Gina's Cremation/Memorial Costs
Donation protected
My Mom got diagnosed with Colon-Rectal cancer at the age of 43. The cancer was only stage 2 so she opted out of chemo treatments. She had surgery, and from that point on she came to the harsh reality that she would be living with a colostomy bag for the rest of her life. The very first obstacle we faced as a family was getting her to go out in public. She hated that thing. Anyone who knows my Mom knows how spunky and strong willed she is, so she never gave up. Soon it just became a part of her every day life. She accepted it and was living her life to fullest.
In the summer of 2009 after she had fully recovered from her surgery, she made a split decision to move to Florida from New Hampshire. After 2 months of selling our belongings we packed up her little car including Sophia (my Moms beloved dog, they are inseparable to this day), herself and me. We moved our whole life down to FL in the hopes of a fresh start and new beginnings, just the 3 of us.
Within a year she had been working full time while I was going to school, we had our own house and things were going well. She had been keeping in contact with her local oncologist who handled her discomfort with pain meds. Little did we know, "scar tissue" was not what was causing her pain. We eventually got a second opinion from the Florida Cancer Center who ran countless amounts of tests.
Every test came back with news that we were both afraid to hear. Her colon cancer came back with a vengeance and due to the local oncologists misdiagnoses for over a year, it had spread to her lungs.
Our lives were about to change more drastically than we could ever imagine.
She started chemo and radiation immediately. Every Monday from 8am to 4pm she received chemo at the Cancer Center and then was sent home with an extra chemo pack that steadily pumped chemo into her chest port until Wednesday. She followed this routine for 5 years.
During that time she met the love of her life, Bruce. He is a god send. He has helped my Mom and I more than I could ever put into words.
My Mom was very good at making friends and she made new friends here in FL who all helped to pitch in with getting her to appointments and doing lots of fun things. My Mom LOVES the beach, the water, going out on the boat. She could out scallop anyone!
She's my rock, the two of us always had each other at the end of the day. Our bond is one of a kind.
The chemo has started to do more harm than good. Her kidneys have been giving her problems for 6 months now. On Thursday, May 24th she went in to have a routine procedure to have her kidney stents replaced. A couple days passed without her waking up but no one started to worry yet. Sunday rolled around when she opened her eyes and we knew something wasn't right. The only way she could communicate was with her eyes. She was not able to eat or drink, she even had a ventilator breathing for her temporarily. A few doctors came in late Sunday and gave us our options. Leave her on the vent and put in a feeding tube, or bring her to Hospice to rest. My Mom was full of life, she could stay alive another 10 years with those extereme measures but she would never be "Mom" again. She wouldn't want that. So now we're here. At Hospice just waiting. But my Moms a tough cookie, she's been able to communicate better than we thought she'd ever be able to again. But the symptoms don't lie, her time is coming. As much as it pains me to see my Mom go I know that she won't be in any more pain. She's fought a good fight. She wasn't expected to make it past 9 months when the fight started and now we're here, 6 years later.
Unfortunately because this happened so suddenly, my Mom didn't make any plans. We have a lot of people back home in New Hampshire and here in Florida that are sooo supportive.
My Mom expressed wanting to be cremated and have some of her ashes spread on the beach. She also wants a memorial, (not a funeral). She's a mother, sister, grandmother, step-mother, great-grandmother, aunt, fiancée. She has dedicated her life to taking care of all of us and now it's our turn.
Any little bit helps keep her wish of being cremated, having a memorial, and making sure that her fiancé Bruce is not bombarded with left over medical bills. Anything that is not used, will be donated to the Hospice House of Citrus County. They have been wonderful.
Thank you in advance from our family.
In the summer of 2009 after she had fully recovered from her surgery, she made a split decision to move to Florida from New Hampshire. After 2 months of selling our belongings we packed up her little car including Sophia (my Moms beloved dog, they are inseparable to this day), herself and me. We moved our whole life down to FL in the hopes of a fresh start and new beginnings, just the 3 of us.
Within a year she had been working full time while I was going to school, we had our own house and things were going well. She had been keeping in contact with her local oncologist who handled her discomfort with pain meds. Little did we know, "scar tissue" was not what was causing her pain. We eventually got a second opinion from the Florida Cancer Center who ran countless amounts of tests.
Every test came back with news that we were both afraid to hear. Her colon cancer came back with a vengeance and due to the local oncologists misdiagnoses for over a year, it had spread to her lungs.
Our lives were about to change more drastically than we could ever imagine.
She started chemo and radiation immediately. Every Monday from 8am to 4pm she received chemo at the Cancer Center and then was sent home with an extra chemo pack that steadily pumped chemo into her chest port until Wednesday. She followed this routine for 5 years.
During that time she met the love of her life, Bruce. He is a god send. He has helped my Mom and I more than I could ever put into words.
My Mom was very good at making friends and she made new friends here in FL who all helped to pitch in with getting her to appointments and doing lots of fun things. My Mom LOVES the beach, the water, going out on the boat. She could out scallop anyone!
She's my rock, the two of us always had each other at the end of the day. Our bond is one of a kind.
The chemo has started to do more harm than good. Her kidneys have been giving her problems for 6 months now. On Thursday, May 24th she went in to have a routine procedure to have her kidney stents replaced. A couple days passed without her waking up but no one started to worry yet. Sunday rolled around when she opened her eyes and we knew something wasn't right. The only way she could communicate was with her eyes. She was not able to eat or drink, she even had a ventilator breathing for her temporarily. A few doctors came in late Sunday and gave us our options. Leave her on the vent and put in a feeding tube, or bring her to Hospice to rest. My Mom was full of life, she could stay alive another 10 years with those extereme measures but she would never be "Mom" again. She wouldn't want that. So now we're here. At Hospice just waiting. But my Moms a tough cookie, she's been able to communicate better than we thought she'd ever be able to again. But the symptoms don't lie, her time is coming. As much as it pains me to see my Mom go I know that she won't be in any more pain. She's fought a good fight. She wasn't expected to make it past 9 months when the fight started and now we're here, 6 years later.
Unfortunately because this happened so suddenly, my Mom didn't make any plans. We have a lot of people back home in New Hampshire and here in Florida that are sooo supportive.
My Mom expressed wanting to be cremated and have some of her ashes spread on the beach. She also wants a memorial, (not a funeral). She's a mother, sister, grandmother, step-mother, great-grandmother, aunt, fiancée. She has dedicated her life to taking care of all of us and now it's our turn.
Any little bit helps keep her wish of being cremated, having a memorial, and making sure that her fiancé Bruce is not bombarded with left over medical bills. Anything that is not used, will be donated to the Hospice House of Citrus County. They have been wonderful.
Thank you in advance from our family.
Organizer
Tiana French
Organizer
Hernando, FL