Kris Strand's Family Thanks you So Much

Update: Kristine Strand passed peacefully at her home on this Easter morning.

There is sadness for this loss and also tremendous relief she is no longer in pain. She is free and in her true beauty, her soul. That’s what made her Kris. Her very special soul. I invite us to smile at something beautiful today, laugh at something funny (belly laughs are bonus points), and remember we are so much more than only this life, these humans. She’s gone, yes. But she’s here in our hearts. Meet her there.

Thank you again for your generous donations and beautiful messages.

Update April 19: Thank you so much for all of the loving messages and caring we’ve received. It is so touching to know how much love there is for Kris and for our family. 

Kris’ eventual passing is getting closer. The hospice nurse was called yesterday due to her lower oxygen levels, labored breathing and chest pressure. The nurse told the family that Kris is likely now in the active process of transitioning. The new protocol of pain meds is underway, supporting this next part of Kris’ process and keeping her as comfortable and calm as possible. 

We are seeing less and less of the Kris we know and that is hard. Last week we had at least occasional moments of conversations, laughs and affection. It’s much less each day. 

She is able to rest often, thankfully, and we try and stay calm, reassuring and loving for her, for ourselves and each other. For those of you also feeling the heartache of this world losing the love and brightness of Kris’, please join us in this loving calm. Please consider the possibility that we are more than our bodies. We are more than our lives. We are timeless beings, capable of being in personal connection with the timeless, compassionate energy many call God. Not just after our death. But in our lives.

Kris embodied these ideas. And others felt it. She made it real, without effort.

The God Kris knows isn’t only in a certain building nor only found in a certain book. The God we know is in nature, in animals, in music, in the kindness of humanity, in the love, humor and wisdom that Kris is, and will always be. She just doesn’t need her bodysuit to be that any longer. As she lets go of her Kris, her spirit is free to be anywhere, everywhere that love is welcome. I know I’ll be allowing her love to reach me in every horse and hummingbird I see, every purple iris along my path, every 90’s hip hop song I hear, every joyful giggle I feel and any where else I allow it in. 

I will keep you posted on her remaining journey as her Kris.

Thank you again for your generous donations. When we decided a private nurse was needed, the monies were there. As we had chats earlier with Kris about her Celebration of Life, the funds are now available. The medical bills now coming in are not causing stress. The eventual arrangements for her upon passing, the loss of a full time income, the donation to a horse rescue and the animal shelter, are met with your love. Thank you for your donations.

Original post: My amazing sister, Kristine Strand, and her family could use your help and well wishes at this time. Kris was at work as usual on March 8th, working full-time at UW Northwest as a mammogram technologist. She had some swelling in her abdomen that became severe enough to prompt an ER visit on Sunday March 9th. By the first hours of March 10th, she learned the horrible news that she has late stage cancers in her pancreas, liver and lungs. She went home to start hospice two days later. The family is trying to get their bearings, prioritizing getting to Seattle to spend time with Kris, supporting each other and knowing a huge loss is approaching. Kris is my older sister, 57 yrs old, and being taken far too soon. She is an incredible wife, daughter, sister, auntie, niece, friend, co-worker and devoted and loving mother to Derrace (33) and Kameryn (23), a caring grandmother to Devyn (2) and was so excited to meet her new grandson expected in September. It is most likely that she will meet her grandson before we do, in the heavens. The void she will leave is almost unbearable to consider. Kris is deeply spiritual, wise and soulful. I’ve known her to be this way my whole life. She is kind, beautiful inside and out, witty, intelligent and quick to help others, including animals. When Kris’ love and attention are on you, there is nothing like the light you feel. To me, that light is through her, straight from God. Kris’ lifelong, personal faith and soulfulness is shining, even throughout this. She expressed that she is not worried about herself, but for her family. As through her life, she is a source of strength, courage and humor. This GoFundMe is being created to help ease the burden of her family, allowing them to focus on spending these precious days together without the added stress of medical bills, loss of income, end of life arrangements and services and providing some loving support for her family after her passing. Thank you for donating if you are led. Every donation is appreciated and will go directly toward helping Kris and her family with the challenges ahead. As an avid animal lover, Kris has also expressed that she’d like a portion of donations to go to a Seattle area Horse Rescue and also the Everett Animal Shelter. Thank you for sharing this communication with others who know and love Kris, or who may be moved to support a family going through an incredibly difficult time. Your prayers, love, and kind words are also welcomed. We feel them - thank you so much. I cannot imagine my life, or life, without Kris in it. But she is showing us it is ok, that this isn’t the end, and that our love and the light of God is forever.

With all our hearts,

Jill (Strand) Feeler on behalf of Kris’ Family