On Thursday April 16, 2026 Liz suffered a severe pancreatitis attack. There is hereditary pancreatitis in our family. Usually pancreatitis is triggered by alcohol or gallstones but pancreatitis can be familial.
For Liz, it turns out that she not only does she have a family history of pancreatitis (that is not alcohol related), but she exacerbated the severity of her condition by excessive alcohol use. Those close to her did not know the extent.
Liz was put into a medically induced coma, and was intubated on April 19th and was put on a ventilator. Her husband TZ and I, along with several others, have rotated bedside duties and child care duties.
They could not tell us with any certainty what path this would take when it all started. We waited to create this page hoping that she would be back in the swing of things within a matter of weeks. Now that we know that this is not the case we will provide the current status and updates here.
Early last week they scheduled Liz for tracheostomy surgery. A person cannot be intubated for longer than two weeks so a trach needs to be placed to prevent harm to the throat and vocal cords. The day before the trach surgery I wrangled the medical team and asked lots of questions. I explained that in a few ways things were improving and her stats improved and I asked what the harm would be in waiting a few days and try to wean her from the ventilator which would eliminate the need for a tach. "No harm in waiting a few days" they said. So the surgery was cancelled. Liz rallied starting on Wednesday of this past week, and continuing Thursday and Friday, they were weaning Liz off of the ventilator. The number of hours of reduced oxygen assistance increased each day and everyone (including the medical staff) thought that today would be the day that she would be extubated.
Instead, when I arrived at the hospital early this morning I found that she was really struggling. Although heavily sedated she was writhing in pain. The cocktail of pain meds and the sedation must be closely monitored and the pain had increased so quickly that they had trouble getting ahead of it. Of course, she cannot verbally communicate so clues must come from her vitals and other medical signs.
TZ and I switched duties late morning today, he came to the hospital and I took over with the girls. We each have our own ways of helping to keep her calm. Mine did not work this morning so I was hoping that he would have more success. Unfortunately, no. She is just too sick.
The ICU doctor called me a few hours ago to report that this type of turn is "par for the course" with such severe pancreatitis. She had a CT scan a few hours ago to provide more information about the state of her pancreas. We are waiting for the results. So, no more weaning off of the ventilator. They had to switch back to a heavier sedation and increase the pain meds. The tracheostomy will be scheduled for one of the coming days.
The medical team is assuring us that she will win this fight. She is young, her brain and her heart are strong and unaffected. But the path from here to there will be long and filled with many setbacks, just like one we had today.
Right up there with watching her struggle is seeing her daughters, ages 7 and 5, missing their mom. TZ does a great job with them. They are active, healthy, smart girls. They enjoy school, swimming, playing outside and playing with their friends. But none of this is a substitute for their mom. Their questioning about how long until they can see her is becoming more urgent. Of course, they will not be able to see her until she is awake and communicating and out of ICU.
There are many tough days ahead but we will carry Liz through this and her family will be stronger when she comes out the other side.
So, thanks to all who have stepped up. We truly appreciate the help. Thanks to those who have been holding her up in prayer and keeping her and her little family in your thoughts.
Ellen Schreder, Liz's mom