Come Join Our Crusade

On June 25, 2010, my family gathered together to participate in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in support of my mom who had been battling metastatic breast cancer.

At the beginning of the event, the cancer survivors lead out the participants in the first lap around the track. My mom courageously walked the full lap around the track with the support of her father and a new found friend, Dov, even though she was frail and ready to surrender her battle with cancer.

With each step she showed more courage. Half way through the lap she removed her hat to show her shaved head. Many of the participants watched with teary eyes as her example gave us all hope.

On April 5, 2011 my mom returned home to our Heavenly Father. It has become common to say that she has lost her battle with cancer but I disagree with this statement. My mom courageously battled with cancer for seven years and continued fighting so that we could have more time with her. Her battle with cancer is not surrendered until those of us who knew and loved her choose to forget her memory. Her battle continues as each of us carries her memory in our battle against cancer.

I hope that there will come a day that none of us will have to face the hardships of cancer. I hope we will not have to stand by and watch those we love suffer the debilitating effects that it causes. I look forward to one more day without the fears of cancer threatening our lives.

I invite you to come join our crusade and continue Kathie’s battle with cancer by donating to our Relay for Life team. Your contribution will help save lives by helping people get well during their battles with cancer, finding cures by funding research, and fighting back by rallying people worldwide to join the fight. Please follow the link and make your donation to the American Cancer Society through our relay team.

http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY11GW?team_id=824774&pg=team&fr_id=34055

We also invite you to join us on Friday June 24 at 6:00 pm until June 25 at 12:00 pm at Murray High School. The event will be full of fun activities and entertainment. You may find more information at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=149818208405515

Our Tribute to Our Sweet Mother

Kathie Darlene Woolley Caldwell 1951 - 2011

Kathie Darlene Woolley Caldwell returned to the presence of her loving Heavenly Father on Tuesday, April 5, 2011 after a courageous seven year battle with metastatic breast cancer.

Kathie was born on October 1, 1951 in Salt Lake City to Grant and Clarice Woolley. She graduated from Ben Lomond High in 1970. She attended LDS Business College obtaining her Associate's in 1972. She married her eternal companion Raymond D. Caldwell in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on April 12, 1978. Raymond and Kathie lived in Sandy berfore residing in South Weber. They were blessed with six children Jason, Mark, Amy, Jenny, Matthew and Heather.

A faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Kathie loved her Savior with all her heart and served in many capacitites. She was comforted by the blessings of the gospel and the knowledge of eternal families.

Kathie had an incredible sense of humor and an ongoing desire to always have fun. She was extremely creative and this was portrayed throughout her life. Some of her greatest traits were patience, compassion, and selflessness. She was an example of courage and she was an incredible mother and grandmother. Some of her favorite roles to play were neighborhood mom, activities coordinator, and party planner. We will miss her innocence, graciousness, and charity.

She was a gifted musician and an outstanding piano teacher who combined her talent, education, and love for teaching for 42 years in her studio Kathie's Toccata Keys. She was a member of the UMTA, MTNA, and the National Federation of Music where she provided countless hours of service in many leadership roles. Her piano business was her passion and she had an amazing love for each of her students.

Surviving are her husband, Raymond; her children, Jason (Rachael), Mark (Kim), Amy (Brad) Beecher, Jenny, Matthew (Stephanie); parents, W. Grant and Clarice Wooley; mother-in-law, Verna Caldwell; siblings, Carol (Glenn), Rick (Doris), Dan (Undrea), Renee (Bruce); seven beautiful grandchildren who were her pride and joy Emilie, Chase, Clara, Kaden, Nicholas, Landon, and Macie; and many in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephes.

Preceded in death by her daughter, Heather in 1990; brother, Desmond; father-in-law, Don Caldwell; and both grandparents.

We would like to express our love and appreciation to Dr. Saundra Buys and the staff at Huntsman Cancer Hospital for their knowledgeable, tender, and loving care. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the "Kathie Caldwell Memorial Fund" at any Wells Fargo.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, April 11th at the South Weber Utah Stake Center, 7989 South 2250 East. Family and friends may attend her viewing on Sunday, April 10th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. or on Monday from 9:45 - 10:45 a.m. at the Stake Center. Interment will be in the Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery. For more of her story visit. http://www.kathiecaldwell.blogspot.com/

Funeral Arrangements

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Monday, April 11th at the South Weber Utah Stake Center, 7989 South 2250 East. Family and friends may attend her viewing on Sunday, April 10th from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. or on Monday from 9:45 - 10:45 a.m. at the Stake Center. Interment will be in the Larkin Sunset Gardens Cemetery.

