Reporter's Journal

www.seattletimes.com/gloria - "We're Not Out of the Water" (Aug. 4th)

Reporter's journal Jerry Brewer 12, 3:26 PM

Gloria's parents have been sleeping for the past fewhours. It's much-needed rest.

The latest news is that Gloria will be slowly weanedoff her numerous medicines because doctors want her tostart breathing on her own.

She's almost there right now. She's barely using herbreathing tube for support now. So the goal is to wakeher and take out the tube before the end of the day.

What's unknown, however, is what Gloria's pain andother symptoms will be like once she is out of this coma.

Family and friends here are obviously encouraged bythis latest news. The hope is that Gloria will get totalk with her family.

It's been interesting to see some of the family's supporters come together in the intensive care waitingroom. Some had never met before. I've been payingcareful attention to how people are reacting now thatthey're realizing how vast Gloria's support base is.

It's very uplifting to see these people, who've beenon the same mission for more than four years, united. And they refuse to give up, too.

Also, I have some information to pass along:

For those wanting to pray with others for Gloria, St.Philomena Parish's 5:30 p.m. Mass tonight would be agood place to go. A huge group of the Strausses' friends will be there.

After St. Philomena is in Des Moines.The address is: 1790 S. 222nd St., Des Moines, WA 98198

St. Philomena Parish's Mass at 5:30 p.m. today,they will pray the Rosary.

Also, there is a 24-hour adoration at the chapel just outside the church. People are gathering at all hours of the night to pray for Gloria there. Knock on the back door, and someone will let you in.

If there are any other prayer meetings, e-mail me at jbrewer@seattletimes.com, and I will post them in this journal.

August 12, 12:40 PM

Doctors are consulting Gloria's parents about her latest scans right now. Her condition remained the same overnight.

She's still in a medically induced coma. Let me add more explanation to her condition.

A CT scan on Saturday revealed the cancer has spreadto Gloria's brain. The way Gloria's father, Doug, understands it, a tumor burst in her head Saturday.That was probably the cause of her seizures.

Gloria also has a tumor on her left lung. Dr. Julie Park, her oncologist, also told the Strausses that Gloria's chest pain could be from cancer invading her heart.

Throughout her 11 years, Gloria has made some amazing medical rallies, but she is cornered like she has never been before. Park has told the family there's no way for Gloria to escape.

It's jarring to see her in bed with a respirator doingher breathing. Some close friends -- Theresa Brennan, Jeanine and Jessica Morley -- visited a while ago, andtheir faces expressed exactly what I felt.

It's hard to get over how quickly this happened. Just last Sunday, Gloria was healthy enough to spend then ight at a friend's house. Two nights ago, she was joking on the phone with Jason Prouty, one of Doug's best friends.

On Saturday, her parents placed a crucifix on Gloria's chest, and I couldn't stop looking at it. As the respirator filled her body with air, the crucifix would rise along with Gloria's chest. That image stays with me. The message of why she's suffering was right there, obvious with every breath.

Then I looked at a dry-eraser board in her room. It reads, "We're Here To Glorify God Through God."

Last night, after some arguing, Doug got permissionfor a group of about 20 to pray over Gloria. It was somoving. No dry eyes.

But I can't escape this feeling of helplessness. All people can truly do now is pray to God. The cancer hasher boxed in. She's in an intensive care unit thatallows little access. She's trapped in a building withsuffering children all around.

And so we continue to wait.

And wait.

And wait.