Paying Tribute to Kimberly
Donation protected
It is with a heavy heart I have to inform you my mother and best friend Kimberly Luane Timmons passed away at the young age of 56 this last Friday 5/17/2019. She was diagnosed with Stage IV Non Small Cell Lung Cancer - Adenocarcinoma on March 11, 2019. She went into the doctor's office with leg pain (no other symptoms) thinking she just strained it badly earlier that month. She had a full body scan and blood samples done in October 2018 showing she had a clean bill of health so this diagnosis came out of nowhere, especially to have already metastasized throughout the lymphatic system. (See below for diagnosis details).
INTENT:
We are finalizing funeral expenses and will be updating you through social media soon. Funeral homes require expenses paid in full upfront before they can proceed so I thought I'd start this tribute to her memorial as soon as possible for those interested in helping out. I do not have the money to pay for this large expense myself, any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
These funds will be used for the following:
- Viewing (night before)
- Funeral Service
- Celebration of Life (directly after service)
- Cremation and Urn
- Miscellaneous Expenses (Rental casket, Stationary, Flowers and Memorial services, Obituary, Transport, State paperwork)
LAST COUPLE MONTHS:
I just want to share a couple stories about the kind of person she was as she faced this terrifying experience. If you've ever seen the effects of cancer treatment you know how hard it can be on the body and how it wipes you out more than you would ever think possible. She was such a strong and driven woman, and still did her best to remain hopeful, and never lost her sense of humor.
I remember dealing with financial advisers and nurses and her making them laugh on a regular basis. But my favorite story of her hospital visits is this past Tuesday when she started to regain her energy and talking again. Kimberly, her boyfriend Phillip Savage (Who helped me take care of her these last couple months, he was beyond helpful), and I were in her room watching a movie together. A nurse came in to introduce herself talking very loudly said "HOW WE DOING KIM?" and mom tilted her head over towards her and yelled "OHHH I'M GOOOOD", which was absolutely hilarious. Later on that day, the nurse was giving her pain medication and she started shaking all over pretending to have a seizure, to which she looked at me with a grin letting me know she was faking it and we started cracking up laughing (The nurse was about to freak out). I just love that she did her best to stay positive even though she was faced with terrible circumstances.
Our goal was after three rounds of chemo / immunotherapy to pause treatment and take a trip to New Zealand or Australia to spend time together. We were hoping to get in contact with Make-A-Wish foundation to see if that was an option but it all happened too fast.
ABOUT KIMBERLY:
If you ever got the privilege of meeting her, you know she ALWAYS kept busy and had dozens of projects she was working on at any given time. She would always say "I have 10,001 things to do" and follow that up with "I'm not gonna make it!". And my goodness her lists, she had thousands of them hahaha. Growing up my friends were scared to come over because she would give them chores to do.
For those who had regular conversations with her or even if it was a stranger in passing, I am sorry to say she probably started talking about me for which I deeply apologize. She sacrificed everything for me and is the epitome of an incredible loving mother. She raised me by herself all the while keeping 2-3 jobs her entire life. She was the hardest working person you ever met and very clever with money. She was an expert at finding good deals and was the coupon queen, so much that CVS often owed her money at checkout. She was not given an easy life but she found a way to overcome and thrive in each situation as she was incredibly resilient and smart. Did I mention she was strikingly beautiful? She had guys lining up out the door to date her.
Her Jobs include the following:
- Manager of an autobody shop
- Manager of retail store
- Bartender at the very first AppleBee's
- Box truck candy / chip delivery driver (This was my favorite because she took me with her and I could eat candy in the back)
- Waitress at Red Lobster
- Travel Agent (After working for Travel Agency she broke off and started her own business Travel By Kim)
- Painter (Helped start a painting business)
- Landlord
- Insurance Agent
- Chauffeur Limo driver (Limos, Passenger Vans, Million Dollar buses)
INTERESTS AND HOBBIES:
Against all reasoning and logic she was a huge Nascar fan. I dreaded Sunday's when that boring race was on all afternoon or qualifications the day before and she loved going to the track as well. Growing up, her mother Kay also loved racing, so they shared that in common. Her favorite driver was Jeff Gordon and she even got to meet him. As a professional limo driver she got to meet many famous people like MC Hammer, Jerry Seinfeld, NFL players, racecar drivers and owners, and high-up corporate executives often.
