In loving memory of my daughter, Lorrae Kathleen, ( aka 'Wild Thing/Sasquatch,'
You'd be 36 years old today if cancer hadn't taken you from me, Sasquatch.
I still remember having the great Honour and Privilege of giving you your FIRST ever bath on the first day I saw you, all sweet, pink with those beautiful blue eyes that seemed to smile all by themselves.
Lucky I was wearing one those hospital gowns while bathing you though, your very unexpected 'gift' of peeing down the front of me as I lifted you ever so gently from your bath caused quite a laugh for both the Nurse and myself as we both said, simultaneously, "Baby pee for good luck."
6' tall at just 14, wearing MY size 9 boots, sorry, OUR boots as you'd call them...LOL.
One really 'wicked' sense of humour mixed in with a kind, caring loving nature and the smile that could melt the coldest of hearts, what more could any father ever wish for?
Loved you then and love you still my little 'Wild Thing.'
I am sorry for your loss... you seem like an incredible father and any kid would be blessed to have a parent like you... she was super lucky while she had you in her life.
Thank you BUT it was me who was lucky to have her in my lfe though.
I am sorry for your loss.
I can't imagine what you went through...
Thank you for sharing those tidbits of memories.
Even though I was saddened to hear of your loss, the memoroes you shared brought me a smile.
What a beautiful, warm and loving write-up for your daughter. I hope you feel the warmth you're surrounded by on here and know that we feel your loss with you
Oh my.. Such a nice post in memory of your daughter!! I feel the love you have for her
You have my sympathy. One of the hardest things in life is to lose your child.
Hugs, Kathleen
You wrote two beautiful tributes to your children. I can feel the love.
To repeat Inspector Morse's cynicism (he never had children) when looking at the dead body of a young woman in her crashed MG sports car "Daughters! They all break their father's hearts eventually."
Your post saddens me Tony having learnt a little of your fatherly love for her. I doubt that the hurt will ever go when you have such beautiful memories of shared experiences. I hope that you can preferably celebrate those great experiences - more's the pity many people have never had nor will have similar priceless memories.
I disagree with what Morse said, even though he was just a fictional character btw.
Beautiful way of keeping alive your daughter memories. Sorry for your lost.
Such special memories! Happy birthday to her, and fuck cancer!
Oh that bloody cancer!
I'm a 15 year survivor, & I sometimes feel guilty.
@Lilac-Jade As I keep telling other cancer survivors as well as those who survived abuse, etc,, never feel guilty for surviving because,
A) your surviving means there is just that extra bit of hope for others like yourself, and,
B) by surviving that means those whom were left behind had you succumbed had no need to grieve and mourn your passing.
@Triphid It was also found early due to my diligence for mammograms every year without fail, & excellent medical care..
@Lilac-Jade Yes, and I still think and believe, quite firmly, that had our G.P. been more diligent, etc, at the outset rather than merely putting her symptoms down to either 'Growing pains,' or, 'Not wanting to go to school,' etc, etc, then we would have found the diagnosis earlier thus increasing Lorrae's chances.
It was only when the G.P. brought in a Locum so HE could go on a holiday that the Locum took one look and ordered Blood Tests to be done immediately and be marked as being "For Urgent Attention" that we got a result at last.
@Triphid Oh that is unforgiveable. My husband was treated for bad indigestion, & it turned out to be a massive heart attack at age 42, that he should never have lived through. I will NEVER forgive that family GP we had at the time.
@Triphid Was it a sarcoma?
@itsmedammit No, it was the worst of the Lymphomas, Mature B Cell Lymphoma, the Non-Hodgkins type.
If it had been one of the Hodgkins Lymphoma types the chances of making a Full permanent recovery would have in the high 90% range but Non-Hodgkins plus being in her mid-teens cut the chances down to around 60% for Full Recovery, 35% against, then adding in the lateness in which it was diagnosed, thanks to a lazy G.P., the chances went down eeven further to approx. less 20% for and 80+% against but we did NOT give up.
She, with me at her side 24/7, went through the harshest Chemo Protocol available for 9 months, went into remission, return to High School, sat for and passed her Year 10 Exams and the bastard cancer returned even worse in December, 2000, destroyed all of her Bone Marrow ( no chance of a Bone Marrow transplant because she was so badly weakened by then) and I lost her on January, 7th. 2001 at 6.35pm.
@Triphid That is rough. And I am guessing it is unusual for one so young? I have a friend, who, at this moment, is battling a primary CNS non Hodgkins lymphoma. She is in her 70's though. Of course things are not looking good, with first treatment attempt failing. She is poised for a clinical to start soon.
I wondered about the sarcoma as we lost my nephew to such. It is one of the few cancers that appear in childhood. But it is rare and typically the GPs think it is anything but cancer. So it was in Nathan's case and he had a bit of delay as well. It eventually was treated, went into remission and then returned. It is a difficult cancer to beat in any case.
@itsmedammit My sincerest Best Wishes to your friend.