There is a Light at the End of the Tunnel

Yes, there is! Mom passed peacefully at 6:42 this evening listening to Alan Jackson sing her favorite hymns. As things quickly deteriorated today, Mom sang (without words) and sang and when the pain got worse she sang louder. About 3:00 this afternoon, Mom quit yelling at everyone and barely responded when she was touched or moved. The afternoon was filled with frantic tests, scans and x-rays to determine the cause of her decline. At about 6:15 following a scan, the infectious disease specialist they called in confirmed that Mom had very serious colitis and that the anti-biotics she had been on had killed even the good bacteria, making her susceptible to this. At that point, Mom began showing signs that she was leaving. Joe and I were bedside as were about 3 nurses and the doctor.

Joe and I had the honor of sharing those moments with her. Her journey has ended. She spared us difficult decisions about her continued care there at the hospital and about the care we anticipated she would need when she left the hospital. Mom has been ready to go for a long time and has told us so on numerous occasions.

I don't have words to thank you for your prayer and support these last few years. Thank you for sharing the ups and downs with us. Thank you for the encouragement and love!

We are making plans to celebrate her life this coming week at St. Joseph Mission in Ashtabula. Please continue to pray for us as we move through this. There will be memories, laughter and tears when we all get together to "sing and shout the Jubilee!"

Mom has found the LIGHT at the end of the tunnell!