Christlyn McKay: Bury an Angel
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I never envisioned myself creating a gofundme account but here I am. This fund is for a close friend who I started my nursing career with. She was more than a co-worker and a friend, she was my sister. Here's the story..
Christlyn McKay was 46 years young when God decided to give her wings and take her home. Miss Christlyn was in remission from breast cancer in 2014. On September 24th, 2017, she lost her balance at home and passed out. Her boyfriend Percy transported her to the nearest hospital for an evaluation. A series of tests were done to figure out why this happened and that's when she discovered the cancer metastasized to her lungs, bone and brain.
She was a mother of 6, her children's ages range from 29 to 6. She had her first born, Ronald at 17 years old. These two grew up together. He definitely made his Mama grow up a lot faster than she probably wanted to at that age but let me tell you, this boy had his mother's heart! This is when her hustle began. Christlyn put herself through school to become an EMT to support her baby boy. Her motivation and determination to make something of herself did not end there. She later became the aspiring Emergency Room nurse she always wanted to be. Christlyn was a strong, single mother who wanted to set a good example for her son. She exceeded expectations in all aspects of life. She not only taught her son the importance of working hard, she showed him through her own actions on how to be a good person. Family was always her number one. She would give you the shirt off her back.
Once she was diagnosed with metastatic cancer, she REFUSED to give up, she had kids to live for and support. She went through 8 rounds of chemo and radiation which didn't seem to be working . I went to go visit Christlyn on Friday, April 13th on a medical-surgical (non-monitored unit) to see how she was doing. She looked wiped out. For anyone that knew her, she was a vibrant woman that was full of life and sass! She lit up a room when she walked in. She looked at me on that Friday the 13th and told me she was tired.
I showed up to work my normal shift on Thursday, April 19th in the Emergency Room when I received a text from Christlyn's boy friend that said "She's tired, we are in the ICU." I knew instantly it wasn't good considering she was moved to the Intensive Care Unit. I walked over to see her and I was crushed to see a breathing tube down her throat. I gave her kisses and said what I had to say as she laid there on a ventilator. I told her boy friend I would come back to visit her on my lunch break. Ten minutes after I walked back to the ER, the operator overhead paged a "code blue" in her assigned room. My heart dropped and I immediately ran back to her room. Her heart stopped, they ICU team were doing compressions on her chest and did an amazing job at getting her back but I knew from a nursing stand point, it was only a matter of time before her heart stopped again. Let's fast forward a bit.
Early this morning, her son had to make one of the hardest decisions of his life. Ronald was the decision-maker for his mother's care. This is a heavy load for a 29 year old to bare. Christlyn was on 4 medications to sustain life, on a ventilator and at this point there was no sign of neurological function. Ronald told me, not only is he losing his mother, he is losing his best friend. Ronald had twin boys 1 year ago and he was having a hard time with the fact of his kids not being able to know their grand mother. It was then when her baby boy made the most selfless decision of his life. He spoke with the ICU nurse and doctor that were managing her care and decided to withdrawal all the medications that were sustaining her blood pressure and remove the breathing tube. She was given Morphine to keep her comfortable during her transitional process to the other side.
There was a lot of love and family at her bedside when she took her last breath. The sound of her children crying in the hallway of the ICU was heart wrenching. These young kids were asking each other HOW they were going to be able to go through life without their mother. She was the main support system, their life line, their everything! Thank God for the love and support from her family, especially her sister Nunnie and boy friend Percy.
On behalf of Christlyn's children, please consider donating to this memorial fund. The financial burdens are real for this young family that she left behind. The monies received will go directly to help pay for the funeral expenses.
Christlyn McKay was 46 years young when God decided to give her wings and take her home. Miss Christlyn was in remission from breast cancer in 2014. On September 24th, 2017, she lost her balance at home and passed out. Her boyfriend Percy transported her to the nearest hospital for an evaluation. A series of tests were done to figure out why this happened and that's when she discovered the cancer metastasized to her lungs, bone and brain.
She was a mother of 6, her children's ages range from 29 to 6. She had her first born, Ronald at 17 years old. These two grew up together. He definitely made his Mama grow up a lot faster than she probably wanted to at that age but let me tell you, this boy had his mother's heart! This is when her hustle began. Christlyn put herself through school to become an EMT to support her baby boy. Her motivation and determination to make something of herself did not end there. She later became the aspiring Emergency Room nurse she always wanted to be. Christlyn was a strong, single mother who wanted to set a good example for her son. She exceeded expectations in all aspects of life. She not only taught her son the importance of working hard, she showed him through her own actions on how to be a good person. Family was always her number one. She would give you the shirt off her back.
Once she was diagnosed with metastatic cancer, she REFUSED to give up, she had kids to live for and support. She went through 8 rounds of chemo and radiation which didn't seem to be working . I went to go visit Christlyn on Friday, April 13th on a medical-surgical (non-monitored unit) to see how she was doing. She looked wiped out. For anyone that knew her, she was a vibrant woman that was full of life and sass! She lit up a room when she walked in. She looked at me on that Friday the 13th and told me she was tired.
I showed up to work my normal shift on Thursday, April 19th in the Emergency Room when I received a text from Christlyn's boy friend that said "She's tired, we are in the ICU." I knew instantly it wasn't good considering she was moved to the Intensive Care Unit. I walked over to see her and I was crushed to see a breathing tube down her throat. I gave her kisses and said what I had to say as she laid there on a ventilator. I told her boy friend I would come back to visit her on my lunch break. Ten minutes after I walked back to the ER, the operator overhead paged a "code blue" in her assigned room. My heart dropped and I immediately ran back to her room. Her heart stopped, they ICU team were doing compressions on her chest and did an amazing job at getting her back but I knew from a nursing stand point, it was only a matter of time before her heart stopped again. Let's fast forward a bit.
Early this morning, her son had to make one of the hardest decisions of his life. Ronald was the decision-maker for his mother's care. This is a heavy load for a 29 year old to bare. Christlyn was on 4 medications to sustain life, on a ventilator and at this point there was no sign of neurological function. Ronald told me, not only is he losing his mother, he is losing his best friend. Ronald had twin boys 1 year ago and he was having a hard time with the fact of his kids not being able to know their grand mother. It was then when her baby boy made the most selfless decision of his life. He spoke with the ICU nurse and doctor that were managing her care and decided to withdrawal all the medications that were sustaining her blood pressure and remove the breathing tube. She was given Morphine to keep her comfortable during her transitional process to the other side.
There was a lot of love and family at her bedside when she took her last breath. The sound of her children crying in the hallway of the ICU was heart wrenching. These young kids were asking each other HOW they were going to be able to go through life without their mother. She was the main support system, their life line, their everything! Thank God for the love and support from her family, especially her sister Nunnie and boy friend Percy.
On behalf of Christlyn's children, please consider donating to this memorial fund. The financial burdens are real for this young family that she left behind. The monies received will go directly to help pay for the funeral expenses.
Organizer
Serina Corvino
Organizer
Stevenson Ranch, CA
