Rest In Peace, Lana

A while back I shared with you a great organization called Chemo Angels. They are a volunteer organization dedicated to providing encouragement to those undergoing IV chemo treatment. It doesn’t take much time or money to participate and according to Lana and countless other patients, it makes a huge difference in their lives. She once told me that my cards often seemed to come at a time when she needed some cheering up and that they always seemed to do the trick. That just makes my heart swell and my eyes tear up a little because it just plain feels good to know that you’re truly brightening someone’s day and especially at a time when that person needs it the most. If you’re interested in learning more, please go to the Chemo Angels website and sign up. It takes several weeks to get paired and you’re even able to request that your patient be within a certain age group or gender. You’ll have plenty of time to stock up on cards and/or little gifts depending on which type of “angel” you’d like to be.

I applied to be a “Chemo Card Angel” last August and they assigned me a wonderful woman named Lana. Unfortunately, she had recently been diagnosed with stage III/IV lung cancer. Shortly after I started writing her, we became Facebook friends and she started reading this blog, even commenting from time to time. I wrote to her once a week and mostly talked about Haeden. I sometimes sent pictures and even a gift from time to time. You might remember that she was the inspiration for this print:

I had not heard from her for a couple of months. The last bit of information I received about her said that she had started a combination of chemo and radiation therapy. Her posting on Facebook became very sparse and I knew that her health must have been declining rather quickly. I received an email this morning informing me that she had passed away. This is part of the note sent by her daughter:

"It is with a heavy heart that I inform you, and them, that she passed away on May 15th. She was comfortable and loved and surrounded by family and friends when she did. She is in a better place now though. Thank you for making her happy."

Lana loved her children so much. I remember that in the questionnaire she filled out she bragged a little about her son, James, as he was her main caretaker. He also shared his birthday with Haeden and so I know that I will always remember them both on this day. Her daughter, Brandi, was in college and planned to graduate on Mother’s Day this year. That was Lana’s focus. She wanted to live long enough to see her daughter graduate. It looks like she got her wish and I’m so happy for that.

Rest in peace, Lana. I know that you will be missed and memories of you will be cherished forever by those who love you.