Obituary
of
TERESA F. JOHNSON, M.D.
February 20, 1955 – October 8, 2010

Surrounded by her beloved pets (Louie, Lucy, Dodger and Alice), friends and loved ones, Dr. Teresa Fay Johnson stepped from this life into the ever-after on October 8, 2010, from her home in Winfield, Kansas. She was born on February 20, 1955, to Wilbur Smith Johnson and Imalee (Barrick) Johnson, at St Vincent’s Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. After her father, Wilbur Johnson, started preaching at the Minneola, Kansas, Christian Church in 1963, Teresa attended the Minneola Public Schools along with her brothers, Lynn and Galen, and her sister, Rebecca. Her youngest sister, Lisa, remained at home with her mother. Teresa graduated as class valedictorian from Minneola High School in May of 1973.
She received a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry, graduating with honors from Emporia State University in 1977. Her next step included completing medical school, graduating from the University of Kansas School of Medicine in 1981. Dr. Johnson completed her surgical residency in 1986.
She moved to Winfield in June of 1986 to begin her surgical practice at the William Newton Memorial Hospital, with her office at the Snyder Clinic. Dr. Johnson married Dan Flummerfelt, the Winfield Middle School principal, on November 5, 1993.
In June 1998 during a rafting trip on the Grand Canyon’s Colorado River, while hiking she fell approximately 80 feet and was instantly paralyzed from mid-back down. Due to multiple injuries received as a result of the fall, she was no longer able to practice medicine. Thus began another adventure in her life.
Her gardening buddies, quilting friends, nursing crew, book club members, friends, and close loved ones joined Dr. Johnson in her valiant crusade against ovarian cancer. She fought valiantly to her very last breath.
A favorite scripture of Dr. Johnson’s was Isaiah 40:31 – “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

Dr. Johnson was preceded in death by her husband, Dan Flummerfelt; her brother, Raymon Lynn Johnson; her sister, Lisa Kaye Johnson; her paternal grandparents, Galen and Tempest (Smith) Johnson; and her maternal grandparents, Raymon and Ina (Chaffin) Barrick.
Those who remain to cherish her memory are her parents, Wilbur and Imalee (Barrick) Johnson of Ashland, Kansas; her brother, Galen, and wife, Kim (Mahan), of Rolla, Missouri, and their children, Elizabeth (Johnson) Markham with husband Matt and daughter Ariana of Troutville, Virginia, Nathaniel, Sarah, Seth, Hannah, and Timothy Johnson of Rolla, Missouri; sister, Rebecca (Johnson) Moller, and husband Lynn of Wichita, Kansas, and Rebecca’s daughter, Katharine Doyen, of Lawrence, Kansas; several aunts, uncles and cousins, and a host of friends around the world.
Dr. Johnson’s family gratefully acknowledges the many acts of kindness, love, care, and concern shown to her throughout her years in Winfield.
A celebration of Dr. Johnson’s life will be at the Winfield Grace United Methodist Church, 320 College Street, on Thursday, October 14th, at 10:00 AM. Officiants sharing in the memorial service will be Pastor John Martin of Winfield; Clyde Goff of Amarillo, Texas; and Leon Weece of Miami, Oklahoma. Dr. Johnson’s niece, Sarah Johnson, will provide harp music prior to the service. A graveside service will follow at the Winfield Highland Cemetery. Pallbearers are Eunice Borman, Dava Carrell, Debbie Casad, Lorri Greenlee, Kate Poovey, Shona Salzman, and Laurie Turner and Marvis Gaddie.
Visitation will be Wednesday, October 13th, at the Swisher-Taylor & Morris Funeral Home, 803 Loomis, from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM with family present from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM.
Memorial gifts may be designated to the William Newton Healthcare Foundation, 1305 E. 5th Street, Winfield, Kansas, 67156.

August 18, 2010

Teresa is back home again. I believe that a variety of family members are taking turns helping out. I'm sure she is glad to be back home. She is working at regaining her strength for transfers, etc. Those bad germs have created some havoc with her. There's no place like home.

August 12, 2010

Teresa is back in the hospital, again with infection. She was home a couple of weeks and the germs got her again.
She is in Room 250 at Wm Newton Hospital in Winfield.
I haven't seen her for several days. She has to be able to transfer before she can go home. I believe that she is working on this.

July 10, 2010 update

It's been a tough time for Teresa. The new chemo she started several weeks ago has been quite toxic. Eating and drinking has been a challenge. Last Saturday, she fell at home and hit her head. Fortunately, Dava was there and called for help. After getting her back in the chair, she insisted she was okay. To make a long story short, she was not okay. Her home health nurse called 911 on Monday, and she was admitted to Wm Newton. After some time in the ER, she has been in ICU for the past five days. It was unclear initially what the source of the problem was. Was it dehydration, head injury, cancer, etc.? Teresa was so confused and groggy; obviously not herself.
We now know that the problem is a urinary tract infection, and a wound infection. (She didn't show usual signs and symptoms of infection.) After five days of antibiotics, she is showing improvement. She can now hold a brief conversation. She gets tired very easily. She fed herself part of her breakfast this morning; always a good sign. They are moving her this afternoon to the medical-surgical unit. She told me she is hoping they will let her get up in the chair.
Rebecca and Galen are here at her side. New challenges now present themselves. At this point, she needs to much care to be at home by herself. They are looking at options: swing bed at Wm Newton, home care 24/7, etc. Teresa doesn't seem to be ready to have a conversation about hospice just yet.
So, we continue to visit, wait and pray. She has been so very sick, it has been so tough seeing her this way.