She loved craft fairs and garage sales. Growing up we would be out in the garage making crafts to sell each winter (This is where I get my love of woodworking from).
Hosting parties, especially super bowl parties were her forte. I'd imagine several of her friends and work colleagues can attest to this. She threw some pretty epic graduation and birthday parties too. I carry on her tradition with 4th of July and Halloween parties. Speaking of Halloween, every year growing up we would tear up the front yard to drive posts in the ground and span tarps between them to make haunted houses. Neighbors would come and help out, we built coffins, had rigs in trees, cool light displays, etc. and everyone around town flocked to our house each year.
She owned a campsite at Raccoon Lake where she had a pontoon boat, and a golf cart that we liked to take on trails through the woods. Her boat gave her more trouble than it was worth but she loved being out on the water nonetheless. Every other weekend in the summer and fall she would be out there with her friends.
But by far she loved traveling the most. Anywhere she could find a nice sunny beach to get a good tan. As a travel agent she scored excellent deals and went on 10+ cruises for fractions of the price. She took me to Europe as a graduation present where she planned the whole trip for 25 days, it was amazing and unforgettable.
DIAGNOSIS DETAILS:
Upon the initial diagnosis it had already spread to the brain (1" tumor and micro tumors behind her skull), lytic lesions on her left femur and hip bone. The cancer in the lung had a large 2.5" mass in the left lung which had started to spread to the right lung crossing two lymph nodes (This is how it spread through the lymphatic system to other organs).
We immediately started radiation therapy on the brain as well as the lytic lesions. After two weeks of treatment the following Monday we started her first round of Chemotherapy. She was in such great shape compared to other older patients who typically receive this diagnosis that the doctor felt comfortable giving her a higher dosage for better results. She was given two chemotherapy drugs (Carboplatin + Altima) as well as an immunotherapy drug (Keytruda). As it is intended to do they wipe out her red and white blood cells bringing her immune system to its lowest point before allowing the body to replenish itself.
Unfortunately though, during this low point of chemo (Called Nadir) she developed pnemonia because the cancer grew to block off an air way in the lung that trapped bacteria (Normally removed naturally by mucus). This developed into Pleurisy which is incredibly painful as the lining of the lungs gets inflamed and swollen. This developed into Pleural Effusions which equates to water on the outside of the lungs (Which was drained). She also had a bat with Staff infection which she beat after a week of antibiotics. Upon a few scans they found the radiation treatment from earlier to be successful as it was shrinking all forms of tumors.
Over these next few weeks of her trying to recover the cancer spread aggressively in her lungs, developed on the Adrenal glands, as well as microtumors across the Liver which also could have been affecting her appetite. Chemo and radiation in general lessen your appetite and make it to where you just can't eat. We got her back in the hospital where they gave her nutrition IVs, Fluid IVs, Steroids, Blood transfusion to assist her red blood count levels, and pain IVs. We were all hopeful this past week, even the doctor, that she would regain her energy once she got her nutrition back in check and be out of the hospital by the end of the week. The goal was to get back up and healthy again for the next round of chemo.
On Tuesday she began to feel better and was back talking with us and laughing. Later that evening her oxygen levels dropped, so they had to put her on more heavy duty breathing machines which she did not like. Over the next few days her bodies ability to absorb oxygen into the blood stream declined. Her parents Michael and Deanna Timmons drove up from Florida, and we called in friends and family to be with her. We had a mini party in her room with upwards of 25-30 people at a time. She was surrounded by family and friends till the very end.
MEMORIAL TRAVELS:
Mom and I were travel buddies, we have traversed the entirety of the Caribbean together, all over the states, and even backpacked across Europe (UK, France, Germany, Austria, Italy). Her love of traveling was definitely passed on to me and I plan on taking her with me on my trips to spread her ashes on different beaches across the world (New Zealand, Greece, Amalfi Coast, Bora Bora, Angor Wat, Thailand, Japan, to name a few). I really wish we could have taken that last trip together, but this is the next best thing and I think she would love the idea.
SUPPORT:
There is power in numbers so I plan on sharing this with everyone on my social media platforms, feel free to do the same. Whether you have extra funds to help out or not I just want to thank all of you who have sent us kind words of love and support, offered us meals, went out of your way to help her out over the last two months to try and make her comfortable as she bravely fought this. She was loved by many and touched many lives whether she realized it or not. There won't be a day that goes by that I won't think about her and I know the same is true for many of you.
