Deb Update: Saturday July 26th, 2008: 19:00 E.S.T.
As many of you will have read in Amy D's post yesterday, Deb was moved by ambulance to the Tippett House hospice in Needham, MA on Friday. She's being made comfortable in the beautiful countryside surroundings of the former manor house. Deb's family are by her side and are reading the blog postings to her constantly. Today, the funeral of Deb's step-brother took place in Boston. Please spare a thought and a prayer for Dan's family today.
Visiting hours are flexible. Please check the house's website for details and directions.
18 comments:
Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped away into the next room,
I am I and you are you;
Whatever we were to each other, that we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name,
Speak to me in the easy way you always used,
Put no difference in your tone,
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we shared together.
Let my name ever be the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant,
It is the same as it ever was, there is unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner.
All is well.
Is Deb up for visitors? If there are suggested times that are better than others, let us know. Sensitive to the fact that this is a lot to adjust to both for Deb and her family.
Tonight I located some good photographs of Deb and her co-workers from 1997 (aka "The Growdon Group"), when she was getting ready to depart from her job at Mass General Hospital to go to City of Hope in California. Would love to stop by and share them.... They remind me of her contagious energy, enthusiasm, sense of humor, quest for adventure, her love of FOOD.... Got some shots here of her holding up Balance bars and York peppermint patties (i.e. these were some of her going away gifts from the group).
Deb never hesitated to go after what she wanted. I remember her talking about really wanting to live in California. I was so impressed that she just went and DID IT!!!
I was reading some of the blogging comments and saw a reference to "Train Man." Now that really made me laugh. I remember Deb talking a lot about "Train Man," a very nice looking, mysterious gentleman who was often on the same train during her commutes to MGH in Boston.
Sending Beacons,
Bea (Karin)
Deb is currently on Morphine for her discomfort,so subsequently is very sleepy & barely communicative.If she is communicative it is with just a word or two.Most of the time nowm she sleeps or is semicomatose.This is all going so quickly it is hard to beleive.She is still fighting to the end...Tha's my girl!! LOVE YOU DEB.
Deb reminds me a bit of Carol Burnett - tall, thin, funny as hell... I remember that at the end of every Carol Burnett Show, Carol sang the same ending theme song -
I'm so glad we had this time together
Just to have a laugh and sing a song
Seems we just got started and before you know it
Comes the time we have to say, 'So long'
Every moment we have with our friends and loved ones is a gift - not to be wasted thinking of what we'll lose then the time is over, but to be relished for what we can make of it while we're together. Deb makes the most of each moment and has fought to leave a legacy of joy, humor and zest to each of us. How beautifully amazing.
Mollie
Awwwww Geeeez, you really got me with that one Mollie, so true! Love you Debbie!!!!!
Amy D.....I am emailing you some old pictures today that I put on a cd, I will also send the hard copies in the mail if you would like.
Love,
Nikki
Amy D,
I'm sorry I tried sending the pics but forgot the R in your email address, then instead of forwarding the actual emails to you again, I forwarded the error messages to you....I will resend them and I will put NEW in the subject line, please just delete all the other emails you get from me. Sorry!
Thanks,
Nikki
Dear Amy,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. May God bless you and give you the strength you need during this incredibly difficult time.
With Love & Peace, Maryanne and Jane
I don't know Deb or her friends & family personally. I was made aware of Deb's courageous battle through a work prayer chain. There are so many people who don't personally know any of you but who have taken you into their hearts and prayed for you faithfully. Please know that we can't share the walk you have all been on with Deb, our hearts and prayers go out to you. You are all amazing and have given Deb a very special gift in sharing this part of her life journey with her. Bless you all!
I saw Deb's continual strenght at work. Although I don't know the family personally, please just know that I am with you in thoughts and prayers. Just know that Deb is surrounded by angels, whispering softly a tone of profound love and peace.
God Bless you always.
