The Pineland Pork Co.

Home
United States
Cameron, NC
The Pineland Pork Co.

Call Website Contact the business

Pork as it should be! Our pigs have room to roam, enjoy rotational grazing, and are fed Non-GMO feed. Taste the difference with pork raised freely and naturally.

10/02/2026

Decided to be brave and get Sam in the car and run an errand and to Chick Fil A. We made it.

This picture looks almost "normal", but the truth is these past 2 nights and days after being transferred to Outpatient have been the worst. I can't stop crying about missing my kids and wanting to be back home, and being transitioned into full time care giver has been a very rude awakening.

Starting the process, too late I know, of applying for the VA Caregiving Program and trying to see if I can get Sam a doctor through the VA back at home. I've never been the one to handle those things, so I'm truly drowning in a world I'm totally unfamiliar with. If anyone has resources for the VA and getting help so I don't have to do this alone, it would be appreciated.

I'm going to predict, after 2 days, that I'm not lasting down here much longer. Looking into other options closer to home.

09/24/2026

It's felt like a long and especially exhausting few weeks, and so I've neglected to post any updates. I've been with Sam during the week then running back to NC for 48 hours on the weekend to see our kids. I'm tired. Thankfully, my family has been stepping in all along to make this possible for me to lay eyes on things at home. We're also so grateful his sister is coming this weekend while I run home again.

These are the only two pictures I've taken in the last few weeks: eating and walking.

- After 4 long months and an intense amount of work, Sam was cleared to eat "real food" last week (thus the Chick Fil A!). Meals are more exciting and have more variety, but we eat in silence so as not to make him laugh and then choke.

- Regular liquids are still a challenge, so most of what he drinks is thickened.

- After not using his feeding tube for weeks, they finally removed it yesterday. No more tubes of any kind.

- He will be transferred to Shepherd's Pathway program next week, which is their outpatient therapy program. This means that he and I will get moved into the family apartments that are across the parking lot from the Shepherd Center and he'll go to therapy at their off campus location 5 days a week.

- To prepare, we've worked alot on transferring him from one seat to another, helping him stand to get a toilet under him, stand supported to get in the car, etc. He's bearing much of the weight, so it's doable, which is exciting, but I'm expecting this to get easier as he gets stronger.

As we go to Pathways, it means I'm responsible for him 24/7, unless someone else can take over for me. Not impossible, but it does require helping with bathroom needs and being able to do transfers from one seat to another. Having someone able to provide me respite to run home will make the difference of whether we'll be able to last as long as needed down here.

I'm weary of it all...if you could continue to keep us in your prayers as we continue traveling this road.

09/05/2026

Quick update to say thank you to two friends who came and hung out with Sam this week so I could run home and see our kids! It was a blessing for him to be with them, for sure.

Also, our Covenant Prep XC team supporting Sam with these amazing wristbands.

Sam is still making improvements each day here and we continue to be so thankful for the amazing Shepherd Center.

Prayer points:
- Increased strength and balance to get to a point where he can transfer himself (with help) to the chair, bed, toilet, etc. We are NOT there yet and that would be a massive step in others being able to help me care for him.

- Water/thin liquids. The only thing holding him back from his feeding tube removed. He had to relearn how to swallow and is doing great with food, but water moves quickly in your mouth and it's hard to get control of it. So, water intake by mouth is minimal. We'd love to leave that tube behind! It pushes into him when he's on the various machines and is uncomfortable.

Thank you for continuing to pray for Sam and our family.

08/24/2026

Slow and steady is the name of this game.

Some days it feels SO slow that I'm not sure we're getting anywhere at all, so it's good to go back and realize all God has done in these last 7 weeks at Shepherd.

He's eating more normal food, 3x/day, every day. Just diced, not even mashed: chicken, sausage, carrots, etc. He's moved on to just taking his medicine by mouth, so hopefully that feeding tube in his stomach will be a thing of the past before too long.

Still so slow, but improving little by little!

We've entered a harder season of balance with 3 of the kids back to in school, and the oldest staying with them.

Lots of responsibilities everywhere and the juggling leaves me feeling like I'm always leaving someone behind!

Thanks for continuing to pray!

08/08/2026

I'm slow to update, but lots has been happening and life continues to be incredibly busy.

After continued work on swallowing, this past week Sam got assigned a diet. Meaning....3 meals a day! Minced and moistened, but real food! This makes him SO happy and is a huge blessing. Once he can eat, drink, and take all meds by mouth, then he can progress to getting his feeding tube removed.

He's still doing great at keeping his eyes open, but his vision can be a source of difficulty with double vision.

He continues to make speech improvement and when it's hard to understand, we've been using an alphabet chart to spell out what he's trying to say.

Physically, he still continues to make improvement, but there is a very long road still ahead. I've said that it feels like we're in mile 1 of a marathon, but we're moving and heading in the right direction.

I came home this week to get two of our kids started in school and will return to ATL for next week before coming back home again for another round of school to start. Our eldest is deferring her college enrollment in order to help at home during this time.

Pray for us as we navigate the extra demands on time with kids in school and Sam in Atlanta.

