Love for Barb

04/21/2026

Progress: it’s been our prayer since February 2nd. And today we’d like to say there’s been some pretty cool progress made!💪🏻

Mom, with the assistance of her fantastic therapists (and parallel bars), took a few baby steps!! For something that most of us take for granted every day, this is a big moment for Mom! She is so proud of herself, and so are we!! We continue to remain hopeful for the road ahead. And the progress today has shown us a glimpse of that.

Thank you for your prayers, they are working! We hope to report more progress as time goes on. ❤️❤️❤️

04/05/2026

Progress: it’s been our prayer since the beginning of this journey, and some has been made.

Mom has been in her skilled nursing facility for two weeks now. She has been working hard during her physical and occupational therapy sessions. Her recent progress has been made on a device called the ‘Sara Steady’. It is a device that will allow her to stand to go to her chair, restroom, etc. She was able to stand for almost three minutes using this device! Progress!!💪🏻

Today marks 56 years of Mom and Dad being married. It’s been a true testament to us as we see Dad tending to Mom and being by her side every single day. That’s what marriage is all about, right? Showing up during the hard times. ❤️

As we mentioned before, this is not the road we envisioned. But we continue to be overwhelmed by the love Mom receives from her family and friends. She appreciates every single card, text, message or visit. It brightens her hard days. Mom will celebrate her birthday next week (April 15th)!We are certain she’d appreciate any prayers, or messages.

We feel lucky to be here to celebrate Easter weekend with Mom. Despite the hardships, we all feel blessed. ❤️

We wish you and your families a very blessed, happy Easter!🐣

03/18/2026

Today Mom made the move from Mayo to Spurgeon Manor in Dallas Center, IA. Our family in Waukee is very excited to have her closer so we can provide additional support!


Many of you have asked about her diagnosis/prognosis. Doctors at Mayo believe she sustained a stretch injury to her nerves and spinal cord during her spinal cord reconstructive surgery. While she has regained some feeling in her legs and feet, she does not yet have the strength to stand or walk. She is working hard in physical and occupational therapy every day, and will continue to do so. We remain hopeful that she will gain strength over time as her nerves recover. Currently, she is practicing pivoting to her wheelchair and is showing improvement with each effort. We are proud of her work.

This is not the road any of us envisioned. However, we have been overwhelmed at the amount of love, thoughts, prayers and kindness we have received in the last six weeks. Thank you!



For those who have asked for her new address, she can be reached at:



Barb Stence
Spurgeon Manor, Room 302
1204 Linden St.
Dallas Center, IA 50063

03/09/2026

Today marks 35 days since Mom was admitted to the hospital after her back surgery. She has experienced many ups and downs throughout her stay, but she has tried to remain positive and has worked incredibly hard.

We were informed today that, unfortunately, she does not qualify for the Generose Rehab program here at Mayo (as she had hoped). We are now in the process of moving her to a skilled nursing facility (in Des Moines), where she will continue working with Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy with the goal of returning home soon.

As Mom’s nurse stated last night, “Barb, you are blessed. You are one of the few patients that has family here sun up to sun down.” We feel very blessed for family that shows up during hard times. We also want to thank you all for the well wishes and prayers you have shared over the last month. Please keep them coming as Mom’s journey continues. We will keep you posted.

02/27/2026

Happy Friday!

The sun is shinning and so is Mom. Esp since her favorite nurse is here (Heather). What can we say mom feels a little more comfortable with me around 🤣

She has had a few things going on this week.

1. Her wound on her back still has a wound vac. She has about 2-3 cm left of her incision that continues to have a scab on it. Possibly where the drainage is coming from as well in the wound vac. Hoping soon the wound vac will be taken off again.

2. Her nutrition hasn’t been where they would like it. I believe it is more the labs that they don’t like vs what she is actually consuming. Her protein has been low even with all her protein drinks, smoothies and trail mix.

