Tests are being done on Mom’s brain to see how the fluid is flowing from one side to the other. This will give the doctors at Mayo a better plan on how to proceed after the external ventricle drains, whether she would need one shunt or two, etc. Please continue to pray that The Lord will guide everyone on the best path for Mom’s health and future. Thank you all for your prayers!
When Mom received her antibiotics through her 2 external ventricle drains (brain drains), we all had red caps on. The doctors here at Mayo Clinic say that giving the medicine “intrathecally” is something cutting edge. They don’t use that method lightly, but this bacteria on Mom’s brain was so vicious, it needed to be treated aggressively. So that’s a reason why my #1 prayer request right now is for “infections to go away and stay away from Mom.” God, please let that be done, and please bless all of the efforts the medical team are making… In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Big thanks to everyone that has donated to Mom’s fund! It’s a great help to her, and it’s really touched her, how y’all have wanted to help her like this. Thank you!
Via Facebook - Saturday, February 12th, 2022
My mom, Ricie Eubanks, has been away from home (Augusta, Georgia) for medical treatment in Jacksonville, Florida since October 31st, 2021. Our family has made many journeys there ever since to visit her. It’s a 5-hour drive, and we stay 4-5 nights in a hotel. We do this every other week, sometimes more if an emergency is happening. Needless to say, those numbers and expenses add up quickly! I’ve taken care of my mom for over a year as she has gone through her medical problems, and I will keep doing my best to be there for her now. I’ve created a “GoFundMe” page for her, and you can view it by clicking the button above or below. If you feel compelled to give, it would be a great help. Most of all, please pray for my mom to get well and stay well. Thank you! God bless you, and always remember… GOD LOVES YOU!!!
~Eryn Eubanks
Last Friday (February 4th, 2022) was one year to date since my mom was first rushed to the hospital because something was going wrong with her… What a year it has been! Well, last Friday found us being rushed to the hospital, but this time it was back to The Mayo Clinic. We thank God that she was able to get back there.
Overnight, Mom got to where she wasn’t alert or talking to me. She would keep her eyes shut and she was quivering. A CT of her head revealed that her brain ventricles had gotten enlarged, so the rehab facility sent for an ambulance to take us to Mayo Clinic’s ER. We found out that Mom got a bacteria infection that had affected her shunt. They had to remove that shunt and install an external ventricle drain. She is in the ICU, and they are treating her with strong antibiotics. Since she was not very alert, they put her on a ventilator because they didn’t want her to aspirate. Also, the doctor said that she has a little pneumonia, but she does not have COVID (praise God).
They are going to do an MRI of her brain today to make sure there isn’t an abscess. They do plan to wean her off of the sedation and ventilator over the next days or so. Please just continue to pray hard for my mom. It’s been very scary how quickly all of this happened. Please pray for infections to go away and stay off of her. We will all keep on praying, believing, and pressing on. We’ll keep working on getting her better. Thank y’all for holding her in your prayers.
We are thankful to report that Mom made it out of Memorial Hospital, and she is now back at Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. Please continue to pray for her as she still has a lot of sickness and obstacles to get over.
Today (February 3rd, 2022) we are thinking about Mimmie being in Heaven for 1-year now.
May this song bring you comfort and hope for any bereavement or hardship you are going through… We just couldn’t make it through this life without The Lord!
Thank y’all for caring about our family and being part of our fold.
Mom’s hip surgery went well, but there are other issues happening now. She is still in Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, FL where she had this surgery done a few days ago. They have taken her for all sorts of tests, and they are moving her to the ICU today so they can keep a close eye on her. She is dealing with low blood pressure and infection. Please keep praying for her. I thank God for all the ways He has helped her and the progress that has been made. We need God’s healing… For her to get well and stay well. Thank y’all for praying! We love y’all.
Mom had been making good progress at the rehab hospital, but yesterday afternoon, she suddenly got to crying and screaming in excruciating pain. We found out this morning that she has a fractured hip and will need surgery as soon as possible.
As you listen to this song, please say a prayer for everything to go well for my mom. Thank you!