In Lieu of Flowers

Throughout our lives our family has been the beneficiaries of many others' service. When Heather was near passing away there were those who helped with Christmas and paying the bills. With any other struggle there were always those who were ready to support. In between those times my mom was constantly teaching the importance of giving to others. She selflessly served when the opportunity was provided. My mom was always one who liked to keep things simple. She wouldn't like there to be lots of flowers because she would rather see something done to help someone else. For this purpose we have established a donation account in the name of "The Kathie Caldwell Memorial Fund." In lieu of flowers please make a contribution to this account at any Wells Fargo. Thank you for acknowledging her wishes.

Remeber Who You Are

Today at 7:38 a.m., our amazing Mother returned to her Savior. She was surrounded by her children, sister, and husband. We will miss her dearly, but are so grateful that she is no longer suffering from her illnesses. The words that she comforted me with when my sister died keep running through my mind. She taught us about the plan of salvation and gave us the knowledge that we would need to continue on with our journeys.

Last night was so hard for her; however, I feel so much peace this morning. She lived a beautiful life and was an amazing example to so many around her. She is an amazing mother! I am so grateful for her example of patience. Patience was one of her greatest strengths. She has endured her journey well.

Please understand that today we would like to just be with family and celebrate our amazing mother. We appreciate all of the unending compassion we have been given over the last 21 months.

This is how we want to remember our mother. Always ready to have fun. These pictures are from the summer of 2009.

Our entire lives as we walked out the door, mom would shout, "Remember Who You Are." Today we will remember who we have become because of her unending love and example in our lives.

Bring Her Home

The last two nights have left me singing the words from "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables in my head. "God on High, Hear my prayer, In my need, You have always been there, (She) is young, (She's) afraid, Let (her) rest, Heaven blessed, Bring (her) home, Bring (her) home, Bring (her) home" I am not sure what my mom is holding out for but I think we are all ready for her to return home and obtain the rest that she desperately needs. -Matthew

A Precious Moment

This picture was taken Sunday night

This is my sweet niece, Emilie. She is the oldest grandchild. She just turned 7 at the beginning of the year. Her and my mom have always been special friends. My heart was breaking for her as I saw her struggling to know how to react to everything on Sunday. I was about the same age when my little sister, Heather, passed away. I couldn't stop feeling the pain I felt when I was her age. My sister and I had told her that it was okay to just sit and hold her hand, but she seemed hesitant throughout the day. But near the end of the night she found a moment to be alone with her and hold her hand. She asked us to take a picture. I know this would have made my mom really happy.

A long update

Saturday night Mom slept the most she has in a long long time. Around 5:30 a.m. she woke up and we were able to help her get in the wheelchair. It was a special moment for Jenny, Matthew, Mark and I to spend time with her. Although the confusion has been getting worse, she was still alert enough to try and communicate with us. We were having our own little slumber party, and she was still making us all laugh.

During the early morning hours I had a feeling that this might be one of the better moments we would have with her over the next couple of days. I am so grateful for the memory of that morning, and very grateful for the family members who watched our children so that we could spend time with her in peace.

On Sunday, Mom was able to see Jason's family and say good bye. As soon as she heard that the girls were at her house she perked right up and spent some time with them on her bed. She was so happy to see her little girls. Emilie and Clara had drawn her some pictures and written some notes. Grandma was able to communicate with the girls for a few minutes.

She surprised us by wanting to get up and have a few bites of breakfast, which we gladly let her have. After she was finished eating we got her settled back into bed and resting. She stayed resting and asleep for the rest of the day. We were lucky to get to spend one more meal around the table as a family. As it turns out, that would be the last time that she would have the strength to be moved. Our amazing mother has been sleeping since yesterday morning. She has had moments of alertness but she is not responsive.

She has a brother and sister who live out of state. We have been able to skype with them so that they could see her. She was able to say a few words to them on Saturday, but on Sunday we just pointed the camera at her so that they could feel like they were with her as we talked about family memories.

Last night around 2:45 a.m. she woke up and Jenny and I sat by her side for a while before realizing that she would stay alert for a while. We woke up all the others in the house and we were all able to hold her hands and calm her down for the next few hours. We were able to let her know that it was okay for her to go. The veil was very thin and we were able to have a very spiritual moment in our home.