Sam is scheduled to be discharged from inpatient September 9 and moved to their outpatient program. It is where he needs to be, but it will be increasingly difficult to get back home once he's in Outpatient as I'll need to be with him 24/7.

Please pray with us for remarkable physical improvement over these next 4 weeks that we're still in the inpatient program. To have him be able to work on transferring from a bed to chair and to a toilet on his own would be AMAZING. We're not there yet, but, pray!

God has done amazing things and we're trusting for more!

07/29/2026

Weekly-ish Update!

Sam continues to make progress here at the Shepherd Center and we continue to be incredibly thankful to be here. What these therapists do is so beyond the ordinary and I'm amazed by their dedication, abilities, and effort.

This week's great news:

- He finally got his trach removed. It took a bit longer due to his previous sleep apnea, but it is GONE and we're now able to take him around the hospital ourselves. A huge blessing to leave the room and the floor he's on.

- He is on his way to better swallowing, which means.....eating! This week it was pudding, applesauce, and yogurt. Next week we're told he can try "normal food" that is minced and moistened. If you know Sam, you know he loves food so this is a huge win. Likely, any of us that hadn't eaten in 3 months would feel like this is a win!

- He has worked SO hard on keeping his eyes open and it's really paying off. His eyes are open almost all of the time now. We laugh at his dramatic eyebrow raise, but that's what he's doing to get them to open and stay.

We continue to be so thankful for laughter and for his cognition that remains so very Sam. If someone were to ask me if I wanted chocolate or vanilla when I have difficulty speaking, I would surely answer with the simple, one word answer. Not Sam. "I would like vanilla" he says. Of course he's using all of the words. Name a fruit, Sam: "Tomato" and then erupts into laughter. Of course you'd say that. Why be easy? Because it's Sam 🤣

I had never given much thought to the complexity of opening eyes and swallowing. Things that are so automatic to us become so very difficult with where his strokes occurred.

All that to say. Continue to pray. There is so much goodness to report and yet there is still so much strength, speech, coordination, etc. left to work on! Pray for endurance for all of us and the added logistical issues of school starting soon for the kids.

Thank you!

07/20/2026

Sam's been at The Shepherd Center for about 13 days now and we continue to be incredibly thankful to be here! Not only is everyone so kind, we get to stay in a beautiful apartment 2 blocks away, but he is working 6 days a week and making improvements little by little, every single day.

The progress is slow, but it's steady.

He'll be here at least into the month of September, and then we'll reasses his needs at that point. There are options for outpatient programs and other programs to follow.

Please continue to pray for improvement in his overall strength, coordination, speech, and movement. Also for our family as school is starting again soon and the balance of being in ATL with Sam and also at home for the kids feels overwhelming at times.

We're so grateful for everyone's continued support on this very long journey. From those friends taking our dogs, cleaning our house, feeding pigs, selling pork, to those sending gift cards and money, the list goes on and on and on. We couldn't do it without this community!

07/10/2026

Sam has never been big on sharing online, so I've been trying to be mindful of what I share and what pictures I share of him.

I may get in trouble later down the road when he can see this, but I want everyone to be able to rejoice in what is happening in our first 3 days at The Shepherd Center!

Getting on real clothes and getting out of bed for the first time in 9 weeks is a really big deal. 9 weeks!!!!

There is so much work to do to regain strength, speech, swallowing (brain stem strokes affect this), simple things like holding up his head, etc.

Feeling thankful that he's worked out for 24 years in the military, as that strength and muscle memory is more important than we could have ever imagined.

What a blessing to be here, to have an apartment provided by Shepherd Center 2 blocks away so we can be with him all day and get rest at night. To have a team of incredible therapists working to get him up. To have dear friends taking care of the farm and dogs. To have family filling gaps with our kids and getting us all where we need to be.

So much to be thankful for!

Please continue to pray for his recovery and strength (physically, mentally, emotionally) to continue making progress. For our family as we see back to school on the horizon and balancing all of the normal life things.

Thank you for supporting our family through this!

07/08/2026

We're so excited to be here in Atlanta. Thank you to everyone who has been following along and praying for Sam and our family during these last 8 weeks.

Please continue to pray for him to make remarkable progress and stay encouraged while we're here!

07/02/2026

God continues to move mightily in Sam's life.
We're seeing continued improvements each day: more talking, eating thickened applesauce (yay for food!), more movement.....even moving his left leg!

Amazing and so encouraging.

A huge answer to prayer is that Sam was accepted into the BEST rehab center in the country, The Shepherd Center in Atlanta 🙌🙌🙌🙌

After being told we could head there today, unfortunately the VA is giving some push back and questioning why he needs to go that far. Well..... because after giving his life to you in service for over 24 years, he's very broken and Shepherd is the best and a very real hope in our lives to get Sam back to us.

Please pray with us for God to continue to move, as He has continued to do, and make a way to get Sam there ASAP.

Thank you!

Address

Cameron, NC
28326

Telephone

+19107099143

Website

http://www.pinelandporkco.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Pineland Pork Co. posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to The Pineland Pork Co.:

Want your business to be the top-listed food & beverage service in Cameron?