While I am not a fan of tatoos, I told her today that I thought of the perfect tatto0 for her. It should be on her forehead and it should say "If I am confused, I have an infection". Perhaps that would clue us in sooner. She chuckled when I suggested this.

All for now,
Lorri

I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LONG DELAY.

I MANAGED TO SURVIVE MY NIECE GRADUATING FROM MAIZE HIGH SCHOOL. DEFINITELY PUSHED IT TO THE LIMIT.

MY BROTHER AND HIS FAMILY WERE HERE FOR THE SAME EVENT. THEY PLANTED MY GARDEN . HALLELUJAH!!!!

REBECCA AND I WENT TO WICHITA ON TUEDAY FOR CHEMO. THE TUMOR MARKER WAS DOWN TO 888 (LAST MARKER WAS 1452). EVERYONE WAS VERY PLEASED! HAVE FELT PREETY GOOD TODAY, BUT DON'T WANT TO PUSH IT.

April 26, 2010

Well, I guess the biggest problem with the new bed is that there isn't room for everyone. When I visited yesterday, they were all happily hanging out together.
There is a road trip to Wichita tomorrow to see the Dr.

April 19, 2010

Teresa came home Thursday, the trip went well. I believe that Sonic was their first stop on the way home for Teresa to get her Lemon-Berry slush fix. She has a new fancy mattress. The cats sure were glad to see her. Home health will be there for dressing changes, nurse stuff, three times each week for awhile. I know that Rebecca was there this weekend, also.

April 12, 2010

Saw Teresa on Friday; about the same. Preliminary results on her CT scan were good; no tumors. Finishes antibiotics on Wednesday, tentatively coming home on Thursday with home health support, etc.

April 5, 2010

Thanks to Dava for sending the picture. The picture sure cracked me up. All I can say is "Ahoy, matey". Give that woman an oar and a sailor's hat and she's ready to row away.
Apparently many folks have given their opinion on what that bed resembles. We saw Teresa on Saturday. She looks quite good, but is bored out of her head. She is doing really well. Things are healing and her hemoglobin is 9.5; quite an improvement. The good news is she gets to come home next week. We burned part of her yard yesterday, per her request of course. In a couple of weeks, things should look quite better.

April 5, 2010

March 23, 2010

Reports from visitors to Teresa continue to be good. Pink edges are seen in the wound; this is a sign of healing tissue. Apparently she had a rocky time Saturday, with some nausea. She attributes this to the KU basketball loss. I suspect that there were many Jayhawk fans with nausea after that game. The dogs continue to do well; they are staying with the Turners. Louie occasionally visits us next door; I've learned to be much faster about picking up my newspaper from the driveway.

March 11, 2010 The big move

Well, the big move yesterday went well. Teresa was quite glad to be out of bed, and breathe some outdoor air. We made a little detour through Sonic, enjoyed some onion rings, and then motored on to the Select Specialty Hospital. Nothing like junk food to really perk you up. The Select hospital is on the 6th floor southwest of Via Christi St. Francis. Teresa's color is better, makes us nurses happier to see someone with some pink in her skin. She said that the oncologist is stopping her intravenous chemo, to let her wounds heal quicker. There is an oral chemo that she will be taking for now. We spent much time laughing, drove through part of downtown Wichita (not on purpose). I should know better than to listen to backseat drivers giving directions.
I left as they were getting ready to redress her wounds. Apparently Via Christi and Wesley use different brands of Wound-vacs, so they were going to have to re-do the whole process. And, since she is a new admission, take photographs of the wound, etc. With all of the requirements in place by all of the regulating agencies, getting admitted to the hospital is no simple process. I expect that she was quite tired by the time they finished all of the admission process.
I am unsure of how long she will be there.
All for now.

March 10, 2010

I'm headed to Wichita after lunch today to help Teresa transfer to her new temporary home. Will update with more details later.

March 8, 2010

Improvement!
Talked with Teresa today. She reports that sleep deprivation is not a good thing. After several good nights of sleep, she is much, much better. They did a little more debridement at the bedside today. They are possibly looking at transferring her later this week to another facility for more healing time.
I have volunteered to drive her van (aka the Van-go) from Winfield and help her with this transfer. She sounds so much better on the phone, I am delighted.

March 4, 2010 Post from Lorri

They completed the debridement surgery yesterday. They cleaned out the wound as much as was possible. They have discovered that Teresa had quite a bladder infection, so this probably was contributing to her significant fever and feeling so badly several days ago. The antibiotics must be working, as she continues to improve.