She has been a little fidgety and restless through her sleeping today. A few friends have been able to come over and say good bye. We are so grateful for all the people in our lives who have shown so much compassion for our mother.

Around lunch time today, the musical therapist visited, and was able to sing and play the piano for her. It is just what she has wanted. Throughout the last few days when she has had some anxiety, she has asked that someone play the piano for her. We have had our pandora station going non-stop because the music is the one thing that really calms her down.

We love our mother, but are ready for her to be at peace. My mom is one of the most amazing people I know. She has had to face many extreme trials in her life and I feel so much peace knowing that finally she will be able to have happiness and peace.

A Good Sense of Humor

Even through all the struggles of the last few days Kathie has never lost her sense of humor. Here are a few of her good jokes from today.

Kathie: "Tell Matthew to come here"

Matthew: "I am coming mom."

after just a few seconds

Kathie: "You were too slow."

Amy was leaning over Kathie taking care of her and Kathie used her finger to pull down Amy's shirt collar.

Kathie: "What are those?"

Mark, Amy, Jenny, and Stephanie were sitting around Kathie at 5:30 in the morning talking with her.

Kathie: "Jenny move your chair back!"

Jenny: "Why mom, am I scaring you?"

Kathie: "YES!"

Pictures from Saturday

A Big Change

Throughout the week Kathie has seemed to have some extra strength. She has been awake for longer periods of time, she has wanted to be more mobile, and she took an hour to enjoy the beautiful weather on Thursday. However, on Friday this week her health took a major decline.

She has always liked keeping things in order.  Her new favorite is winding her oxygen cord.

Her memory has grown weaker, she has lost her mobility, and the impending future is becoming more real. The hospice staff have determined that she is nearing the end of her battle. Saturday morning all of our family was informed and many of us have been at her side throughout the day.

It is difficult to restrain tears as we each consider what the future brings but the knowledge of an eternal family brings us comfort. In the next few days there is a chance that she may leave us to return to our Heavenly Father, her daughter Heather, and other family members. However, each of us hopes for something that only the gospel can bring, one day more.

Thank You!

To each of you who take the time to visit this blog THANK YOU. I truly love and appreciate each of you and your care and concern for my sweetheart. Each day is precious and we pray for one more day with quality of life. Kathie is declining rapidly and demonstrates significant confusion caused by the brain tumors. She sleeps a lot and this will continue to increase. For those of you wanting to visit, please know that your visits are precious and feel welcome to come spend time with her. For those who have volunteered to help spend time with her, thank you. Your help gives me peace of mind as I continue to try and keep my life going. The hours I spend away from home trying to work are much easier knowing that all of you are helping make sure Kathis is well cared for. I would also like to recognize the help from Hearts for Hospice. They are helping us care for Kathie's medical needs and providing support to us as a family. With our combined efforts Kathie will know she is loved and each day that remains will be one day more we can cherish. Love Raymond

Sunday Dinner

Where We Have Been

In June 2009, our family was devastated to hear the words, "Mom's cancer is back." After being cancer free for 5 years, our mom had been experiencing some chest pain and thought she may be having a heart attack. The scans in the ER revealed something far different. She had 5 tumors throughout her lungs and sternum. Later scans would reveal tumors throughout her rib cage, skull, spine, and thighs. Within a month of her initial ER visit she was diagnosed with stage IV metastatic breast cancer. Since her diagnosis she has undergone multiple surgeries, rounds of chemo therapy, and also radiation.

The doctors tried to give us hope by helping us to understand that her cancer would be controllable but not curable. Last summer we discovered that the cancer had spread even further . . . the MRI showed 10 detectable tumors on her brain. The cancer has continued to progress and the doctors have done the best they could possibly do. About a month and half ago we made the difficult decision to bring in hospice care in hopes of making her more comfortable and to allow her the best quality of life in the short time that she has left.

This blog has been created in hopes of updating all those who love and care for Kathie Caldwell on her current condition. We also hope that it will help coordinate the efforts to be with her during the next several weeks. The primary page will give recent updates on her condition. There are separate tabs that contain a calendar of those who are spending time with her and a memories page that will share thoughts from all of you. Those memories will later be collected into stories that can be shared with her grandchildren. If you have memories that you would like to share please forward them to me at matthew.g.caldwell@gmail.com

We truly appreciate everything you do to express your concern and your offers to help during this time. It is amazing to see the tender mercies that constantly surround us.

- Matthew Caldwell