On behalf of the Timmons family and friends thank you for everything.
INTENT:
We are finalizing funeral expenses and will be updating you through social media soon. Funeral homes require expenses paid in full upfront before they can proceed so I thought I'd start this tribute to her memorial as soon as possible for those interested in helping out. I do not have the money to pay for this large expense myself, any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
These funds will be used for the following:
- Viewing (night before)
- Funeral Service
- Celebration of Life (directly after service)
- Cremation and Urn
- Miscellaneous Expenses (Rental casket, Stationary, Flowers and Memorial services, Obituary, Transport, State paperwork)
LAST COUPLE MONTHS:
I just want to share a couple stories about the kind of person she was as she faced this terrifying experience. If you've ever seen the effects of cancer treatment you know how hard it can be on the body and how it wipes you out more than you would ever think possible. She was such a strong and driven woman, and still did her best to remain hopeful, and never lost her sense of humor.
I remember dealing with financial advisers and nurses and her making them laugh on a regular basis. But my favorite story of her hospital visits is this past Tuesday when she started to regain her energy and talking again. Kimberly, her boyfriend Phillip Savage (Who helped me take care of her these last couple months, he was beyond helpful), and I were in her room watching a movie together. A nurse came in to introduce herself talking very loudly said "HOW WE DOING KIM?" and mom tilted her head over towards her and yelled "OHHH I'M GOOOOD", which was absolutely hilarious. Later on that day, the nurse was giving her pain medication and she started shaking all over pretending to have a seizure, to which she looked at me with a grin letting me know she was faking it and we started cracking up laughing (The nurse was about to freak out). I just love that she did her best to stay positive even though she was faced with terrible circumstances.
Our goal was after three rounds of chemo / immunotherapy to pause treatment and take a trip to New Zealand or Australia to spend time together. We were hoping to get in contact with Make-A-Wish foundation to see if that was an option but it all happened too fast.
ABOUT KIMBERLY:
If you ever got the privilege of meeting her, you know she ALWAYS kept busy and had dozens of projects she was working on at any given time. She would always say "I have 10,001 things to do" and follow that up with "I'm not gonna make it!". And my goodness her lists, she had thousands of them hahaha. Growing up my friends were scared to come over because she would give them chores to do.
For those who had regular conversations with her or even if it was a stranger in passing, I am sorry to say she probably started talking about me for which I deeply apologize. She sacrificed everything for me and is the epitome of an incredible loving mother. She raised me by herself all the while keeping 2-3 jobs her entire life. She was the hardest working person you ever met and very clever with money. She was an expert at finding good deals and was the coupon queen, so much that CVS often owed her money at checkout. She was not given an easy life but she found a way to overcome and thrive in each situation as she was incredibly resilient and smart. Did I mention she was strikingly beautiful? She had guys lining up out the door to date her.
Her Jobs include the following:
- Manager of an autobody shop
- Manager of retail store
- Bartender at the very first AppleBee's
- Box truck candy / chip delivery driver (This was my favorite because she took me with her and I could eat candy in the back)
- Waitress at Red Lobster
- Travel Agent (After working for Travel Agency she broke off and started her own business Travel By Kim)
- Painter (Helped start a painting business)
- Landlord
- Insurance Agent
- Chauffeur Limo driver (Limos, Passenger Vans, Million Dollar buses)
INTERESTS AND HOBBIES:
Against all reasoning and logic she was a huge Nascar fan. I dreaded Sunday's when that boring race was on all afternoon or qualifications the day before and she loved going to the track as well. Growing up, her mother Kay also loved racing, so they shared that in common. Her favorite driver was Jeff Gordon and she even got to meet him. As a professional limo driver she got to meet many famous people like MC Hammer, Jerry Seinfeld, NFL players, racecar drivers and owners, and high-up corporate executives often.
She loved craft fairs and garage sales. Growing up we would be out in the garage making crafts to sell each winter (This is where I get my love of woodworking from).
