Family Fold Fall 2024 Update
Copy/paste the link below to watch Eryn’s update…
https://youtu.be/7TnZkSy_St4?si=feKg0kVGLbYpj9Fi
Back Home, Post-Holidays/Travels/Medical (Sept. 2024)
Thank you all for praying for us these past days! We made it back home from Jacksonville, Florida. Mom had a successful kidney stone procedure at Mayo Clinic. Greg and Mom had happy birthdays, Greg & I are having a nice anniversary, and the photo above full of love is a good opportunity to say, “Happy Birthing Day, Oma!” (That’s Ricie’s mother at the bottom left of the picture collage.) We are grateful to God for all of His blessings!
For those of you who like to stream your music, please look for our “Original 2” album on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon, etc. We are delighted to finally have that added to the digital platforms. We hope to add more Family Fold music in the future.
Holiday + Travel Weekend 08/29/2024
We wish you a good Labor Day holiday weekend! It’s a busy time for our family. We are on the road to Jacksonville, Florida today (Thursday 08/29/2024). Mom will have appointments at Mayo Clinic this afternoon and tomorrow in preparation for her second kidney stone surgical procedure. We’ll get blood drawn, meet with the anesthesiologist and urologist, plus have a consult with the department of allergy/immunology. We’ll go back home to Augusta for the weekend, then travel again to Jacksonville on Monday (Labor Day 09/02/2024) to have Mom’s PICC line removed and gear up for the procedure which will happen on Tuesday… Which is also Mom’s birthday (September 3rd)! On Wednesday (09/04/2024) we will meet with the spine neurosurgeon, then return home that evening. So please pray for us over these next 6-days, that all will go well for Mom and help her on this health journey we’ve been on. Late October will be 4-years… And we can say that God has been faithful all the way. Thank y’all for sticking with us through it all, too. We love you, and thank The Lord for you.
Happy Birthday, Greg (Sunday, September 1st); and Happy Anniversary to Us (Thursday, September 5th)!
On this date (August 29th) in 2003, Dad, Mom, & I were baptized at Clarks Hill. It was the second time in our lives we were baptized, but it was the early days of The Family Fold and a time of rededication to The Lord and His service. We will always cherish that event and the dear people we shared that special occasion with.
Ricie’s Medical Schedule (August-September 2024)
Mom made it safely home from Mayo Clinic Hospital. Thank you all for praying for her during that unplanned roadtrip, admission, and procedure. She is doing better, but there are a lot of appointments planned now for August & September 2024. Over the next 3-weeks; we will physically travel to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL three separate times……. Spend four nights in the hotel that works for Mom since she is still unable to walk currently……. Will have another surgical procedure for the kidney stone on September 3rd……. And will have doctor appointments throughout August/September with Mayo Clinic’s Infectious Disease, Urology, Allergy/Immunology, Neurosurgery, Endocrinology, and Neurology Departments……. On top of all of this, Mom came home with a PICC line, IV pump, and a regiment of Ampicillin that flows through her every 24-hours. Insurance doesn’t flip the bill for all of that and payment gets collected with every shipment of medicine, but we’re definitely getting this, you know!?! With all of this occurring for Mom, if you still feel compelled to donate to her, please know that it helps her immensely. But as I say so often, the biggest thing you can do for her is keep on praying wholeheartedly. God has protected her and brought healing to her so many times, and we look to Him to keep on doing that for Mom. Thank you all! Our family sends our love, prayers, and gratitude for you.
Ricie’s Procedure Today 08/16/2024
Mom had a lot of tests yesterday at The Mayo Hospital, and one of them was a CT of her abdomen/pelvis which showed a stone/blockage. It's suspected that this not only brought about her unrelenting pain, but also the blood infection. This afternoon, she is having a "cystoscopy," followed by a "lithotripsy." The doctors are also getting a more specific IV antibiotic to treat the blood infection (“enterococcus faecalis bacteremia“). They will run another blood culture this evening, and see what further information we can get to help Mom. Please pray for the procedure to go well and for more answers/solutions to come for Mom. Thank y’all so much!
Ricie Quick Prayer Update 08/15/2024
Photo circa: 2015… Our family is so grateful for your love & prayers!
Ricie Prayer Alert 08/14/2024
We’re on our way to Jacksonville, Florida/Mayo Clinic ER today (Wednesday, August 14th, 2024). Yesterday out of nowhere, Mom had excruciating pain that wouldn’t go away no matter what we did, she had a 101-degree fever, she was sick to her stomach, lost her good appetite, and had extreme weakness. The intense back pain/other symptoms have not let up. She’s cried and moaned with no rest or relief. As you can see from these photos that were taken on Monday (2-days ago), what she’s experiencing now has not been our normal. It’s been a good three-and-a-half months at home, so we don’t know what happened. Please pray that Mayo Clinic can figure out what is going on and be able to help her. Thank y’all!
