Starting Chemo May 2008

KristyAnn

Robin, The flowers are gorgeous and I think they would like them at her home. I am guessing that her family (some of them really far away) will be coming in and will be at the house so that will be great. Let us know how much we need to send you!

Kristy

Roxi65229

Beautiful flowers. Robin, I'm assuming we send the check to you, right? 

Julie, I'm so sorry to her the news of your Aunt. I'll keep her and your family in my prayers. 

robink

I agree re: May 2008 instead of bc.org.  We have all been rather candid at times, sharing things that we would prefer others not read.  It would never be Randie's intent or ours to cause added pain to loved ones already hurting due to our absence. Good thought - thanks.

Don't send any money yet as we need to decide part 2 (personal cards and monetary gift).

RK

ellenoire

Flowers yes... cards to Eddie... yes.. I am still gonna do a small relaxation basket from here. It's an ellenoire tradition for friends and family to use after funerals.

I am with whoever said that getting things done today/yesterday feels like moving through mud. 

 Love you all.

 xoN

webwriter

A Randi-ism for you all. She gave me re-print permission on it when I asked to post it in my blog, so I'm sure it's okay to use if you would like.

"My favorite thing is whenever a new doc comes to visit and I have been sitting in the frigging cold as a freezer room for hours and they have the nerve to ask, So, how're you doing? I love to say,"Damn, its so cold in here, I froze my tits off." Followed by rapidly lifting my shirt. Since I go to a training hospital, it can get really funny to watch interns go several differnt color shades in a short amt of time..."

lewing

Webwriter, thanks for sharing that.  I'm laughing and crying at the same time in this stupid internet cafe with the sticky keyboarded computers.  No one, but no one, now or ever, has or will rant like Randie.  She was so full of righteous fury and humor and wit and love.  

I dont want to believe she's gone, can't quite believe shhe's gone . . . but I know she's gone and that is so, so hard. 

Robin, thank you so much for orrdering the flowers.  I'll try to check inn again in the next few days, and will be back home Tuesday night.

 Linda

otter

This is ranD's sort of humor.  I'm posting it in her honor.

..... 

We who have taught, or love children who have been taught, know this is funny!:   From the diary of a pre-school teacher...

..... 

My five-year-old students are learning to read.  Yesterday, one of them pointed to a picture in a zoo book and said,

"Look at this!  It's a frickin' elephant!"

.....

..... 

I took a deep breath, then asked, "What did you call it?"

.....

"It's a frickin' elephant!  It says so, right under the picture!"

......

...... 

And, so it does.

                             African Elephant

..............

otter 

kerry_lamb

Even when we are teary, we are funny feckers! Thanks Otter! Randie was SO funny. It's not easy for non-Australians to understand what I keep saying, but Randie's wit, and the seamless co-existence of deep decency and jaw-dropping irreverence, is just so Australian it's uncanny. That is so present in my day to day life..it's as though she's dropping around tonight for a yarn and to razz me about my (non-egg-laying) chooks. Ah feck. But I wouldn't have her suffer one second more of pain and neverending-bloodyfucking-medical-tests-and-superinvasive-useless-procedures. Not one second more.  Keep me up to date with the cost, Robin. Am I understanding things here: Eddie is collecting cards/notes? If so I'll send mine off in the next couple of days, Eddie. It will take about 5 days (I'm guessing). And money later, or with the cards?   Randie's death does not have me wading through mud, it has me manic. It's hit me that I don't have a minute to waste..Life has to be lived at lightning-fast pace now. Rest? Pf-ff--t-!! Feck THAT noise. Hub and I planted 7 fruit trees today. And then I took the Fibber for a VERY brisk walk. Thanks Ran..I am sure you are channelling some of that amazing new cosmic energy my way. I love you all.  We are really something, aren't we? XXX 

rock

Randie's last couple days (from Shari):

