Devastated....

I had hoped to post a happy message about my trip with Dad and Cynthia to Pigeon Forge last week.  But life has a way of changing our plans sometimes.

My sweet, sweet older sister Connie Fowler passed away suddenly yesterday and the whole world changed.  We remaining 3 sisters and our whole family, her children, Dad, all of us are just devastated.  It was so sudden!  Connie had a heart attack on Saturday and was in the hospital until Monday afternoon when they let her go home.  She had 100% blockage in one small vein/artery and they said most people do fine with that one as it was in an inoperable spot.  I talked to her about 1:00 yesterday and she seemed fine, and sounded so much better than she had on Monday.  I am not sure what happened, but she had an episode and they called the rescue squad and apparently they were unable to revive her.  Connie was only 70 years old!

I don't know alot of plans yet and will find out more today.  My heart goes out to her two daughters and her son and to her husband. Connie was the sole caregiver to Billy and he is unable to live/stay alone.  All of our hearts are broken!!  How can we go on without her???  This has sure been a fall with so much for us to endure in our family.

I have my third chemo treatment today and have my white blood cell shot on Friday, so I am unable to go be with my family for comfort until Friday afternoon.  I am just glad they moved my treatment up to today from Friday!  God's hand in things, I suppose.

I did find out yesterday the results of Monday's ultrasound on my thyroids.  I have several small growths on my parathyroids and they are referring me to a endocrinologist but we will not do anything (biopsy, etc.) until after my chemo ends in March.

Oh, me, life has dealt us some hard times to endure this fall.  With the love and support of friends, my family will get through this, but life as we knowit will NEVER bet the same.  Everytime my three sisters and I have gotten together since our mom died in 1981, Connie has insisted we take a "sisters picture."  Every Christmas the children had to wait to open their gifts until we took "the sisters picture."  At every child's wedding, the professional photographer had to take a "sisters picture."   It became a family joke, but still we set aside time to take that shot.  Now we treasure those wonderful pictures of us!  One Christmas Connie gave us all a "sisters photo album" and we all keep our sisters pictures in that.  Well, I started mine with pictures of when there were just the two of us, me and her, then added a shot of Becky with us and my third picture in my book is one when Cynthia joined us.  I wish I had time and room to post some of those MANY pictures in my collection.  Maybe in another entry.  We sisters have always said we did not know what we would do when one of us passed and there were just 3 of us.  Well, that time has come and we cannot believe it. We cannot bear it!

I pray for Connie's children and grandchildren.  She has had so much fun this fall shopping for their Christmas gifts, trying to select just the perfect gift for each one.  She's written to us sisters each time she got another gift that she felt was just right for one of her grandchildren.  Theirs will be such a sad Christmas this year as they open those gifts. 

Thank you for your prayers for my family during this time, and for me as I have yet another chemo treatment today.
Love to you all, Laura