Ricie Praise Report 07/22/2024
Thank you all for praying for Ricie last week as we traveled to Mayo Clinic for her medical appointments. The trip was smooth, the brain imaging showed stability, and Mom’s doctors were so happy that she is continuing to do good with her brain shunt setting. (We are oh so happy and relieved, too! Huge praises to God!)
We have been hosting our weekly Family Fold gatherings, and we celebrated Dad’s birthday this past weekend. Our hearts are full of gratitude for loving family and friends.
Thanks again for praying for us. Know that God hears you and answers. When we cross your mind, please continue to pray for us. Mom longs to get out of pain and walk again, and we are looking for the day when we will pursue that spine reconstruction surgery at Mayo Clinic to accomplish these goals. (Unless The Lord wants to do some supernatural healing, which we’re totally in favor of and He’s totally capable of!) We want God’s will and His timing; for He knows best.
Prayer Reminder for Ricie
We hope you are doing well. We are on the road to Jacksonville, FL this week for Mom’s imaging/followup appointments at Mayo Clinic. Thank you for reading the previous “Ricie Update” and praying ahead of time regarding this. May the trip be smooth and the reports be good, in Jesus’ Name. Amen!
Ricie Report 06/27/2024
Mom did very well traveling to Mayo Clinic for her medical appointments. We’ll have to go back in about 4-6 weeks for some more follow up appointments, so please keep praying for more good reports and healing for Mom.
We want everything to be well with her brain and ventricles at this shunt setting, especially since she has been doing so much better in every department. Setting 3 on the brain shunt caused her ventricles to get very enlarged, and she was just out of it at that point. It was a terribly rough time for her. Setting 2 on the shunt has been tremendously better for her, and her ventricles have gotten smaller. But, we wouldn’t want the ventricles to get so small that she would be in danger of bleeding in her brain or seizures. So naturally you can see how this makes me nervous……. But, there isn’t anything I can do about this but take things one day at a time, keep praying, keep thanking The Lord for what all He’s done for Mom, and keep trusting in Him to continue working it all out for her. Please keep on praying with us.
I am glad to report this morning that Mom is especially happy today because her mother and brother are coming to town to visit with us for a few days. With hearts full of love & gratitude, we wish you all a beautiful weekend.
Ricie Update + Family Fold History 06/14/2024
Thank you all for praying for Ricie. May & June have been lovely months for her, praise God!
We are traveling to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida next week (June 18th-19th). Please pray for our safety on the road, for the schedule to run smoothly, and for Mom to get good reports. She will have tests to help in the preparation for her future spine reconstruction surgery, imaging of her brain shunt, and appointments with neurosurgery & neurology. We want all to be well with Mom. She's been doing better, and we're praying for that blessing to keep growing.
Your prayers bring comfort and strength to our family. Please keep them going! We also want to thank those who have contributed to Mom. You have kept her finances afloat. Anytime you are ever able to give, know that it helps her tremendously. (At the top of this website, you can find her GoFundMe page as well as other options for donating to The Family Fold.) Ricie’s journey continues and there are still medical bills, travel, gas for the car, hotel stays, insurance bills, things that insurance won't cover, prescriptions, etc. Thank you for every way you have helped carry my mom through this.
It has been wonderful to have music events and fellowship with our friends. Even though we are hitting the road to Florida, we plan to keep our "Family Fold Patio" schedule of Mondays & Fridays at 6:00 P.M. Please join us whenever you can.
We leave you with a little Family Fold history... On this date (June 14th) in 2008, the first "Eryn Eubanks & The Family Fold Music Festival" was held with over 1000 people attending from the Southeast region. All proceeds benefited Lynndale, Inc., an organization founded in 1952 that helps those with developmental disabilities. It's hard to believe 16-years could fly by so quickly! We hope you enjoy these songs featuring some special guests (Charlotte Ritchie and Mike Compton) from this festival.
Memorial Day 2024
With gratitude to God and all of those who have served, we pray you have a blessed Memorial Day.
"Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends."
- Jesus in John 15:13, The Holy Bible -
Weekly Music with The Family Fold
We had such a good time last week playing music with our friends.
As long as we are home and doing well, please plan to join us on a regular basis.
"Monday Music with The Family Fold,"
and
"Friday Family Fold Church Gathering."
Both events start at 6:00 P.M. on "The Patio."
“There’s no place like home!”
We are home, and we are ready to pick with you! Please join us tomorrow (May 13th) at 6:00 P.M. for some “Monday Music on The Patio.”
We are so thankful to be home, and we are praising The Lord that Mom is doing better. Your prayers are working, so please keep them going.
After coming through March and April in the hospitals in Florida, this month of May finds me quoting Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz”… “There’s no place like home!”
