Her last days (as told by her daughters)
On July 27th Mom wrote us that the doctors found a tumor blocking her liver. A couple weeks after that, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. We were both devastated. But Mom assured us it was operable, and she would be fine. Mom was always an optimist.
In August, although not feeling well, she came to Austin, TX for my (Kerry’s) graduation from St. Edward’s University. She sat in the front row wearing her bright pink dress and teared up the moment I walked out in my cap and gown. She was so proud of me. We had a wonderful week together, and I look back and cherish every moment of it.
She flew home to Mexico and on August 30th, she had an 11-hour surgery. They removed the tumor, her entire pancreas, part of her stomach, and her spleen. They reconstructed pretty much her entire digestive tract. The doctors considered the operation a success. The second day she was awake and saying she was bored and hungry. She never liked sitting still for too long! People who visited her couldn’t believe she just had major surgery; she looked so good. On September 5th, Shannon called the hospital in Mexico and talked to her. She was so happy and proud...she said she was a "miracle baby," and that the doctors were so pleased with her progress and recovery. There was even talk of her getting released early. She was so happy she was going home and would see her five cats and store again! That was the last time Shannon would get to hear her voice.
A week later, we found out there were complications from the surgery. We jumped on a plane and flew down there. She was already in a medically induced coma. By the time I got there, the doctors had determined there were perforations in two places. They performed another 5-hour surgery, which she miraculously survived. She was a strong woman, and the doctors thought she would make it. They woke her up before Shannon left Mexico, but she wasn't very alert and couldn't speak (she had a ventilation tube down her throat). She was a bit disoriented but knew we were there. I was able to stay a little longer and got to visit her twice a day in the ICU. She still couldn’t speak (although she tried), but could nod and squeeze my hand. She even tried to write, but was still too weak from not using her muscles to hold the pen. The doctors said she had a long recovery ahead of her, but they were optimistic about a full recovery.
On September 26th, we received another phone call from Mom’s friend Carol, who was stopping by on a daily basis and updating us. There were more complications and there was no hope. They needed our approval on pulling her off of life support. What do you say to that? After many tears, we agreed to it, as Mom expressed that she did not want to be kept going if there was no chance of recovery. They thought she would be gone in 24-48 hours. They took her off life support on September 29th. We both flew down there the following Saturday, October 2nd, to bury our beloved mother. However, Mom wasn't ready to go. She lived for over another week, which the doctor said was beyond logic. His other patient passed 6 hours after being taken off auxiliary support. We went to see her twice a day, wondering if it would be our last, but she held on. She was so strong and such a fighter.
Shannon flew back to Boston the following Thursday evening in order to get ready for her half marathon. She raised over $800 and was running for a cancer foundation. Mom was still alive that morning Shannon had to say goodbye to her for the last time, which was the hardest thing she's ever had to do. She knew it was the last time she would ever get to look at or touch our mother. Heartbreaking. The worst moment of her life. Two hours after she landed in Boston, another phone call....me saying the hospital had just called. She passed away at 9:50pm on October 7th. We were relieved she wasn't suffering any longer. But she was only 64! Less than 3 months ago....75 days (!), everything had been fine. It happened so quickly.
On October 8th, I, my aunt and some of Mom's friends buried her in her in her hot pink dress, the one she had just worn to my graduation. We threw flowers and branches cut from Mom's garden onto her casket. She loved working in her huge yard, so we thought she should be buried with a little part of it. She was laid to rest in a beautiful cemetery in Mexico.
