Below is a transcript of a text string I used to communicate to close friends and family that outlines the events leading up to my moms passing on Saturday evening, June 7th.

Friday - June 6th, noon.
Sharing some updates to keep you all looped in on my mom. Summary so far: Monday night (6/2) she started feeling unwell. Health deteriorated to Tuesday evening when dad called 911 and she was taken to the ER at Cape Cod hospital. She revived a bit on Wednesday and was moved to the general hospital wed morning. Thought process at that point was that she had pneumonia. Wednesday evening things went south quickly. She was moved to the ICU and I jumped on a red eye and arrived  Thursday am (6/5).

Fast forward to today (6/6) where we learned in addition to pneumonia, she also has a serious infection from a tick bite. Anaplasmosis. Even in healthy people this is not a good Infection so for my mom it's been quite challenging. The good news is that they are now giving her the correct antibiotics, but her body has been through so much these past few days (not to mention the past year). People tend to get alot better with in 24-48 hrs of receiving the antibiotics. And we are being realistically optimistic while also making sure she is as comfortable as possible.

Saturday - June 7, 10am
The past 24 hrs have been a mixed bag. Yesterday mom was having trouble breathing even while on a machine that pumped air into her nose. She was moved to an O2 machine that covered her mouth and nose and breathed in and out for her. Not intubation but the closest you can get to that without the tube. This allowed her to breathe more easily and get some sleep for the first time since arrival at the hospital. It made it very hard for her to talk or sip water (she was not allowed any food). By 6pm things where trending downwards. Dad and I got permission to stay with her overnight in her room and Our dear friend Linda St. Clair from TN arrived at 2am Saturday. Together we where able to be with her every time she woke up to offer love and support.

This morning at 7am after she had gotten some rest they transitioned her back to the O2 via the nose and to our surprise she was able to make the transition and is still on the less invasive machine. This improvement has been completely unexpected and we are now waiting to talk to the Dr on the floor who is completing rounds.

Mom has been amazingly lucid since I arrived Thursday am. Her grace (mixed with a strong amount of annoyance about the poking and prodding she is being subjected to non stop) and willpower is amazing to witness. We await news are feeling some welcome stability at this moment. We will share as things continue to evolve.

Sunday, June 8th, 7am
Mom passed away peacefully last night. She was lucid and actively led the decision making process to discontinue life support. She is now with God. Thank you all for being a part of this journey with us.

Monday, June 9th 2pm
A few folks have asked how things turned so quickly on Saturday, so I wanted to share a bit more. As I believe many of you know, mom’s breast cancer came back in February 2024 (she had stage 3 breast cancer in 2002). She had been on various meds, many of which lowered her immune system, all of which have had a compounding impact in her body over the past 16 months. In addition to the infection from the tick bite, turns out she was also battling pneumonia when she was admitted into the hospital. Saturday, 4 days after hospital admittance, she rallied to eat ice cream but shortly after, she had to move back on the heavy duty o2 machine. She fought hard throughout the whole 4 days. The doctor came to us late Saturday afternoon and shared his prognosis that several of her organs started to fail and that recovery was highly unlikely. Mom immediately transitioned from warrior to serenity embodied. She said she was ready and asked to be taken off the various life support machines. Her agency was incredible to witnesses. She was made comfortable and Mom, Dad Linda and I shared stories, laughter and memories during her final hours. She passed with calmness and steadfastness, ready to begin her journey with God.