Category Archives: my life

my mom

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I had written a post about my mom Carol for September 30th, saying that we were going to have to begin hospice care for her, but before I could post it my dad phoned and said that he had called 911, that she was having a bad morning. When we got to the hospital they were not able to stabilize her breathing. We dimmed the lights and they initiated comfort care right there in the emergency room. She passed away peacefully hours later with my sister, my dad, and me by her side. We are saddened yet relieved that she is no longer suffering. We were also blessed with a hospital staff that was kind, caring and respectful. It was heartbreaking, powerful, beautiful…I think we felt just about every emotion possible that afternoon. I made a memorial website for my mom. We have a busy weekend of family bonding ahead of us so I don’t know when I’ll be back to blogging:)

Time is not what you think. Dying? Not the end of everything. We think it is. But what happens on earth is only the beginning. ~Mitch Albom

PKD Walk

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Some pics from the PKD Walk on Saturday. We had perfect September weather and the volunteers did a great job organizing everything. Some of the walkers had kidney disease themselves, some walked for family members and friends with it, and others walked in memory of a life lost to kidney disease as we did. That’s Meagan’s mom Debbie next to Andy, Meagan, me, and Doug (a.k.a. Mr. bookbabie) holding pinwheels with Kylie’s name on them. We raised over $1,200 in just two weeks, thanks to all of you who donated! It was so inspiring to see so many people get together to make something positive out of adversity and heartbreak:)

It isn’t for the moment you are struck that you need courage, but for the long uphill climb back to sanity and faith and security. ~Anne Morrow Lindbergh

birthday blues

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This Sunday is my birthday and it’s going to be a rather bittersweet one. Our first grandchild was due last Sunday, on Grandparents Day, so I was hoping to be holding my first grandchild on my birthday this year. But during a routine ultrasound this past spring my daughter-in-law’s doctor discovered that the baby had Bilateral Multicystic Dysplastic Kidney Disease and because her tiny kidney’s were failing, she was unable to make enough amniotic fluid to sustain the pregnancy. Our son and daughter-in-law named the baby Kylie Nicole and we are walking in the PKD walk to help raise money for kidney disease on Septmeber 20th. Our granddaughter’s kidney disease was similar to Polycystic Kidney Disease which is one of the most common life threatening, genetic, diseases affecting an estimated 12.5 million people worldwide. In fact, PKD is more common than Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and sickle cell anemia – combined. If you would like to learn more about PKD, or support Meagan and Andy, please click on this link or on the PKD Foundation logo at the top of this post.

… joy and sorrow are inseparable. . . together they come and when one sits alone with you . . . remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. ~Kahlil Gibran

My Photo Friday shot for the theme Relationship is of Andy and Meagan and their puppy Tonka, who is now much bigger but is still just as cute!