Hello friends,
There will be a memorial gathering for Quinny Sunday June 29, at New Comer Funeral Home, 2636 Ridgeway Ave. 14626. Her obituary is now posted on their web site with all the information. www.newcomerrochester.com/obituaries.aspx
If you have been reading along, you may remember Quinny had a request for this service. She asked that we all bring some sort of piggy. It could be a bank or keychain, or anything creatively piggy to the service. She asked that we attach a $5 bill to it. All the piggies and all the cash will be collected and donated to one of her favorite charitable organizations, The Four-legged Friends Animal Adoptions, Inc. I have been in contact with their president, and they plan to find a way to creatively use our piggy donations to raise even more donations in Quinny's name.
Thank you all for your continued outpouring of love and support. I hope to see you on Sunday.
Scott
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Rest In Peace, Dear Catherine
To everyone,
Catherine passed away quietly this morning at 10:52. I was at her side, and I can tell you that she left the way she was hoping it would go. She looked absolutely beautiful when I arrived this morning just before 8:00am. The staff had given her an early morning bath. She was laying comfortably in crisp clean white sheets. She looked as though she was taking a pleasant nap.
As the morning went on, her breath began to slow down until almost imperceptibly it stopped. Our courageous friend is completely at peace now. She loved me the rest of her life, and now I will love her the rest of mine.
Scott
P.S. We are making arrangements this afternoon for calling hours, and I will post another blog with the details as soon as we have them set. Thank you all for your wonderful support.
Catherine passed away quietly this morning at 10:52. I was at her side, and I can tell you that she left the way she was hoping it would go. She looked absolutely beautiful when I arrived this morning just before 8:00am. The staff had given her an early morning bath. She was laying comfortably in crisp clean white sheets. She looked as though she was taking a pleasant nap.
As the morning went on, her breath began to slow down until almost imperceptibly it stopped. Our courageous friend is completely at peace now. She loved me the rest of her life, and now I will love her the rest of mine.
Scott
P.S. We are making arrangements this afternoon for calling hours, and I will post another blog with the details as soon as we have them set. Thank you all for your wonderful support.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
June 23 part II
I FOUND IT, I FOUND IT! I told you there was a part II!
Hello everyone.
I thought I would give you an update on the expectations for Quinny. They have changed somewhat since this morning. The nurses I spoke to last night and this morning gave me the idea that she would be passing quickly. I certainly thought so too. Dr. Cheryl came in mid morning and said that it is possible for her to go at any time, but it is her opinion that, given her age and strong heart, she thinks Q will stay another 2-3 weeks. That is unless of course, something goes wrong with her brain (there is much speculation that the cancer has traveled to her brain, thus causing the violent seizures last night). She said the brain controls everything. If that goes, it all goes. So there you have it. She will either die really quickly, or not very quickly, or somewhere in between. She will also either regain her awareness or not. I think if Q were writing this blog, she would initiate a very morbid pool, but I'm not going there.
I let the doc know, and anyone who will listen to me know, that Q's wishes would be to go quickly and without waking up. If she wakes up, she will be pissed. They continue to be very attentive. She looks very comfortable. It is my hope she stays in this peaceful condition the rest of her life. However long that may be.
If Q were writing this, you would have heard about the fun stuff by now. Let me take a shot at it, but remember, ya get what you pay for from the blog substitute. If this was a fourth grade class, you guys would be pinging me in the back of the head with erasers by now!
Friday was the final poker night. We had a spirited table of seven. I think the highlight was when Quinny broke out a bottle of Goldschlager. Damn that was good! We all did a tasty shot in her honor. That was followed by everyone's most embarrassing "I got so drunk....." story. I won't repeat any of them here, but let's just say there was a yellow stream theme. And the winner.......the all time champion is yours truly, Baby Doll. Somehow I had the most chips at the end. Pocket sevens with only three people left tends to make me a pretty good player. Then I took my money and split. I'm told that after I left, four hearty soles stayed and played an epic game of euchre. Toby and Quinny were the champs in that battle. Quinny had a great time with a great bunch of people.
