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To bury my 20 year old daughter

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My name is Carole Niemietz and my husband Bruce and I are in shock and grieving greatly (along with our 16 & 17 year old daughters) as our oldest daughter, Nicole, who just turned 20 years old in Sept, passed away very suddenly before our eyes this past Thursday, Nov 3 of a heart attack in our dining room. Nicole was diagnosed in Sept by her heart doctor as having an Arrythmia (abnormal heart beat), along with the bad valve that he had been treating her for since she was 8 years old. Her doctor always said that it wasn't a question of "if" she'd need open heart surgery, but "when", until about 5 years ago when he told us that it was a miracle, her heart had stopped growing (it was getting too big) and her valve had started working better on its own, she wouldn't need surgery. Nicole was so happy (so were me and her father). But then on her regular heart checkup this past Sept, the doctor heard irregularities with her heart as he checked her with a stethescope and became very alarmed and said he was very concerned because there was a chance she could have a heart attack at any moment! He ordered some tests to be done (MRI, etc) which she did, it showed her heart had grown bigger than they'd imagined. She was scheduled to have an "EP study" done of her heart on Weds Nov 9, but instead of that, we are to bury her. Her doctor had a discussion with several other heart experts about Nicole on Thursday morning, he called me at 3:41pm to tell us that they had determined Nicole would most likely need open heart surgery, and not the more "simple" fix that Nicole had researched online about a hospital in Cleveland that could put a "clip" on her valve and solve the problem without doing open heart surgery. I got off the phone with the doctor, told Nicole what he'd said, she started tearing up and crying when I said she would have to have open heart surgery if it came down to it and not the easier valve clip fix in Cleveland. No sooner had I told her that, that she went into the dining room crying, we heard a crash and went in there and she was dying of a heart attack on the floor (it was 3:43pm)! She was gone within 2 min of the doctor calling. Her dad and I tried CPR, I called 911 twice, it took almost 15 min before 4 ambulances and about 5 sheriff cars came to the house, but she was gone. They took her to the hospital where she was pronounced dead, her heart never restarted. We just can't believe it! Agony is not the word, I never knew what it meant to lose a child, now I know, but I hope no one else ever does. Nicole was so vibrant and full of life, she never let her heart condition keep her down. She loved riding her horse, Riggin. She loved drawing horses (she was absolutely wonderful! she could even draw people really well), she loved her music (she was into old Rock & Roll as well some '80s bands. Big Star, Tora Tora, Cheap Trick, Alice & Chains and L.A. Guns were some of her favorites). She also loved children, she worked at the local Catholic school as a PreSchool teachers aid from age 13 to 15. I had home schooled Nicole. It took Nicole a few years, but she saved up enough money to buy 2 muscle cars ~ a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado ($2000) and a 1979 Camaro ($500). She worked on the Toronado and got it nice enough to win a Best in Class trophy at the 4 day Ducktail Run HotRod & Custom car show in Gas City, IN in Sept. She was so proud of that! She was starting to restore the '79 Camaro, and couldn't wait to finish it, she got a few parts off of eBay for it recently. She was such a smart young lady and knew just what she wanted. Everybody in our town where we would go to (Walmart, Goodwill, the antique stores) knew of Nicole as she always wore 1940s and 1950s clothes and hair styles (she did her hair herself and bought the clothes for bargain prices). Nicole really did march to the beat of a different drummer. She will be greatly missed by everyone who knew of her. My husband and I are not prepared to bury Nicole as we have very little money and Bruce was out of steady work for over 7 years, prior to getting a job just over a year ago. We definitely live from check to check, so we have no savings. We went to one mortuary yesterday and it was so expensive that they referred us to a cheaper one around the corner, but even that one is just over $6000 and they want the money, all of it, tomorrow (Monday Nov 7) before they will bury our beloved daughter Nicole. This money is for the mortuary and the casket. We had enough money to buy a plot at the local cemetary, but that is all. This money does not cover the headstone, but we will worry about that later, we just want to bury our daughter right now. We would be eternally grateful to you if you could help us bury our Nicole. God Bless you all, and I will be so relieved when we can pay the mortuary so they can take Nicole, a stone will be partially lifted off our hearts. Thank you in advance wholeheartedly for your kindness in our sad state of affairs. I know that Nicole is up with Jesus now, but it is a small consolation as we miss her soooo much. <3
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Donations 

  • Hollywood Slim
    • $40 
    • 7 yrs
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Organizer

Carole Nimitz
Organizer
Marion, IN

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