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It has been a rough month for me and the rest of my family. As I mentioned in my earlier blog my mother was taken to the hospital on February 25th and where I left off we were waiting a couple of days to see if she would regain consciousness. Well that Friday she did. She was able to communicate enough to tell the doctors that she wanted the tube removed and that she did not want a tracheotomy. We told her that if we removed it we could not replace it and she understood.  She did not want to live on a ventilator.  So we removed it. She was breathing on her own and we were just giving her oxygen but the doctors told us then that she will probably not live for much longer. We were to prepare for comfort only.  A few hours later we were told there was a hospice type room available and we could move her out of ICU allowing for the babies to come see her.  She did start what we thought was improving she started to talk more where we could understand her she wanted lots of water she kept asking us to pour a pitcher of water on her head (of course we didn't). She was just plugging along and the doctors told us it was time to decide if we wanted to take her home to die or go to the KC Hospice house. Well we all knew that she could not get the care she needed at her home so we opted for the Hospice House. She was transferred to the hospice house Monday March 12th 2012. I left work early to help with the transfer. She got to the hospice house and she wanted  a nightgown of her own and she wanted something to eat. We got her some applesauce she wanted cinnamon and they did not have that flavor so we used a stick of gum to flavor the applesauce. She could not feed herself although she tried. She had been trying for days to move her arms and legs on her own. Then Jane went to Wal-Mart bought her some pretty nightgowns and one that was for St. Patrick's Day. She also bought her several different applesauce, a banana and some cheerios and milk which she had also asked for. We gave her the cheerios and she immediately said "I forgot to say Equal". So I found some equal and she loved the cereal!. I stayed the night with her then Jane came the next day to stay with her she had some oatmeal and some mixed fruit. Many of her friends and family came to see her. It was overwhelming at times but she loved being able to talk to all of them. But sadly on March 15th they called us to say she was in the end stages. So I left work and went straight there. She was not speaking anymore like she had been. So I went home because she still seemed to be ok. The next day Jane had stayed so I said I wanted to do some errands and that I would stop at Jack stack for some lunch. When I got there her Aunt Margie Madden was there and she was not communicating to well but she was able to speak some. Jane had decided to go home get a shower and get Donnie and comeback later. Doug and I were going to be spending the night. Chris was already there he had been there all night with Jane. Tom and Shirley had come because we knew it was getting close. Then her best friend from BCBSKC had finally come to see her. Her eyes light up like a Christmas tree. Pat Hisle was finally there and Rachel Sanchez had come with her. Mom spoke to Pat as best she could. I called the nurses because mom was uncomfortable and wanted to be repositioned. They wanted to put her on her side to avoid any bedsores. The a few minute after Pat left and they repositioned her Priest Fr. Christian Malewski had come to pray with her. She was mouthing the words with Father Christian and he was praying for all the Apostles and Saints to pray for her. Giving her last rights. Doug and I decided to go to Quik Trip and while we were gone I got a call from my sister that said the nurse called and said she is shutting down. So we hurried back and when I returned to her room 26 Chris was standing outside the door and said so you heard I said yes that she is going quickly he said no she is gone. I started to cry and ran into the room to give her one last kiss they were going to clean her up and put on her St. Patrick’s Day nightgown she missed by only a few hours to see St. Patrick’s day which was the day her Father died in 1953 when she was only 12.The Hospice House was wonderful they let us stay with her until the end and allowed my niece to come say goodbye to her Nanny. I stayed to make sure she was treated with respect when they moved her. Atkinson Funeral home came to get her and my brother Tom walked out with her. They have been wonderful through the entire process. We had a visitation and Memorial Mass for her on that following Tuesday and Wednesday. She was cremated. We will have another Memorial for her and my Dad on Memorial day weekend in Anderson, Mo where we will scatter her ashes in some of her favorite places she loved to go and then we will present a bench at the Anderson Town hole City Park also known as Dabbs Greer Park.