always more palpable and it gave her strength for the journey. Even her final expression transitioned from her mouth agape from agonal breathing to that of a smile, Jess and Lyca took pictures because there is not a single hint of distress, no wrinkle on her face and a visible smile of her left cheek. Mariz had a remarkable life. It is not measured by worldly possessions but by the friendships she built and the love she shared. She would be the first to admit some character flaws but you would have a hard time looking for a person who did not like her. Her personality was just infectious, her laughter unforgettable. Lyca and Blair , the hospice child life specialist made hand prints of Mariz for keepsake. Several friends and family were able to say goodbye over the phone and personally. We are currently awaiting for the family's request for the preparations for memorial service. Mariz has expressed her wishes to Jess to be cremated and have her Christian memorial in the Philippines, burial in Iligan by her mother. We are awaiting for final requests that may require them to reconsider the cremation if it helps some members of family and friends to have closure. Let the Lord's peace be with you all. Ralph

The Lord is my rock and my salvation, of whom should I be afraid? Mariz is rapidly declining after 4 remarkable days of seemingly boundless energy. At 1:00 this morning , she needed to be changed and complained of nausea. She was given an anti-emetic but rapidly began to have more labored breathing and turned unresponsive. Jess quickly informed all her family by phone and converged at East Texas Hospice. Dr Thomas Beets was very kind to check on Mariz and family to ensure that everything is done to keep her comfortable. Her extended restlessness and labored breathing also showed hypoglycemia, she received a dose of sugar but this did not change her responsiveness or labored breathing. The family is informed that Mariz may be on her last hours or days, only God knows exactly when. Recalling her good days in hospice, she did not even require nebulizer treatments, breathed room air and spoke so clearly and remembered so sharply , as if the events just happened. Since her birthday until Tuesday, she gave monologues and captured varying audiences, in awe of her spirit. She rested most of Tuesday and other than the discomfort of constipation, she would remark that she was so blessed to be in a 5 star hotel with nurses like angels . She would jokingly ask if she was already in heaven. God has shown His love to Mariz in so many ways, out of this love, friendships that last a lifetime flourished. In her final days a visible, tangible outpouring of this love is made manifest. We love you Te. Ralph

Be steadfast in the name of the Lord. Mariz has moved to Rm 107 at East Texas Hospice. She likes that the place looks homely, it's furnished like a modern home but also uses state of the art hospital equipment tucked away except the hospital bed. There's a family room next door with a big TV that Lyca is able to monopolize. There's a library, a movie theater and small canteen, even a walking trail outside. Ate had so much energy 3/8/10 that all that entertaining finally caught up with her, she was asleep finally by 11 pm; rested most of the day 3/9/10. All the local friends in Tyler gave her company but she was mostly out of it today. She was transfused platelets before the transfer and kept her bruising to minimum. The process now involves taking care of details to keep her comfortable, and prepared for a peaceful journey. You are strength for the journey! Ralph

The Lord is my shepherd , there is nothing I shall lack. The good Lord comforted Mariz and joyed her with so much company for her birthday! The California and Houston groups converged in Tyler to bring greetings to our indomitable spirit. Mariz truly enjoyed all the company with Clifford and family, Patrick and family and Janice and family bringing lechon from Houston. On Saturday she would be alert for 1 to 2 minutes maximum, conserving her energy but Sunday she entertained, albeit from a hospital bed, but she engaged her audience. There was not a hint of illness if there were no IV lines. Photo shoots with her red dress, singing balloons, party favors from our Disney artist Ricky sketching Ate's Tweety bird. So coincidental that this is how Dr Vukelja described Mariz's delicate condition like a Tweety bird fallen from the tree, vulnerable and fragile. But the same bird winds up entertaining everyone. The kind nurses Soanny and Courtney, now all accustomed to cackling and infectious laughter. This was truly the Lord's day. Mariz had a rest from procedures and had great company to enjoy it with. Ralph

We thank God for this day,one day closer to Mariz's birthday and wedding anniversary. It has been a difficult day for Jess ,Lyca and extended family as Dr Kumar, oncologist on duty, indicated that Mariz is not responding to any treatment. Her liver enzymes have elevated more so even as her electrolytes have stabilized. She is visibly cheered by LinLin, PiePie, Angeli and Mitos with their birthday greeting. She is usually restless and reacted poorly to morphine or Ativan but the age old comfort of friend's voices seem to affect her better. Jess and Lyca expressed their wishes to keep Mariz comfortable in her journey and they are considering palliative care as her prognosis has not improved. Dr. Frazier has re-assured the family that she will be comfortable and not be in any pain in a setting away from the hospital in hospice care. It is Jess's decision to wait until after her birthday to bring up the move towards hospice care. She looks forward to the arrival of Pamela , Berly, Tata, Marion, Ricky. Please pray for her peaceful acceptance of her family's wish to allow her the most dignity in her journey to be in a non -hospital environment. The Lord is kind and merciful. Ralph

We pray for strength for Mariz. This morning her lab results showed elevated liver enzymes reversing a trend the day before. The frequency of required paracenteses has increased from once in 9 days to once in 2 days, both draining 4 liters of clear fluid. The SGPT levels spiked to nearly 2000 from 200. She has turned hyperkalemic and constipated. She has finally found relief at 9PM with help of laxatives. She is not in any significant pain but increasingly more labored. Mariz has always counted her blessings, she thanks God for his love and always remembers the love of her family and friends. She especially thanks God for Jess and Lica always beside her. She has bruises showing on her abdomen and arms, said to be signs of her liver failing and the ascites seeping into her soft tissue. Dr.Vukelja has been such a great physician understanding the needs of her patient beyond the physical. One more blessing during this delicate time is the exemplary care from Trinity nurse Courtney and PCA Rosie. They provide such great care and empathy to the patient and family and shown great compassion preserving Mariz's dignity even as her condition has rapidly changed. We continue to pray that her journey will be a peaceful one. God is good. Ralph

God is kind and merciful. Mariz's CT scans and Xrays have cleared her lungs of CA. She is stronger and able to walk under her own power with some stand by assistance. This has allowed her to start her Gemzetabine IV chemo that is gentle on the liver and Carbo cycle to allow her to stabilize her liver enzymes. Dr. Sasha Vukelja was reportedly ecstatic to find her scans clear of any signs of CA and will allow a more focal treatment of the liver. Her sodium level is stable with IV hypertonic 3% on stand by . She is now able to cough up sputum as she is able to breathe and fill her lungs with air after the ascites is drained. Pls keep praying with us for her recovery, she is very excited to see Pam, Tata, Beverly . She hopes to be released from the hospital by Friday. Ralph