........
A year ago this Thursday, May 16 at 11:35am my Papi took his last breath.
This beautiful moment, filled with love and family, marked the end of his year-long journey fighting Stage IV Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, a cancer that spread from the lining in his stomach to his bones, to his bone marrow, and then to his brain membranes, resulting in a Coma. He came out of the coma and then enjoyed a cancer-free stage that lasted about 2 months. The cancer returned, spreading to all the same places as before plus his lungs, then attacking his kidneys and liver. That year he underwent aggressive chemo treatment through his blood stream via a port on his chest and through his spinal cord via a spinal tap directly into the cord. All the while in physical therapy, learning to deal with, and adjusting to paraplegia (paralysis from the ribs down)caused by the mass of tumors around his spine that had caused a stroke in the spinal cord one year prior and resulted in paralysis.
Paralysis alone would have been enough to break him down, but paraplegia AND cancer? Yet, his spirit was too strong. When asked how he was feeling, his answer was always "Macanudo! Which in good ole fashioned 'Honduran' means 'Great! Fabulous! The Best!' and then he would say "and blessed, Amor!!!". He fought and held on, and the night after he met his newborn grandson, the youngest of his 4 "boys"/grandchildren, his liver and his kidneys, the only major organs that were functioning, gave out.
He welcomed the end of his fight with a peaceful spirit of love and thanksgiving. The last words I heard him speak on that Sunday night were an example of this. We visited with him and brought our 1 day old baby for a visit with his Tito as I was being discharged from the hospital. He held my oldest son Gian-Carlo's hand, he looked around the room, he closed his eyes, and he said "Thank you Lord for all the blessings you have given me. Thank you for this moment and for this little angel. Amen" Just a couple of hours later his lungs were unable to keep up any more. Rapid Response came to the oncology floor, and for the last time, wheeled my daddy into Critical ICU where he would remain for the next 2 days until he passed.
This Thursday, May 16, as we celebrate the one year anniversary of my papi making his journey to eternal rest, I want to honor his spirit, with the same love, courage, strength and appreciation he showed us always, but especially during his fight. I would like to thank God for all the blessings, for the gift of an amazing father and grandfather to our children, for the gift of my family, and ask that his spirit stays with us always.
I would like to ask our friends that you remember my papi on this special day, and that you honor his spirit and his fight by spreading love and awareness for the fight against Lymphoma, a cancer that was spreading through his body undetected because of its common, flu like symptoms. Paint the town lime green for my Papi! Wear lime green (lymphoma awareness color) on Thursday, May 16th, remember my papi and his courageous fight and spread awareness!
For more information on the symptoms www.KnowYourNodes.org
Spinal Cord injury awareness color is Beige, if lime green is not a part of your wardobe :) wear beige, and help spread awareness for Spinal Cord injury and paraplegia an everyday battle we got to know all too well.
May I be filled with love so the light can shine through me.
Love and light beautiful friend!
Namaste,
Karla Marie (proud daughter of Jimmy Lorenzo San Martin)
Amen, Amor!!!!
In the ICU waiting room and hospital hallways, hundreds of visitors- family and friends as well as Touro employees (Doctors, Surgeons, nurses, PTs, receptionists, techs) all to show their love. In the room: my Mami, my 2 sisters Leila and Michelle, Juan Carlos (Leila's husband), Charles (my husband), and I. We sang to him, we prayed with him, we cried, kissed and hugged him, I massaged lavender oils on his hands and forehead, and he and my mom said goodbye and they kissed one last time.
This beautiful moment, filled with love and family, marked the end of his year-long journey fighting Stage IV Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, a cancer that spread from the lining in his stomach to his bones, to his bone marrow, and then to his brain membranes, resulting in a Coma. He came out of the coma and then enjoyed a cancer-free stage that lasted about 2 months. The cancer returned, spreading to all the same places as before plus his lungs, then attacking his kidneys and liver. That year he underwent aggressive chemo treatment through his blood stream via a port on his chest and through his spinal cord via a spinal tap directly into the cord. All the while in physical therapy, learning to deal with, and adjusting to paraplegia (paralysis from the ribs down)caused by the mass of tumors around his spine that had caused a stroke in the spinal cord one year prior and resulted in paralysis.
Paralysis alone would have been enough to break him down, but paraplegia AND cancer? Yet, his spirit was too strong. When asked how he was feeling, his answer was always "Macanudo! Which in good ole fashioned 'Honduran' means 'Great! Fabulous! The Best!' and then he would say "and blessed, Amor!!!". He fought and held on, and the night after he met his newborn grandson, the youngest of his 4 "boys"/grandchildren, his liver and his kidneys, the only major organs that were functioning, gave out.
He welcomed the end of his fight with a peaceful spirit of love and thanksgiving. The last words I heard him speak on that Sunday night were an example of this. We visited with him and brought our 1 day old baby for a visit with his Tito as I was being discharged from the hospital. He held my oldest son Gian-Carlo's hand, he looked around the room, he closed his eyes, and he said "Thank you Lord for all the blessings you have given me. Thank you for this moment and for this little angel. Amen" Just a couple of hours later his lungs were unable to keep up any more. Rapid Response came to the oncology floor, and for the last time, wheeled my daddy into Critical ICU where he would remain for the next 2 days until he passed.
This Thursday, May 16, as we celebrate the one year anniversary of my papi making his journey to eternal rest, I want to honor his spirit, with the same love, courage, strength and appreciation he showed us always, but especially during his fight. I would like to thank God for all the blessings, for the gift of an amazing father and grandfather to our children, for the gift of my family, and ask that his spirit stays with us always.
I would like to ask our friends that you remember my papi on this special day, and that you honor his spirit and his fight by spreading love and awareness for the fight against Lymphoma, a cancer that was spreading through his body undetected because of its common, flu like symptoms. Paint the town lime green for my Papi! Wear lime green (lymphoma awareness color) on Thursday, May 16th, remember my papi and his courageous fight and spread awareness!
For more information on the symptoms www.KnowYourNodes.org
Spinal Cord injury awareness color is Beige, if lime green is not a part of your wardobe :) wear beige, and help spread awareness for Spinal Cord injury and paraplegia an everyday battle we got to know all too well.
May I be filled with love so the light can shine through me.
Love and light beautiful friend!
Namaste,
Karla Marie (proud daughter of Jimmy Lorenzo San Martin)
Amen, Amor!!!!
To view Papi's fight against cancer photo journal: www.facebook.com/
