Help Bring Eddie Home

The only Father figure I've known and my Uncle, Edward Doucette was born on November 10, 1968 and passed away unexpectedly last night on November 5, 2021 five days before his 53rd birthday. He leaves behind his sister, his two nephews, and his great-niece. We normally wouldn't ask for help but we honestly weren't prepared for any of this.

 

He's the fourth person my family has unexpectedly lost in less than two years. My grandmother, his mom, died of Respiratory Failure in March of 2020. My grandfather, his dad, died of a stroke in October of 2020, and my Son, his nephew, died of premature birth/underdeveloped lungs in January of 2021.

 

To say it's been rough would be an understatement. My family is absolutely crushed and trying to process everything that's happened the past 24 hours.

 

Background: 

 

Eddie was transported by ambulance on the 29th of October when he noticed his skin was starting to turn yellow and he couldn't keep anything down. He didn't want us to worry about him while he was in the hospital, and assured us he would be home in no time. We just didn't think we would be scrambling to bring him home before he passed away in the hospital.

 

When he arrived, the hospital did a CT-Scan and discovered he had a pancreatic mass among other lesions. By Wednesday the 3rd, he had a biopsy. The doctor called us yesterday morning on the 5th to discuss his diagnosis as well as prognosis. Stage 4 Adenocarcinoma and he didn't know how long he would have left to live. It could be days, weeks, or months. But he was stable and wanted to see his family.

 

What?

 

We were stunned. With his little sister, my mother, we rushed to the hospital to see him. Before we could make it, his health unexpectedly took a turn for the worst; his mental status became altered and his vitals were declining. It broke us to see him speaking gibberish, and acting out of character when we just spoke with him on the phone the night before and he was completely fine. It didn't feel like real life and the doctor gave him 24-48 hours max to live due to the way he was presenting.

 

We contacted hospice and they refused to help us as they were unable to do intake of him because he deteriorated too quickly. They weren't even going to be able to have a representative for intake until this morning. His breathing pattern was changing and I knew he didn't want to die in a hospital. I worked on getting him home right away. We thankfully managed to get him to my house by 630pm last night and he passed away comfortably around 820pm with all of us by his side. I'd like to give special thanks to Brewster Ambulance Service as well as Beth Israel Boston for helping my family make this happen so we could honor his wishes.

 

Today was another shock when we were contacted by the funeral home who wants us to pay upfront for his cremation and the transport of his body before they proceed with us.

 

We're attempting to raise four thousand dollars to pay them and a thousand dollars to pay a chunk out of his hospital bills that we know will be coming. We are honestly grateful for any help that we can get. Every dollar is one less dollar that my family has to come up with.

 

Eddie was a brilliant man who was a respiratory therapist. He cared about his family beyond belief and would do anything for us. He was the reason I became a paramedic by encouraging my interest in the medical field when I was a kid. He was always there for me and without him I wouldn't be who I am today.

 

Thank you to anyone who took the time to read all of this and extra thank yous to those who are able to share or donate to our fund. We just want to bring him home.