Email sent from Brendan to all of his family
From: Brendan Smith
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 12:54 pm
This morning at 12:14am Leslie’s grandma passed away at our home. We are still working on the details for her funeral but it will probably be this Saturday. It was a bit traumatic for the kids but they are doing fine. We are a little worried about Angie. She cared for religiously for over a year with very little sleep and is utterly worn out. This has hit her very hard. Keep us in your prayers.
Love Brendan
Monday, October 23, 2006
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Thankful for so much.
A little update on Teta's condition….things are going from bad to worse quickly. The tumor in her abdomen has grown at such a fast rate, that it actually broke through her skin and has started oozing out a little each day. She asks for drinks (cold ones) quite frequently which is very unusual for her. Not only does she usually not want anything to eat or drink, but room temperature is even too cold for her most of the time. The nurses are shocked that she is comfortable because they said that most patients in her condition are in a lot of pain so they have brought pain medication just in case it starts up in the middle of the night. A dry mouth, they said, is very common at her stage and is why she is asking for frequent drinks.
I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of an eternal plan for all of us and that I know that Teta will be in a better place soon and that I will be with her again where she will be whole and well and active. I am especially thankful for the gospel that she accepted so many years ago and that through her I was given the opportunity to have it my whole life. She sacrificed so much so that the rest of us could live in a land of promise and opportunity. All that I have I owe to her and I will always treasure her for that. I’m so glad that her memory will always keep us close as a fmily. .I know that our Heavenly Father lives and that He loves each one of us and that He sent us to help each other in this life and together return to Him. I am also thankful for these trials and experiences that force us to remember that there is so much more to life than our daily routines and hectic schedules. That family is what matters and that we are all in this together.
I am grateful for the knowledge that I have of an eternal plan for all of us and that I know that Teta will be in a better place soon and that I will be with her again where she will be whole and well and active. I am especially thankful for the gospel that she accepted so many years ago and that through her I was given the opportunity to have it my whole life. She sacrificed so much so that the rest of us could live in a land of promise and opportunity. All that I have I owe to her and I will always treasure her for that. I’m so glad that her memory will always keep us close as a fmily. .I know that our Heavenly Father lives and that He loves each one of us and that He sent us to help each other in this life and together return to Him. I am also thankful for these trials and experiences that force us to remember that there is so much more to life than our daily routines and hectic schedules. That family is what matters and that we are all in this together.
Monday, October 9, 2006
Cousin to Cousin
An e-mail I sent to my cousin Veronica in Florida...
Hi Vero!
I really hope it works out for you to come out. Too bad that your whole family can’t make it, but I know exactly how that is. The only way we were all able to go to Florida was that Brendan had three frequent flyer tickets he had accumulated through work. Anyway, about Teta…there are great nurses that come in 3 times a day to help move Teta from her bed to the living room so she can be more with the family. They also change her and bathe her every other day. Well, a few days ago, they discovered a large grapefruit size lump right above her stomach. It’s red and it hurts Teta a little bit. They said that it’s a large tumor that has come back and is growing quickly every day. They said that at the rate it is growing, it will soon go up into her esophagus and make it almost impossible for her to swallow anything. Just this past Saturday, she started complaining about chest pains when she swallows and her food/drink intake has slowed down to almost nothing. There is nothing they can do at this point. Teta’s sister Carmen is coming from Guatemala on Thursday and I think your parents are thinking of coming by the end of the month. I really hope that it’s not too late by then. I’m not sure if Tony will come or not. I really don’t think he can handle all of this – emotionally. I know that it’s important to say goodbye --- the nurses (and Brendan’s mom who just lost her own mother six months ago) all say that a person will hold on suffering until relationships are mended and/or goodbyes are said and they are given “permission” to pass on. It's going to be hard since her family lives Florida, California, and Guatemala. I just hope we can get together to honor her, especially since there aren’t very many of us. Well, you do what you can and pass the word on to your family. I’ll keep in touch as much as I can.
Love you,
Leslie
Hi Vero!
I really hope it works out for you to come out. Too bad that your whole family can’t make it, but I know exactly how that is. The only way we were all able to go to Florida was that Brendan had three frequent flyer tickets he had accumulated through work. Anyway, about Teta…there are great nurses that come in 3 times a day to help move Teta from her bed to the living room so she can be more with the family. They also change her and bathe her every other day. Well, a few days ago, they discovered a large grapefruit size lump right above her stomach. It’s red and it hurts Teta a little bit. They said that it’s a large tumor that has come back and is growing quickly every day. They said that at the rate it is growing, it will soon go up into her esophagus and make it almost impossible for her to swallow anything. Just this past Saturday, she started complaining about chest pains when she swallows and her food/drink intake has slowed down to almost nothing. There is nothing they can do at this point. Teta’s sister Carmen is coming from Guatemala on Thursday and I think your parents are thinking of coming by the end of the month. I really hope that it’s not too late by then. I’m not sure if Tony will come or not. I really don’t think he can handle all of this – emotionally. I know that it’s important to say goodbye --- the nurses (and Brendan’s mom who just lost her own mother six months ago) all say that a person will hold on suffering until relationships are mended and/or goodbyes are said and they are given “permission” to pass on. It's going to be hard since her family lives Florida, California, and Guatemala. I just hope we can get together to honor her, especially since there aren’t very many of us. Well, you do what you can and pass the word on to your family. I’ll keep in touch as much as I can.
Love you,
Leslie
Friday, October 6, 2006
Slowly shutting down
It looks like Teta's body is slowly shutting down and she is losing abilities and functions almost daily. She is completely bedridden now and cannot get up at all. My mom has to feed her because there is no way she can hold a spoon or cup. She has a very hard time swallowing and is only drinking a few sips a day through a spoon. She can only speak a few words at a time in a very quiet whisper. She still recognizes all of us, but is alert and awake so infrequently, that I don’t know how much she really sees of us. Thank goodness, she is not in a lot of pain, and is able to rest comfortably most of the day.
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