Saturday was a strange 2fer for us. Usually Quinny is the hostess with the mostess. We all know how she can put together a whale of a get together. She rocks at that sort of thing, and I believe doing so has extended her life. Well, Saturday we were the guests at two different friends homes. We went to visit Lou and Diana in the afternoon. Lou is (now pay attention) my niece's father- in -law. Lou and Cathy hit it off one day while at one of my family gatherings. Lou is a cancer survivor, and the two of them have had a lot to chat about via e-mail. He has a home in Ontario with a gorgeous back yard. After touring that, he took us to a neat little antique shop where Cathy found some items she couldn't resist. As we parted, Diana gave Cathy a Women's Bible with with some special verses bookmarked. We enjoyed our visit, and Cathy was truly touched with their thoughtfulness.... After a nap, it was off to Toby and Pamela's house. We got the grand tour of their house and got to see all the work they have done to it. From there Cathy and I went outside while Toby and Pamela put together a delicious dinner. The orderves were fantastic, and Toby grilled up some mighty fine sausage. I hope they invite me back (hint hint). After we ate, we had fun playing ladder ball. After we played ladder ball, we read the directions on how to play ladder ball. We were both impressed with their home and their hospitality. If Q were writing this, she would tell Toby the only thing missing is an oven for Pamela! But I'm not going there. It was just a great day for both of us.
Okay, so I started this post Monday afternoon, and just finished the last couple sentences here on Tuesday morning. I am once again spending the day with Q. There has been no real change for her since yesterday. The nurses told me she had a peaceful night, while I went to her place and did the same. I brought with me some comfort items to make her a little more at home. I brought a blanket. I brought the teddy bear she loves, and I brought the big sunflower ballon T bought her. I have to say Quinny looks great! This chick knows how to rock cute, even in hospice! I don't know how she does it, but she manages to fill this place with her awesome personality. She is the best!
Hello everyone.
I thought I would give you an update on the expectations for Quinny. They have changed somewhat since this morning. The nurses I spoke to last night and this morning gave me the idea that she would be passing quickly. I certainly thought so too. Dr. Cheryl came in mid morning and said that it is possible for her to go at any time, but it is her opinion that, given her age and strong heart, she thinks Q will stay another 2-3 weeks. That is unless of course, something goes wrong with her brain (there is much speculation that the cancer has traveled to her brain, thus causing the violent seizures last night). She said the brain controls everything. If that goes, it all goes. So there you have it. She will either die really quickly, or not very quickly, or somewhere in between. She will also either regain her awareness or not. I think if Q were writing this blog, she would initiate a very morbid pool, but I'm not going there.
I let the doc know, and anyone who will listen to me know, that Q's wishes would be to go quickly and without waking up. If she wakes up, she will be pissed. They continue to be very attentive. She looks very comfortable. It is my hope she stays in this peaceful condition the rest of her life. However long that may be.
If Q were writing this, you would have heard about the fun stuff by now. Let me take a shot at it, but remember, ya get what you pay for from the blog substitute. If this was a fourth grade class, you guys would be pinging me in the back of the head with erasers by now!
Friday was the final poker night. We had a spirited table of seven. I think the highlight was when Quinny broke out a bottle of Goldschlager. Damn that was good! We all did a tasty shot in her honor. That was followed by everyone's most embarrassing "I got so drunk....." story. I won't repeat any of them here, but let's just say there was a yellow stream theme. And the winner.......the all time champion is yours truly, Baby Doll. Somehow I had the most chips at the end. Pocket sevens with only three people left tends to make me a pretty good player. Then I took my money and split. I'm told that after I left, four hearty soles stayed and played an epic game of euchre. Toby and Quinny were the champs in that battle. Quinny had a great time with a great bunch of people.
Saturday was a strange 2fer for us. Usually Quinny is the hostess with the mostess. We all know how she can put together a whale of a get together. She rocks at that sort of thing, and I believe doing so has extended her life. Well, Saturday we were the guests at two different friends homes. We went to visit Lou and Diana in the afternoon. Lou is (now pay attention) my niece's father- in -law. Lou and Cathy hit it off one day while at one of my family gatherings. Lou is a cancer survivor, and the two of them have had a lot to chat about via e-mail. He has a home in Ontario with a gorgeous back yard. After touring that, he took us to a neat little antique shop where Cathy found some items she couldn't resist. As we parted, Diana gave Cathy a Women's Bible with with some special verses bookmarked. We enjoyed our visit, and Cathy was truly touched with their thoughtfulness.... After a nap, it was off to Toby and Pamela's house. We got the grand tour of their house and got to see all the work they have done to it. From there Cathy and I went outside while Toby and Pamela put together a delicious dinner. The orderves were fantastic, and Toby grilled up some mighty fine sausage. I hope they invite me back (hint hint). After we ate, we had fun playing ladder ball. After we played ladder ball, we read the directions on how to play ladder ball. We were both impressed with their home and their hospitality. If Q were writing this, she would tell Toby the only thing missing is an oven for Pamela! But I'm not going there. It was just a great day for both of us.