3. We are waiting to talk with GI regarding possible Gastrostomy tube placement next week. This way mom would get all the nutrition she needs to have her wound heal and get some more energy and strength. She continues to try her hardest with eating but when you are not a big eater to begin with it makes it hard.

4. It has been about 2 weeks since I was here. To me she looks 💯 better than when I was here last. She is moving her legs a lot more! They are working on her transferring from a sliding board to the bed/chair with max 2 assist but she is trying her hardest to get these legs/nerves to wake up so that she can do more. Pain continues to be an issue but we are working through it.

Again, thank you thank you for all your messages and support. Mom is now able to comment and read them with less pain meds on board. She enjoys seeing them☀️

We ask God for Him to change the situations we are in, but we don't realize that God has put us in those situations to change us.

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02/23/2026

Mom had a few visitors over the weekend, which always seems to brighten her spirits. She has been more alert lately, which is wonderful for us to see.

Currently, the doctors are focused on the healing of the wound on her back. The wound vac was briefly removed but was soon replaced due to continued drainage. They are also working on her pain management and nutrition. Please continue to pray for her strength and healing 🙏

Our family has been staying at a VRBO nearby, with all of us kids taking turns being with Mom and Dad. We truly appreciate everyone who has reached out with well wishes; please keep them coming 🩷

02/19/2026

We're celebrating a successful day with pain under control and possible wound vac removal tomorrow. Notable progress has been made in therapy, including sitting in a chair twice today. She's working on regaining her appetite and was a bit spunkier today. She enjoyed some much deserved spa time with Stephanie. Thank you for your continued prayers, we appreciate them more than you know 🩷🙏

02/16/2026

Mom had a difficult weekend managing pain, but her spirits were brightened by watching Audi and Emma play basketball, as well as a surprise visit from her sisters 🩷

She started today with less pain and was able to eat a good breakfast and even enjoy some coffee!

We ask for your continued prayers; that she gains strength and heals so she can be moved to begin physical therapy here at Mayo Clinic.

Thank you for your ongoing support; our family truly appreciates it. PROGRESS continues to be our prayer. 🙏

02/12/2026

"It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop." — Confucius

The last few days have been relatively uneventful for Mom, but we have seen several positive developments. She has shown a small amount of increased movement in her feet and legs, has been able to sit up in a recliner, and is more alert. We have also been able to decrease her IV pain medication. She continues to worry more about others than herself, which we take as a sign that she is feeling a bit better.

We do not yet have a definitive plan regarding whether she qualifies for acute rehab or skilled nursing. Her current pain levels make it difficult for her to participate in physical therapy as much as required. Her doctor explained that nerves regenerate at a rate of approximately 1 mm per day; since she is experiencing difficulty from the hips down, we know it will be a long journey to get her back to walking and feeling like herself again. We remain hopeful, even though progress will be slow.

Thank you again for all the love and support. we can certainly feel it, and we make sure to let Mom know she has so many people cheering her on.

02/11/2026

Though today brings no new developments, we're holding strong in hope as mom continues on her journey towards healing ❤️‍🩹. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

02/10/2026

Progress: It’s our prayer on this journey. And today there was some made. 🙏🏻 Mom was able to sit up!💪🏻
We are hopeful that Mom can show enough progress to be admitted to the sub acute Mayo Rehab Center. There will be several doctors/teams meeting with her tomorrow morning. Hopefully we will have a clearer plan of the road to recovery after meeting with them. Please pray for progress, big or small. ♥️♥️
(Thanks for any texts or calls. She hasn’t really been on her phone. But we let her know you are all praying for her).

02/08/2026

I picked up Dad today to spend some time with Mom. Her face lit up when she saw me (no surprise there) oh, and dad. Scott is here to help out as well.

Mom’s pain has been a little better today. We had some fun putting up pictures around her bed to brighten the space. Tomorrow morning, she is scheduled for another MRI first thing.

Please keep the positive vibes and prayers coming!

🩷mb