princesspat's quilt, detail
UPDATE: We need 13 more messages to do this quilt. Donations are short by $187 - please help!
Not but a couple weeks ago, cany posted a diary about the difficulties in caring for an elderly mother with dementia, My 98yo mom kicks my butt. Her mother, in her dementia, tended to be violent -- and this brought many difficulties when she needed medical care. And cany's mother did. She had a type of cancer called multiple myeloma. Here is a snippet of cany's diary to explain what cany was dealing with:
Then mom suddenly gets irritated and shit hits the fan. No matter what I say, she gets worse. Over the next hour, mom tries to bite me and the other nurses, hits me repeatedly, tries to kick me, threatens me and throws her glass of water at me and starts literally screaming to the point that other patient friends are all now near and staring at us all wondering what kind of horrible abuse we are inflicting on mom. There are at least three of us with her at all times for the last 30 minutes. Mom is trying to yank out the transfusion line.
Mom wants to have a BBQ in the backyard. She wants to go to the kitchen. She's worried about a dog she thinks she owns. She says she hates me. The nurse warns me about getting kicked. I assure her that when I was seven and being abused I would have appreciated that concern, but at 58, and as one that works with animals at the veterinarian, I am okay. I get a very perplexed look.
Finally it's over, and amid her still trying to bite, hit and kick and screaming, we get the needle out, they wrap her wound, we get her out of the bed into the wheelchair and eventually into my car.
princesspat's quilt
Caring for a dementia patient who is so, so ill and doing so with love and respect, is never easy. But cany certainly did it with aplomb. And now the long, hard journey with her mom is over. The lady passed away a couple days ago -- leaving cany in a world that feels like it has turned upside down. Bidding my mom farewell is her tender telling of her mom's last days -- and how she did her best to honor her mother's wishes.
princesspat's quilt, showing backing
Cany's world has been seriously rocked. She never had an easy relationship with her mom -- and the dementia made things particularly difficult. But even a difficult relationship can be a close one -- and when a close relationship ends in death, it is really, really hard. That's when a person really needs their friends. Let's make a quilt for cany, to wrap her in love and sympathy. Write a supportive message for her and I will transcribe it in archival ink on muslin, to be sewn into her quilt.
Scott Olsen's quilt, showing backing
If you can donate toward the costs of making the quilt (time and materials), here is a PayPal link -- or email me for a snail mail address if you prefer to send a check. $10 per message is suggested -- but please leave a message even if you cannot donate. Cany will appreciate your words so much!
belinda ridgewood's quilt
These are the community quilts that have been made to date:
othniel (cellulitis and ensuing complications)
exmearden (cancer of heart and lung, RIP)
MsSpentyouth (brain tumor)
Moe99 (lung cancer)
Michelle Caudle (ovarian cancer, RIP)
BFSkinner (lupus)
Kitsap River (long wait for kidney donor that ended 2/18/11)
Frederick Clarkson (blood clots)
Dreaming of Better Days (lymphoma)
one bite at a time (lost house and belongings to fire)
Timroff (cellulitis)
Sol Fed Joe (multiple cancers and health problems)
Brubs (AIDS, immune reconstitution syndrome)
rserven (gall bladder infection with dangerous complications)
grndrush (brain tumor, RIP)
ImpeachKingBushII (needs liver transplant)
andsarahtoo (lupus)
Frank Cocozzelli (muscular dystrophy)
luvsathoroughbred (breast cancer)
Predictor (stroke and HIV)
Austex54 (caretaker to othniel)
Theodore Olbermann, RIP
cskendrick (antibiotic resistant infection)
Keith Olbermann (caregiver to father)
Juan (cancer)
Ana (a young horse belonging to Juan, hit by truck)
MA Liberal’s mother (Alzheimer’s)
Charles CurtisStanley (caretaker to Kitsap River)
Lorikeet (cervical cancer)
Dr. Lori (metastatic cancer)
ulookarmless (cancer, heart condition, stroke)
riverlover (caregiver to husband suffering from liver failure, now widowed)
Melody Townsel (caregiver to dying father, now deceased)
dadanation (AIDS)
Dr. William F. Harrison (leukemia, RIP)
Larry Bailey (sudden loss of partner to heart attack)
ramara (adopted son with fetal alcohol syndrome)
Noor B (herniated disk from car accident)
Louisiana 1976 (fibromyalgia, severe arthritis, depression)
stumpy (MS, stroke, RIP)
bleeding heart's niece (cancer, RIP)
escapee (failure of corneal surgery)
SarahLee (lymphoma, Lyme Disease)
Bustergirl (ovarian cancer)
mimi's niece (cancer)
ZenTrainer (breast cancer)
Miss Blue (severe injury to shoulder, anxiety over coverage for surgery)
Granny Doc (bladder cancer)
mango (heart attack)
nudger (ovarian cancer, RIP)
DaNang65 (heart condition)
Lt. Choi (exhaustion)
Nurse Kelley (spinal stenosis)
Ben Masel (lung cancer, RIP)
Otterary Scribe (caregiver, grieving grandfather, grieving widower)
Aji (autoimmune diseases incl. fibromyalgia, inflammatory arthritis, & Chronic Epstein-Barr Virus Syndrome)
JaxDem (suddenly widowed)
DavidW (AIDS and other undiagnosed illness)
Jester the Marine (facing amputation of leg)
peregrine kate (endometrial cancer)
mimi (grief due to family illnesses)
alliedoc (endometrial cancer)
labwitchy (diffuse scleroderma)
Daily Kos (celebrating community)
belinda ridgewood (sudden loss of her mother)
princesspat (blood clots, deep vein thrombosis)
Scott Olsen (severe head injury)
princesspat's card, made by Blue Heron
Quilt status report: SensibleShoes' messages are written out and her quilt is going on the design board today. We plan to ship it Monday. Patriot Daily's messages are written out, her block pattern selected, and backing fabric purchased. We're going to arrange indiecemopants' quilt around a "tree of life" medallion -- his quilt is being planned.
Goldie inspects alliedoc's quilt
These quilts are planned:
Plutonium Page (pulmonary embolisms, pulmonary infarction)
MsGrin (life long heart problems requiring multiple surgeries)
UnaSpensor (Lyme disease)
MA Liberal (caretaker to her mother who has dementia)
paradox (cyclical vomiting syndrome, PTSD, depression)
woodtick (caretaker to mother who has Alzheimer's)
Ellinorianne (rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia)
The Daily Kos quilt makes Boots feel sleepy!
PAYPAL LINK FOR CANY'S QUILT - THANK YOU!
Boots says, "Thank you for supporting community quilts!"
Namaste.