Okay, so I started this post Monday afternoon, and just finished the last couple sentences here on Tuesday morning. I am once again spending the day with Q. There has been no real change for her since yesterday. The nurses told me she had a peaceful night, while I went to her place and did the same. I brought with me some comfort items to make her a little more at home. I brought a blanket. I brought the teddy bear she loves, and I brought the big sunflower ballon T bought her. I have to say Quinny looks great! This chick knows how to rock cute, even in hospice! I don't know how she does it, but she manages to fill this place with her awesome personality. She is the best!
Monday, June 23, 2014
June 23 part III
First off, you may be wondering where is part II. So am I!!!! I just spent hours typing up a blog filled with all kinds of interesting content and poof..........it has disappeared, it's gone, bye bye.......I am NOT happy.
I will just give you the most important info. I want you all to know Cathy is resting comfortably. I talk to her throughout the day, and I pass along all the love I'm getting from all of you. I'm sure she hears it some how,I know it makes a difference. The only real change is the expectations. Last night, and this morning I got the idea that she only had a very short time. Late this morning I had a long talk with the doctor here. She said that it is possible something could happen quickly, but in her opinion Cathy may be here for 2-3 weeks. She reasoned that in spite of the cancer, Cathy is young and has a strong heart. Even when you consider that she has stopped taking any nourishment, 2-3 weeks is her guess. She qualified that with this. She said that if the cancer has spread to her brain, then it could happen at any time. She said that the brain controls everything, and If it goes, everything goes. There is a presumption that it has reached her brain, and that is what caused the violent seizures yesterday. So, what we are left with is a whole lot of guess work. I continue to hope the end will come quick for her. More importantly, I hope she remains unaware and peaceful the rest of her life, however long that may be.
Scott
I will just give you the most important info. I want you all to know Cathy is resting comfortably. I talk to her throughout the day, and I pass along all the love I'm getting from all of you. I'm sure she hears it some how,I know it makes a difference. The only real change is the expectations. Last night, and this morning I got the idea that she only had a very short time. Late this morning I had a long talk with the doctor here. She said that it is possible something could happen quickly, but in her opinion Cathy may be here for 2-3 weeks. She reasoned that in spite of the cancer, Cathy is young and has a strong heart. Even when you consider that she has stopped taking any nourishment, 2-3 weeks is her guess. She qualified that with this. She said that if the cancer has spread to her brain, then it could happen at any time. She said that the brain controls everything, and If it goes, everything goes. There is a presumption that it has reached her brain, and that is what caused the violent seizures yesterday. So, what we are left with is a whole lot of guess work. I continue to hope the end will come quick for her. More importantly, I hope she remains unaware and peaceful the rest of her life, however long that may be.
Scott
June 23
Hello folks, this is Scott.
As you know, today is the first day Quinny planned to stop eating. As it turns out, she got a bit of a head start on that yesterday. Yesterday was her free for all day to have any and all peeps over to say their good byes. She planned on doing a last blog of her own (sort of a bonus blog), and she was going to make a final dinner for anyone who was there at the time. Her body and her health had different plans. Sammy was visiting with her in the afternoon when things took turn for the worse. Sammy told me Cathy was not having a good day. She was not up to blogging or cooking. There came a point when Cathy became disoriented and lost the ability to communicate. Sammy was concerned and called me. These symptoms were new to me, and I beat it over there as quick as I could. Sometimes a fast car is a necessity. While I was on route, Sammy contacted hospice for some advice. By the time I got there Sammy had Cathy in bed, and she had hospice on the phone. Cathy was completely unresponsive to me. Almost immediately she began having some sort of seizure where her whole entire body was flailing around. I later learned these are called grand mal seizures. Sammy asked that a nurse come to the house to assist us. Sue, the nurse (who is a terrific lady by the way) was on her way, but it would take her longer than we imagined. Cathy continued to have on again off again seizures where the on agains got longer, and the off agains got shorter. I honestly thought she was about to die right then and there. Sammy and I would hold her and tell her we loved her throughout. When nurse Sue arrived she phoned a doctor who recommended we give her 2mg of Lorazepam to ease the seizures. That did the trick. Sue counseled us on the care Quinny would need. It was more than I could provide for her at home. Ultimately, I got her checked in at the Hildebrandt Hospice Care Center last night. I am here at her side as I type this. I was hesitant to take her out of the home she loves so much, but now that we are here I'm glad I did. Cathy has not been responsive since before I showed up yesterday. It's impossible to tell if she has any awareness of where she is, but I'm confident that if she does understand, she is glad to be here. It is a beautiful facility with an outstanding staff. They make her light years more comfortable than I could at home. It also allows me the opportunity to just be with her, and not try to be her nurse. They are showing to be very capable professionals, and Cathy deserves the very best care.
