3/29/2007

Penelope


Darling Penelope London (http://www.caringbridge.org/ny/penelope/index.htm) has gone into hospice at home. Please read her father's post below from last night, go hug your kids if you have them, and then perhaps decide to do something to help in the fight against this absolutely evil disease that strikes those who are least able to defend themselves against it. Penelope can't appear on TV with her husband and presidential candidate to talk about her disease. She can't stand at the podium in the press room of the White House and share her story. Her battle is invisible to most of us, but it is the most courageous battle of all, and it deserves better. There is not one drug that has been specifically developed for pediatric cancer. All drugs used to treat neuroblastoma are used "off-label", unlike higher-profile cancers like breast, lung and prostate which attract the research community's and pharmaceutical company's attention, focus and effort.


Thursday, March 29, 2007 7:07 PM CDT

I am writing this entry so that I remember it in the future. I am hoping it will help Catherine and me and our family one day....

Penelope is doing very, very poorly. Tumors are protruding from her skull, eye socket, spine, abdomen and are in every bone of her body. We know her time with us is so very short. She is in extreme pain, her vision is impaired and we have her on pain medication around the clock.

I was just lying in bed with her, holding her in my arms and I told her "I know you feel very yucky right now. Daddy wishes he could feel yucky instead of you". Penelope shook her head and said to me "I want nobody to feel yucky". Her eyes were closed and she went back to sleep. I squeezed her a little tighter and with tears coming down my face I said "thank you so much for saying that Penelope". She wants us to be happy. She doesnt want us to suffer. She is an angel as she seeks to keep her family from pain. We are so amazingly blessed to know her, to have her as a member of our family. We just want her to be as comfortable as possible in the period to come. I pray she is spared more suffering. Catherine and I tell her soon she will have no more pain and she will be chasing butterflies and laughing and singing. We love you so much Penelope.

Please keep her in your prayers.

Catherine and John

0 comments:

Post a Comment