Speaking of “The Wizard of Oz,” on this date in the year 2000, I had my first paying gig as the bass player in the pit orchestra for The Augusta Players’ production of “The Wizard of Oz” at The Imperial Theater in Downtown Augusta, GA. Mom sat down in the pit with me and turned my sheet music for me because I was nervous about having to juggle that, counting rhythm, keeping my place, holding the bow, being a 12-year-old, and doing something I had never done before. We never would have thought then that Mom would go on to play that very same bass for The Family Fold. We didn’t know that there would even be a Family Fold. Our world was classical music back then… What fun and blessings from The Lord we have had through the years!
And we look forward to having more music and fun with you tomorrow evening. You are a blessing to us. Thanks again for all of your love & prayers!
~Eryn~
Since we have a little “Wizard of Oz” theme going on, we thought we’d cap off this update with “Somewhere Over The Rainbow.” Hope you enjoy!
Mother’s Day 2024
Thank you all for your strong prayers for my mom, Ricie Eubanks! We were so happy to make it back home from the hospitals in Jacksonville, FL… But, we are having to travel back there today for more follow-up appointments with Mayo Clinic. Please pray that all will go well with this trip, and we can get on back home and back to our routine. We are grateful for your faithful prayers for Mom. Please keep on! God always answers and provides.
After we catch our breath from this week’s travel, we plan to get back to gathering on “The Patio” for music, church, fellowship, etc.
We pray that you & your family will have a happy Mother’s Day this weekend. Wherever you may be in life, we pray that God will give you extra hope, peace, joy, comfort, and assurance that day.
~ Eryn ~
Ricie @ Mayo ER 04/24/2024
April 24th, 2024 — We had to take Mom to Mayo Clinic’s ER this morning. She is being admitted to their hospital. Although she was discharged from Brooks Rehab yesterday and her nuclear shunt study for her brain looked good, she has gotten in a worse shape. We couldn’t come home like this. Please pray for answers and healing for Mom as we are still on this road. Thank you.
Ricie + “Nuclear Shunt Study”
We are traveling to Jacksonville, Florida again to be with Ricie at Brooks Rehab Hospital. Unfortunately her condition has not improved as we had all hoped during this month of April. I have alerted her doctors at Mayo Clinic, and they are concerned that her brain shunt is not working properly. Mom will be discharged from Brooks Rehab on Thursday morning, and we will take her over to Mayo Clinic for a “nuclear shunt study.” I’m not sure what will happen after that. Please keep on praying for Ricie (and for us while we are “up in the air”). Thank you!
Family Fold Update 04/12/2024
We are in Jacksonville, Florida visiting Mom at Brooks Rehab Hospital. She is hangin’ in there. One specific prayer request we have is for her appetite. Please pray that she’ll get to eating, otherwise they will have to put a feeding tube in her……. Thank y’all for continuing to hold Mom in your hearts and prayers. We love her so!
It’s “Masters Week” in Augusta, Georgia; and that has us walking down memory lane. The Family Fold is grateful for all of the fun years we’ve had playing music for the golf guests… To God be the glory!
Speaking of years, I praise The Lord for another year of life as I celebrate my birthday this weekend. And I thank you all for being part of my life.
Weekend Update… Ricie still in FL + pop up gathering.
Thank you all for praying for my mom, Ricie. Please keep on. She did make it out of Mayo Clinic Hospital, but she is still in Florida at Brooks Rehab Hospital. She cannot work on walking yet due to her fragile spine. (That’s why there is talk of a future reconstructive surgery.) But Mayo said that rehab could help her get stronger in other ways for when she comes home with us. Mom is keeping a good attitude through it all. She had bad nausea and other difficulties today, but the medical team at Brooks are doing what they can to make her feel better. Please continue to pray for The Lord to strengthen, protect, and heal Mom.
After an unexpected week & a half in Florida, we had to come home to Augusta and leave Mom in Jacksonville. We hope/plan to travel back there soon to be with her. Our hearts ache not to be with her right now.
We are going to have a pop-up music/church gathering on “The Patio” on Sunday (April 7th, 2024) at 5:00 P.M. We thought it would cheer us up. Please join us if you can.
Thanks again for all of your love & prayers!
Quick Ricie Update: Admitted to Mayo Hospital 03/26/2024
Some of y’all may have already heard this, but for those that didn’t…
We had safe travels to Jacksonville, FL on Monday; but we never did go to bed that night because we had to call 911 for Mom. She couldn’t stand up, and we could not pull her up. Jacksonville Fire & Rescue took her in the ambulance to the ER at Mayo Clinic. They have been doing all sorts of tests, and she has been admitted to their hospital. Her brain ventricles had enlarged, so her neurosurgeon adjusted her shunt. He wants to observe her for a while and run more tests. He said he believes it’s “a bump in the road,” but they “take her bumps very seriously.” Please keep on praying for Mom!
And thank y’all for praying for me, too. I had been up since 7:00 A.M. on Monday and didn’t sleep again until Tuesday at 10:00 P.M. I think The Lord kept me running on a lot of adrenaline and love for Mom.
