Tonya,

Thank you so much for adding the videos of some of the numbers from Mom's piano recitals.  I've turned off the background music for now so that when you click on to watch or listen to the videos or audio there is no overlay.  So nice to see some of her students and hear how well they play :-) 
We also really enjoy seeing photos of the families that have been in Mom's life... To anyone who feel like they would like to share photos or music, we would love for you to upload them to the site.

Mary 

We had the opportunity to read to mom the beautiful tributes all of you have written to her.  She nods her head or smiles at each one.  It means so much to her and to us to share these moments together with you.


Mom is sleeping quite a lot and is having a difficult time communicating.  It is hard to see her so weak and frail, but we all know of the enduring strength she has inside.  She still smiles her sweet smile to those around her when she can.  As always, she never complains. 


We love you and thank you for your support.

Wednesday morning Mom was transferred to St. Michael's in Lethbridge. We feel it was a good move for her even though it meant an ambulance ride for a few hours. The nurses here are wonderful and it is a very calming and peaceful facility. The hospital was so busy all the time, so I could almost see Mom relax while the nurses got her settled in here. Thursday has been quiet as we waited for Dawn to get here, Kathy will be here Friday afternoon. We just want to thank all of you again for your kind words and love for Mom and our family.

Mom has had a nice few days over the Easter Weekend.  She thanks you for all your kind words and love.  The nurses will come in to help and Mom always thanks them with the sweetest cute smile.  Dan and I got to take her outside on Saturday afternoon for a few minutes for some fresh air.  We will try to add some photos of our little adventure out to see the view of the Calgary skyline and the Bow River.  She looked so sweet all bundled up on her hospital bed in her little red blanket and the one made by her granddaughter Hanna.

Thank you all for your prayers.  We love you.  She loves you.

Mary 

Background Story                 Mom returned to the Foothills Hospital on March 22nd due to back pain and for her feeding tube to be re-inserted after it came out a few days earlier.  Because of the continuined back pain, which had started the beginng of February, tests were done and revealed that there was a fracture in her spine and that the cancer had now spread to other areas of her body.  She is having some difficult moments that she is bravely facing without complaint, and many peaceful moments of rest and sweet smiles for those around her.

It started last year when Mom noticed a spot on her tongue that she had thought was a canker sore.  She went into her family doctor after it hadn't gone away and he wanted her to see a doctor in Lethbridge for a biopsy.  This was done the end of June and the results revealed squamous cell carcinoma.  In August she bravely faced an extremely invasive surgery to remove the cancer, reconstruct her tongue, and remove some lymph nodes at the Tom Baker Cancer/Calgary Foothills Medical Centre. The doctors had felt pretty confident that they had removed all the cancer and decided that only radiation would be the remaining treatment to eradicate the unwanted cancer cells from her body.  The radiation was done Oct/Nov and truly drained the energy out of her.

She enjoyed her family at Christmas time as her body healed and the energy returned.  Since our family all resides in different parts of the world, we each have been able to spend time and be with Mom throughout this time, of which we will always cherish dearly.  Mary was able to be there at the biopsy and a few weeks after. Kathy and her kids and Miles (Dan's son) overlaped and stayed with her till the surgery in August. Dan and Alice supported her during the grueling time of the surgery and after, and Mary and Kathy were able to be there when those nasty tubes were removed and she started to walk around the hospital and share her sweetness with the doctors and nurses.  Dawn arrived the last week in August after Mom returned to her home in Magrath and overlapped with Mary as we helped Mom learn how to manage and eat with a tube attached to her tummy.  Dawn stayed through the Fall and Winter and was able to make the trips with Mom to stay at the hostel next to the Hospital in Calgary so that she could have the radiation treatments - they were done 5 days a week for 6 weeks.  Chris and Hanna (Kathy's kids) came to stay when Dawn needed to go back to work in Korea the end of January 2013.  The beginning of the back pain started the first part of February.  During all this time, many phone and skype calls were made and received - a true blessing of our time.  Of all of this, Mom managed to have her family reconnect and love each other with support and caring.

Extended family, friends, and community have supported Mom and our family with concerned emails, calls, opened homes, food, and loving thoughts.  Neighbors and friends even gathered a volunteer crew to finish painting her home and do some needed repairs!  We thank you for your love.

At this time she is being made comfortable in the palliative care unit at the Tom Baker/Foothills Medical Centre.  She sleeps a lot and when she wakes up we are often rewarded with her beautiful cute smile that expresses her sweet nature, love and compassion for us.  We are hoping that she may be able to use the jeri-chair for a little stroll around the hospital and even enjoy a few minutes outdoors. 

We will keep this site updated as time allows.  At this time, Dan, Alice, and Mary are with her and other family members are planning trips to visit.  We do not know yet if she will be transferred from the Foothills Medical Centre back to Southern Alberta.