"She was fairly "ok" a few days ago, she said..... I could see a much different state. On the night of the 29th she couldn't breathe again but it was different this time. UCD admitted her right away and the next AM she talked to me with her usual kick some ass- attitude...the Echo Cardio was about to happen. Only spoke for a few minutes then she had to have my dad tell me..
I miss you and I need you.
She has always been my rock, caring for us and that day I knew she understood. The Pulmo n Cardio found that her entire Pleural cavity was full of fluid, cancer fluid. It was crushing her little heart and there was nothing else to do. Right after, she was in so much pain but still managed to choose a DNR on her own. "No life support"... Within an hour she was sedated/Morophine drip and finally lost consciousness. There was no ventilator or even a cpap, just pain meds n quiet. She left this place while holding her daughters hand and being held by dad. She went her way. She always knew best.. was a wonderful spicy-mama, one of a kind "

JulieC

Thanks for sharing that Rock.  It doesn't make it any easier knowing that she is gone, but she did it her way.

Hugs to all - Julie

Sable

*sigh*

drcrisc

Jen - "sigh" indeed

drcrisc

Robin - Please let us know what to send you for the flowers.

Eddie - Have we settled on you collecting cards?  I need to spend some time picking one. 

Jeano77

Just back from my sisters cabin that has no Internet or wireless coverage.  Love the idea of the roses and thank you Robin for running with that on our behalf. 

I found myself laughing through the tears as I was catching up on the last couple of pages.  She was oh so witty and funny . . . love the "Randie-isms" idea, that would make her smile as well. 

Rock - thanks for sharing the post from Shari.  It was so sad to read, but as Julie noted, she did it her way.  Her strength was amazing. 

Love you all!

Jean

angelsaboveus

checking in again....flower idea is great, and all for the cards and such after. Thanks Robin for doing the flowers, it looked like a beautiful arrangement.  Just let me know how much and where to send it.

And I will start looking for an appropriate card, though I'm not that good at the note writing part, i will have to put some thought into that.

thanks rock for sharing what Shari had told you

will check in again in a couple days.

robink

Friends - the flower order has been placed.  As for the money owed please donate what you would have sent me to the monetary gift we will send Randie's family.

Love,

Robin

familyroks

Out of town for a couple of days so just catching up.

Robin - I love the arrangement that you selected.  Thank you for taking charge on our behalf.

Rock - Thank you for sharing what Shari wrote.

Web - Thanks for sharing your Randie story.  I too love the idea of the Randie-isms.  There are so many.

LOL Otter...love the frickin elephant.

Hugs to every single one of you.  You are all in my thoughts.

otter

rock, thanks x2.

Thank you for letting us know what you had learned from Shari about ranD's last day.  It does sound like ranD, doesn't it?

And, thank you for what you posted on FB (your letter).  IMHO, if you are comfortable with it, I think you ought to include your letter with the notes and personal statements that will go to ranD's family.  (Maybe that's one of the reasons why you wrote it.)

kerry, I also recognized some of your Tasmanian humor in ranD's posts.  Perhaps she was worldly in her previous life.  She did find out from FB that she was supposed to be living in Cape Town, right?

BTW:  "celia088" here on the boards maintains a thread that lists the BCO sisters we have lost.  The title of the thread is "Angels List from the Threads."  It's pinned to the top of the "Commemorating Loved Ones" forum.  I think Celia wants someone to post on the "Angels List" thread when we lose a sister, and she will update the list.  Do you think we should let her know (via a post) that ranD has died?  (It is still very difficult for me to say that word.  Died.)

Roxi, how on earth did you find the website with the death announcement?: (http://7042.dignity.mem.com/Story.aspx?ID=3086067).  I've searched and googled and hunted, and I have not been able to find anything--not even the link you gave us.  Have there been any updates?

Robin, thank you so much for taking care of the flower order. I will be sending a card to the family on Monday; but I'll work on a personal note to go along with the bundle later.

Hugs and love...

otter 

Roxi65229

I think it would be okay to list Randi on the Angels thread. 