I wanted to take this moment to thank y’all for all of your prayers for my mom, and I want to testify that God is answering your prayers! I have witnessed my mom do things that she hasn’t done in several, several months. From using her iPad, quickly catching on to learning new things, posting on Facebook, standing up and taking steps… Praise God! Her pain has improved, she got a good report at her follow up appointment with The Mayo Clinic’s Neurosurgery Department… And a big prayer that got answered is that she gets to stay longer at the rehab hospital ‘cause she is doing better now and able to work at getting stronger. I am so thankful to The Lord for answering our prayers to turn her situation around. I watched God do this for my mom last week, and I just want to praise Him and let y’all know how grateful I am for y’all holding my mom up in your prayers. May this testimony encourage you today… God hears and answers your prayers. My Mimmie used to say that when a bunch of people would pray for someone, she thought of an old-fashioned telephone switchboard, and that there’s one before God that we can light up when we all pray together about something. Thank y’all for lightin’ up that heavenly switchboard for my mom. Please keep on praying as she continues to work on overcoming more things. We love and pray for y’all, too.
Mom’s Facebook Post from Jacksonville, Florida - January 7th, 2022….. “Thank you for continuous prayers! They have worked. I’m still having trouble figuring out how I got here. I don’t remember much of what’s happened since February 2021. I’ve had 6 hospital stays, several lumbar punctures, numerous MRIs, and a nerve root biopsy of my lumbar spine since then. (I guess I was a frequent flyer!) I had a follow up CT of my brain this week, and my shunt is improving things for me. They saw some fluid, but they are just monitoring it. I’ve been on heavy duty anti-fungal medicine. And finally, I got some Tramadol that has helped my pain, praise God! I don’t know how I got the fungus, but after reading some of my progress notes, it looks like it may have been introduced by my cervical spine surgery. I will keep on taking anti fungal medicine for the next year. (Yay! No yeast infections, haha!) I’ll keep you posted, and thank you so much for your prayers for me. Please keep them coming!” -Ricie Eubanks
Praise Report… Mom has been requesting her iPad, and I got it to her today. In less than 60-seconds, she was playing her gospel music mix, getting on WiFi, scrolling on Facebook, and telling me where to plug in her charger.
Thank y’all for praying for her, and please keep on. We have a follow up appointment at Mayo Clinic on Thursday afternoon, and y’all know how we’re praying for Mom to be able to get stronger and stronger in this rehab hospital.
The picture with Alice Cooper & Sheryl is still my “photo of the decade,” haha! We hope you enjoy The Family Fold’s rendition of “Auld Lang Syne,” and we pray you have a blessed new year.
Mom has been in the rehabilitation hospital in Jacksonville, FL for 8-days now. She has made progress. But she is in very bad pain, and has not been able to do some of the therapy. If she does not get to improving at a quicker pace, they spoke of discharging her in two weeks, and they recommended her going to a nursing home. Our band got our start doing nursing home ministry with Mimmie. The thought of Mom being in a nursing home frightens me. Please keep praying for my mom. Please pray for God to turn this whole situation around, ‘cause right now, I don’t know what to expect in the new year.
I wish I could write you a cheerier update this holiday, but I really needed to tell you how it is so you will keep praying hard.
With Love & Gratitude,
Eryn
Imelda visits The Magi at The Manger… Some of you longtime Augusta, GA folks will remember this setting.
I am grateful to spend this Christmas with my mom… And Mom wanted me to tell y’all, “Hello from Brooks Rehab!”
Let’s keep those healing prayers going for each other. Your prayers are one of the greatest gifts that we have been given this Christmas.
With Love & Thankfulness,
The Family Fold
This is a Christmas song that my mom grew up with, and after Mom got us to singing it, it became Dad’s favorite Christmas song… “Mary’s Boy Child.” We hope you enjoy it!
Mom has been in the Mayo Clinic Hospital for 7-weeks now. After 49-days, there is talk of discharging her to a rehab facility in Jacksonville, Florida very soon. Please pray for this rehab to be a good place for Mom, and that a lot of healing will happen for her there. She has new year’s resolutions like walking and playing music again!
Sending our gratitude, Christmas cheer, and prayers for you this holiday season and always!
God bless you, and always remember…
GOD LOVES YOU!!!
Please continue to pray for Mom. She will have another surgery. The medical team at The Mayo Clinic Hospital plans to install a shunt at Mom’s brain on Wednesday, December 15th, 2021. Please pray for this to be successful for her. Along with treating this hydrocephalus, there will be more medicine for her to take over the next year to help her overcome these problems. Please continue to pray for God to bless her medical team and all of their efforts; and please continue to pray for The Lord to heal, protect, and restore my mom. Please pray for all of this damage to be undone. Thank you!
