Heaven has a new angel

Hello family and friends,

This is a post we didn't want to write, but mom passed away yesterday morning at 11:15am. Dad was with her when she took her last breath. We are are very sad but know that mom is whole again and back to her sassy self! Just to prove it, as soon as mom passed, the smoke alarm randomly went off in the kitchen!!

We cannot thank you all enough for your continued support, love and strength during this incredibly sad and difficult time. Your kind words, notes, emails, and facebook posts reinforce what an amazing woman, wife, mother and daughter mom was. We miss her madly but know she is in a better place and that there is a special angel looking down on us.

Visitation hours will be Wednesday from 6-8pm at St. Brigid Catholic Church in John's Creek, GA.  There will be a prayer service at 7pm.
Funeral services will be Thursday at 10:30am also at St. Brigid Catholic Church with a reception to follow at Country Club of Roswell.

For those traveling from out of town:
Embassy Suites- Alpharetta, GA
5955 North Point Pkwy  Alpharetta, GA 30022

(678) 566-8800

In lieu of flowers, donations can me made to Turning Point Women's Healthcare. Turning Point was by far mom's favorite appointment of the week! The women there are amazing and the care they give for breast cancer survivors and patients is second to none!
https://myturningpoint.org/donate/.

Here are some sweet pics of mom!

xoxo,

Beth, Caitlyn, Krissy and Kevin

Wedding at Laurel Green

On Sunday afternoon, Beth and Shane were officially/unofficially married on our back patio.  Reverend Brad Olecki, assisted by son Ben, officiated at the ceremony.  The wedding was attended by Mary and Rory O'Neill, who came in from Boston, Shane's brother Cian, from Cedar Rapids Iowa, all the Georgia Murphys, The Georgia Lumpkins, Patti's mother Pat, and dear friends Chuck and Katie Campbell, and spiritual adviser Margaret Anne Olecki.

Patti was able to attend the ceremony.  You may recall that we decided to move the wedding up a few weeks, as Patti's condition dictated that we do something sooner.  She continues to be comfortable and resting quite a bit, but her physical condition has continued to decline, and she won't make it to the Cape for the official wedding on June 1.

After two days of rain, the sun came out just as we were getting started at 1:00 PM.  Our original plan was to have a cookout, but Kimberly Purvis and Rande the Flower guy - you may remember them from Caitlyn's wedding - along with Chef Jon from the club put on a full blown wedding reception for 16, including a sit down dinner, wedding cake, and dancing.

Love this pic!!

We spent the afternoon on the deck talking and laughing, reminiscing and shedding a tear or two.  It was truly one of the greatest family gatherings that we've ever had.

As difficult as these days have been, we continue to be thankful for the visits, calls, cards, kind words and prayers.  We are looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the wedding.

A Great Weekend

This is Kevin again -

 Patti's physical condition has been slowly declining over the last few weeks, but here spirits are still good.

She's had a few visitors lately, Danny and Jeanne from Harwich, her roommate from BC Cynthia, Jack and Sharon from Texas, Jeff and Karen, Krissy was home from New York for a few days, as well as local friends and neighbors.

While she hasn't been able to text message too well, she has had a few phone calls and these all lift her spirits greatly.

In addition she has these great caregivers that come in each day to assist her each day.  Deborah, Imelda, Eileen and Rose - most of whom are Irish - come in and talk and laugh with her daily.  Its easy to forget that they are retired RN's and watch her like a hawk.  Finally the hospice Nurse and team are unbelievable - professional and caring.  We are so lucky to have them with us at this time.


Last weekend, she was able to attend Beth's wedding shower here in Atlanta, and she was so happy to see everyone and they were happy to see her too.  It was a joyful occasion and it made her day! 

On Sunday, She and Krissy spent some time in the sun on the back deck

Patti and I have had many long discussions lately, and we always come to the same place, that even though she has been dealt a difficult situation, that we are both very fortunate to have found each other, to have the family that we have, the friends that we have, and this time that we have. 

Thank you all for your love and your prayers.

Talk to you soon.

Happy belated birthday to our KB!

So this is 2 days late, but Happy Birthday to our Krissy, who turned 27 on April 9th!

You will always be around 12 years old to us!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!  We had a great day, and Mom was able to get dressed up and come to brunch!

Since she is off the chemo, her hair has started to grow back, which is great to see!

Hope everyone had a great Easter!

Here is a picture from earlier in the week - Mom and her entourage:

She had another good week and is feeling a little better each day!  


Xo

Caitlyn

A Good Week

Its Kevin again with another update,

This was a good week. 

It's been one full week since we started hospice and Patti is feeling much better.

She is not taking any chemo drugs, and they took her off some other medicines too so that the overall effect has been that she is feeling stronger and sleeping better.  She is getting around the house and spent some time outside getting some exercise during the week.

This is a nice turnaround from last week when she was feeling very sick.  She has been trying to answer some phone calls and while her fingers are not working very well right now - chemo side effect - she is slowly getting better and hopefully will be able to get the e-mail and IPAD back up and running.


The hospice people are all great,  We have a Nurse Case Manager (Jeanne) who stops by a couple of times a week and a Nursing Assistant (Addie) who comes by three times a week.  We also have some really nice people who come by each morning to visit and help out.  I think they are all part of how well she is feeling, and she really likes them (Deborah, Imelda, Rose, and Eileen) a lot.

The goal for today and every day is to stay focused on the positive and taking it one day at a time.

Thanks again to everyone.  Happy Spring.
 
Talk to you soon

Here is the latest update

Hi everyone - Kev here again.  I apologize that this is a little late but things have been a little hectic around here lately. 

Patti’s phone has been filling up with texts and voice mails, but she hasn’t been able to get to them, and I don’t have a lot of her contacts from the phone or e-mail, so please forward this as needed, and ask people to reply to me (Kevin.Murphy@cgmllc.net) so I can get an e-mail list going.  I’ll update the blog too but I don’t know how well it is being read.

Unfortunately, the news is not great.

In the last couple of weeks her condition has not improved.  She started the latest round of chemo a week ago.  The doctor examined her on Monday and decided to stop the chemo – it was just too much for her. At the moment, she can’t get around without assistance, and someone needs to be with her at all times so she doesn’t fall.

The doctor and I agreed that a hospice approach was the best way to go for now, and we will see how she does.  Hospice care is when a team of people, nurses and caregivers, come to the house and help her with comfort and pain issues so she feels better.  We started hospice on Tuesday.

Ideally, she would regain her strength and begin another round of chemo, but if that doesn’t happen, the hospice group will help us care for her.  We are working with a hospice group that is associated with Georgia Cancer Specialists called Long Leaf hospice.   We are still working out the details but we will probably have someone come in in the morning and also at night and to assist her in getting ready in the morning.  She will be able to stay in the house, which is good.   In the last few days she is a little better – her appetite is coming along – and the longer she is off the chemo the better she should feel.

The girls came over and we all talked with Patti and introduced her to the hospice nurse.  I talked with Krissy and she has some time off and will be coming home for Easter for a few extra days which we are all looking forward to. 

Sorry it’s not great, but that’s it for now.  I will fill you in on further details and let you know when she is up and around.

Thanks for continuing to keep us all in your prayers.