March 3, 2010 Post from Lorri

Teresa is back on her fancy Clinitron bed. She is scheduled for the debridement today. This will take place in the Surgical department. Probably not a good day for visitors. Teresa's spirits are good; having her fever down sure helps. She received her second unit of blood yesterday evening. I suspect that this will help also.

March 2, 2010 Post from Lorri

Better news this time. After a rocky feverish night, the high powered antibiotics have kicked in. Debby reports that Teresa is perkier this morning. While the one wound is infected, the others seem to be healing. As her hemoglobin has dropped, she will be getting a blood transfusion as soon as the blood is ready. I suspect that getting blood will really help her. I believe that they plan on debriding (cleaning out) the infected wound; I am not sure about the time frame on this. Her tumor markers are down, thank God.

Teresa's 55th birthday

March 2, 2010 Post from Lorri

Teresa is back at Wesley in room 1011. She has a fever, her wound is infected. Feels bad; not doing so well. Hoping and praying the antibiotics kick in soon.

IT HAS BEEN AWHILE, BUT I AM DEFINITELY ON THE MEND. THE SPECIAL AIR MATTRESS IS HELPING TO HEAL ALL THE WOUNDS. NO NEW ONES HAVE APPEARED. MY AUNT CHARLOTTE SPENT NEARLY 3 WEEKS GETTING ME BACK ON TRACK. I DON'T THINK I'VE CONSUMED THAT MUCH PROTEIN IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD, BUT DEFINITELY IS WHAT THE DOCTOR ORDERED. IN ONE MONTH I RAISED IT FROM 1.7 TO 3.0 (NORMAL 3.6 TO 5.1).

THE CA125 WAS 97. THIS IS AN INCREASE WHICH DR. HORBELT THOUGHT WAS CAUSED BY THE INFECTION IN THE SKIN BREAKDOWNS. AS THESE ARE ALL HEALING NICELY WE ANTICIPATE THE NEXT TIME BLOOD IS DRAWN (FEB 23) THERE SHOULD BE A DECREASE IN THIS LEVEL . FATIGUE IS STILL KEEPING ME DOWN, BUT I KEEP PLUGGING AWAY.

I'VE GOT A WEEK OFF FROM CHEMO. THE WEATHER LOOKS LITTLE WARMER. THE WINTER OLYMPICS ARE ON TV. AND MY BIRTHDAY IS ON THE 20TH. I THINK IT IS GOING TO BE A GREAT WEEK .

I HOPE THIS FINDS YOU ALL WELL.

LOVE, TERESA

HEY! I'M BACK!

MY AUNT, CHARLOTTE WHEAT, AND I MADE THE TRIP TO WICHITA YESTERDAY WITHOUT MISHAPS. I GOT A ROUND OF CHEMO AS WELL AS BEING SEEN BY THE "WOUND" DOCS. ALL WERE PLEASED. THE SIMPLE AIR OVERLAY THAT I'M USING ON MY BED IS WORKING FINE SO DON'T HAVE CONSIDER MORE COMPLICATED SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS. ALL THE WOUNDS ARE SHOWING GOOD PROGRESS. IT WAS MENTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES TO KEEP MY FEET UP (THEY DON'T WANT ANY SWELLING).

CHARLOTTE AND I ARE HAVING A GREAT TIME FIGURING ALL THIS STUFF OUT. SHE TAKES EVERY AVAILABLE OPPORTUNITY TO GET A LITTLE MORE PROTEIN IN ME. SHE IS ALSO BECOMING QUITE AN EXPERT WITH THIS WOUND VAC. I SEE NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR HER WHEN SHE RETURNS HOME. WE HAVE NOW GOT THINGS ARRANGED SO I CAN GET IN AND OUT WITH MINIMAL ASSISTANCE. (THE MATTRESS HAS TO BE INFLATED AFTER I GET IN AND THEN DEFLATED BEFORE I CAN GET OUT.)

MY NEXT ROUND OF CHEMO WILL BE JAN 28TH. THEY WILL CHECK THE TUMOR MARKERS PRIOR TO THAT VISIT. AT LAST CHECK THE MARKER WAS 64.

BEST WISHES IN THE NEW YEAR.

January 4, 2010

We visited Teresa yesterday evening at Wesley. She is doing pretty well, hanging out in her fancy bed. She has not actually been out of bed since she was admitted, as they are waiting for permission from the wound dr (who should make an appearance today). She will be much happier to be out of bed. They made the decision to keep administering her chemo, receiving a treatment last week, and one again this Wednesday. Her tentative plan is to come home on Wednesday, 1-6-10. They are now working on the details, visiting with home health, getting a fancy air mattress delivered to her home, etc. Of course, all these plans depend on having enough good weather for her to get home. There is a possibility of snow on Wednesday, etc.
Teresa's aunt and uncle will be traveling to Winfield to stay for awhile, so we look forward to seeing them again.