Hosting parties, especially super bowl parties were her forte. I'd imagine several of her friends and work colleagues can attest to this. She threw some pretty epic graduation and birthday parties too. I carry on her tradition with 4th of July and Halloween parties. Speaking of Halloween, every year growing up we would tear up the front yard to drive posts in the ground and span tarps between them to make haunted houses. Neighbors would come and help out, we built coffins, had rigs in trees, cool light displays, etc. and everyone around town flocked to our house each year.
She owned a campsite at Raccoon Lake where she had a pontoon boat, and a golf cart that we liked to take on trails through the woods. Her boat gave her more trouble than it was worth but she loved being out on the water nonetheless. Every other weekend in the summer and fall she would be out there with her friends.
But by far she loved traveling the most. Anywhere she could find a nice sunny beach to get a good tan. As a travel agent she scored excellent deals and went on 10+ cruises for fractions of the price. She took me to Europe as a graduation present where she planned the whole trip for 25 days, it was amazing and unforgettable.
DIAGNOSIS DETAILS:
Upon the initial diagnosis it had already spread to the brain (1" tumor and micro tumors behind her skull), lytic lesions on her left femur and hip bone. The cancer in the lung had a large 2.5" mass in the left lung which had started to spread to the right lung crossing two lymph nodes (This is how it spread through the lymphatic system to other organs).
We immediately started radiation therapy on the brain as well as the lytic lesions. After two weeks of treatment the following Monday we started her first round of Chemotherapy. She was in such great shape compared to other older patients who typically receive this diagnosis that the doctor felt comfortable giving her a higher dosage for better results. She was given two chemotherapy drugs (Carboplatin + Altima) as well as an immunotherapy drug (Keytruda). As it is intended to do they wipe out her red and white blood cells bringing her immune system to its lowest point before allowing the body to replenish itself.
Unfortunately though, during this low point of chemo (Called Nadir) she developed pnemonia because the cancer grew to block off an air way in the lung that trapped bacteria (Normally removed naturally by mucus). This developed into Pleurisy which is incredibly painful as the lining of the lungs gets inflamed and swollen. This developed into Pleural Effusions which equates to water on the outside of the lungs (Which was drained). She also had a bat with Staff infection which she beat after a week of antibiotics. Upon a few scans they found the radiation treatment from earlier to be successful as it was shrinking all forms of tumors.
Over these next few weeks of her trying to recover the cancer spread aggressively in her lungs, developed on the Adrenal glands, as well as microtumors across the Liver which also could have been affecting her appetite. Chemo and radiation in general lessen your appetite and make it to where you just can't eat. We got her back in the hospital where they gave her nutrition IVs, Fluid IVs, Steroids, Blood transfusion to assist her red blood count levels, and pain IVs. We were all hopeful this past week, even the doctor, that she would regain her energy once she got her nutrition back in check and be out of the hospital by the end of the week. The goal was to get back up and healthy again for the next round of chemo.
On Tuesday she began to feel better and was back talking with us and laughing. Later that evening her oxygen levels dropped, so they had to put her on more heavy duty breathing machines which she did not like. Over the next few days her bodies ability to absorb oxygen into the blood stream declined. Her parents Michael and Deanna Timmons drove up from Florida, and we called in friends and family to be with her. We had a mini party in her room with upwards of 25-30 people at a time. She was surrounded by family and friends till the very end.
MEMORIAL TRAVELS:
Mom and I were travel buddies, we have traversed the entirety of the Caribbean together, all over the states, and even backpacked across Europe (UK, France, Germany, Austria, Italy). Her love of traveling was definitely passed on to me and I plan on taking her with me on my trips to spread her ashes on different beaches across the world (New Zealand, Greece, Amalfi Coast, Bora Bora, Angor Wat, Thailand, Japan, to name a few). I really wish we could have taken that last trip together, but this is the next best thing and I think she would love the idea.
SUPPORT:
There is power in numbers so I plan on sharing this with everyone on my social media platforms, feel free to do the same. Whether you have extra funds to help out or not I just want to thank all of you who have sent us kind words of love and support, offered us meals, went out of your way to help her out over the last two months to try and make her comfortable as she bravely fought this. She was loved by many and touched many lives whether she realized it or not. There won't be a day that goes by that I won't think about her and I know the same is true for many of you.
On behalf of the Timmons family and friends thank you for everything.
Organizer
Kourtney Timmons
Organizer
Indianapolis, IN