The expectations here are that Cathy is not likely to regain any awareness, and will pass fairly soon. This is what Cathy would want. She has told me repeatedly that she would just like to go to sleep and not wake up. I can tell you there have been a couple of mornings that she woke up, and was disappointed that she did. I should have a visit from the Doctor soon. I intend to communicate Cathy's wishes for a comfortable and peaceful end.
That's all I have for now. Thank you everyone for all the love and warmth. I will keep you posted.
Scott.
As you know, today is the first day Quinny planned to stop eating. As it turns out, she got a bit of a head start on that yesterday. Yesterday was her free for all day to have any and all peeps over to say their good byes. She planned on doing a last blog of her own (sort of a bonus blog), and she was going to make a final dinner for anyone who was there at the time. Her body and her health had different plans. Sammy was visiting with her in the afternoon when things took turn for the worse. Sammy told me Cathy was not having a good day. She was not up to blogging or cooking. There came a point when Cathy became disoriented and lost the ability to communicate. Sammy was concerned and called me. These symptoms were new to me, and I beat it over there as quick as I could. Sometimes a fast car is a necessity. While I was on route, Sammy contacted hospice for some advice. By the time I got there Sammy had Cathy in bed, and she had hospice on the phone. Cathy was completely unresponsive to me. Almost immediately she began having some sort of seizure where her whole entire body was flailing around. I later learned these are called grand mal seizures. Sammy asked that a nurse come to the house to assist us. Sue, the nurse (who is a terrific lady by the way) was on her way, but it would take her longer than we imagined. Cathy continued to have on again off again seizures where the on agains got longer, and the off agains got shorter. I honestly thought she was about to die right then and there. Sammy and I would hold her and tell her we loved her throughout. When nurse Sue arrived she phoned a doctor who recommended we give her 2mg of Lorazepam to ease the seizures. That did the trick. Sue counseled us on the care Quinny would need. It was more than I could provide for her at home. Ultimately, I got her checked in at the Hildebrandt Hospice Care Center last night. I am here at her side as I type this. I was hesitant to take her out of the home she loves so much, but now that we are here I'm glad I did. Cathy has not been responsive since before I showed up yesterday. It's impossible to tell if she has any awareness of where she is, but I'm confident that if she does understand, she is glad to be here. It is a beautiful facility with an outstanding staff. They make her light years more comfortable than I could at home. It also allows me the opportunity to just be with her, and not try to be her nurse. They are showing to be very capable professionals, and Cathy deserves the very best care.
The expectations here are that Cathy is not likely to regain any awareness, and will pass fairly soon. This is what Cathy would want. She has told me repeatedly that she would just like to go to sleep and not wake up. I can tell you there have been a couple of mornings that she woke up, and was disappointed that she did. I should have a visit from the Doctor soon. I intend to communicate Cathy's wishes for a comfortable and peaceful end.
That's all I have for now. Thank you everyone for all the love and warmth. I will keep you posted.
Scott.
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Memorial Service deets
I was recently told that people sometimes bring stuff to a Memorial Service and was asked what I would like. Flowers, balloons, wine, donations. So, I gave it some thought. If you feel like participating in something silly but useful, here is what I would like to see. I want everyone to bring a pig to my service. Yep, you heard me, a pig. Okay, not a real pig. A piggy bank, a piggy keychain, a piggy wine stopper. I don't care what form he takes, just bring him. And somehow, attach a $5 bill to him. I would like to see my service filled with incredibly cute piggies flaunting a little cash. Fun?? I think so! After the service, piggy and cash will be donated to Four Legged Friends here in Rochester. I think. I just contacted them to see if they would be interested in this. I would think yes but I've been known to be wrong. Really. ;-P Anyway, a local animal charity will benefit from us being silly together and that's what counts. What do you think? Are you in?
Sunday is free for all visiting day
Just a quick head's up, I'm staying home tomorrow, blogging, catching up e-mail, and whatever. Tomorrow is the day that anyone who wants one last goodbye hug is welcome to stop by. I picture myself spread out on the couch with hot young foreign guys surrounding me, fanning me with palm fronds, holding grapes although not feeding them to me, it's the ambience of the thing, you know...
So, anyone that wants to, can stop by and say hi/goodbye/love you/will miss you/or heck, even if you just want to cuff me up side the head for some reason, you can feel free to do so. I'll be up and decent by 8:00 am. Probably in bed by 11:00 pm.
84 Bleacker Road
Rochester, NY 14609
Cell for texting: 1-585-752-7074
So, anyone that wants to, can stop by and say hi/goodbye/love you/will miss you/or heck, even if you just want to cuff me up side the head for some reason, you can feel free to do so. I'll be up and decent by 8:00 am. Probably in bed by 11:00 pm.
84 Bleacker Road
Rochester, NY 14609
Cell for texting: 1-585-752-7074
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