How I found the obit was to google her hometown paper, the mountain democrat. The paper is only printed on TH, F, M and T so it wasn't listed but there was an ad for a funeral home I happened to click on, Making Everlasting Memories. Her name came up in the search. Here's the local newspaper but I just checked, no updated information.

http://www.mtdemocrat.com/ 

Rock, thanks for sharing your conversation with Shari. No words can express my sorrow..

KristyAnn

A note from Randies family about the services: 

Hi the memorial, Celebration of Life will be at the church on Tuesday at 19:00. camino community church.

Kristy

ewesterman

We are on vacation until July 10. Go ahead and send cards, letters, etc., to our house. No one will hurt them...they will be in post office until we get home. I think there is no rush to send the cards but if you feel there is, someone else can grab that role. If not, I'll send them first and we can all gather Randie-isms and put them together to send on later. Make sense? Gotta' go.

Anonymous

Letting you all know you are all in my thoughts and prayers. It is so hard to see someone taken far to soon. Randie will forever be in our hearts, her laughter and humor and tremendos spunk and spirit will live on.

Fly high sweet Randie

drcrisc

I just posted on the Angels board and asked that Randie be added to the list there.  Wow.  It is hard to read through that list - so many names I recognize.

kerry_lamb

Christine, that's why i don't go there. It's too...real. Denial? not really. I'm just keeping it at arm's length at the moment. It's been a mad few days. I've got this inexplicable energy, and I've run into some people I love so much but never see..one guy who lives, literally,at  the other end of Australia. This is Grace at work here girls. This might sound a) wet or b) weird, but I truly believe it is Randie at work. I don't know which of you believe in angels and cosmic interactions with them (and I'm talking about the ancient wisdom..not the weird-shit oh-so-out-there crap of today), but I seem to be plugged in right now. Revelation? Hmmm. I reckon.    I love you all. It's by no accident that we are here together. XXXX  PS I'm sending Eddie a small Huon Pine bowl containing 19 stones I collected from the beach near our block, which I intended to send out to y'all...one each. I never sent them so Randie never got hers..there's an irony there because I only collected 19, not 20. Anyway, Eddie they will be for the family. Girls, I'll try to post a photo here. I could send a card/note but I don't have words. I have sadness and gratitude and love, and a serious interest in how cool life is, no matter what shite gets thrown at us. So I'm sending beautiful stones..one each for all of us. It is freezing here at the moment, but I have a (sort of) warm house, two sleeping fat cats and a sleeping dog in the loungeroom and a house sold (settlement today). I have had a champagne to celebrate, made by my husband, 7 new fruit trees in the yard, six beautiful eggless chooks, and I know spring is coming. Life ebbs and flows..and then we know all the things Randie now knows. Not too shab, really. XXX

KristyAnn

3 months with no appointments and needles--- MUGA test today I am so oversaturated with water fron drinking (water and tea) all weekend in an effort to keep my veins plump for this test- Yall wish me luck- Im surprised at the anxiety that has returned on this test date!

Kristy

beergirl

Oh, How I wish I had known Randie! I have been reading old posts. What a bunch of spunk! Life and death are not fair, never have been. All of you who knew her well were so lucky to have your lives touched by Randie.

rock

Kristy -- Wishing I could be there for your MUGA.  Nerve-wracking, nerve-wracking.  I hope it goes smoothly and that you have completely unspectacular results.

Kerry -- I like your idea of the 19 rocks, a lot. But then again, I would...

Beergirl -- Yep, Randie was pretty special.  

 love, 

JulieC

Kristy - we are with you today!

Hugs to all - Julie

KristyAnn

Im back and my results were fine! The tech gave me my preliminary MUGA number when she ran the test- got the two injections on the first try (even though I let her use my surgery side because my right arm hurts from femara and being poked so much). No more medical junk for me until after my week at the beach!!!!!

Kristy

JulieC

Yea - that's great news!  And it is good to have it over with on a Monday!