This is one of my mom’s favorites… “O, Little Town of Bethlehem.” Doesn’t she sound beautiful?!
Praise God! Mom’s biopsy surgery went well. Thank you all for praying for her throughout the day. Y’all have been such a comfort and encouragement to us. Now, let’s pray for those biopsy test results to have something light up like a Christmas tree! 🎄 We’re still on the hunt for answers, but we’re getting closer… 🙏✝️💕
Kick off your Christmas season with The Family Fold! We hope you enjoy these songs from our Christmas DVD… “Silver Bells” and “Angels We Have Heard On High.” We’ll send out more songs as we celebrate this holiday season.
If you would like to have the complete collection of our Christmas music, we do have a DVD available. Send me an e-mail at eryneubanks@me.com if you are interested.
The folks who cherish historic Augusta will be delighted to know that some of these songs were filmed at Fat Man’s Forest.
Please keep praying for Mom. She is still in the hospital at The Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida. They moved her to the ICU. She has hydrocephalus (excess spinal fluid on her brain). They have placed an external ventricle drain in her brain to remove the fluid. They want to find out exactly what caused this hydrocephalus. So, if a test result doesn’t come back with an answer pronto, they will do a biopsy of the tissue at her spinal cord. This would be a surgical procedure where she is put to sleep, etc. This may happen on Monday or Tuesday. On top of all of this, she came down with a bacterial infection over the weekend, but they are treating this with IV antibiotics.
Please continue to pray hard for her. Please pray that God will bless and anoint everything that the medical team is doing for her. Please keep praying for The Lord to bring healing and restoration to her. Thank y’all.
…That was always a fun one to sing! “Ring of Fire” plus “Little Liza Jane” are definitely Family Fold favorites. We hope this banjo will put some pep in your step!
Please keep praying for Mom. She has been in the hospital at The Mayo Clinic in Florida over 2-weeks. Tests are still being done. Please continue to pray for solid answers and successful treatment for Mom. Thank y’all!
This little girl wants her mom back!
THE AUGUSTA PRESS: “The Music of Eryn Eubanks & The Family Fold To Be Played At St. Paul’s This Weekend.”
by: Scott Hudson
November 6th, 2021
Eryn Eubanks has for decades twisted music genres like taffy and brought bluegrass music to a whole new audience by adapting it to include instruments other than the banjo and mandolin and include flutes, church organs and gospel choruses.
Eryn Eubanks newest twist of melding gospel, bluegrass classical and pop will be part of the 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 7, service at at Saint Paul’s Church.
The song, “My Last Days On Earth” was written by Bill Monroe, but Eryn Eubanks decided to add lyrics and then adapt the tune away from its bluegrass roots and make it a gospel piece and the choir of Saint Paul’s will perform the piece using Eryn Eubanks’ notations.
“That is what I have always done. I love imagining the music I loved as a child being transformed and that is my way of keeping that music relevant,”: Eryn Eubanks said.
According to Eryn Eubanks father, Patrick Eubanks, it was his mother Emmie Eubanks that instilled in Eryn a sense of duty that corresponded along with her musical abilities. Eryn was clearly gifted as a musician from a young age, but she would follow her grandmother into the ministry of Christiantiy rather than try to become a star on the country music circuit.
Eryn Eubanks became an ordained minister and her music became part of her ministry.
What would eventually become The Family Fold band started with Eryn playing her mandolin at retirement homes and eventually led to appearances at coffee houses, television appearances and eventually a festival with Eryn Eubanks as the headliner, Later, the group which included the core of Eryn, her mother and her father on upright bass and drums respectively led to soaring success regionally.
The Family Fold would go on to release seven albums. Most of The Family Fold’s recorded material is traditional bluegrass and gospel, but Eryn Eubanks occasionally blends other genres such as classical and even techno.
The group also were known for providing entertainment on the Petersburg Boats that took tourists down Augusta’s storied waterway.
Then disaster struck.
In 2019, Eryn Eubanks underwent emergency open heart surgery and had to spend weeks in recovery. On the heels of that, her mother Ricie, who is the backbone, as the bass player of the band, was sidelined due to back issues and is now at the MAYO Clinic in Florida.
“We are dealing with everything that comes at us and we have our faith in God, that is really all I can say,” Eryn Eubanks said.
Despite her absence from the stage, Eryn Eubanks remains busy teaching her music classes online.
“I really miss playing live, but it’s really a thrill for me that Saint Paul’s will feature some of my work,” Eubanks said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com.