I went to see Deb today (being Monday 28 July). As Diane said she was mostly asleep and I only got a few words from her. She sure is a fighing still. Her had was cold so I was holding it and talking to her. I guess she decided she'd had enough of my hand she gave me an arm wrestle I'm sure not to forget for a long time. I called foul because we didn't get a 1,2,3 go before the battle. I think that got a smile from her.
Love Ya Deb
Well Deb, Apparently California misses you so much the ground is shaking & trembling. 5.8 magnitude and I am working on top of it. Things fell from our ceiling here at work.
Remember when I called you shortly after your first move to CA after a large quake and I asked if you were ok and you told me. "Kim, you woke me up...we had an earthquake?" How you slept through that one is beyond me.
"Death is nothing at all..." That is a beautiful poem. Who wrote it? I would like to use it with the kids in my support group.
If you don't want to post your name would you be willing post the author of the poem? Or a link to the poem.
Thanks!
Kimmie
Kimmie - please see below:
http://skdesigns.com/internet/articles/prose/holland/death/
Thank you. Hugs Kimmie
Hi, We went to see Debbie this afternoon at the Tippett House in MA. What a beautiful location she is in. We heard and told some funny stories with Deb's mom(aren't there always a ton). Debbie was awake for some of our visit. We could tell she knew we were there by the widening of her eyes, some raising of the eyebrows (when she didn't agree with something we said of course) and some hand squeezes. We were glad we got to spend some more time with Deb and her mom and continue to think about and pray for Deb and her family each day.
Amy DiRico and Carrie Melvin
Let me tell you a story. Back in Jan 08 I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. My sister set up a blog just like this one and some how Deb found out about my illness. Deb and I only knew eachother briefly from work in CT at Pfizer. But Deb took the time out of her busy life to write me a card, not a quick email, but a card. She said in her card that she had gone through what I went through and was there for me if I wanted to talk or if I had any questions. I think jestures like that say a lot about a person. Thank you Deb for caring. Amy HB
heard a great quote a few moths back and it seems to fit now. “The worst thing that happens to you in your life is not the thing that defines your life”. Even though we’ve all been a part of Deb’s fight with cancer, I still don’t think of her as the victim of it – Deb a victim – I think not!
Deb has been a part of my life for so long that I honestly can’t imagine a future without her as a part of it. So, I’m not going to have one, I’m going to keep Deb with me. To tell you the truth I think she’s already moved in – as Deb’s voice gets weaker the Deb voice in my head is getting louder. As I fold unmentionables that I should have thrown away years ago I hear Deb chastising me, “Amy, why are you keeping those?” A large part of me wants to drop everything and sit in that room in Boston, hang out with the family and arm wrestle with Deb. But, I’ll stay here in CT with my crazy 1 ½ yr old and hold my own vigil and embrace my inner Deb more and more every day.
Amy M:)
One spring week I visited Deb at her new house in New London. We visited Danny & family (met popcorn for the first time). He suggested we go out to Salem, MA.
So the next day we trek out there and decide to go on The Haunted Footsteps Tour. After a fun day, we had the pictures developed because we were convinced we had some sort of "paranormal activity". That night we were so freaked out what we saw on the picures, that when it came to going to the basement to get the laundry we had to go as a team. Bright lights on in every room of the house. We were both afraid to go to sleep and talked room to room for quite awhile.
A year or two later, we went to Salem again for Halloween weekend. We went to psychic fairs, eating fried dough (YUMMY!),shopped, and of course, went on every Haunted Footsteps Tour available. We returned to the cemetary where the ghost activity was previously seen. As the tour group walks away, Deb decides she needs to take a picture of me. My camera suddenly stopped working! Deb almost threw the camera at me and shreeks "This is creaping me out!" and goes RUNNING out of the alley leaving me behind to fend off the paranormal. It was a close call! We caught the ghost again in my pictures.
I hope I am not boring you with the Kim & Deb adventures...This is how I chose to remember her. Not the way she is now.
So next time you go to Salem, MA, take the tours and think of Debbie the ghost hunter. Good times
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